Valley Headlines

Valley reps attend swearing-in

GV Wire. Valley Congressmen and GOP leaders will attend Trump inauguration.
Synopsis: David Taub reports that the Valley’s Congressional delegation – Adam Gray, Jim Costa, David Valadao, Vince Fong and Tom McClintock – all said they would attend the swearing in. Why not? It was basically being conducted in the place they work. “No matter who you voted for, the inaugural ceremonies are proof that our system of democracy is resilient and effective,” said Gray. “I look forward to celebrating our shared values of hard work and love for our country.” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, who had traveled to Washington for the event, says he will not attend since it was moved indoors.

Optimism for new farm bill

Ag Daily. Race to the handshake: New agriculture leaders in Congress.
Synopsis: Reporter Jake Zajkowski writes about the senators and representatives who will be key to determining policies impacting farms and farmers throughout the nation. The House committee has 25 members. Because of the new members, there is great hope for passing a farm bill in the next congress. One representative called it “one of the best farm bills we’ve ever seen, specifically for specialty crops.” But the new Congress “requires a reset” to focus on immigration reform, tax issues and nutrition assistance.  Deep in the story, Zajkowski lists those just assigned to the committee, starting with Adam Gray of CA.
MAD Note: When people talk about “specialty crops,” they’re often talking about California’s 300 commercially grown foods. Unfortunately, the story did not expand on why this farm bill would be good for California or any other state that specializes in non-commodity crops.

Cancellation sidelines Posse

Fox26. Merced County Sheriff’s horses sidelined from inaugural parade due to weather.
Synopsis: After raising $100,000 to take their horses to Washington, D.C., members of the Merced County Sheriff’s Posse were told it would not be safe for their horses to take part due to inclement weather. “We are devastated to hear that equestrian groups will no longer be a part of the Inaugural Parde,” the MCSO tweeted. “However, we have the utmost respect for their decision to ensure the safety of every attendee and their animals. … While we’re incredibly sad about this outcome, we are truly proud to have been accepted in the first place.”

Booking ‘Dinner with Donald’

SF Standard. SF’s biggest Trumper sells ‘Dinner with Donald’ to crypto elites for $1 million.
Synopsis: If you want to attend the VIP reception for Trump at David Sacks’ San Francisco home, you’ll need to pony up $100,000. If you want to book a private dinner with the president next month, that will set you back a cool $1 million. Meanwhile, the hottest inauguration ticket in Washington is the Stand With Crypto Ball, tonight’s black-tie event that gets you hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Originally, tickets cost $2,500, but now tickets are only available via re-sale markets and going for much higher.

Helping fight SoCal fires

Merced Sun Star. Merced firefighters deployed to assist with Southern CA wildfires.
Synopsis: Eight members of the Merced City Fire Dept have been in So Cal since Jan. 8, along with two engines. The Type 3 Engine was sent to the Hurst Fire, which was quickly subdued, then moved to the ferocious Palisades Fire.  The Type 6 unit was sent to Altadena and is still there. A Rescue Task Force is also working at the Palisades Fires.

Westside Express. Los Banos firefighter gives first-hand account of Eaton Fire.
Synopsis: Capt. Brian Thompson’s four-man crew from Los Banos was sent to the line within minutes of arriving in Altadena. Their first shift lasted 30 hours as they “played whack-a-mole” with fires popping up on rooftops and in homes. Their second shift lasted “only” 24 hours.  

Politico. Trump says he’ll visit CA on Friday amid devastating wildfires.
Synopsis: A trip to CA will be Donald Trump’s first outside of Washington. “We’re going to get some of the best builders in the world. We’ll get it moving back,” he said. Another Politico story says the trip is in response to an invitation from Gavin Newsom.

High-speed rail at crossroads

Sacramento Bee. CA high-speed rail: Why 2025 could make or break embattled bullet train project.
Synopsis: While leaders in Fresno, Merced and Bakersfield maintain their high hopes for the 119-mile stretch of track, others are less sanguine. Tim Sheehan provides an exhaustive “overview” of how the project launched, why it got bogged down and how much more it has costs than originally promised. Interesting conclusion, though: If the project is abandoned, the work already done could benefit Amtrak, which could use 170 miles of track with no at-grade crossings and no freighters clogging the lines. An Amtrak train doesn’t go 200 mph, but could get up to 80 mph on those tracks.

Bird flu raises cost of eggs

Merced Sun Star. Valley small farmers overwhelmed by demand for eggs amid shortages.
Synopsis: Reporter Robert Rodriguez writes about the Rocky Oats Goat Creamery in Clovis, where eggs sell out in an hour of opening each day. Same thing happens at farmers markets. It’s all because some 20 million laying hens nationwide have been lost to bird flu. Eggs that sold for $2.80 a dozen in 2023 now sell for $9. Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced, Fresno and Kern are the top egg-producing counties in CA, and each has suffered huge losses in hens. But the small farmers are not trying to profit unduly. One said rather than raise his prices, he has quit taking new customers. “I like to be able to sleep at night,” he said. Another: “To raise prices right now goes against what we stand for and the respect we have for our customers.”

After 7 years later, tiara still fits

Merced County Times. Cassandra Valdez, agriculture advocate, crowned Miss Merced County.
Synopsis: Cassandra Valdez won the 49^th annual contest on Jan. 11 at Buhach Colony HS. Most impressive is her “platform” entitled “From Soil to Society” that demonstrates the connection of good ag soil to feeding everyone. In an interesting twist, Valdez was first selected Miss Merced County in 2018, but had to step aside, remaining eligible to run again. And, at age 25, she won again. Cassandra is an Ag Communications student at Fresno State. Others honored: Miss Teen: Delilah Sichmeller. Miss Yosemite Valley Teen: Aly Faria. Miss Sierra Nevada: Katie Ann Horger. Miss Yosemite Valley: Jillian Rogers.

Muralist still painting Merced

Merced Sun Star. Artist finds inspiration from surroundings; his mural is distinctly Merced.
Synopsis: Andrew Kuhn writes about Eddie Rodriguez, who worked on the Merced Gateway Mural Project and whose work can now be seen all over town -- the R Street underpass, the McNamara Youth Center and even electrical boxes. Rodriguez moved to Merced from the Bay Area in 2019.

Women still marching in Modesto

Valley Citizen. The Women’s March 2025. 
Synopsis: Eric Caine writes about the Jan. 18 Women’s March, noting that this year’s march was quieter and smaller than in 2017, when roughly 3,000 people walked from Graceada to Briggsmore and back. But the determination is still there, he says. And the crowd wasn’t exactly small. “Some will think the diminished numbers mark a sign of defeat,” wrote Eric, “but then resolve has always been quieter and more durable than anger.”

Hoops die as soccer excels

Westside Connect. Gustine High basketball team forfeits remainder of season.
Synopsis: The Gustine High boys basketball team made it through the 81^st Gustine Rotary Basketball Tournament last month, but just barely. The Reds went 0-3 in the tourney, losing one game 91-17 and, worse yet, 72-8 to nearby Los Banos. After those losses, several players abandoned the team and now there aren’t enough to continue playing.

Westside Connect. Gustine boys’ soccer nets 12 goals in shutout victory.
Synopsis: The Gustine High boys soccer team dominated Stone Ridge 12-0 as Jose Gonzalez scored 4 goals and had 6 assists.

A mystery orb over Fresno?

Fox26. Caught on camera: Mysterious orb spotted over Fresno once again.
Synopsis: The tower at the Fresno Airport got at least one report from a pilot on Friday night: “It looked like a white object,” he said just as he started to film. Others on the ground saw it, too. While some folks saw it on Thursday, it has not reappeared since Friday night.