Archive By Section - Local Columns
Weatherford Woods may ultimately help Manteca sewer woes
Weeping willows take on more water than the Titanic. They also create great wildlife habitats for birds and other creatures. If Mayor Willie Weatherford has his druthers, they'd be some 200 acres of willow trees in a floodplain on the southwest part of the city. They would literally drink up treated wastewater while at the same time recharging the water tables allowing nature – via the trees – to remove nitrates and ammonia. "Weatherford Woods" ...
Purpletie.com proved the fallacy of many high tech based businesses
Remember Purpletie.com? It was the idea of high-tech Turks from the Silicon Valley to do a web-based dry cleaning service. They were seeking capital to build a massive dry cleaning plant in Manteca next door to where Frito-Lay is on Moffat Boulevard. Routes would go into the Bay Area and Sacramento with pickups and deliveries opposite of the commute. They thought they were brilliant. After all, busy people don't have time to go to the ...
The downtown bulbs and debunking 8 myths about them
The traffic bulbs downtown don't exactly give everyone the warm fuzzies. It is time, however, for people to give up the ghost – especially downtown merchants – when it comes to demanding they be ripped out. Here's why. MYTH NO. 1: The bulbs are killing business by eliminating parking. It's been more than four years since the bulbs were put in place. Name the businesses that went under because parking spaces were eliminated in the ...
Municipal crisis: We are all in this together
The City of Manteca at one point had 430 approved employee positions. That was at the start of the current economic malaise triggered by the foreclosure mess, Today, there are 370 municipal workers on the job. If all goes well and another 10 to 20 employees will retire in the coming fiscal year, property and sales tax news isn't as gloomy as feared, and all of the budget cutting strategies being pursued and put in ...
Give a prisoner a cell & you should get put in a cell
Prisoners have better healthcare than most taxpayers. They even eat better than many who are law-abiding. So why is anyone surprised that prisoners have easy access to cell phones? More than 2,800 cell phones were confiscated last year from inmates in California prisons or hidden in and around cells. You're asking how the prisoners managed to get cell phones. According to state spokesmen, about half come from prison employees including the highly paid guards who ...
Crying wolf too many times may catch up with educators May 19
Crying wolf one too many times could lead to an unpleasant day of reckoning come the morning after May 19 for California public schools.
One headache I don’t mind: Kicking the diet soda habit
I have a mild headache – and I couldn't be happier. It's been 28 hours as I type this that I decided to go cold turkey. No more caffeine. That may not sound like a big deal but I have a $2,022 a year Diet Pepsi habit. Those 16 ounce bottles add up when you put away an average of four a day. Caffeine is clearly addictive. I learned this all too well 15 years ...
Extreme eaters
I wouldn't call competitive eating a sport. Not just yet. But make no mistake about it: the events of the Major League Eaters are extreme. Take last Saturday's Stockton Asparagus Festival, for example. Many at the 24th annual event – sanctioned by MLE – made their way to the main stage of the Weber Point Event Center to watch four-time defending champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut take part in the world deep-fried asparagus-eating contest. He's the ...
Governor 2010: A race where the older guy has the real fresh ideas
Dianne Feinstein – arguably the best choice for California's next governor – isn't likely to run for the Golden State's top elected office unless she has a martyr streak a thousand miles wide.
Manteca Unified isn’t crying wolf about budget woes
If you want class-size reduction to stay intact, then there is only one thing to do – convince the Manteca Unified School District board Tuesday to put Lathrop High on ice and close two elementary schools by consolidating Veritas and Nile Garden as well as New Haven and Joshua Cowell.
Manteca Unified try a ticket to ride for one semester
It is time to rethink Manteca Unified's proposal to slash $400,000 from the budget by increasing the minimum distance to bus students to and from school.
Pull plug May 19 on dysfunctional state government
Mark the date of May 19, 2009. It could end up being the date historians look back at and herald as the day California voters overthrew the government. There are six band-aids on the special election ballot designed – in a best case scenario – to keep the state government as we now know it on life support. In the worst case scenario, the state will have the financial equivalent of an 8.0 ...
ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL
It's not too often we get an opportunity to see a living legend in his prime right here in our backyard.
Reduce impacts of new housing on Manteca services
It is time for Manteca to get serious about water and energy conservation. The Manteca City Council can start by putting new rules in place Jan. 1, 2010 for all new permits issued for new residential construction regardless of when the subdivision map was initially approved. •All front yards must have landscaping installed with moisture sensor devices connected to a controller that is permanently programmed not to come on between the hours of noon and ...
Libbey-Owens-Ford retirees are everywhere you turn
We ran into a lot of friends this week at various events like Millie Bolding past employee at Libbey Owens Ford and Sharp Depot with her husband Graham (PG&E). They were their usual smiling happy people.
Articles by Section - Local Columns
The Pope and Godless capitalism
"This is called slave labor," said Pope Francis.
Cinco de Mayo is as American as you can get
People need to stop having heart palpations over Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Meeting your Ripon neighbors at jury duty, plus an unexpected pleasure over lunch
Meeting a couple of Ripon folks, and one from Linden and another from Tracy was an unexpected pleasure in my brief two days of jury duty this week – especially when four of us just happened to go out to lunch together on Thursday.
Kentucky Derby’s horse tie to French Camp
FRENCH CAMP – It's a funny thing, this horse racing business.
Guns: Being judged by 12 instead of being carried by 6
She's a single mom in her early 30s. She lives in an old farmhouse in an almond orchard five miles east of Manteca. The closest neighbor is a quarter mile of a way but the trees make it impossible to see their home.
Want a safe environment for vacation? Then stay out of Yosemite
Yosemite National Park is not Disneyland.
Perhaps Manteca should work with Wal-Mart to create a homeless park
The aging RV was parked under a stately tree providing relief from the 90-degree midday heat.
Count your blessings that disco didn’t survive the ‘70s
Bell bottom pants. Flare-leg pants. Men's rayon tie scarves. Polyester suits.
California makes sure car buyers pay the price twice in taxes
Call it farmer smarts
Beware of sugary drink tax: It might end up killing you
How many calories are in 16 ounces of orange juice? Try 220 calories.
Adam: Big heart & even bigger inspiration
Anthony Alcaraz sat forward in his seat, staring quizzically at the track, convinced someone had made a mistake.
LAFCo’s Subliminal message: SJ County is not business friendly
Is San Joaquin County business friendly?
King George III: Behind the smoke in New York City
I can't stand cigarette smoke.
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