Valley Headlines

Boone fire still growing

GV Wire. Boone Fire grows to nearly 18,000 acres in Fresno County, is 34% contained.
Synopsis: As the fire has grown, so has the response. There are 1,742 firefighters on scene – 1 per 10 acres. There are 8 helicopters involved, but instead of dropping water, they’re carrying firefighters into remote terrain to establish fire lines. CalFire says to be careful along Hwy 198.  

How many wolves are enough?

Farms.com. CA’s gray wolf population thrives, but livestock attacks surge.
Synopsis: From a lone celebrity wolf back in 2011, there are now 50 wolves roaming the state. They are disbursed over several packs, mostly living near cattle ranches. The largest is in eastern Tulare County, with 15 adults and 6 juveniles -- the southernmost pack in the state. Ranchers say they are losing several calves a week. Others say the howls of wolves distresses their cows and keeps them from putting on weight. CDF&W says the reintroduction of wolves has had a much larger impact on deer populations, which are becoming smaller but healthier. One official pointed out that when wolves were hunted into extinction, there were 4 million people living in CA. He also noted that it would be a bad idea for Bay Area humans to seek out wolves.

SF Chronicle. CA’s endangered gray wolf population doubles with year’s new pups.
Synopsis: Same basic facts as found in the Farms.com story, but an entirely different POV. The reporter offers one quote -- from the Centers for Biological Diversity. And a really cute photo of wolf pups.
MAD Take: This headline is included as comparison to show how different audiences perceive the same story. Farms.com takes careful note of the increasing depredation of wolves and the impact on cattle herds, especially calves. The Chron treats the story like a celebration, never mentioning that baby cows are being killed and eaten. The Farms.com story offered warning from a state official for Bay Area residents that they should not go looking for wolves; the Chron omitted that bit of advice, too.

Cows banned by Big Fresno Fair

Fresno Bee. County fair dairy cow exhibits curtailed in Fresno and region over avian flu.
Synopsis: Reporter Robert Rodriguez writes that there “will be a little less mooing at county fairs this year.” That’s because bird flu leapfrogged Nevada and landed in the biggest dairy region in the nation – California’s Central Valley. Three Valley herds have been confirmed for infections. The dairy exhibits have been banned out of fear the virus could ride on shoes or caps into barns or out of them. The biggest impact will be on the biggest remaining fair in the state – The Big Fresno Fair, Oct. 2-14.

Can’t resist such gossip

KCRA. Former chief of staff sues CA State Sen. Alvarado-Gil for sexual harassment, discrimination.
Synopsis: Chad Condit, the father of Stanislaus Supervisor Channce and son of former Congressman Gary, worked for Marie Alvarado-Gil until a falling out. She later accused Condit of forging her name on documents used to secure state grants for projects in Channce’s district. Now Chad is suing because, he says, part of his duties as chief of staff included sexual services – during which he hurt his back. She calls it “an outlandish story, presented without evidence, to get a payday.” Alvarado-Gil recently switched teams, from Democrat to Republican – something mentioned in every story.

Politico. CA state senator’s former staffer sues lawmaker for alleged sexual harassment.
Synopsis: Chad Condit, the son of a famous former Congressman, is accusing both Marie Alvarado-Gil and the CA State Senate in his lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court. Alvarado-Gil’s lawyer told Politico that the lawsuit is “outlandish” and that his team would win. Details not in the KCRA story include accusations that Alvarado-Gil confided in Condit about her drug use (ayahuasca and gummies). He hurt his back while performing sex in a car. Secretary of State Ericka Contreras says the state “takes all complaints incredibly seriously.”

Farming is changing in CA

Fresno Bee. Farming, lifeblood of Central CA, has changed since 2002; what acreage shifts mean. 
Synopsis: Tim Sheehan writes about the 8-county region and its 6.8 million acres of the world’s finest farmland. Having learned the hard way about monoculture when the prices for tree nuts dropped precipitously, farmers are diversifying. Some farmers are bringing back cotton, others are raising more animals. Among the trendsetters – as they were in the shift to nuts 50 years ago – is Woolf Farming. One of the most unusual crops you can find on their acreage is agave for making tequila.

Capital Public Radio. Drought, climate change make agave an appealing CA crop.
Synopsis: This Q&A is with Gian Nelson of Napa, who grows agave and distills it in the same location. He says there is another farmer planting agave every day in California. And yet, there is room for more growth; he has trouble sourcing the plant.

Fresno Bee. Exotic micro-crops shore up small Central Valley farms.
Synopsis: Some of these veggies are growing on an acre or even less. Things like daikon radish are grown on 1 acre in San Joaquin County, Fresno chilis are grown on 1 acre in Tulare while taro is grown on 5 farms in Fresno County, totaling 1 acre. Other growers are producing bitter melon, bok choy, chayote, curry leaf tree, lo bok, napa cabbage, tatsoi and yam and a couple dozen more. In Merced County, you can find Mustards greens, kale, eggplant and snap beans.

No more Prime Time?

Sacramento Bee. Calls intensify for dismissal of polarizing football coach.
Synopsis: Deion Sanders finished last season with a 6-game losing streak and so far this season has beaten North Dakota State by 4 and lost to Nebraska by 18.
MAD Take: Why is this important in Northern California? Because the Almond Board just recently re-signed Coach Prime to help sell almonds.

More Black kids arrested

Modesto Bee. Modesto police arrest Black juveniles at over 4 times their population rate.
Synopsis: Over the past decade, Black youth have accounted for over 13% of all juvenile arrests in Modesto despite making up only 3.3% of the juvenile population. The most disproportionate year was 2022, when Black juveniles made up 16.5% of those arrested. For comparison, Latino juveniles constituted 58.2% of all juvenile arrests and 58.0% of the population. Whites made up 23.5% of arrests and 24.1% of the population; Asians made up 4.6% of the arrests and 14.6% of the population. The numbers do not reflect citations, but only bookings. The data was given to the Modesto Police Review Board.

Fewer walnuts this year

Western Farm Press. Smaller CA walnut crop expected.
Synopsis: Fewer trees are producing fewer nuts, with the overall crop expected to be 19% lower than last year. That works out to an estimated 670,000 tons after a survey of 1,422 trees in 700+ orchards. Last year’s crop of 824,000 tons was a record. Fewer chill hours and heavy spring rains diminished the crop. Meanwhile, acreage has fallen from 400,000 in 2022 to 370,000 acres today. Prices peaked at $1.85 a pound in 2013, but last year was only 42 cents.

Mistreating homeless is a sin

Modesto Bee. Letters: Homelessness isn’t a crime; but indifference toward suffering is sinful.
Synopsis: The Rev. Misael Avila – who has been a priest in Modesto, Oakdale, Riverbank and now Turlock – writes to “vehemently denounce” the Supreme Court decision that allows for the clearing of camps. “The real solution lies in providing affordable housing, supportive services and a living wage…” Then he invokes Pope Francis who instructed Catholics to care for those “who are weaker, the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.”

Turlock Journal. When your city bans sitting, taking a stand is the only option.
Synopsis: City Council D-3 Cassandra Abram writes about the new Turlock city ordinance enacted in response to homeless folks sitting and laying down in doorways and in parks. Unfortunately, it’s so broad that it could allow anyone to be penalized for sitting in a park or even on a bus-stop bench.

Pao Park coming to Merced

Merced Focus. Merced park to be named after beloved Hmong general.
Synopsis: General Vang Pao Park will be at the corner of Freemark and Cardella near the Stonefield Homes project called Bellevue Ranch. Pao actually lived in Clovis when he died, but was a leader in the “secret war” waged by the CIA against Viet Nam.