Valley Solutions

Chowchilla officer dies in crash

Merced Sun Star. Chowchilla police officer killed in collision while on duty identified. 
Synopsis: Officer Ray Barrantes was killed around 10:30 Friday night when his patrol car crashed into a fully loaded tomato truck on Hwy 152. The tomatoes were spilled onto the highway and Road 13, closing the roads. “Moments of tragedy like this are devastating to our department and especially the family of this amazing officer,” said Chief Jeff Palmer. Mayor Kelly Smith ordered the city’s flags to half-staff through Oct. 12.

ABC30. Chowchilla police identify Officer Raymond Barrantes killed in crash.
Synopsis: The TV station provided more details about Officer Barrantes. He was a father of three who also operated a T-shirt business, On Point Apparel. “He just brought a maturity to us and that experience – it’s going to be greatly missed,” said Chief Jeff Palmer. Gov. Newsom ordered all state flags lowered to half-staff through next weekend in Barrantes’ honor.

KCRA. First-responders escort son of fallen Chowchilla officer to school in Galt.
Synopsis: The first-responder community came to Galt on Monday to escort the son of Officer Barrantes, a first grader at Lake Canyon Elementary, to his campus. His former wife, Jessica, said the show of support “means so much to us.”

Mussels found at San Luis

Maven / DWR. State agencies combat golden mussels following detection at San Luis Reservoir.
Synopsis: The CA Dept of Water Resources, State Parks and Dept of Fish & Wildlife are working to slow the spread of invasive golden mussels following their discovery at San Luis Reservoir. Fed by the State Water Project and Central Valley Project, the reservoir has instituted mandatory inspections for all vessels, including jet skis. The mussels are not harmful to humans but reproduce so quickly and in such vast numbers that they clog pipes, plug screens and filters and destroy pumps. DWR has begun inspecting all its facilities and will install medium-pressure ultraviolet-light disinfection systems to prevent infestations in small-diameter piping.

Tariffs up, ag profits down

Merced Sun Star. Central Valley farmers navigate tariff impacts, rising costs. 
Synopsis: Story focuses on Scoto Brothers Farming, whose tomato business is down 5% since the Trump tariffs went into effect. It’s cheaper to buy Canadian tomatoes, though CA grows vastly more product. Meanwhile, local farmers all decry higher input prices for fertilizers, seeds and packaging which have gone up due to tariffs. “We’re like banging our heads against the wall, like, ‘What do we do to survive around here?’” asked Loren Scoto. The Farm Bureau’s Breanne Vandenburg noted that “farmers are price takers. They’re not price makers … So, we can’t pass on any costs regardless of what the issue is.” At Fat Cattle Farm in Raymond, BJ Fallert noted beef prices are up but so are the costs of containers, hardware, tubes and other necessary packaging material -- all made in China. It has become “cost prohibitive.” So, his customers are seeing higher prices, making the beef he sells just as expensive as imported beef.

The return of walnut profits

Western Farm Press. Walnuts make rare ascension to top-valued crop in Butte County.
Synopsis: Butte County has 51,000 acres of walnuts, which is half the acreage devoted to rice but more than the number of acres used to grow almonds. With spot prices around $1.25 a pound, walnuts have surged to the top of the value list even though the size of the crop is down 15% from last year. Farmers said they knew the summer heat in 2024 would diminish this year’s yield, so the sudden surge in prices is especially welcome. Two years ago, many growers said the price of walnuts was so low they couldn’t justify harvesting their crop.

Rodents: ‘They’re everywhere’

SF Chronicle. ‘They’re everywhere’: Rodent boom overwhelms CA farms. 
Synopsis: Killing bugs is easy, but killing rats, gophers and squirrels is not say South Valley farmers. The Chronicle interviews Dan Palla of the Kern County Farm Bureau, who says there has been a surge in rodent infestations as many almond orchards have come out of production. The rodents move from farm to farm causing enormous damage everywhere they go. So far this year, farmers have reported $300 million in damages to orchards, water systems and even tractors as they gnaw through plastic pipe and rubber hoses. Ryan Jacobsen of the Fresno Farm Bureau says squirrels can destroy a new drip line in 24 hours. He said his systems require 10 times more maintenance and constant surveillance. Two years ago, the state banned warfarin for some uses, which Mariposa Ag Commissioner Monica Nielsen says has contributed to the problem.

Lecturer’s harsh words defended

Fresno Bee. Fresno State challenged by free-speech group after lecturer’s suspension over Kirk.
Synopsis: The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (aka, FIRE) said in a letter to Fresno State that the comments made by lecturer Barri Brennan were “clearly protected by the First Amendment.” While the university has a “legitimate interest” in overseeing classroom discussion, “that interest does not justify punishing a professor for a fleeting comment.” Brennan is on paid leave since a video surfaced of her rhetorically asking: “He’s just shot? I was like, he’s not dead?” Since her suspension, Brennan’s five classes have been covered by other lecturers. Interestingly, whomever recorded the comments was violating class rules which require students to shut off all electronics so other students can speak freely.

This could be it for Riggs

Merced Focus. Merced County plans to switch ambulance providers; Riggs is fighting back.
Synopsis: Merced supervisors are expected to finalize a contract with American Medical Response West on Tuesday, replacing Riggs Ambulance as the county’s service provider. Riggs started in Merced in the 1940s but was sold to a Nevada-based non-profit a few years ago. The county has already negotiated a contract with Texas-based American Medical Response, but Riggs protested the process. The county rejected the protest, but Riggs is taking it to the board. The county began the process because Riggs was out of compliance with its contract for response times. The non-profit that operates Riggs said losing the Merced contract will be a fatal blow to the organization. It blamed its problems on COVID, which impacted a lot of service providers, and said it has more recently been in compliance.

It's all politics

Politico. CA Playbook: ‘Tonight the rule of law said ‘hell no.’’
Synopsis: The daily compilation of notes from the political world starts with Gavin Newsom’s efforts to keep the CA National Guard out of Oregon then moves to other topics. Deep in the story we find a note about political fundraising in the Valley. Dr. Jasmeet Bains has raised $350,000 in her quest to win the Democratic nomination in CA-22. That was more than progressive Democrat Randy Villegas raised, but not that much more. He came up with $270,000 after getting an endorsement from David Hogg.

LA Times. Katie Porter gains backing of powerful Democratic women’s group in governor’s race.
Synopsis: Emily’s List has endorsed Katie Porter, saying she will fight for lower costs, take on Wall Street and hold the powerful accountable. Porter immediately referenced Donald Trump, saying: “There’s nothing Donald Trump hates more than facing down a strong, powerful woman,” and support from Emily’s List will help put one in the governor’s mansion. It is unclear how much the organization will spend on Porter’s race considering it is also endorsing in several critical congressional races. 
MAD Note: If you’ve wondered, as I have, who is “Emily,” you’re on the wrong track. The name is an acronym for “Early Money Is Like Yeast.” Presumably, green “yeast” intended to help women rise.

Dog-attack victim recovering

Modesto Bee. Modesto woman badly hurt in dog attack expected to fully recover.
Synopsis: Ginger Merrill was attacked by a Cane Corso mastiff while out walking her Labrador on Sept. 23. She was hospitalized for 10 days but now is recovering. The dog literally broke through the fence around his year to reach Merrill. A witness helped pull the dog off.

Speaking of dogs, some good ones

KSEE / CBS47. Traffic stop in Merced County uncovers $900K cocaine bust.
Synopsis: A routine traffic stop on Hwy 99 ended with a major narcotics seizure. The CHP pulled over a northbound vehicle at Applegate Road and the officer called for a K-9 unit to conduct a search. The dog found 23 kilos – 50 pounds -- of cocaine. The name of the K-9 officer was not mentioned in the CHP’s Facebook post.
MAD Note: Interestingly, the CHP confiscated 37 pounds of cocaine in September, 2024, saying it was valued at $1.3 million. The price of cocaine must be falling.

KSEE / CBS47. K-9 Koa sniffs out fentanyl, meth during Merced traffic stop.
Synopsis: The CHP arrested Ishmel Brewer, 45, after K-9 officer Koa found a pharmaceutical smorgasbord in his car Friday night. Koa found 27 grams of meth, 10 grams of coke, 1.4 grams of fentanyl and 110 fentanyl pills in the car. Lots of cash, too.  

Getting the lights back on

Modesto Focus. The lights aren’t on, and apparently nobody’s home for Modesto’s iconic arch.
Synopsis: Editor Marijke Rowland writes about the Modesto’s most famous and defining landmark. The arch at Ninth and I, installed in 1912, is supposed to be lighted at night. But Marijke noted that the lights were off in January and called the city to find out why. The city said it was fixing the problem, but 10 months later the lights were still off. This column was her request for an explanation.
MAD Note: Saturday, Modesto Focus issued an update to say the lights were back on.

MAMAs coming in 15 days

Modesto Bee. Modesto prepares to celebrate its best music; how to vote, watch MAMAs.
Synopsis: It’s the 26^th year for Modesto’s musical celebration created by guitarist Chris Murphy and former rock promoter Chris Ricci. The show at the State is set for Oct. 21 with livestreaming through www.modestoview.com. This year’s show celebrates Modesto’s first “commercial band,” the Swanee Cowboys, which formed in 1933 to perform on KTRB. The MAMAs are presented in various genres, from Modesto Artists Movement to MoFolk to Girls Smash Guitars.