Valley Headlines

Coverage of Friday’s debate

Merced Focus. Video: Watch Duarte and Gray take on issues during The Debate at the State.
Synopsis: Victor Patton, who served as a member of the panel asking questions of Adam Gray and John Duarte on Friday night, writes about the packed house at The State Theatre. He notes the two candidates talked about abortion, water and more.  
MAD Take: Not mentioned by any of the coverage of the debate was Duarte’s unfamiliarity with his own district. In trying to throw shade on the federal government for the flooding in Planada, he described “the river” that flooded near the town. Then he corrected himself, saying, “I guess it was actually Bear Creek.” But a moment later he was against saying “the river” overflowed. Well, John, it wasn’t Bear River. It wasn’t even Bear Creek. It was Miles Creek. Maybe you’d know that if you actually lived in the district or visited occasionally. No one saw you in Planada after the flood, but Adam Gray was there delivering pallets of water and later hanging drywall. It wasn’t the only poor answer the freshman member of the “Do Nothing Congress” offered during the night. Watch for yourself.

Turlock Journal. Duarte, Gray argue the meaning of ‘moderate’ at sold-out debate.
Synopsis: Joe Cortez writes, “With just 10 days remaining before the Nov. 5 election, incumbent John Duarte and former five-term Assemblymember Adam Gray met Friday night to hash out the issues in what was hailed as the ‘Debate at the State.’” He noted that the debate “remained calm and civil” despite repeated barbs from both sides.

KCRA3 (Sacramento). Adam Gray and John Duarte debate in race for CA’s 13^th district.
Synopsis: The Sacramento station provided about 3 minutes on the Debate at the State.

Most expensive House seats?

The Hill. Democrats fight for House control: 7 Republicans they’re looking to oust.
Synopsis: Story mentions CA-13 where the campaign and unaffiliated entities working independently will have spent $20 million before it’s over.
MAD Note: Not mentioned in the story is the report from Germany’s largest news magazine that said Republicans have quietly given up on John Duarte. That might explain the funding gap between the campaigns -- $11 million spent on Gray’s behalf, only $8.5 million for Duarte.

Politics around the Valley …

Turlock Journal. Letter: We need Frantz’s experience and dedication to help lead TID into future.
 Synopsis: Letter writer Mike Brem points out that no organization can survive without good leadership, and Frantz has been providing that for “many years” for Turlock Irrigation District.  

Merced Sun Star. Pressed for time but want to vote smart? Here are Sun-Star’s endorsements.
Synopsis: The editorial notes, “John Duarte’s campaign portrayed him as a moderate, yet he stayed loyal to his party’s goals in this Congress…” Also, “Gray, a former state Assemblymember … has worked to get water deliveries for Valley farmers.”

Fox 26. Jakara Movement celebrates resolution introduced that recognizes Sikh genocide.
Synopsis: Valley legislators were virtually unanimous in supporting the legislation signed by Jim Costa and Josh Harder to recognize India’s brutal history. Those supporting the legislation included the American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Sikh Coalition and other members of congress, including David Valadao, Vince Fong and John Duarte.

Modesto Bee. LGBTQ election viewing party to be held at Modesto nightspot, hosted by CalPride.
Synopsis: Trivia, music, dancing and drinks will be served at Splash Modesto, a video dance bar. Roman Scanlon, a former Bee staffer, says this is the place where “our community can be together and feel empowered, no matter the political landscape.”

Fresno Bee. Prices, culture, disillusionment; Valley Republicans say Latino gains make sense.
Synopsis: Reporter Erik Galicia talks to a 24-year-old Trump supporter who is proud to be Mexican but admires Donald Trump’s business success. He admits that it’s sad the way Trump talks about immigrants, but his family has already achieved its foothold. The young man’s grandparents, his father and his sister disagree with the youngster’s choice. His grandparents call Trump “Trompas” – a disparaging nickname. The story cites PPIC polling that shows Latino support for all Republicans is at its highest since 1980.

Modesto Bee. Ballot counting begins, where do ballots go once they’re dropped in the box?
Synopsis: Reporter Kathleen Quinn talks to registrar Donna Linder and gets a step-by-step view of how ballots are handled. Among the steps is the “little army of flatteners” needed to smooth out envelopes before they’re sliced open by a machine.
MAD Note: No mention of the former Bee employees who work in the office.

Grass fires are hotter, faster

SF Chronicle. Data shows just how much faster CA wildfires are getting and why that’s dangerous.
Synopsis: Reporter Anthony Edwards, the Chron’s “newsroom meteorologist,” looks at the study from UC Merced, UCLA and the University of Colorado showing wildfires are hotter and moving faster. In 20 years, wildfire growth rates have increased 249% across the west but 398% in CA. UC Merced’s Crystal Kolden is the lead author, saying grassland fires in the foothills and Central Valley are actually the fastest growing. The speed of a fire determines its destructive capacity, and our grassland fires are growing in that category. A “fast fire” burns 4,000 acres a day, and such fires account for 90% of all structure damage. Among the fastest fires was the SCU Complex which included western Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. The implications for “the Coast Range, the foothills, all through the Central Valley” are important.

Problems at Duarte Nursery

CBS47 (Fresno). Report cites Congressman Duarte’s nursery safety violations.
Synopsis: Story details the gross safety violations occurring at Duarte Nursey during the Congressman’s time as president. Included were several workers who suffered from working in a hot, enclosed space with “contaminated air.” One worker died of a heart attack. As Duarte told CBS47 in Fresno, “People pass away.” As Gray told the station, “John just, you know, does a lot to mislead voters and mislead people. And maybe some of those habits have played out in his business practices.”

Merced’s million annual visitors

Merced Sun Star. Merced County wildlife refuges become winter haven for ducks, geese.
Synopsis: Reporter/photographer Andy Kuhn heads out to San Luis NWR and the Merced NWR to see about 1 million geese and ducks that will be spending the winter in our Valley. Great video and stills. Among the birds spotted is a white-faced ibis in flight. You can take a tour by car or on foot.

San Francisco: CA’s ‘Trumpsville’

Sacramento Bee. SF uses the ocean as a its toilet and wants to flush a key environmental law.
Synopsis: Tom Philp writes about the SFPUC’s efforts to avoid the consequences of releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated and under-treated water into the Pacific and SF Bay. “San Francisco is a regressive city when it comes to all things water,” writes Philp. “It is California’s Trumpsville.” He adds, “San Francisco water management reeks of arrogance.”
MAD Take. Tom Philp once won a Pulitzer for writing about San Francisco’s reliance on water trapped in Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. That’s the lens he uses for this issue. He makes no mention of the impact on Modesto, Turlock and other Valley communities impacted by the Bay’s degraded conditions. Groups like SF Baykeeper, the Tuolumne River Trust and others insist the most immediate remedy is to dilute the pollution using vastly higher flows from the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced rivers.

Young mom’s life saved

Modesto Bee. Modesto hospital uses miniature heart pump to save mother’s life after cardiac arrest.
Synopsis: Having gone in for routine gallbladder surgery, Gisel Tafolla of Delhi went into cardiac arrest at Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock. But a rare and previously unknown heart disorder caused the 26-year-old new mom to suffer four heart attacks while on the operating table. EMC staff got her stabilized and airlifted her to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto where, eventually, “the world’s smallest heart pump” was installed. Tafolla has fully recovered. This complicated procedure was well described by veteran reporter Ken Carlson.

Plan to negate the hate in Fresno

KVPR. Plans underway to protect Fresno students from ‘the most obnoxious rabid hate group.’
Synopsis: Westboro Baptist plans to be in Fresno today to taunt Roosevelt High students, homosexuals, immigrants and others all in the name of God. The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the congregants members of a “family-based cult” that is “the most rabid hate group in America.” Counter protesters like the Parasol Patrol are planning to create a “wall of love” while Westboro is in town. PD will be on hand.

Just as nuts were moving …

Ag Net West. Global demand for tree nuts shifts as top markets drive trade.
Synopsis: Shipments of almonds, walnuts and pistachios “have grown steadily over the last decade with trade concentrated among a few key markets.” The fastest growing markets include (in order) the EU, China, India, Turkey and the UAE. Story says the walnut “trade has surged, with global imports nearly doubling to 1.1 million tons.” Turkey, India and Kyrgyzstan join the EU as top new markets.

Ag Net West. Study warns US-China trade war could harm farmers and boost rivals.
Synopsis: Just as things are looking up for nut exports, the World Ag Economic and Enivornmental Services says a tariff war between the US and China will land hardest on farmers. If China reinstates the tariffs it imposed during the last Trump administration, as expected, it will cause a drop of 52% in soybean exports and 84% in corn. Specialty crops, like nuts, will be the first to feel the tariff impacts.

Bony Barbie gets her due

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus Halloween displays pays tribute to pop culture icon.
Synopsis: Reporter Maria Figueroa writes about Barbie Bones Land in Turlock. The life-size Barbies are in boxes, looking like anorexia gone too far. Other fun displays include a Hocus Pocus themed house in Modesto, Pumpkins & Ghouls in Modesto, and Halloween Fanatics in Ceres.

Merced Sun Star. Merced man displays love of Halloween at his house with giant witches, skeletons.
Synopsis: Shawn Jansen writes about 28-year-old Miguel Avila’s house in Merced, which “screams Halloween” with spooky clowns, a 12-foot skeleton and tombstones. He’s been decorating his house for 8 years, often with help from buddy Leovardo Gallegos.