Valley Solutions

Modesto proves ‘Hope Works’

Modesto Focus. Nonprofits step in to save Modesto’s trash-removal-by-homeless program. 
Synopsis: The Gospel Mission, United Way and the city of Modesto have chosen to save the Downtown Streets Team, whose parent organization is going out of business in two weeks. Mission CEO Jason Conway said Modesto is the only city among 16 served by Street Teams to “reimagine and retain its program.” He called it a “true example of collaboration and prudence in how to address homelessness.” It will be called Hope Works and operate out of the Gospel Mission on Yosemite. The city signed a 10-month contract for $1.25 million, and the Stanislaus Community Foundation promised to help raise funding. The program has served 937 people in Modesto since 2019, removing 2.6 million pounds of trash. Councilmember Nick Bavaro said Modesto will take Street Teams to the “next level” in pay and support. Chris Ricci said Modesto didn’t just save the program when no one else could, but “replaced the weakness with strengths.”
MAD Take: Hope Works. Great name. Hope does work, but only when combined with action. Good to see folks at the Foundation, Mission, UW and city council take that essential action. Shouldn’t be forgotten.

Growers demand better data

Western Farm Press. Almond Alliance works with NASS to better account for stressed orchards. 
Synopsis: CA growers winced last summer when the USDA’s Objective Estimate pegged the crop at 3.0 billion pounds. That sent prices down 50 cents ($1.5 billion) overnight, wiping out all profits for many growers. Stanislaus farmer Donny Hicks says his trees produced fewer nuts than in recent years, yields echoed at RPAC in Los Banos and Meridian Growers. Though almond prices have recovered in the face of lower yields, the Almond Alliance wants to improve how the predictions are made. The problem was failing to account for 30,000 acres of abandoned orchards, said Alliance CEO Alexi Rodriguez.

How rivers are restored

River Partners. How river revitalization is creating a brighter future for California. 
Synopsis: Across the state all we hear are stories of devastation and decline in nature. But at River Partners, “we see a different story unfolding every day: renewal, resilience and recovery.” The organization offers a video to look at some of its most recent projects to mark some important milestones: 20,000 acres of riverways restored, flood protection created for Valley communities, groundwater recharge projects, stored carbon and jobs for locals. One of the most important projects was removing a mile of concrete from the banks of the San Joaquin River at Dos Rios State Park. “This painstaking work is helping recover habitat for the threatened bank swallow, whose colonies once flourished along rivers but have declined due to extensive bank armoring.”
MAD Note: There are all sorts of good reasons to restore habitat for salmon, brush rabbits and swallows. Consider: if there are more birds, there will be fewer mosquitoes … and less West Nile, dengue and irritation.

The Cool Down. Beverage company to fund project on US rivers: ‘Will deliver critical improvements.’
Synopsis: Primo Brands, which makes Pure Life drinks among others, is partnering with River Partners to restore 1,000 acres of riparian land along the Sacramento and Feather rivers. The project will reconnect rivers to natural floodplains, improve groundwater recharge, expand spawning beds and reduce flooding.

What’s with all these geese?

Ducks Unlimited. Optimism for duck season soars in CA due to good habitat, waterfowl numbers.
Synopsis: So many white-fronted geese are arriving early in the Valley that it is actually confusing scientists and birders. It’s not unusual to see small flocks of white-fronted in the Valley’s refugees, but this year there are massive flocks alighting on dry fields and in newly flooded wetlands. “The numbers are staggering,” said one observer. No one knows why the numbers are so high as the birds arrive from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska. This has “elevated expectations for a sensational California duck and goose season, which opens Oct. 18,” said DU.  

County booted from reservoir

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus County dismissed as Woodward Reservoir park manager.
Synopsis: A “few years” of negotiations failed to create an agreement between Stanislaus County and South San Joaquin Irrigation District, so the regional park at Woodward Reservoir will be under new management starting in October 2026. Currently, visitors camp, fish, boat and hunt at the park, which had 482,000 visitors last year. The county also does its annual fireworks shows over the lake on July 4th. SSJID said recreational activities must be balanced with protecting water quality since the lake provides drinking water for Manteca, Lathrop and Tracy. The county called the announcement “unexpected and disappointing,” but said it will continue to operate the county park. Among important issues is keeping invasive mussels out of the reservoir. Quagga, golden and zebra mussels are showing up in CA waterways; they breed by the hundreds of thousands in massive colonies, destroying pipes and pumps. The only way for mussels to get into a lake is through a lapsed boat inspection. Both Woodward and Modesto are required to follow quarantine procedures for boaters.

Fox40. 72 boats with invasive species intercepted before entering Lake Tahoe.
Synopsis: The Lake Tahoe Resource Conservation District inspectors combed over 4,700 boats in 2025, finding larvae or eggs of invasive mussels in 72 of them. That’s a 60% increase from a year ago. The invasive golden mussel is especially troubling because it reproduces rapidly, creating massive hard-to-kill colonies.

West Fresno needs a plan

Fresnoland. ‘The west area needs a plan’: Fresno council weighs in on land use west of 99. 
Synopsis: The Fresno City Council will consider expanding the city west of Highway 99, a shift 7 years in the making. Supporters of the new West Area Neighborhoods Specific Plan want to lay the groundwork for commercial and healthcare facilities and housing to accommodate 40,000 people. April Henry is the leader of Highway City Community Development Inc., which wants to build on 7,000 acres. Mike Karbassi and Annalisa Perea would represent most of the area and are split on how to proceed. Karbassi is more cautious, wanting to make sure developers actually carry out the wonderful plans they present. He is also demanding a close look at things like sewer pipes and tax-sharing agreements.

Top schools in the region

Modesto Bee. These are the top public schools in Stanislaus County; did yours make the list?
Synopsis: Marketing company Niche used US Dept of Ed and Census Bureau data to come up with a list of top schools in cities across America. In the Modesto region, 4 of the top 5 schools were not actually in Modesto: 1) Gratton Charter (Denair); 2) Sierra View Elementary (Oakdale); 3) Agnes Baptist Elementary (Modesto); 4) Walnut Elementary (Turlock); 5) Fair Oaks (Oakdale). The middle schools were: 1) Gratton, 2) Hickman, 3) Ustach (Modesto), 4) Connecting Water (Modesto) and 5) Paradise. The high schools: 1) Enochs (Modesto); 2) Whitmore Charter (Ceres); 3) Pitman (Turlock); 4) Gregori (Modesto), and 5) Oakdale.

Merced Sun Star. These are the best public schools in Merced County.
Synopsis: Niche also looked at Merced, giving out its A+ to D- ratings. Cressey Elementary is ranked No. 1 on a list of the county’s 10 best followed by McSwain, Snelling-Merced Falls, Peggy Heller and Elmer Wood. As for high schools, El Capitan is No. 1 followed by Independence, Hilmar, Buhach Colony and Golden Valley. 

She refused, then was detained

Modesto Bee. Undocumented woman sues ICE contractor for sexual harassment in Sacramento.
Synopsis: Silvia Reyna, who has lived in Tehama County for three decades, is suing ICE after one of its contractors harassed her for 18 months, sending nude photos and making sexual demands. After she complained to police in 2024, the accused abuser is said to have demanded she come into the office to fill out forms then had her detained. She is being held in Kern County. Reyna is 52 and has 8 children. Neither ICE nor the contractor, the Geo Group, have responded to requests for comment. Her son is in the military.

Retail comes … and goes

Merced County Times. New Mall era emerges with grand openings.
Synopsis: The “old Merced Mall” has become the new Shoppes@Merced and Marketplace at Merced. There’s a Burlington, new restaurants, a Five Below, Ulta Beauty, Rack Room and a Petco. Boot Barn unofficially opens this week, too.

Patterson Irrigator. El Rosal closing doors after 18 years.
Synopsis: El Rosal, which once had a dozen loosely connected restaurants from Bakersfield to Lodi, is closing in Patterson. It was operated by Igor de los Reyes until he turned it over to his daughter, Natalie. He says the restaurant has never fully recovered from the drop in business during the pandemic. El Rosals in Lodi, Riverbank and Bakersfield have also closed, but two in Modesto remain open.

Deputies doing their jobs

Merced Golden Wire (Facebook). Deputies fire on suspects.
Synopsis: Merced deputies were called to a home-invasion robbery happening on Washington Street in Le Grand Wednesday night. As they approached the home, suspects opened fire. Deputies fired back and were better shots. The suspects soon surrendered and two were taken to the hospital and a third to jail.

Modesto Bee. Oakland man accused of trafficking women in Stanislaus County.
Synopsis: Devonte Hinkston, 33, was arrested by deputies near Turlock on two counts of pimping and pandering. He’s being held on $300K bond. Deputies responded when a woman reported an assault and theft.

Be careful around the river

Merced County Times. Public warned of increased flows on Merced River.
Synopsis: Merced ID and the county are telling the public to be careful around the river. The district is releasing pulse flows to attract migrating salmon. It makes the river unpredictable and dangerous below New Exchequer and McSwain dams. Mike Jensen said the district is proud of its restoration work to create better salmon habitat. But the river can “change rapidly,” and what might “appear calm from the bank is often cold, fast and deceptively dangerous,” said the SO’s Aaron Rosenberg.

More than just a good cook

Merced Sun Star. UC Merced chef builds community, promotes food advocacy, leads speaker series. 
Synopsis: Executive chef Mitch Vanagten is “passionate about food education.” He joined UCM this year to open two new dining halls and set up catering for special projects. He also established a lecture series with the most recent being “The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen.” Others have featured Indonesian cooking, a culinary anthropologist and the chef who created Café Ohlone in Berkeley. He is also involved with Bobcat Pantry, a food bank for students. He prioritizes food produced within 200 miles of the campus, leading to UCM’s recognition by the “Menus of Change University Research Collaborative.”

Swipe right for a real tiger

Fresno Bee. ‘Gorgeous’ tiger arrives at Fresno zoo. Why staffers are hoping for cubs.
Synopsis: As tigers go, Batari apparently is a real looker. The 8-year-old female Malayan tiger arrived at Chaffee Zoo from Tulsa on Oct. 14. The endangered feline will be part of the zoo’s award-winning Kingdoms of Asia exhibit. But the real reason for being there is making more tigers. A matchmaking site for endangered species paired her with the Fresno zoo’s male Malayan tiger, Penari. “We are hopeful there could be tiger cubs in the zoo’s future,” said Nicole Presley. The love-cats will get together only for “dates.”