Valley Solutions

Pirates picked wrong porch

Ceres Courier. Porch pirates swipe gift for Marine but it’s recovered quickly by officer.
Synopsis: Heather Garfield ordered a personalized sweater for her husband Brian that both celebrates the 250^th birthday of the Marine Corps and Christmas. The sweater was delivered and left on the porch, where a surveillance camera showed a woman grabbing the package then running off to a white SUV. Officer Chuck Rushing took that personally. Also a Marine veteran, he went around the neighborhood looking for more video and soon had a description of the SUV. Two days later, Modesto PD spotted the vehicle based on his description. The stolen sweater was still in the back seat. The thieves were booked into jail. Rushing delivered the sweater to Brian Garfield himself.

CA farmers get little help

Ag Alert. Specialty crop growers face added risk, fewer tools. 
Synopsis: Specialty crops – what CA farmers specialize in growing – account for a fifth of all US farmgate receipts. Yet there are few federal safety-net programs for growers who suffer a catastrophe (natural, political or economic). “The result is a widening gap between cost and revenue that threatens profitability across much of the farm economy.” The diversity of the sector – all 350 crops have their own seasons, cultivation and harvest demands, labor needs, fertilizers, etc. – makes it impossible to create one-size-fits-all programs for crop insurance. The USDA reports specialty-crop farms averaged $466,000 in cash expenses in 2023, up 47% from 2021 and 6x higher than the average for program-crop farms. Walnut growers pay $2,900 in operating costs per acre; factor in interest, transportation, regulatory fees, etc., and it’s closer to $8,000. If nuts are selling for 50 cents a pound, the farmer loses $5,000 an acre. Winegrapes, almonds, vegetables and other crops have similar numbers. These rising costs are driving farmers into bankruptcy.

Merced council fills empty seat

Merced County Times. Planning official selected to fill Dist 2 vacancy on Merced Council.
Synopsis: Yang Thao, a current Merced planning commissioner, will join the City Council representing District 2. He was selected from among 13 candidates to fill the seat vacated by Ronnie DeAnda, suffered a stroke earlier this year and resigned in October. Thao was nominated by Shane Smith, who noted Thao was nominated for the planning commission by DeAnda. Fue Xiong cast the lone no vote, saying he would have preferred a special election.

Modesto upholds mask rules

Modesto Bee. Modesto revises rule on masks at protests: ‘More unconstitutional,’ foes say.
Synopsis: The city council unanimously revised an ordinance that prohibits the wearing of masks at protests, except when medically necessary or part of a costume. It also puts restrictions on helmets and umbrellas. Of 19 people who spoke, 17 wanted masks to be allowed. Some threatened lawsuits from the ACLU and First Amendment Coalition. The city’s attorney noted that no one has “a right to cover your face. That is not a constitutional right.”
MAD Note: Hopefully, the ordinance also applies to law enforcement.

All aboard the Gold Runner

Modesto Bee. Amtrak revives daytime San Joaquin Valley train to capital.
Synopsis: Suspended during the pandemic, the daily Amtrak train from Bakersfield to Sacramento is being resumed with five daily trips. It will be called the San Joaquin Gold Runner. You can catch it at 10:52 am (or thereabouts) in Modesto and reach Sacramento by 12:38 with stops in Stockton and Lodi. It also stops in Merced, Denair, Fresno and Hanford. The World of Wonders Science Museum is only a block from the Lodi station while the Old Sacramento State Historic Park is within walking distance of the Sacramento station.

State releases river studies

Maven’s Notebook. DWR: Watershed studies show how SJ Basin can turn flood into opportunities.
Synopsis: The San Joaquin River Basin is at the center of the state’s water challenges, suffering decades of groundwater overdraft, flooding, diminished drinking water, etc. The Dept of Water Resources newly released Flood-MAR Watershed Studies showed how these challenges are impacting Stanislaus, Merced, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties. The studies are designed to chart “a broad path forward for the Valley,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. By managing aquifer recharge during floods, the Valley can be better prepared for drought. The data released included reports on each river and a “Next Steps” document.

Manteca Bulletin. Recharging seen as key for Stanislaus watershed. 
Synopsis: Columnist Dennis Wyatt writes about the Stanislaus portion of the DWR Flood-MAR Watershed Studies project. Key to the plan is altering operational controls at New Melones Reservoir and using farmland for recharging aquifers. The basin drains 360,000-acre feet per year, but climate change will reduce that to around 330,000-acre feet by 2050. Higher temps will increase farming’s demands by 21,000-acre feet. The river irrigates 109,000 acres through 860 miles of canals and sloughs while providing drinking water for Manteca, Lathrop, Tracy, Oakdale, Ripon and Escalon – which currently transfers its water to Tracy.

Shooting victims identified

SF Chronicle. 8-year-old girl killed in Stockton shooting was ‘sweetest soul,’ family says.
Synopsis: As the identities of victims are released, the scope of the Stockton mass murder becomes more clear. Four were killed and 11 wounded at a birthday party for a toddler. One of the dead was Amari Peterson, an 8^th grader from Modesto. Another was Maya Lupian, a third grader at the Aspire Academy in Stockton. “She loved to dance, sing and draw. She was a purple belt in karate … Maya was the light in everyone’s life, the sweetest soul.” Mayor Christina Fugazi said the shooting involved “neighborhood grievances” and was due to “access to extremely powerful guns.”

Sacramento Bee. CDCR arrests two parolees who were at Stockton party during shooting.
Synopsis: Two men who attended the party at the Monkey Space hall in Stockton were arrested on suspicion of violating parole. Both men sought medical treatment for gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. They are not suspects, but both are considered active gang members. 

Stocktonia. Reward jumps as new information about victims revealed.
Synopsis: The reward for information about the shooters has hit $50,000 and the FBI says any tips or clues can be reported on its hotline on through its website.

Denair just too peaceful

Turlock Journal. Dirkse: Sheriff substation in Denair not justified.
Synopsis: The Stanislaus Sheriff delivered some news the folks in Denair didn’t want to hear – that there’s not enough crime in their community to justify a sheriff’s substation. Sheriff Jeff Dirkse told the 60 people attending the MAC meeting that, “I’m not the one you have to convince. You have to convince the Board of Supervisors to fund” a substation. But if supervisors ask him, “the answer is no,” he told the group. “I would love to have community deputies like we have in Salida. I would love to have them in a variety of communities across Stanislaus County – Denair, Empire, Keyes, Westley, Grayson and so on. … But we do not have the staffing, we do not have the staffing allocations, and we do not have the funding.”

Do polls signal the future?

PPIC. Californians’ concern about homelessness has softened.
Synopsis: Homeless numbers appear to be headed in the right direction after surging from 2019-2023, and poll respondents have noticed. Though 80% remain concerned, only 37% are “very concerned.” The softening numbers are consistent across all income and regional categories and were, in fact, highest in the Valley where most counties have reported a smaller homeless census in annual PIT counts.

PPIC. Californians’ economic outlook? Gloomy. 
Synopsis: Seven-in-10 state residents expect bad economic times in 2026 with pessimism up 12% since last December. Most folks, 81%, say their finances are comfortable or adequate, but 19% say they are either stressed or going under. Other findings: Most folks fear AI will kill jobs; 80% believe elected leaders don’t care what they think (up from 55% in 2000), and a majority favor more funding for childcare and healthcare programs.
Video -- https://youtu.be/k3G7-8z5FHI

LA Times. CA unemployment set to rise as the economy continues to suffer. 
Synopsis: UCLA’s Anderson Forecast says the state has a bifurcated economy with regions such as LA benefiting from tech investments while “other areas” are harmed by tariffs and immigration arrests. The state lost 21,200 jobs in the first eight months of 2025, putting unemployment at 5.5%. The bifurcation isn’t rural vs urban or Valley vs coastal, but AI vs humans. Among those hardest hit by AI are the coders who developed it. Areas that depend on farming or tourism are struggling the most. The report says unemployment will peak at 5.8% next year before dropping to 4.7% in 2027.

Ducks listen to Los Banos man

KSEE / CBS47. Los Banos man crowned world’s senior duck calling champ.
Synopsis: Stuart McCullough of Los Banos won the Senior title in the World Championship Duck Calling Contest in Stuttgart, Ark. The contest dates back to 1936 and some past winners have turned their duck calling into a dynasty. The contest is part of the Wings Over the Prairie Festival.

Condit spooked by threats

CBS13. Stanislaus County supervisor speaks out as he lives in fear over alleged threats.
Synopsis: Channce Condit says he is living in fear after being threatened by comedian Anthony K Krayenhagen. “I have to constantly look over my shoulder and watch my back,” said the grandson of former Rep. Gary Condit. “My wife is terrified to be alone now at the house with our children.” Krayenhagen threatened Condit at a local bar on his birthday then later came to his office to threaten him again. “We saw what just happened in Stockton. That is abhorrent; that is just terrible violence. We had the shooting on Black Friday in San Jose. We had the National Guardsmen that were shot, we had Charlie Kirk that was assassinated a couple of months ago. The violence has to stop.”

Ceres Courier. Threats against Condit believed linked to cigar lounge incident. 
Synopsis: Events at a Sept. 9 show at a cigar lounge apparently led to Anthony Krayenhagen’s threats against Channce Condit, reports Jeff Benziger. Condit visited the Che’root Cigar Lounge on his birthday and Anthony K, aka Krayenhagen, was on stage. Also at the show was Stockton internet publisher Motec Sanchez, and he and Condit were talking too loudly to suit the comic. He insulted the group, which escalated into a confrontation between Sanchez and Krayenhagen. Condit claims to have been a silent and innocent bystander. Lots of details follow.

Valley Sun. Comedian pleads not guilty to threatening Stanislaus County Supervisor Condit.
Synopsis: Alleged comedian Anthony K Krayenhagen pleaded not guilty to threatening Channce Condit. His next court appearance is Dec. 12.

So many zoo babies!

LA Times. Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh baby: New gorilla part of LA Zoo’s great ape birth explosion.
Synopsis: The LA Zoo is having a great ape baby boom, with 5 new gorillas, 3 chimpanzees and 1 orangutan. The newest arrival was born Nov. 22 to a troop of critically endangered western lowland gorillas native to the Congo and Cameroon. It is the second baby for N’dija and Kelly, whose first daughter was the first gorilla born in LA in 20 years. “This bounty of great ape births is no fluke but a result of breeding recommendations from the Assn of Zoos and Aquariums, which creates specialized plans to determine which animals to prioritize for breeding,” says the story.  

Fresno Bee. Fresno Chaffee Zoo welcomes ‘newest little girl.’ Fifth calf for mom, dad.
Synopsis: A pair of southern white rhinos have produced their fifth offspring at Fresno’s Chaffee Zoo. The female calf was born Nov. 28, said curator Nicole Presley. She will make her debut at the Savanna African Adventure at a later date. Both parents, named Tim and Kayla, are on loan from Florida facilities. “Kayla is an experienced mother and, as expected, is doing an exceptional job,” said Presley.