Valley Headlines

State pumps more from Delta

Maven / DWR. State Water Project ‘flexes’ operations to capture more storm water.
Synopsis: Under new operating permits that provide for a “storm flex,” DWR has increased pumping from the Delta when storm water makes it feasible. That runoff is sent to San Luis Reservoir, with an anticipation of capturing 16,000 acre feet more than in the past.
MAD Note: Not mentioned in the story, but this is part of the reason San Luis must be enlarged by adding 20 feet to the dam.

Impact of protests in the Valley

Merced Focus. Merced sees back-to-back protests demanding immigrant protections.
Synopsis: Hundreds of young people were in the streets around Merced County on Monday. The first protests were organized by UC Merced students and proceeded from the campus to Yosemite Crossing. Later in the day, a large gathering came together at the Merced County Courthouse Museum. One protester was Bianca Enriquez, an American citizen whose mother was deported years ago. Later, in the early evening, protesters gathered for a march, asking that Merced become a sanctuary city. While there were hundreds of marchers, many said they were met with hostility.

Fresno Bee. Huge number of students in Fresno and Madera skipped school to protest deportations.
Synopsis: About a third of the 21,000 Madera Unified students were absent Monday, as many were kept out of class for the “Day Without an Immigrant” protest. Fresno, which has 68,000 students, was missing roughly 30% of the student body compared to 8% on an average day. Central Unified saw a 10% increase in absences. At some high schools, half the students were absent. “Students are worried. They’re scared for themselves and for their families,” said one teacher.

Turlock Journal. Protests, school absences noted on ‘A Day Without Immigrants.’
Synopsis: Reporter Joe Cortez says that “nearly a quarter” of Turlock Unified students were absent on Monday with many taking part in the nationwide protest. With 61% of the student body identifying as Hispanic, that shouldn’t be surprising. Of the district’s 13,579 students, 3,238 were absent – which was 113% higher than were absent the previous Monday. Since school funding is based on attendance, it will have an impact. “We want to affirm that TUSD remains committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all students and families,” said the district’s Marie Russell. Large-scale absences were seen throughout the Valley.

Fighting cancer on a console

ABC30. Book by UC Merced professor explains how video games can help cancer research.
Synopsis: When cognitive-science professor Jeff Yoshimi’s wife got cancer 14 years ago, he looked for ways to help. There are millions of people playing games every day, he recognized, so came up with ways to harness all that brainpower in an effort to beat the disease. That’s the point of the book he has just released. “If we build certain video games, we can get more people to solve these problems.” His wife, Sandy, is healthy today.

Fewer murders in Modesto

Modesto Bee. Homicides in Modesto at their lowest level in over two decades.
Synopsis: MPD investigated 7 homicides in 2024, the lowest number since 2002 when there were only 5. In 2015, Modesto was the fifth-most violent CA city with 25. Reporter Trevor Morgan profiles the victims.
MAD Take: What has caused this drop? We aren’t told by the reporter. Maybe the police chief has insight? Or a sociologist? Or even gang members? There’s more to this story than tragedy, and we’re not seeing it.

Dispatch debate continues

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County board members debate 911 call transfers, slower response times.
Synopsis: The battle between Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse and the county’s regional dispatch center rages on with the head of Emergency Services saying the switch would mean dropped calls and delays during emergencies. Current call processing takes 47 seconds, making a transfer to a different system would add 34 seconds to that figure says Kasey Young. Channce Condit called this a non-issue, saying transfers are simultaneous. Fire Warden Erik Klevmyr says he hasn’t met a fire chief who supports tearing apart the dispatch center. Terry Withrow says, “the technology won’t outweigh the benefits of a consolidated 911 service.”

K9 sparks huge bust

Modesto Bee. During Modesto traffic stop, K9 officer detects drugs.
Synopsis: Friday, a K9 found 14 pounds of fentanyl pills and 2 pounds of heroin in a car, according to the Modesto PD. The driver was pulled over for multiple violations and it didn’t’ take the K9 long to find the goods. A 49-year-old man was arrested. “This is one example of how a police K-9 plays a crucial role in keeping these deadly substances – and those who seek to distribute them – off our streets,” said Sgt. John Carrico.

In praise of tariffs on wine

Western Farm Press. Could tariffs help CA wine?
Synopsis: Tim Hearden talks to some of the wine industry folks who attended the United Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento last week. Among those was Natalie Collins, who has argued that we need to “reframe” the tariff narrative. Instead of making products more expensive, she says tariffs on juice from other nations could make CA juice more competitive. Jeff Bitter of Allied Grape Growers says you’d have to be careful with that perspective, but it is worth considering. Hearden says that some believe tariffs on avocados and other ag products would make the price of American goods more competitive.
MAD Note: Economists and the Wall Street Journal love to point out that local producers never sell tariff-protected products for less than imports. Instead, as the cost of foreign goods go up due to tariffs, local producers increase their prices to match the price of imports. That means consumers pay more regardless, which has the impact of reducing demand and increasing inflation. But folks will believe what they want.

Golden Valley wins AcaDec

Merced Focus. Golden Valley High takes home top honors in 44^th Academic Decathlon.
Synopsis: For the fifth time, Golden Valley won the countywide AcaDec title, having compiled the most points in 10 categories of academic excellence. GV, also first in 2023-24, advances to the state finals in Santa Clara in March. Merced High’s Rishabh Saha, a renowned speller, was the overall winner with a perfect score in mathematics.

Ceres has a new chief

Ceres Courier. Johnson acting police chief in wake of Perry’s sudden departure.
Synopsis: The city won’t say why Chief Chris Perry was suddenly put on administrative leave two weeks ago and then retired just as suddenly. In his place, Trent Johnson will be in charge of the department. He had been promoted to captain in March and came up through the department. His wife, Tammie, is the dispatch center supervisor.

She vaulted to the top

Turlock Journal. Turlock’s Hernandez joins pole-vaulting royalty with national honor.
Synopsis: Bergann Hernandez was named the national High School Pole Vault Coach of the year. She is the first woman to receive the honor in the 35 years of its existence. The 1998 THS grad was among the first women allowed to compete in the sport in high school. She also competed for MJC and Fresno State, where she encountered coach Bob Fraley. Hernandez says she intends to remain a high school coach, “because my passion is to build athletes.”

SF keeps polluting Bay

Maven / SF Baykeeper. SF opens floodgates during heavy rains; photos capture raw sewage.
Synopsis: With the arrival of an atmospheric river, the SFPUC opened the floodgates around some of its water-treatment plants and allowed water containing untreated sewage, chemicals, trash and more to run into San Francisco Bay. Currently suing the federal government to be given special dispensation to continue this pollution, the SFPUC says around 6% of its discharge into the Bay is polluted.
MAD Note: Interestingly, the SFPUC’s total untreated discharge will be around 2 billion gallons – or roughly the same amount that Donald Trump ordered released from dams on the Sierra Rim. While he was appropriately excoriated for such a stupid release, I wonder what will do more damage – 2 billion gallons of clean river water or 2 billion gallons of water containing feces and chemicals? Obviously, this poison is bad for fish and is part of the reason the state requires so much water to flow through the Bay – to flush out the poison. But there continues to be very little outrage over this practice.

Best Super Bowl ads?

Ag Daily. The 9 best ag-related Super Bowl commercials.
Synopsis: If you’ve got something to sell, then the biggest consumer event on the planet seems like a good place to advertise it. This story gives you a look at 9 commercials, including several for trucks, one for animal activists, one for beer, and one for Doritos. Nothing on almonds. Huh.