Valley Solutions

Almond projection down a little

Turlock Journal. Blue Diamond Growers issues 2026 almond crop estimate.
Synopsis: Blue Diamond Growers estimated a crop of 2.69 billion pounds almonds, based on direct input from 3,000 member-growers. The report essentially replaces estimates produced by the USDA in the past. Instead of a single number, the cooperative issued a range, from 2.675 to 2.72 billion pounds. “By sharing a range and the input behind it, we aim to provide a practical, early framework that reflects what our team is seeing in the field,” said Blue Diamond’s Mel Machado. Almond buyers use estimates to establish early prices for almonds, which farmers use to secure financing for harvest and operations.
MAD Take: Last year’s almond harvest – originally estimated at 3.2 billion pounds – came in at around 2.71 billion pounds.

How much water? In drought?

Valley Citizen. The Irrigation Director’s very special water rates. 
Synopsis: Eric Caine writes about the “heavily redacted” Master Water Plan for Larry Byrd’s AB La Grange ranch that Caine received in response to an open-records request from MID. Despite the redactions, Caine was able to “infer” quite a bit about Byrd’s water use. He concludes that Byrd’s insistence he put 862 feet of water on 90 acres of pasture and 50 acres of nuts in 2022 – an extreme drought year -- is not plausible. “The closer we look at Larry Byrd’s pumping records and billing, the more discrepancies arise,” writes Caine.

Turlock soldier is one of best

Turlock Journal. Pitman grad part of US Army’s ‘Best Squad’ winning team. 
Synopsis: Sgt. Marcus Robinson was part of the 7^th Engineer Brigade, which won the Best Squad competition in Grafenwohr, Germany, last month. This competition is to identify small units “that can operate and win in a contested environment,” said Major Gen. Michael Lalor. The competition included fitness, navigation, weapons, obstacle courses, a 12-mile march and performance under sustained physical stress. Robinson is a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist for the six-member squad.

Memorial fined for errors

Modesto Bee. Modesto hospital fined for medication error; emergency room cases scrutinized. 
Synopsis: Memorial Medical Center will have to pay $73,000 in penalties based on a medication error that trigged an “immediate jeopardy” crisis in January 2024. A nurse administered 25 tablets of nitroglycerine to a 75-year-old woman who had complained of chest pain. The normal dosage is 1 pill every 5 minutes for a maximum of 3 pills. The nurse had not administered the pills before and did not seek guidance. The hospital’s poison-control unit responded, and the woman’s blood pressure returned to normal.

Debate over Merced’s future

Merced Focus. Daron McDaniel and Luis Lara debate who’s best suited to represent District 3. 
Synopsis: Incumbent supervisor Daron McDaniel is being challenged by recently retired CHP Sergeant Luis Lara. Their debate can be watched, or you can read the transcript. McDaniel talks about his 20 years as a supervisor in dealing with Merced’s issues. Lara talks about 28 years dealing with the county’s emergencies. Castle Commerce Center, which sits in the district, was front and center for several questions. McDaniel talked about autonomous vehicle testing while Lara asked why we have an 11,000-foot runway that never has any aircraft landing on it.

Tech is threatening farming

Farm Press. Tech growth must not drain Western farmland. 
Synopsis: Family Farm Alliance exec Dan Keppen writes about a growing conflict over scarce resources such as water, electricity and well-located farmland in the West. Data centers need all three to feed the growing demands of artificial intelligence. Farmers need the same essential ingredients to grow food. In places like the Imperial Valley, if water is diverted from growing food and toward powering computers, farming will suffer. “Supporters rightly say these projects create jobs and tax revenue. But agriculture does the same thing while also feeding the country,” writes Keppen. “The West should think carefully before shifting scarce water from productive farmland to server farms.”

A century in business

Merced County Times. Valley Pharmacy invites residents to 100^th anniversary. 
Synopsis: Valley Prescription & Compounding Pharmacy dates back to 1924, and will celebrate its 100^th anniversary celebration on May 14, from noon to 3 p.m. at 330 East 13^th . The original location was in the Hotel Merced, where the DA’s office now stands. Very early in its life, the drug store expanded beyond medicines to include a soda fountain and a large camera selection. Pharmacist Jeffrey Hill took over in 2006. Over the past 20 years, he’s come to know virtually every customer by their first names.

Hockey returns to Stockton

Fox40. Pro hockey returns to Stockton with soon-to-be announced team.
Synopsis: Stockton will get a pro hockey team to play in the Adventist Health Arena, just across the river from the city’s inner harbor. There will be a contest to name the team which will play in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. The city hosted the minor-league Stockton Thunder from 2005-2015 and Stockton Heat from 2015-2022. The city also has a thriving amateur hockey facility at Oak Park Ice Rink.

106 acres added to refuge

Modesto Bee. PG&E adds 106 acres to river preserve near Modesto; bunnies, butterflies benefit. 
Synopsis: California’s largest investor-owned public utility teamed with River Partners to add 106 acres to the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, which now has 7,500 acres. The new property is across the river from the Dos Rios State Park, which opened to the public last summer. Some 20 PG&E workers spent a day planting native shrubs and trees on land that had been farmed by Bill Lyons, who also originally owned the land that became the state park. The native grasses and shrubs are considered perfect for hawks, riparian brush rabbits, raccoons and other animals. Since the land is in a floodplain, some of it was elevated to create “bunny mounds” for the endangered brush rabbits.

Weed deals OK’d until ’29

Turlock Journal. Planning Commission approves extending Turlock’s retail cannabis agreements.
Synopsis: Turlock will continue agreements with all four of the city’s licensed cannabis retailers through 2029. The dispensaries will pay a public benefit fee of 5.25% of gross sales, capped at $25,000. The city is considering a streamlined application process along with a cannabis tax, but the tax would require approval of voters.

Trying to buy sex at 95

SF Chronicle. Vallejo police arrest 10 suspected of soliciting sex – including 95-year-old.
Synopsis: Last Thursday, Vallejo police set up a sting operation along Marin Street and netted nearly a dozen men looking for love, or a close approximation. Most of the would-be customers were from out of town, including men from Sacramento, Napa, Fairfield and Manteca. One of them, it turns out, was 95 years old.
MAD Take: Are they sure he wasn’t looking for sox? Your feet get cold near the coast.

A $444 steak in Fresno

Fresno Bee. A $444 steak? What’s the most expensive meal at a Fresno-area restaurant?
Synopsis: Trying to figure out Fresno’s best “high-end” eatery is an interesting exercise. Many people choose Bulle, which launched in March and offers $125 caviar appetizers and $45 cocktails. Then there’s the private PM Lounge, which charges a $1,500 monthly fee and offers various events. Fresno has wealth, points out Falina Marihart, owner of 13 Prime Steak in Clovis. “We have money here. It’s just the overall perception is that we don’t.” If you have and want to spend it on wagyu beef, black sturgeon eggs or Sea Smoke pino, check out these spots: Sukai at Table Mountain ($772 average check); the PM Lounge (it won’t provide a menu, but memberships range from $1,500 to $3,500); Bulle ($429); 13 Prime Steak ($386); the Elderberry House ($270).  

And a great $14 burger

Modesto Bee. I had the best meal at this Stanislaus County burger spot. 
Synopsis: Reporter Angela Rodriguez checks in on Backwoods Burgers in Oakdale, which gets a 4.5-star rating on Yelp and offers a wide range of burgers and sandwiches. Located in a former pizza joint off Hwy 120, Backwoods will customize any sandwich to your taste – including wrapping it in lettuce if you’re carb-conscious. And you can even get half-orders of sides, like fries, if you’re trying to cut back. As for her triple-decker, it “lived up to the hype. It was juicy, messy and packed with flavor from the smoky bacon, creamy guacamole and spicy jalapeno. It honestly might be one of the best burgers I’ve had in Stanislaus County.”