How long does it take for the City of Manteca to put in a crosswalk? The answer to that question might come this Tuesday, but don't count on it. It's been 25 months since Manteca's elected leaders approved placing a crosswalk across the wide speedway known as Woodward Avenue. It was a decision the council in April of 2011 said they made so kids would have a greater margin of safety going to and from ...
Justin Coenenberg knew only what he had gathered second-hand – that Riley Simmons was a first-rate 9-year-old.
Pennies are rather worthless things when they standalone. They collect like dust bunnies in cars, desks, and jars. Many times we don't even take pennies when getting change for a purchase. Instead we nonchalantly toss them into a container on the counter for someone else to use to complete a transaction. Many of us don't believe it is worth the bother to wrap them in 50 cent rolls and take them to the bank. So ...
Siblings Weley and Wendy Lin did not speak a word of English when they started school in first grade. Mandarin was the only language they knew. Their parents did not understand English either, so the young girls didn't have the luxury of receiving any help at home with their homework.
It's not every day parents – even if they are educators – suggest to a school board they should close a school especially when all are performing more than decently on state test scores.
My IQ just dropped. It's the risk you take when buying a phone that's smarter than you – a lot smarter. I've been using a flip phone for the last six years. To those under 25, it was as if I were lugging around one of the old wall crank phones. You know the technology you have is about three centuries old when those just barely out of puberty refer to it politely as "old ...
Get ready for the real healthcare crisis. A growing number of firms are being nailed with rising health insurance expenses. The consulting firm of Towers Watson projects corporate spending on health care will average $12,136 per employee this year. Firms that for years have tried soft sell approaches to get their workers to take personal responsibility for their health through offers of reduced gym memberships and such are now getting employees' attention with money. They ...
The next time someone takes an oath of office they might want to read the first 15 words in the constitution they're swearing to uphold.
"Dancing With the Stars" has lost one its biggest fans. Late last month at the age of 96 my mother passed away.
The $68 billion train wreck in the making – California High Speed Rail – continues rumbling down the tracks with all of the subtlety of General Sherman's march to the sea.
There's an election for mayor coming up in less than two years. Given that Manteca has a 12.8 percent unemployment rate - that's higher than Lathrop's by the way - one of the central issues should be jobs. Or to quote former Mayor Carlon Perry as Manteca was struggling to come out of the previous recession in the early 1990s, the issue is "jobs, jobs, jobs." "Jobs, jobs, jobs" wasn't on the mind of the ...
Stockton is a two-time All America City recipient. Just three years after its last All America City honor, Stockton led the nation in foreclosures. Smirk all you want. While the awards are often full of more fluff than substance, Stockton today would qualify as a real All America City as opposed to the glamour contest version offered by the National Civic League. Unlike the version you preen for and send in an application with check ...
There was a time when there was a gas station on every corner. Then it seemed like banks were multiplying faster than rabbits. And now the trend is the so-called dollar stores. Manteca's fifth dollar store - and second Dollar General - is getting ready to open at Powers and Yosemite avenues. They seem to be popping up in Manteca with the same intensity as pizza parlors, nail salons, and check cashing places. It reflects ...
Miniature chocolates mixed with taffy collect in piles on table tops, waiting to be stuffed into eggs.
There's only one gift I want as I turn 57. That's being able to make a 20-year-old understand life does get better. A lot better. It can be frustrating finding a job and then struggling to make ends meet. At the same time you worry about what others think of you and are terrorized that you will never find love or lose the love that you have. Your heart and very soul at times seem ...
The City of Manteca has a new unofficial municipal motto: "This is the new norm."
God and country.
The Gang of Eight immigration bill can be summed up as amnesty now, border closing never. The Department of Homeland Security is not required to build a fence (which was ordered by the Secure Fence Act signed by President George W. Bush). DHS is required only to submit a plan.
Lie to the federal government and you'd better get you affairs in order.
Dear graduates:
Manteca is celebrating an anniversary this year that is one for the books.
LATHROP – And I wondered why people don't trust the government.
Ripon – the community – possesses a wealth of heart-inspiring stories in the minds of its many highly respected senior citizens.
It was the white lie of the last decade.
Shame on you, Tim Cook.
The San Joaquin Valley's blessing is its curse.
Mom didn't die.
Imagine your kid playing on an aging soccer field.
Here's a little nugget for those embroiled in the debate over gun control: Young men kill.
Almost four years ago, I wrote a column entitled "The Obama Effect" in which I described how fear and distrust of our then newly elected President created panic among our citizenry and that there were massive shortages of almost every kind of ammunition imaginable.