Valley Solutions

ICE shooting in Patterson

ABC10. Suspect in hospital after ICE-involved shooting in Patterson.
Synopsis: The Stanislaus Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting west of Patterson involving ICE agents. The incident required the on- and off-ramps at Sperry Avenue and I-5 to be shut down. They will remain closed for the rest of the day. There are reports of “significant traffic delays” in the area. No local law enforcement was involved in the shooting, and an investigation is under way.

Office of Rep. Adam Gray: The Congressman who represents Patterson said he has been in contact with Stanislaus Sheriff Jeff Dirkse and is monitoring the situation “as we work to learn more about what happened.” He urged residents to follow the sheriff’s advice and stay out of the area.

Why was helicopter so low?

Modesto Bee. Did a Stanislaus Sheriff’s pilot misuse the agency’s helicopter?
Synopsis: Reporter Trevor Morgan looks into an event at Sherwood park in which a helicopter hovered about 250 feet and the pilot waved to children below. The maneuver apparently alarmed several residents who feared the Sheriff’s Office was in pursuit of a criminal in their neighborhood. Department spokesperson Veronica Esquivez said no rules were broken by any of the pilot’s actions. She said that waving at kids in a playground was “a positive interaction” and added, “Sheriff (Jeff) Dirkse is aware of and supports these efforts and trusts our pilots based on their training and experience.”
MAD Take: Some folks become notorious for yelling “Get off my lawn” at kids. In Sherwood, I guess they’ve been yelling “Get out of my sky.” BTW, the Bee’s reporters and editors – if editors are still in use – should look up the difference between “waive,” which is a contractual term most often used in professional sports, and “wave” which is either an action taken as greeting or movement on the surface of a body of water. 

BBC’s very scary prediction

BBC Science Focus. A biblical megaflood could hit CA at any moment, and that’s only the beginning.
Synopsis: A thorough and lengthy story recalls natural disasters in our state, including the 2025 wildfires that killed 31 and caused “hundreds of billions of dollars of damage.” That’s chump change compared to what 30 days of torrential rain – aka, ARkStorms -- would do. UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain says such a disaster is a “when, not if.” ARkStorms are “vast corridors of water vapour” that flow through the sky, dumping it when the clouds go over land. Sometimes called the Pineapple Express, one such storm caused the entire Central Valley to flood 10 feet deep in 1862. A similar storm today would cause $1 trillion in damage. “The San Joaquin Valley in particular really stands out to me as being of great concern,” said Swain. Images accompanying the story are from Planada and Merced in 2023.
MAD Take: It’s all very scary. But there’s not much in here we haven’t heard before.

Surprising non-endorsements

Valley Sun. Fresno County Dems snub Arambula for 2026 endorsements. 
Synopsis: Fresno’s Democratic Party released its list of endorsements for the June 2 primary election. The party did not endorse termed-out Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula in his bid for a seat on the Fresno City Council. Arambula is involved in a messy divorce in which accusations of his substance abuse and treatment became public. His race has eight candidates; no one was endorsed by the party. It also did not endorse in the race for the Supervisorial District 1 seat, which has six candidates.

The (real) circus coming to town

GV Wire. Ringling Bros and Barnum & Baily return to Fresno after 10-year hiatus.
Synopsis: ‘The Greatest Show on Earth” will come to the Save Mart Center for five shows, July 2-5. The two-hour circus features acrobats, trapeze acts, clowns, jugglers and more. In all, there are 75 performers from 18 countries. But no elephants or lions. The circus retired its herd of 35 elephants to a reserve in Florida in 2017.

Got the late-night munchies?

KSEE / CBS47. New late-night ramen shop opens in Merced.
Synopsis: Dusk to Don offers ramen, udon and lattes from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. each day and night. It expects dozens of college students pulling all-nighters will appreciate the nutrition and caffeine. Dusk to Don opens April 12 at Yosemite and G Street, near Merced College.

New almonds demo’d in LB

CA Ag Net. ‘Demo 57 Orchard’ near Los Banos showcases 57 almond variety, rootstock combinations.
Synopsis: The RPAC Demo 57 lot on Louie Parreira’s property allows almond growers to tour a plot featuring dozens of different root-stock combinations. Louie is 100, and his son David farms the ground now. Among those involved in the project is David Doll, the “almond doctor,” and the state’s three largest nurseries -- Dave Wilson Nursery, Tom Burchell Nursey and Duarte Nursery. All three are based in Stanislaus County. 

Teaching financial literacy

Fox26. Fresno Unified teacher picked by state to shape new high school finance curriculum.
Synopsis: Fresno Unified teacher Jeff Allen has been selected to develop a stand-alone, one-year personal finance guide and course for students. He believes financial literacy is essential and can “truly transform lives” as students learn how to build wealth, plan their futures and avoid financial scams. He has been teaching social studies and personal finance at Bullard High for 20 years. In 2024, Allen was named a Jump$tart Coalition recipient.

Police report: 101 arrests

Fresno Bee. Fresno police make 101 arrests over Easter weekend amid crime crackdown.
Synopsis: In response to a higher-than-usual spring crime numbers, Chief Mindy Casto beefed up patrols over Easter weekend to “proactively prevent additional violence” at known hotspots. That resulted in 48 felony arrests and 53 misdemeanor arrests. Police also checked in with 124 gang members, recovering 15 guns connected to crimes. Fresno has had 9 homicides this year compared to 4 last year. Of those 9, Casto said 7 are gang related.

Merced Sun Star. Hilmar stabbing leads to attempted murder arrest, Merced sheriff says.
Synopsis: A 22-year-old woman has been arrested for stabbing another woman in Hilmar. Police arrested Alexis Martinez at her home in Livingston; the victim was treated and released.

ABC10. Man arrested on criminal threats, weapons charges in Escalon after disturbance.
Synopsis: A Modesto man was arrested after he screamed at an employee of a downtown business, made threats then went to his vehicle where he had weapons. Police confronted him, and found two pistols and an AR-15 style rifle. The man, 58, was arrested for making criminal threats and disorderly conduct.
MAD Take: Not exactly a common occurrence in Escalon, but neither are stabbings in Hilmar.

ABC10. Firefighters contain Modesto commercial blaze, prevents spread to pallet yard.
Synopsis: Fire crews from Stanislaus Consolidated went to the 500 block of Mariposa Road about 3 a.m. Tuesday for a fire in a commercial building. It was a total loss, but firefighters kept flames out of a nearby pallet yard and adjacent properties.

KSEE / CBS47. 500 gallons of fuel stolen from Coalinga gas station, man arrested.
Synopsis: Police arrested Angel Fonseca after his truck was filmed parked in front of a diesel pump from which 500 gallons of fuel was siphoned. He was later captured while siphoning fuel from a station in Kettleman City, and the MO fits several other diesel thefts. Each load of 500 gallons is valued at around $13,000.

UCLA volleyball plays Merced

Merced Sun Star. Want to see college volleyball’s top-ranked men’s team? It will be at UC Merced. 
Synopsis: The nation’s No. 1-ranked men’s volleyball team will play UC Merced on Thursday and Friday. UCLA is 27-1 and a 21-time national champion this year led by a 6-foot-8 spiker Zach Rama; he has 286 kills. Sometimes he lets 6-foot-7 Sean Kelly do the killing; he has 281. UC Merced is in its first season as an NCAA Division II team and is 4-14. Fans are planning a “block party” on the green outside the Edward Gallo Gym at 4 pm Friday, with music, games and fun.

There will be a salmon season

Monterey Now. CA announces reopening of Chinook salmon fishery in Monterey Bay for 2026.
Synopsis: For the first time in four years, the CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife will allow reactional salmon fishing on April 11. Later in May, the department is expected to allow a shortened commercial season – the first since 2022. The department will impose commercial quotas, limiting the catch to 21,000 fish. Commercial salmon-fishing off the CA coast has been banned for the past four years.
MAD Take: Northern California’s salmon populations have made a spectacular resurgence over the past three years. This past winter saw the strongest salmon run of this century with more fish in more places. Over the past four years, we’ve had a dry year, two wet years and a “normal” year. in each of those years we’ve seen more salmon. The lesson is clear: If you want more salmon in our rivers, stop killing them in the ocean. If you want to continue killing salmon, then stop blaming farming because there are too few for you to make a profit.

What’s next for CA? Tigers?

Sacramento Bee. Should California bring back grizzlies? Lawmakers to consider reintroducing them. 
Synopsis: Grizzly bears, the apex predator of the West, haven’t been seen in California for more than 100 years. A plan to reintroduce our state’s “spirit animal” will be heard today in the state senate. Senator Laura Richardson wants to figure out how to ensure that grizzlies and humans won’t have unfortunate encounters. Sheriff Mike Fisher, who plans to come down from Sierra County to attend the hearing, thinks this is a very, very bad idea. In his county there is not even a single game warden. Already dealing with lions and wolves, he’s worried that bears will just make it worse. Among those pushing for reintroduction is the Yurok Tribe, but the tribe’s officials admit it’s not a unanimous opinion.
MAD Take. Grizzlies grow to about 600 or even 800 pounds, or about twice the size of a typical black bear. Do we need them? Well, it would be nice to have something capable of fighting off the wolves. Right?