Valley Solutions

Having a Fairly good time

Modesto Focus. Stan County Fair: Where thrill of victory is possible, even for old guy who makes stuff.  
Synopsis: Garth Stapley writes about his gold-medal-winning woodworking project, one of 23,639 submissions for awards at the Stanislaus County Fair this year. That’s 4,000 more than were submitted for consideration last year. Of those, 4,260 were living cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, rabbits, etc. Among those oh-so-many entries was Garth’s lathe-turned bowl. He talks to several of his fellow hopefuls and why they like competing for recognition at the County Fair. Garth learned that blue ribbons, even when there is only one competitor in the category, come with a cash prize. Garth’s was $13.
MAD Note: The Fair started Friday and continues through this Sunday. Today’s featured performers are Tongue & Groove but the biggest draw, literally, will be the destruction derby. It’s titled “Mayhem & Motorhomes.”

Stanislaus worth $76 billion

Ceres Courier. Assessed valuation of properties in Stanislaus County rises by 4.88%. 
Synopsis: For tax purposes, the property of Stanislaus County is $76.4 billion, or about 5% higher than last year, according to County Assessor Don Gaekle. Growth was uneven across the county, averaging 6.13% in cities and 2.01 in unincorporated areas. For instance, the valuation of Ceres properties rose 4.32%, but Hughson went up 7.74% and Patterson 8.54%. If anyone disagrees with a valuation, the assessor’s office will explain.

ICE killings spark Fresno protest

Fresno Bee. Man’s death by ICE renews outcry in Valley against Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Synopsis: The shooting of Lorenzo Araujo in Houston on July 7 has renewed the outcry against Trump’s immigration crackdown. Araujo was a legal US citizen and not the target enforcement, but the victim of a mistake by ICE agents. Among those protesting was the Fresno May First Coalition, who demanded far greater transparency for all ICE activities. The group says ICE arrests in the Valley were up 58% in 2025 to 1,156 with 516 deportations.

Battle over Fresno road tax

Fresnoland. It’s final round of one of Fresno’s biggest political fights – and it’s not just red v. blue.
Synopsis: Measure C has been a fixture of Fresno County’s transportation financing for 40 years. But this year competing measures have confused many voters and now county supervisors are considering leaving both measures off the ballot. The Better Roads coalition, backed by prominent Republicans like Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, want the supervisors to put the measure on the November ballot so funding for road projects can continue. But the board is considering commissioning a study, as suggested by Garry Bredefeld, which would delay placement until after the ballot deadline for the Nov. 3 election. Nathan Magsig is siding with Bredefeld. But Mendota Mayor Victor Martinez and Clovis Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua all want to give people an opportunity to vote this November. It’s a mess.

Bringing almonds to the table

CA Ag Net. Almond Alliance gives growers a seat at the table.
Synopsis: Growing almonds is a good business, but with costs rising for labor, water and all other farming inputs, there are constant worries and challenges. That’s where the Almond Alliance comes in. The group says it is a voice for growers in Washington and Sacramento. The CA Ag Net interviewer talks to chairman Blake Vann, an almond grower in Williams. 

MLB’s 127^th pick is from Gregori

Modesto Bee. Former Gregori, MJC baseball standout selected by Yankees Day 1 of MLB draft. 
Synopsis: Paul Contreras was chosen in the fourth round – but still on Day One -- of the MLB baseball draft Saturday. He was the 127^th pick overall, going to the Yankees. Contreras played one season at MJC then two years at Fullerton State. He was this year’s Big West co-Player of the Year and first team all-conference after hitting .346 with 45 RBI, 40 runs and 14 homers – the most by any Titan since 2010.

Don’t call Ripon the ‘Indians’

Modesto Bee. Ripon High has plan for state-mandate mascot change but seeks to keep ‘Indians.’ 
Synopsis: Ripon High School had until July 1 to change its mascot name under the California Racial Mascots Act, but missed the deadline. Instead, the district contacted “a couple of local tribes” to seek permission to remain the “Indians.” For the time being, it’s just Ripon. The school does not use a costumed mascot and got rid of the profile that used to be on its jerseys. Some tribes have already declined the school’s request.
MAD Take: Interestingly, the Native profile used by Ripon on its gym wall is that of one of the Plains tribes – Sioux, Cheyenne, Lakota, Crow and Blackfeet – wearing an elaborate feathered headdress. Those were reserved as symbols of great honor and bravery. The Yokuts and Miwok, who lived in our Valley, wore feathered headbands and even feathered skirts, but not the elaborate war bonnets depicted on Ripon’s gym wall. 

UC Merced moves up to D-II

Merced Sun Star. UC Merced’s trial period is over; Bobcats become NCAA Div II members this fall. 
Synopsis: The Golden Bobcats have officially completed their transition from the NAIA to the NCAA Division II. It makes the teams eligible for conference, regional and national championships. The Bobcats field teams in basketball, soccer, track, volleyball, water polo and cross country.

Energy jobs include farming

Modesto Bee. Stanislaus students explore careers in renewable energy; some is from cow manure. 
Synopsis: Twenty high school students visited several energy-producing installations in the Valley recently, including dairy with methane digesters and the ethanol plant on Keyes Road. They were learning about alternative energy sources. Aemetis owns the ethanol plant and pipes methane in from 15 dairy farms. Student Nicholas Perez found it “really cool.” Other students visited the DeHart Technical School which teaches skills needed for heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical structures. There are a lot of jobs in the field, and several programs at MJC and with businesses to learn the skills.

$240K for herding goats?

Ag Alert. CA grazing sector threatened as goat herder wage soars to $240K. 
Synopsis: Herders watching over goats assigned to knocking down vegetation in fire-prone landscapes are now entitled to roughly the same pay as Gov. Newsom. The state’s latest interpretation of the labor code says goat ranchers must pay goatherds overtime for all the time they spend with the flock – including sleeping in the campers on remote locations. An unintentional “regulatory accident” differentiated between shepherds, who didn’t get the windfall, and goatherds. If unresolved, a lot of goat owners will go out of business. Instead of a windfall, herders will be out of work. There was a temporary fix passed two years ago, but that ran out on July 1. Goats are essential to removing “ladder fuels” in urban-wildland interface areas. Without them, many more homes will be threatened by wildfire. The legislature is out of session for another three weeks; with a fix, “fire-prevention work with goats is finished in California.”

‘Dumbest’ water project gets OK

LA Times. Trump greenlights CA’s dumbest water project. 
Synopsis: Business columnist Michael Hiltzik writes about the Cadiz Inc. plan to pump massive amounts of groundwater from beneath the Mojave to sell to cities across SoCal. The water will move through an old oil pipeline. The Trump EPA signed off on the plan. But Hiltzik isn’t convinced. “It has been declared ready to go – and declared dead, too – so often that it could serve as a character in a zombie movie.” Having covered the plan for 25 years, Hiltzik provides a synopsis of its history. He says it seems the company is moving on. Last year, 90% of Cadiz revenues came from ATEC, a filtration company subsidiary in Hollister. Cadiz says cleaning up storm runoff is its new mission. Hiltzik asks: “Do we really want to establish private firms as toll-takers on the water highway, permitted to change what they wish to maximize their profits?” 

More than a little crime news

Merced Sun Star. Guard at Chowchilla prison sentenced for trading child sex-abuse videos, photos.
Synopsis: Ralph Contreras Jr., 40, was sentenced to 15 years by Judge Kirk Sherriff for distribution of child porn. Contreras was a guard at the Chowchilla Women’s Prison.

Modesto Bee. Oakdale man arrested after allegedly trying to meet minor for sex in Patterson.
Synopsis: Phillip Daniel Capeder, 32, was arrested Thursday by Patterson police after he tried to arrange a meeting with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. He faces five felonies.

KSEE / CBS47. Madera woman named after allegedly smuggling drugs into prison.
Synopsis: The Dept of Justice has identified Christina Marleen Mejia, 45, as having smuggled heroin and cannabis into the state prison in Solano. They found more drugs and cash in her Madera home. She is also charged with being a member of a criminal street gang.

Modesto Bee. Modesto man allegedly posted guns on Instagram, faces 15 years in prison if guilty. 
Synopsis: Samian Sivansay, 27, has been indicted for being a felon with a gun after he posted photos of himself with numerous firearms. Law enforcement tracked him to Arizona before trying to pull him over. He abandoned his car, where officers found nine firearms.

Giant brawl results in ban

Fresno Bee. After viral Giants game brawl, three from Fresno County banned from SF stadium. 
Synopsis: Video of a brawl at Oracle Park went viral and now two people from Fresno and one from Selma have been banned from the stadium. It started as trash talking then got violent. Beer may have been involved, since some of the seven arrested were detained for public intoxication. The Giants promise to ban everyone involved.
MAD Take: Considering this year’s Giants, can I be banned from Oracle Park?