View Mobile Site

Archive By Section - Local Columns


POETRY CAFÉ DRAWS 75

Wednesday was the Eleventh Annual Poetry Café held at the Ripon Library with the help of the library staff and the Ripon High School English Department in celebration of national Poetry Month – 75 filled the meeting room.

April 20, 2013 | By OLIVIA SHIPHERD Ripon High correspondent | Local Columns


A Marshall Plan to fight Manteca crime

Bruce Lownsbery is by all standards a thoughtful man. He's hardworking and strives to keep an eye on his money including what he entrusts the government to spend on his behalf. He will often pore through tedious government paperwork on city issues before offering a suggestion or his opinion to the Manteca City Council. He isn't overtly emotional and he tries not to let his biases get in the way of a possible solution. You ...

April 20, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


A lost wallet led to snipe hunt in yard

I used to find it amusing when my mom would misplace her wallet. One time we spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out where she laid her wallet after going grocery shopping. For whatever reason, I happened to look in the cupboard where we kept the drinking glasses. I didn't find the wallet but I did find a half gallon of milk. A quick trip to the refrigerator found her wallet – cold cash ...

April 19, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


Traffic too fast on Cottage Ave? It’ll get worse

If you think people drive too fast on Cottage Avenue and elsewhere in Manteca, just wait. It's going to get worse. That's because state law dictates Manteca and other cities conduct speed surveys every five years. Posted speed limits – this excludes residential streets, business district streets and school zones that have a prima facie speed limit of 25 mph in California – must comply with speed survey data. Manteca has completed its speed survey ...

April 18, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


RELAY FOR LIFE

On Saturday night, when the sun has set and thousands of tiny lights illuminate the dark of Dino Cunial Field, Kim Bettencourt will whisper softly into a breeze.

April 17, 2013 | James Burns | Local Columns


Paper or plastic may soon drop from vernacular

No one seemed to be happy when the days of Manteca's unlimited garbage came to an end.

April 17, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


Feeling overtaxed? General Electric & the Oracle aren’t

The Great American nightmare is over. Well, it is for at least 53.6 percent of us who pay income tax. Everyone else didn't including General Electric. Keep in mind most of the 46.4 percent are retired on Social Security or are too poor. In the case of GE, the corporation makes over $6 billion a year. The Oracle of Omaha himself, Warren Buffet, paid taxes. Rest assured it is not his fair share. Buffet lectures ...

April 16, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


About those grave (marker) robbers

David Massey helped shed some light on one of the area's more intriguing, odd-ball mysteries.

April 15, 2013 | James Burns | Local Columns


Doom & gloom? It’s really a wonderful world

It was a honeymoon with plenty of pain. Three days straight without sleep. Guzzling "horrible tasting" off-brand Asian energy drinks to stay awake. Not leaving your room to eat. Not wanting to go to the bathroom so as not to waste time. She recalls calling her dad Mike in Manteca craving for human contact as she slogged onward. It's the price paid by Lauren Morowit as a Cal Berkeley freshman as she crammed for her ...

April 15, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


Candini was part of the Jackie Robinson story

It was the summer of 1951. Sugar Ray Robinson was the middleweight champion of the world, Ben Hogan was victorious at the Masters and the U.S. Open, and Mickey Mantle made his debut in centerfield for the New York Yankees. And in Brooklyn, a journeyman pitcher from a small town in Northern California that nobody from Flatbush – or his teammates from "The City of Brotherly Love" for that matter – had ever heard of ...

April 13, 2013 | Jason Campbell | Local Columns


The inexcusable gestation period for a crosswalk project in Manteca

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 ...

April 13, 2013 | | Local Columns


KICKING FOR A CURE

Justin Coenenberg knew only what he had gathered second-hand – that Riley Simmons was a first-rate 9-year-old.

April 11, 2013 | James Burns | Local Columns


Manteca safety: Here’s 5,000 or so pennies a year for your thoughts

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 ...

April 10, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


Teens show how indomitable spirit conquers all

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.

April 10, 2013 | Rose Albano-Risso | Local Columns


Call it the ‘close- a-school-&-make- Ripon-Unified- even-better’ plan

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.

April 10, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


1 2 3 4 5  Next »  Last »

Page 1 of 111

Articles by Section - Local Columns


The Pope and Godless capitalism

"This is called slave labor," said Pope Francis.

May 04, 2013 | | Local Columns


Cinco de Mayo is as American as you can get

People need to stop having heart palpations over Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

May 04, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


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.

May 03, 2013 | Glenn Kahl | Local Columns


Kentucky Derby’s horse tie to French Camp

FRENCH CAMP – It's a funny thing, this horse racing business.

May 03, 2013 | Jason Campbell | Local Columns


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.

May 03, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


Want a safe environment for vacation? Then stay out of Yosemite

Yosemite National Park is not Disneyland.

May 02, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


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.

May 01, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


Count your blessings that disco didn’t survive the ‘70s

Bell bottom pants. Flare-leg pants. Men's rayon tie scarves. Polyester suits.

April 30, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


California makes sure car buyers pay the price twice in taxes

Call it farmer smarts

April 27, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


Beware of sugary drink tax: It might end up killing you

How many calories are in 16 ounces of orange juice? Try 220 calories.

April 26, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


Adam: Big heart & even bigger inspiration

Anthony Alcaraz sat forward in his seat, staring quizzically at the track, convinced someone had made a mistake.

April 25, 2013 | James Burns | Local Columns


LAFCo’s Subliminal message: SJ County is not business friendly

Is San Joaquin County business friendly?

April 25, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


King George III: Behind the smoke in New York City

I can't stand cigarette smoke.

April 24, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


CARE to know why your power rates are higher?

CARE to know what PG&E and South San Joaquin Irrigation District agree upon?

April 22, 2013 | Dennis Wyatt | Local Columns


1 2

Page 2 of 2


Please wait ...