Valley Headlines

NFL’s best? Firebaugh’s Allen

GV Wire. Josh Allen wins NFL Most Valuable Player award.
Synopsis: Firebaugh native Josh Allen was voted MVP of the league, beating out two-time winner Lamar Jackson in the closest race since 2016. Allen threw for 28 TDs and ran for 12 more, compiling a passer rating of 101.4. He is the first player in NFL history to have five seasons in a row with 40 total touchdowns. His Bills lost to the Chiefs in the semifinals.
MAD Note: Unmentioned in the story, but well known to Valley residents, is the good Allen has done in and around his hometown – from providing shoes to football players at his hometown high school to his work with the Patricia Allen Fund, which pays for care at the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. Or the $10 million he used to pay off the debts of 2,600 families in Wyoming and in the Central Valley.

Speaking of football … and nuts

Western Farm Press. Almonds go Prime Time at the Super Bowl.
Synopsis: Deion Sanders will be back on the air selling almonds, starting with a tour of Radio Row at the Super Bowl festivities today in New Orleans. The pitch this year is that almonds are great for recovery from workouts. “Almonds help me stay prime all the time. It don’t stop, baby!” says Sanders. Americans will eat about 3 million pounds of nuts on Super Bowl Sunday.

New bird flu is scary

LA Times. Deadly version of H5N1 bird flu spills over into Nevada.
Synopsis: The LA Times catches up on the D1.1 strain of avian flu, which has been found in a dairy herd in Nevada. It’s the same version of bird flu that killed a Louisiana man and put a Canadian teen in ICU for more than a month. Prior to being found in Nevada, the strain had been confined to wild birds in Chicago, Ohio and upstate New York. USDA scientist John Korslund said, “This is truly unfolding into a nightmare scenario.” Anja Raudabaugh of Western United Dairies says this should compel federal officials to get moving on a “bovine vaccine ASAP.” Korslund is worried the Trump administration, which has been averse to revealing bad news on sicknesses, will try to ignore the outbreak. “We have to hope that Canada does the research because our federal researchers appear to be temporarily paralyzed by the political process.”

Letting their flags fly

Merced County Times. Leaders OK request to fly Christian flag in Bob Hart Square.
Synopsis: The request to fly the “Christian flag” came from The Barn Church. It will be raised from April 11 to May 9 to honor Easter. Fue Xiong strongly opposed flying the flag, pointing out that it was carried by several of the rioters during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Mayor Matt Serratto said Xiong was being insulting. The city will also display the Pride and African-American flags at other times and has displayed the Mexican, Italian, POW and other flags in the past.

Election merry-go-round

Valley Sun. Former Merced mayor Mike Murphy explores 2026 Assembly run; will he take on Soria?
Synopsis: Having served two terms on the Merced city council, Mike Murphy has been out of politics since 2018. He wasn’t clear about what seat he’ll seek. Sen. Anna Caballero is termed out in 2026, and a lot depends on who runs for that seat. If Esmaralda Soria goes for the Senate, her Assembly seat would be open. But Nelson Esparza, another former Fresno councilmember, has already said he wants that seat. So it will be interesting.

GV Wire. With immigrant backgrounds, Vang, Leon Barraza seek Fresno council seat.
Synopsis: David Taub writes about the March 18 special election to fill the Fresno District 5 city council seat that serves southeast Fresno. There are three announced candidates -- Jose Leon Barraza, Elizabth Rosas and Brandon Vang. Barraza and Vang have similar success stories, though they immigrated from different parts of the world. Rosas is the wife of Luis Chavez, who vacated the council seat after winning election as county supervisor.

Bullet train: All aboard, or not

Fresno Bee. CA bullet train faces a Trump-sized derailment; time to accept the harsh truth.
Synopsis: Marek Warszawski believes Donald Trump’s antipathy toward high-speed rail will kill the long-controversial project. Not only has he vowed not to spend any more federal dollars on high-speed rail, he’s trying to claw back money allocated by the Biden administration. Marek says the often-bankrupt president could be right about high-speed rail, it could be the worst-run project in the state. “For as long as Trump occupies the Oval Office, high-speed rail in California is dead. No point in pretending otherwise.”

GV Wire. Mayor says Fresno needs high-speed rail despite cost overruns.
Synopsis: Jerry Dyer says the project that Trump despises is essential for connecting Fresno with the state’s broader economy. And the 300 jobs promised for the maintenance yard will be nice, too. Rep. Jim Costa also defended the project: “This is about good-paying jobs, cleaner air and a future of better-connected communities.”

So many good dogs

ABC30. 2 dogs recovering after being shot in Merced.
Synopsis: Two dogs have been shot in the head with high-velocity pellets within a week in Merced. Both will survive, thanks to New Beginnings animal shelter and Dr. Adam Lauppe. New Beginnings is asking for help in covering the cost of their care.

KCRA. Stanislaus County animal shelter calls on community to step in amid capacity crisis.
Synopsis: Interim director Craig Gundlach says the county’s animal shelter has “dozens” more animals than it can accommodate and they are suffering. Last week, 40 animals arrived at the shelter, bringing the total population to 328 – or 140 over capacity. There will be events at Petco in Turlock (today) and Ceres Tractor Supply (Sunday) to help find foster hosts for some of the animals.

CBS47 / KSEE. ‘You can’t keep a good dog down’: Madera County K-9 Obie returns to duty.
Synopsis: Officer Obie was shot in the line of duty last November when a man drove his car off the road and came out firing a shotgun. Obie was “riddled” with buckshot, but returned to duty on Jan. 5. His partner, Deputy Daniel Greaver, says he has picked up where he left off.

Honors around the Valley

Patterson Irrigator. First responders recognized, awarded. 
Synopsis: Fire Chief Jeff Frye told the stories of several firefighters and EMTs who can be called heroes after saving a life or delivering a baby. Celebrated were Capt. Nicholas Jamieson, paramedics Frank Silvia, Dennis Flannery and Richard Siler and EMT Nelson Arellano. Capt. Jamieson was involved in saving a heart attack victim and delivering a baby. New mom Patricia Blackmon was there to personally thank Jamieson. She said she feared her pregnancy would end in miscarriage but instead it resulted in “an amazing miracle from God.” The PFD union made sure the newborn had all the essentials – from wipes to formula.

Merced County Times. Historical Society honors leaders, groups.
Synopsis: At the Merced County Historical Society annual meeting new officers were introduced: Joyce Mattos (president), John Carlos (president elect), Kathy Brady (vice president), Grey Roberts (treasurer), Patti Kishi (Secretary) and Tom Roduner, Augie Scoto, Brett Bakers, Bob Souza and Bud Wallace directors.

Merced County Times. New officers announced for Merced County Fair Board.
Synopsis: The county fair board will be led by Mark Erreca, president, Emily Haden, VP, and Mark Pazin second VP. The 2025 fair is June 4-8.

Merced County Times. Congressman Gray takes oath in front of constituents.
Synopsis: John Miller writes about last week’s ceremonial swearing-in of Adam Gray at the Merced Courthouse Museum. Gray told the crowd of 300-plus, “We are stronger when we work together” and vowed to remain the moderate he has always been. Listening is the key to learning what needs to be done.

Say love with a … taco

Fresno Bee. Heart-shaped pizza, pink hummus – Fresno restaurants have Valentine’s Day meals.
Synopsis: Nothing says “love” like pink pizza. Or heart-hummus. Or maybe Valentacos from El Premio Mayor on East McKinley (the Amor Grande box costs $27.99, complete with a tattoo-inspired sticker from Roeski Doeski). Me-n-Ed’s Pizza has the heart-shaped pie. If you’re looking for something a little classier, head for Standard Restaurant & Lounge where a three-course prix fixe meal costs $95; it’s topped off with a vanilla-brandy bread pudding or Belgian chocolate mousse cake.
MAD Take: Coolest looking meal in this story are the heart-shaped falafels, severed with dragon-fruit lemonade and pink Hummus at Hummus Republic.