Valley Solutions

Hilmar gets new health clinic

Turlock Journal. Hilmar community celebrates reopening of Lumira Healthcare. 
Synopsis: Lumira Healthcare welcome 100 partners, patients and dignitaries – including Reps. Adam Gray of Merced and Pete Aguilar of Redlands – to their grand reopening Wednesday in Hilmar. Taking place during National Health Center Week, Lumira was showing off improvements at the Livingston Community Health facility in Hilmar. CEO Leslie Abasta said the location was Lumira’s first outside of Livingston. Gray called Lumira “a great organization with great people” and noted the importance of such facilities to the Valley: “We’ve fought this fight my entire time in public office. Whether it’s trying to bring a medical school to UC Merced, whether it’s making sure our community clinics can be open more hours, this fight will continue. And frankly, the cuts in Washington to health care dollars haven’t helped.” Lumira has locations in Modesto, Turlock, Hughson, Waterford, Merced and Delhi. Aguilar, who leads the Democratic caucus in Congress, said Gray has been instrumental in “ensuring that rural health care is front and center in the national agenda.”

Black leaders weigh in on train

Merced County Times. African American residents speed out over location of high-speed rail station. 
Synopsis: Editor Jonathan Whitaker speaks to Linda Griffin, Joyce Dale and others about the prospects of high-speed rail coming to Merced. “We support economic development. We support the high-speed rail, and we support investment in Merced,” said Black Chamber president Griffin. “What we do not support is to leave behind or bypass the historic Black community.” The Rail Authority has proposed moving the station from its planned location downtown, close to historic Black neighborhoods, to an orchard south of the city in an effort to save on costs. “We ask the City Council to ensure that every neighborhood receives equal consideration, that minority owned businesses have meaningful opportunities to participate and the historic Black community is include in planning – not after the decisions are made,” said Griffin. Angela Matthews rejected the notion that Merced “should simply accept the current direction of the High Speed Rail project.” She noted that a downtown station is all about “maximizing the public benefit of a once-in-a-generation investment.”

El Nino brings highest tides

LA Times. El Nino could bring highest sea levels ever recorded to the CA coast. 
Synopsis: The strongest and largest El Nino ever recorded keeps getting stronger and larger, foretelling more water hitting the West Coast this winter. “We’re expecting likely the highest sea levels ever recorded,” said Mark Merrifield of the UC San Diego Scripps Institution. It’s due to climate change, which is warming the ocean. Warmer water expands, causing sea levels to rise. Tides and storm waves then go deeper inland from the shore. “Enormous wave” pressure could be seen “landward” by up to 100 feet. Coastal flooding is being predicted, especially in SoCal. A similar situation took out the Santa Cruz Pier in the last El Nino. “We have not seen an El Nino event on the trajectory that this one is on,” said prominent climate scientist Daniel Swain. He said the tail end of the rainy season in 2027 could be brutal. “El Nino is not just on our doorstep, it is inside the house and turning up the heat,” said UN Sec General Antonio Guterres.

History of the Stanislaus River

FishBio. The Stanislaus River: The flow must go on. 
Synopsis: A look at the history of one of the San Joaquin River’s three great tributaries, the Stanislaus. It starts as a trickle at 10,000 feet, then becomes a river when three streams unite. Then it flows through the deepest limestone canyon on the West Coast on its way to the Valley. It has nourished humans for thousands of years and continues to do so as the river irrigates farms in the Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts. But the flows are over-allocated and hotly contested between farmers, cities and environmentalists. In 1977, zero salmon were counted on the river. But in 2025 there were 8,000 that spawned on the river.

Priest: ICE isn’t humane

Modesto Bee. Catholic leader: This isn’t what humane immigration enforcement looks like. 
Synopsis: In a letter to the editor, Fr. Misael Avila of Turlock lists his concerns with ICE, citing Catholic bishops who remind us that enforcement of any law must be carried out in “a humane manner with respect for fundamental human rights.” Avila notes that ICE has shot 23 people in the past year and that 32 people have died in ICE custody since Trump and Stephen Miller began operations. “This is not what humane enforcement looks like,” he writes.

Fired by Trump, Devin pours wine

Modesto Bee. It’s been a minute since we heard from Devin Nunes; here’s what he’s been up to.
Synopsis: Columnist Stephanie Finucane ran into Devin Nunes pouring wine at his new Nunes Wine Company wine bar in Pismo Beach. It’s a “comeback of sorts” for Nunes, who resigned from Congress in 2022 to run Donald Trump’s Truth social media enterprise. He was replaced this year after the company’s stock price plunged by 67%. He says he lives in Tulare but works in Pismo where his winery concentrates on Portuguese style vintages. His name is on several labels and there are giant American flags hanging from the walls. Expect to pay $50 for a bottle of Patriot Reserve, or maybe $120. One customer exiting the bar said: “It’s a shame his name is on it, because the wine is good.”
MAD Take: Does he serve any milk? Nunes insisted he was a dairy farmer, after all.

One, maybe two, taxes for Fresno

Fresnoland. Amid bureaucratic uncertainty, city of Fresno places general tax on November ballot. 
Synopsis: Despite the state law that overrode county supervisors and put the transportation sales tax back on the ballot in Fresno County, Mayor Jerry Dyer said the safe move is to present a similar tax measure for the city of Fresno alone. That precaution became necessary after county supervisor Garry Bredefeld a vowed to fight the legislature’s actions overriding his board’s 3-2 vote to keep the measure off the ballot. Bredefeld says the 40-year-old tax would put too much emphasis on public transportation and bike lanes – both ultra-conservative, pro-pollution, anti-woke talking points. If the countywide measure makes the ballot and passes, the city measure would become moot and the tax would not be collected.

Screwworm under control?

Ag Daily. USDA reports just 5 active New World Screwworm cases. 
Synopsis: The USDA says it has the New World Screwworm infestation under control, with only five active cases being monitored. There have been 45 cases reported in the US since early June, mostly in Texas. But treatment, drone-mapping and release of more than 600 million sterile flies have kept the outbreak muted. The USDA is also monitoring wildlife. The infestation in Mexico is far worse, with 500 human cases and about 2,000 active animal cases, said Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller. “We need to help them out because the more cases they have, the more likely they’re going to infest us.”

Ag Daily. FDA clears new wound spray to fight screwworm. 
Synopsis: The US Food & Drug Administration has issued emergency approval for CLiK Extra, a topical suspension for use on screwworm wounds. It can be used on cattle, sheep, goats and even camels. The FDA has approved the drug for use during calving, castration, dehorning, shearing and ear-tagging. It can be purchased over the courter once available.

Sikh history on display

Stocktonia. History of Sikhs in San Joaquin County will be celebrated in museum exhibit.
Synopsis: For more than 100 years, followers of Sikhism have lived in the San Joaquin Valley. Their achievements and contributions to the Valley will be the subject of a special exhibit at the county’s Historical Society & Museum at Micke Grove. The exhibit opens Aug. 22 with speeches, music, food and demonstrations at the park. Stockton’s gurdwara, established in 1912, is one of the oldest outside of India and the oldest in the U.S.

Chowchilla teen golf’s top amateur

Merced Sun Star. Chowchilla’s Asterisk Talley wins US Women’s Amateur in 8-and-6 route. 
Synopsis: The 17-year-old golfer from Chowchilla, Asterisk Talley defeated Anna Iwanaga 8-and-6 Sunday in the 36-hole title match of the 126^th US Women’s Amateur Championship at The Honors Course at Ooltewah, Tenn. She was eight holes ahead with only 6 to play. Talley has won two USGA titles including the US Women’s Amateur Four-Bal title with Sarah Lim this year. Iwanaga entered the tourney ranked No. 1 after having won the medalist portion of the tourney. Talley was seeded third but birdied seven of the opening 18 holes to go up by 3 holes.  

Bosses want inside our heads

Cal Matters. Would you trust your boss with data about your brain? CA moves to regulate neurotech. 
Synopsis: Brain sensors are giving humans an “interface” that allows them to control computers, robots and wheelchairs without moving a muscle. But data flows both ways, often through earbuds or sensors embedded in headbands, hats or hair netting. Algorithms attached to neurotech sensors predict when people are most likely to be productive or to be goofing off or if they are suffering from depression. Should pay be based on brainwaves? Should workers be subjected to testing that measures criminal urges or sympathy with unions? “Bossware” companies Cognixion, Neuralink and Science Corporation collect the data, and legislators want to make certain they don’t profit from selling it. The trick, says State Sen. Jerry McNerney, is to balance developing technology with privacy protections.
MAD Take: Welcome to the borg, my minions.

Delivering the daily bread

Turlock Journal. Making sure the Daily Bread keeps feeding those in need.
Synopsis: The United Samaritans Foundation has been serving 30,000 meals a month to families, veterans, senior citizens and others in the Turlock and Hughson communities. The organization relies on donations. It recently got significant help from Home Depot and Romanoff Flooring in renovating the USF’s food pantry in Hughson. The Foundation also needs to replace its two food-delivery vehicles at a cost of $250,000 each. The trucks visit 12 towns and make 52 stops each day, from Turlock to Keyes to Waterford to Grayson.

Protesters: ‘Protect Sweetie!’

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). Justice for Sweetie.
Synopsis: After members of the Merced SPCA and others went to city hall to demand action, police contacted the unhoused man who was leading a leashed and muzzled and clearly emaciated Husky named “Sweetie.” Police found the two in a city park. First, they issued a warning. Later, after photos and firsthand comments about cruel treatment surfaced online, officers returned and took the dog into protective custody. Police thanked the public, saying their first-hand accounts of Sweetie’s treatment enabled officers to “take appropriate action.”

ABC30 reported on Monday morning that police had returned Sweetie to his owner after a veterinarian determined the dog was in good health. The Merced SPCA is in disbelief and members are meeting tonight to determine if further action can be taken.