Valley Headlines

Food bank cuts draw fire

Fresno Bee. Senators demand answers from USDA after major cuts to food-assistance programs. 
Synopsis: Earlier this week, reporter Robert Rodriguez detailed cuts to two programs that provide locally grown produce to schools and food banks. The USDA has discontinued both of the programs. But Thursday, a group of senators including CA’s Adam Schiff, Ben Ray Lujan, Amy Klobuchar and Jean Shaheen of New Hampshire sent a letter demanding that these programs be reinstated. The letter notes that 533 California farmers produce food for 55 food banks and community pantries. The other program helped 8,000 farmers nationwide get fresh food into schools. The USDA has not responded.

Tariffs causing problems in CA

LA Times. CA businesses are reeling from Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs. 
Synopsis: This story started by talking to the owner of a hardware store, who said everything in his store will be impacted by tariffs -- wood (from Canada), tools (from China) and building supplies (from Mexico). “These tariffs are going to 100% impact us,” he said. “This is going to make COVID prices seem cheap.” Prof. Jon Aronson at USC calls the on-again-off-again tariffs a “day-to-day soap opera, and just like a soap opera, you get relief then it heats up again.” Monday, “in a blow to farmers in CA,” China imposed retaliatory duties of 15% on chicken, corn, beef, pork, wheat and soybeans. On Wednesday, Trump hit Chinese aluminum and steel with a 25% tariff. Already, suppliers are seeing falling orders and retailers are raising prices. Thursday, the EU put a 50% tariff on US wine and liquor. Prof. Aronson notes 85% of US wines are made in CA and almonds are a key commodity. Writes the reporter: “CA’s economy could be especially hard hit because of its heavy reliance on trade with China and Mexico and because of its position as a global agriculture powerhouse.” With ag generating $73 billion in economic activity, we are going to feel it here.
MAD Take: Trump offered this on Truth Social: “The US doesn’t have free trade. We have stupid trade.” Finally, an accurate statement.

North State offices closed

Redding Record Searchlight. ‘Attack on working people’: Admin won’t comment on cuts in state.
Synopsis: The story starts by saying the Trump administration is “keeping a tight lid on information about cuts to North State programs, and even members of Congress are being left in the dark about how Dept of Government Efficiency cuts are affecting local communities.” DOGE listed a canceled contract for $566,304 with the Trinity River Hatchery. It was part of a $65 million project to improve water storage, improve hydropower generation and water treatment. Also, per the DOGE list, an office in Weaverville has been locked up. Requests for comments were ignored. Rep. Jared Huffman couldn’t get any information. He said: “The federal government exists to serve the people – not abandon them. Trump and Musk are taking a wrecking ball to our country.” Other shuttered offices include the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Redding, Indian Health Services in Arcata, a US Forest facility in Mount Shasta and a Natural Resources Conservation Service office in Yreka, with all employees laid off – hence the “attack on working people.” Huffman noted that the nation’s “most vulnerable communities will bear the brunt of this reckless decision.”

SF jails are ‘packed’

SF Standard. Under Lurie, SF jails are packed for the first time in decades.
Synopsis: The city’s incarceration rate has grown 10% in the last two months. All talk of “criminal justice reform” has ended with enforcement being the operative theme. There are 1,300 people staying in jail on any given night since late January. After falling arrest rates over the past few years, the county’s jails have only 1,236 beds.

Troubling new bird flu strain

LA Times. Bird-flu infected San Bernardino County dairy cows may have concerning mutation.
Synopsis: Suzanne Rust writes about a new variation of bird flu identified in 4 cows in San Bernardino. The new strain appears to heighten mammal-to-mammal spread and symptom severity. PB2 E627K started in ferrets and moved to cows. In a lab setting, the virus killed every ferret to which it was exposed. The good news: The only human known to have encountered PB2 got a bad case of conjunctivitis but nothing more. A scientist as St. Jude’s said this not a game-changer, but it is one more step in the virus’s path to being lethal to humans.

We need an opioid alternative

Valley Sun. Central Valley needs a real solution to combat opioid crisis. 
Synopsis: Atwater councilmember Brian Raymond writes an op-ed about the increase in opioid deaths in rural areas over the past 20 years. He proposes state legislative action to assure greater access to non-opioid pain relief.
MAD Note. Maybe they could pay for it from the $450 million the state received in settlements with drug companies.

Robot helps find tumors

Modesto Bee. Modesto hospital uses the ‘Ion Robot’ to find lung tumors and catch disease early.
Synopsis: DMC uses the noninvasive technology to biopsy hard-to-reach lesions in the lungs and remove suspected tumors. Pulmonologist Mohammed Abo Khamis, the man behind the mask, calls the machine “game-changing” allowing early treatment and producing much better outcomes. Stanislaus County has some of the highest lung-cancer incident rates in CA, higher than in Merced and San Joaquin. The reason? The county has more smokers. Patients are arriving from Fresno, Sacramento, Stockton and the foothills for treatment from the Ion Robot.

Some bad advice

GV Wire. Don’t listen to critics: SJ River Conservancy is doing its job.
Synopsis: Madera County Supervisor Bobby Macaulay chairs the SJ River Conservancy. He takes umbrage with the recent Fresnoland story that pointed out the conservancy’s lack of response to the CEMEX plan to dig a 300-foot-deep gravel strip mine next to the river. He says the Conservancy is not a political or regulatory body and has no purpose other than to restore the ecosystem. He says executive director Kari Daniska told the reporter that her comments would be forthcoming, but that was ignored.
MAD Take: Just saying: Telling folks not to listen to anything makes most people want to hear more about it, Bobby.

‘Hey Dad, what’s your gameplan?’

Turlock Journal. Plaa takes helm of Pitman varsity football.
Synopsis: As Joe Cortez writes, Pitman High is “hoping success is hereditary.” The school has hired Braden Plaa to coach the Pride football team. He’s the son of Downey coach Jeremy Plaa. Though only 26, Braden has 8 years coaching experience – mostly at Downey, where he also played QB. Jeremy has amassed a 132-62 record since taking over a moribund Downey program 18 years ago. Pitman has been 10-29 in the past 4 years. Braden said his father “is proud and excited for me … but he won’t be rooting for me on Oct. 10.” That’s the day Downey plays Pitman. BTW, Plaa’s roomie in Turlock is brother Tanner, the Beyer High water polo coach, who is 26-0 as a coach. But no pressure, Braden.

Chasing swamp rats

Josh Harder (Facebook). Chasing nutria.
Synopsis: Josh Harder took to Facebook to describe a slog through the Delta in pursuit of nutria – a 40-pound swamp rat with neon-orange teeth that dig holes in our levees, destroys crops and has 200 babies a year. He wants to kill them all. One person left this comment: “There’s one in the Oval Office right now – go get it!” Other comments were more focused on Josh.

Tesla’s new submarine?

SF Gate. Driver backs Tesla Cybertruck into water at CA harbor.
Synopsis: An officer making the rounds at Ventura harbor thought it odd to see a Tesla cybertruck floating near a ramp. Well, not exactly floating. More like sinking. Only the driver’s pride was hurt. He thought he the truck was in “drive” when he actually had selected reverse. Along with a tow-truck, the Ventura FD, harbor patrol and a Tesla engineer were called to the scene. Apparently, “lithium-ion batteries do not do well underwater.” It’s the third time one of Elon Musk’s creations has ended up underwater – presumably not on purpose.