Today's Headlines

Confirmed: Bird flu in Valley

Fresno Bee / Merced Sun Star. Avian flu confirmed at 3 Central Valley dairies; state’s first cases.
Synopsis: Reporter Robert Rodriguez writes that three cases have been confirmed somewhere in the Valley – though officials won’t say where. Milk is the top product in Tulare, Merced and Stanislaus counties and a close second or third in San Joaquin and Madera. CA thus becomes the 14^th state with confirmed cases. No cows can be removed from a quarantined farm, and all sick cows must be isolated. Healthy cows can be milked. Anja Raudabaugh, CEO of Western United Dairies, says, “One of our primary goals is to protect employees.” A reported 13 humans have gotten bird flu after encountering it in cows or birds. No humans or cows have died from it.

Successful Farming. CA quarantines three dairy farms hit by bird flu outbreaks.
Synopsis: The USDA confirmed the presence of bird flu in CA cows on Friday. “We have been preparing for this possibility since earlier this year when HPAI detections were confirmed at dairy farms in other states,” said Karen Ross. “Our extensive experience with HPAI in poultry has given us ample preparation and expertise to address this incident.” Story notes CA has 1,117 dairy farms with 1.69 million cows, and it produces 18% of the nation’s milk. While there is no danger in drinking pasteurized milk, the impact on production or consumer faith could be significant.

Successful Farming. Fake cows ready for milking at US state fairs as bird flu threat looms.
Synopsis: Meet Milkshake and Buttercup, the only “milking cows” at the Michigan State Fair this year. They’re fiberglass and have fake udders so milking demos can go on. Same at Minnesota’s Moo Booth, where the plastic cow is named Olympia.

Honey dew or Honey Deuce?

KVPR. Central Valley melons featured in official US Open cocktail.
Synopsis: You thought the US Open was all about tennis. The most universally popular adult beverage is the Honey Deuce, made from vodka, lemonade and raspberry liquor with little scoops (think tennis balls) of honeydew melons on top. Those melons are all from Turlock; the New York stadium served 500,000 of the cocktails last year and has ordered 150,000 melons this year.

Denair’s incredible turn-around

Turlock Journal. Denair Unified’s remarkable comeback: From fiscal crisis to success.
Synopsis: Op-Ed. Superintendent Terry Metzger points out the amazing turn-around. In 2012, Denair was essentially bankrupt and cutting staff, programs and some buildings. About 20% of its students left for adjacent districts. The district has now been in the black for 10 years, enrollment has more than recovered and programs like FFA, band and Academic Pentathlon have revived. There are dual-language immersion programs, a Charter Academy, mental health services and more.

Mismanaging our water

Valley Ag Voice. Common sense missing in Delta water management.
Synopsis: Scott Hamilton, of Hamilton Resources Economics, writes about efforts to save steelhead, even as hardly any steelhead can be found at the screens near the pumps. So why turn off the pumps? He notes that the annual “trawler sample” hasn’t found a Delta Smelt since 2017, despite the release of millions into the Delta. He asked why we can’t just assume the environment is no longer hospitable to smelt and adjust our water-management to support the lifespans of other fishes? Finally, he gets to his real point – continuing to follow “X2” release schedules. X2 is a measurement of water that scientists believed was necessary to save smelt back in 2008. Since no smelt can be found now, despite following the dictates of those old formulations, isn’t it time to declare the X2 flows ineffective?

Making way for the trains

Maven / CA High-Speed Rail Authority. High-Speed Rail and Grasslands WD reach settlement.
Synopsis: The HSRA wants to have its tracks cut through Grasslands Ecological Area. GM Ric Ortega wanted to make certain that those tracks -- and the multiple trains that would be on them each day -- would have a minimal impact on the reserve. It’s taken “almost two decades” to reach a deal, but both sides say they have. There will be “elements to allow for wildlife movement and protect the natural environment” in the plan. That includes a wall near the Volta Wildlife Area for noise mitigation.
MAD Take: Good job, Ric.

Merced Focus. Merced high speed rail station to be discussed during city council closed session.
Synopsis: Tonight, the council will discuss the value of several properties needed to build the station – including the Merced Senior Community Center and McCombs Youth Center. Merced’s station will be the only one in the Valley to have high-speed trains, Amtrak and ACE trains all in the same place.

Closer looks at CA 13

NOTUS.org. Can a Republican win an election on local issues in 2024? This House race is a major test.
Synopsis: Katherine Swartz, who was raised in Ripon, wrote this lengthy, mostly balanced story about both John Duarte and Adam Gray and their efforts to make their cases to voters. But balanced doesn’t always mean complete.
MAD Take: The reporter for NOTUS – aka, News Of The U.S., funded by Politico’s founder – did the best job so far in discussing district issues. But it’s a low bar, since hardly any reporter parachuting into the Valley ever takes a close look at issues. Swartz never mentioned pistachios. Or Dos Rios. She failed to explain the importance and realities of water and how John Duarte has managed to have zero impact in providing it for farming, for the environment or in protecting residents from flooding. She didn’t explain the enormous size of the district (171 miles, top to bottom), or the differing needs of residents -- from Bay Area commuters to isolated farmworkers with far too many prisoners in between (Coalinga, Atwater, Chowchilla). Instead of providing a clear contrast, she characterized this race as a bit of a coin-toss between candidates with similar views. That ignores the accomplishments underlying those promises. One candidate has delivered for the Valley, the other has sold a lot of defective trees.

NY Times. Second time’s the charm? Rematches could sway the fight for Congress.
Synopsis: Reporter Robert Jimison mentioned CA 13 in this story, nothing the district was a “key pickup” in securing Republican control of the House in 2022. He writes that Adam Gray is trying to turn “incumbency into a blemish.” Finally, the reporter refutes Adam’s contention that Duarte voted against Social Security and Medicare.
MAD Take: Another story that doesn’t quite scratch the surface and means nothing to local voters. The line about turning “incumbency into a blemish” is clever, but untrue. As an Assembly incumbent, Adam delivered roads, schools, water security, medical care and much more to the Valley. What has Duarte delivered? The reporter doesn’t say. And saying Duarte did not vote against cutting Social Security benefits betrays either a bias or failure to research. Duarte’s Republican Party made clear its intent on both. The House Appropriations Committee voted on party lines to cut the Social Security budget by $450 million next year. If it had passed the full House, dozens of field offices would have closed. Meanwhile, the Republican Study Committee planned to cut Social Security benefits by 13%. Another of its plans would have raised retirement age to 69. This same plan would have turned Medicare into a “voucher” system and ended any IVF support. If Republicans like Duarte return to the House, these plans will come up again.

Spending to help homeless

Politico. A fed-up Gavin Newsom pushes CA cities on homelessness.
Synopsis: The governor’s bottom line to cities: Get people off the street, or you won’t get any more state money. As the story points out, he threatened this in 2022 and again in 2023 but got no results. Now, in 2024, he seems serious. Newsom told cities he wants encampments closed, streets cleaned, and people put in emergency housing. Local officials are pushing back, wondering what they’re supposed to do if no housing is available and no funding is forthcoming from the state.
MAD Take: In a state that has already spent $26 billion (not counting local initiatives) on trying to solve homelessness, the argument that emergency housing isn’t available rings hollow. At $400 a square foot (the midpoint price for residential building statewide), we could have built 65 million square feet of housing – or about 410,000 “micro homes.” That would mean about 2.5 homes for every homeless Californian.

Rescued from a burning Tesla

CBS13. Ripon police officer rescues passenger from burning vehicle, suffers 2^nd-degree burns.
Synopsis: Witnesses at Love’s Truck Stop said someone was driving a Tesla erratically and parked across several handicapped spaces. An unidentified officer responded, and the car sped away. It crashed on Jack Tone Road (not “Jacktone” as reported by CBS) and started burning. The passenger was stuck until the officer pulled them out; the driver ran away … but didn’t get far.

Is that a plane landing here?

Merced Focus. Merced native has close call with plane crash while playing golf.
Synopsis: Justin Owens was playing at Haggin Oaks in Sacramento on Aug. 4 when a single-engine plane decided to land on the fairway. When he turned to look at what was causing all the noise, he saw “the nose of the plane coming at me, probably about 100 yards away.” As the plane banked left, he hopped/ran right. A video camera on the course captured the whole thing. No one was hurt, but Justin and the pilot were shaken. After the crash, Justin played 18.