Valley Solutions

Sacrifice finally recognized

Patterson Irrigator. Patterson native finally receives Purple Heart earned in Vietnam. 
Synopsis: Rep. Adam Gray presented Sgt. Alan J. Frunz with a Purple Heart he was awarded after being wounded during the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. Frunz, a lifelong resident of Patterson, received the official documentation of his commendation in 2025, but the medal never arrived. He approached “Team Gray” at this year’s Memorial Day service to see if the Congressman could help. On Monday, Gray delayed his return to Washington so that he could present the medal so richly deserved and long-delayed. “On behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Congress,” said Gray in the dining room of the Frunz home, “please accept this medal – late as it is – with our thanks.” Frunz was wounded when a grenade exploded near his position at the Perfume River and knocked him unconscious. He remained unconscious for several hours, but eventually recovered and continued the fight.

Turlock hires new city exec

Turlock Journal. Council votes 5-0 to hire city manager with controversial past. 
Synopsis: Six members of the Turlock community came to the podium to express concerns about the hiring of John J. Murphy as the new city manager. Didn’t matter. The city council voted 5-0 to hire him, making Murphy the city’s 13^th city manager in 17 year. Questions about Murphy’s background arose within hours of a press release from the city introducing him as its choice for the job. The Journal did a background check and found that Murphy, 55, was fired by the city of Palmdale in 2022 and then settled with the city for a payment of $2.2 million. Employees who complained about Murphy, including that he carried a gun to work, settled for $4.4 million. Former Ceres Unified superintendent Scott Siegel said Jones came with “an abundance of red flags.” The council was more impressed with the financial turn-arounds he had accomplished in cities where he has worked, such as Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Hobbs, NM. “We don’t do our background checks on Google,” said councilmember Rebecka Monez. Murphy is the brother of former Rep. Patrick Murphy, who also served as Barack Obama’s Secretary of the Army.

Hackers didn’t threaten water

SJV Water. Iranian-linked hacker group did not access CalWater operational systems, investigation finds.
Synopsis: Lois Henry follows up on the report that a group of Iranian hackers called Handala accessed the operational systems controlling water flow and billing managed by California Water Systems for three cities. The company said that the hackers did breach the system and managed to “see” -- but not access -- a single customer account. But that breach activated a cybersecurity response which barricaded the rest of the system. An article in the publication Security Affairs says the attack on CalWater should be seen at as a stepping stone for the hackers and a warning for the state.

Strawberry ‘jam’ on I-5

Modesto Bee. Big rig hauling 22,000 pounds of strawberries catches fire on I-5 near Westley.
Synopsis: A big-rig hauling fresh strawberries caught fire early Thursday, forcing the closure of I-5 northbound lanes near Westley for several hours. It was first reported around 6 a.m. near Howard Road as other drivers saw flames rising from the tires or wheels before spreading to the trailer.

Ag Net West. CA blueberry season falls short of early record expectations.
Synopsis: CA’s blueberry growers did not reach the production levels anticipated two months ago after a series of “weather challenges” hit the state in April and May. Production continues through July, but has been light so far. Meanwhile, strong consumer demand continues for domestically grown fruit.

Your barbecue will cost more

Morning Ag Clips. Cost of Fourth of July cookout reflects inflation increase. 
Synopsis: A hot dog, burger, dollop of potato salad, drink and all the rest will cost an additional $2.90 to serve this year. The total cost for the typical Fourth of July picnic works out to $7.90 per person, or a 4% increase over last year. That’s a tiny bit below the national inflation rate of 4.2%. In 2024, the backyard barbecue cost $71.22; in 2025 it was $70.92 but this year it costs $73.82, according to the American Farm Bureau. The cookout includes 12 items, from beans to buns to strawberries.

Schools pushing for bonds

Modesto Bee. Modesto K-8 school district approves putting $70M bond measure on November ballot.
Synopsis: Sylvan Union School District will ask voters to approve a 20-year, $70 million bond to renovate and modernize the district’s school. It will result in about $25 per $100,000 of assessed value for each of the district’s parcels. The district’s last bond measure reached completion this year. SUSD has 13 schools, from kindergarten to junior high; its graduates attend Modesto City Schools high schools. The bond will be used to build new classrooms and modernize and improve existing buildings. The district overlaps with Modesto City Schools, meaning some property owners could be charged fees for bond measures proposed by that district as well. Also, Yosemite Community College District is considering putting a bond measure on the ballot for similar purposes.

America 250 exhibit in Merced

Merced County Times. Courthouse celebrating America’s 250^th birthday. 
Synopsis: Sarah Lim writes about the “America 250” exhibit opening tonight at the Courthouse Museum. It will tell the story of America with emphasis on California’s evolution and the establishment of Merced. Included are profiles of the county’s cities, from Atwater to Merced. It will trace irrigation from the Crocker-Huffman system to the San Luis Reservoir and include images of Merced Falls, Snelling, Irwin City and other communities.

Lining up to succeed Flora

Valley Sun. North Valley Republicans line up to succeed Flora in 2028.
Synopsis: Weeks after Assembly GOP leader Heath Flora withstood an intraparty challenge in the primary, several people are already announcing they want to take his job once he terms out in 2028. Among those announcing two years in advance are Jim Shoemaker, whom Flora vanquished in the June 2 primary, and Livermore police chief Jeramy young. Flora faces Democrat Matthew Adams in the November general election.

Rules a real threat to farming

Ag Web. CA farmers warn proposed nitrogen limits could force farms out of business. 
Synopsis: Western Growers points out that CA has lost 30% of its farms over the past decade due in part to regulatory costs that have surged 10-fold. Now, a proposed nitrogen fertilizer bill would add significant additional costs for every acre farmed. The new rules would require each individual farmer to report nitrogen use rather than report it through water coalitions, as is the current practice. The story quotes Eric Hansen of Corcoran, Rod Schatz of Lodi and Renee Pinel of Sacramento describing the hardships this will bring. The law ignores the increase in work for individual farmers and for the State Water Board, which would be required to check 80,000 new reports. With chemical-use reporting already the strictest in the world, farmer Scott Peters wondered if he could remain in business with all the bookkeeping pressure.

They’re demanding safer streets

Merced County Times. Boy’s death in Atwater sparks outcry for safer streets. 
Synopsis: More than 50 people packed into the Atwater city council chambers Monday night to demand increased safety on local streets. Their anger was sparked by the death of 10-year-old Christopher Tejeda Jr., who as killed April 30 while riding his bicycle on Bridgewater Street near Juniper Elementary School. Many in the crowd wore shirts bearing Christopher’s photo. “No parent should ever have to buy their child because of speeding, distracted driving, unsafe residential streets or obstructed roadway visibility,” said Christopher Sr. Among those who spoke was Richard Lopez, superintendent of Merced River School District and a member of the family, who asked the council to make a real commitment to safer streets.

Mom creates safe play space

Modesto Bee. Modesto mom opening sensor play center designed to include neurodivergent children.
Synopsis: Barbara Rocha’s son was diagnosed with autism by the time he was 3-year-olds. Having already had success designing children’s clothing, Rocha began to incorporate features she knew would be important for children like her son; clothing that included compression and temperature regulation. Now, the fulltime nurse has gone further, creating Gifted Lil Ones Play & Sensory Center in Roseburg Square. Along with play areas geared to active children, “we’re creating rooms where they can self-regulate and able to kind of calm down.” The staff will have special training. It opens on July 25.

Another local voice silenced

Fresno Bee. Drive-time talk show host out at Power Talk radio in Fresno after 10 years.
Synopsis: Trevor Carey’s will no longer be coming through car speakers with his conservative take on local politics. iHeart Radio and Radio Insight announced massive layoffs Wednesday nationwide, including Carey. “It was almost like going to a living funeral,” Carey said of his final day on air. Before moving to Fresno a decade ago, Carey was heard in Modesto. Taking his time slot will be a show based in Texas.
MAD Take: Fresno once could count on several unique voices to help illuminate and define issues and spark the necessary conversations. There were columnists and editorial writers at The Bee, two talk-radio stations and GV Wire. But The Bee laid off Juan Esparza, Tad Weber and Marek Warszawski last year, leaving its opinion pages to be filled with editorials and columns written in Sacramento. Carey went silent Wednesday. Now, only GV Wire’s Bill McEwen remains as a voice of clarity and conscience for the community,