Today's Headlines

Problems at Yosemite

SF Chronicle. Yosemite considers making controversial reservation system permanent.
Synopsis:  The National Park Service is going through the steps of gathering input from the public, but it’s clear NPS wants to implement a visitor-reduction reservation system. The NPS says that will help them “shape Yosemite’s future. … We want to make sure everyone gets a chance to enjoy the park and not suffer through endless traffic jams and long waits.”

KVPR. How a reporter uncovered a concerning management track record at Yosemite National Park.
Synopsis:  This is audio report is an interview with freelance reporter Laura Bliss, who says she saw a drop in the “quality of service” during a recent visit and decided to look into it. Looking at federal evaluations, she found park vendor Aramark was often awful. In 2019, over 100 were sickened by a norovirus outbreak, which was never reported. And a staffer was assaulted in employee housing.

COVID is back, and worse

Sacramento Bee. What’s the newest COVID variant spreading in CA? Will vaccines help?
Synopsis:  COVID activity is “very high” with variant KP.3.1.1 doubling in the past two weeks, according to the CDC. The new variant accounts for 28% of all new cases and “poses more of a challenge to our immune response than prior variants” especially for those who have not been vaccinated. Also called the FLiRT variant, it is more transmissible than the original version. All the usual symptoms (cough, fever, fatigue, etc.), but add diarrhea. If you get it, use OTC meds like ibuprofen and acetaminophen. And stay home. The vaccine you got last fall works well to reduce symptoms. A new vaccine is expected to be out by mid-September.

In defense of wine and joy

SF Chronicle. What the debate about wine and health gets wrong.
Synopsis:  Columnist Esther Mobley writes about the dozens of studies that appear each year – wine ruins your sleep, fights the common cold, causes dementia, lowers blood pressure, reduces vision loss and on and on and on. She calls it an “endlessly circular debate.” But now, the “scientific community and public has turned sharply and decisively against alcohol.” Anyone under 25 calls wine “the new cigarette.” She says the wine industry has been slow to respond, but is now engaged in an effort to halt the loss of customers. As Esther points out, sugar is just as bad for you but she’s not willing to give up dessert once or twice a week. She concludes: “I don’t drink wine because I believe it’s reducing my mortality risk. It brings me joy, and that’s enough.”

MJC nursing program expands

Modesto Bee. MJC to expand nursing program in response to state’s shortage.
Synopsis:  Saying there will be an estimated shortage of 36,000 nurses in the next decade, the CA Community College chancellor’s office says it will train more nurses through the Vision 2030 strategic framework. MJC’s president says there are far more qualified applicants than there are slots in the his program, so he wants to increase the numbers who can be taught.
MAD Take: Inexplicably, the story never says how many new slots will be available or how many exist now. But about 12 years ago, MJC expanded its nursing program to 40 students per cohort (with funding from Kaiser Permanente). Apparently, there are more openings in the program now.

Bird flu worries expand

Successful Farming. US undercounts bird flu in cattle as farmers shun testing.
Synopsis:  The USDA is pushing for more tests on cows and beef, but those willing to allow it on their farms is shrinking. This could limit the nation’s ability to respond rapidly as the disease evolves. The reporter found that farmers don’t believe it’s a serious issue. One farmer, age 78, said his cows were sick earlier this year but he didn’t notify anyone because he didn’t’ want to deal with the government. The USDA found out anyway, and quarantined his cows – then paid him for 90% of his lost production.

Farms.com. USDA expands H5N1 testing in dairy beef.
Synopsis:  The increase in testing across 27 states is considered “proactive” as the USDA tries to keep bird flu from entering the food supply. After thousands of tests, it appears there is no infection of any pasteurized product – “showing the effectiveness of existing safety protocols.” New “hold-and-test” rules involve beef carcasses. While some processors and farmers are angry about increased testing, the USDA points out that it is necessary to maintain the confidence of consumers.

Merced Sun-Star / Fresno Bee. Flu virus that killed millions of poultry found in dairy cows.
Synopsis:  McClatchy is finally catching up to the hottest story in agriculture. Bird flu has been found in dairy herds in 13 states and appears to be spreading both east and west. “It is alarming,” said Anja Raudabaugh, CEO of Western United Dairies. The story details the steps CA is taking to hold bird flu at bay. Reporter Robert Rodriguez also talks to Tom Barcellos in Tulare and UC Davis vet Michael Payne. He points out that the risk to humans, so far, is minimal since pasteurization kills the disease and there are no cases of human-to-human transmission.

Nuts not going just yet

Modesto Bee. After saying baseball’s Nuts are leaving, Modesto to talk to Mariners.
Synopsis:  Kevin Valine reports that there are efforts to keep Modesto’s Cal League team. Other than admitting there have been “talks,” no one is talking about what is being said. But Major League Baseball has insisted that John Thurman Field needs at least $32 million in upgrades.
MAD Take: This is so very, very typical of sports negotiations. The team wants better facilities, but doesn’t want to pay for them. So it plays hardball with the city threatening to leave. Some members of the public get angry, and “negotiations” follow. Eventually, there will be a happy compromise. Or not.

The case for local journalism

Sacramento Bee / Modesto Bee / Fresno Bee. Don’t believe the political ads: Google is not a champion of local journalism.
Synopsis:  Columnist Tom Philp takes on Alphabet, a court-declared monopoly that profits off content it doesn’t develop – just exploits to sell ads. He says Buffy Wicks’ AB 886 “would create more local journalism. Period.” He adds, “Google is not on the side of the scribe at City Hall on deadline. The giant company is in a fight to maintain its market dominance … throughout the nation and world.”
MAD Take: All in favor of sticking it to Google, Facebook et al raise your hand. But there is no requirement that out-of-state media owners – i.e., Chatham Asset Management, the owners of McClatchy and Tom’s paycheck – will put a dime back into their California newsrooms. And there’s no evidence that they would.

Sacramento Bee / Modesto Bee / Merced Sun Star / Fresno Bee. Lessons from Canada: CA Journalism Preservation Act will help save local news.
Synopsis:  Benoit Chartier, a small publisher in Canada, writes about how the Canadian Parliament forced Google et al to pay $100 million a year to local publishers. Sure, the biggest got the most, but it also allowed small publishers like Chartier to survive. “I am speaking to you from the future, where news publishers are compensated fairly for the work their journalists produce and monies are reinvested in newsrooms.” And this, “In an era of rampant misinformation, the importance of reliable, local journalism cannot be overstated.”

It's a great year for figs

CA Ag Net. Fig harvest is here – CA fresh-fig industry poised for growth.
Synopsis:  Madera is the nation’s capital for fig production, and growers say they’ve had their best year ever. In this audio report, CAN’s Matt Malcon talks to the Fresh Fig Association CEO Karla Stockli. Video report.

Paying to pull out trees

KSEE / CBS47. Large grant to help mitigate floods, recharge groundwater in Merced County.
Synopsis:  The grant will come from DWR’s Flood Diversion Recharge initiative and Westlands, though the story doesn’t say how much the grant is for. It will remove 450 acres of orchards near the San Luis Canal on the western side of the county. Removing trees reduces demand for groundwater. So far, Westlands has acquired 5,340 acres for this project at a cost of $58 million.

Hey! He’s not bear food

ABC10. ‘Not going to let somebody get eaten by a bear’: Tuolumne neighbors step in during attack.
Synopsis:  A 24-year-old man was jogging near Long Barn and got too close to a mama bear and her cub. The jogger tried to run away, but couldn’t. So he picked up a stick and hit the bear, making it madder. So he climbed atop a car. A neighbor picked up a chair and threw it at the bear, and it took off down the hill. The hero says he sees bears, but they seldom are dangerous.