Archive By Section - Editorial
Break the glass, douse the flames
As everyone who watches the evening news knows, in the western United States wildfires and forest fires are common enough in the late summer. Young people work diligently on fire-crews here in the West, fighting one of nature's great forces. Out-of-control blazes in our National Forests are all but an annual event, with only the number and intensity of the fires varying from year to year.
Stanislaus students finally speak out
When I came into work on Thursday at the Turlock Journal, I was surprised to hear that there had been a protest at California State University, Stanislaus that morning. I had spent the last three hours in class at Stanislaus and I hadn't heard a word about it. I took a look at photos and a cutline by Meagan Martens, and found that a group of about 30 students had organized a morning march to the president's office. That's pretty out of character for CSU Stanislaus.
Our vigilante past
While today's criminal justice system can, at times, seem to favor the guilty and punish the innocent, all one needs to do to get the proper perspective is read the history page published every Saturday in the Journal.
A delicious heat wave
My 84-year old mother bent over the cookbook one day recently and read aloud to me as I wolfed down a chicken sandwich I'd made at lunchtime. The reading was a lesson in how to make a traditional - and very fine as it turned out - pork roast.
A shadow for debate
I'll be the first to admit that I do my best to avoid national news, despite being absolutely fascinated by the intricate politicking that goes on in Washington.
Getting an education almost out of reach
I am a strong believer in going to college and getting a degree. It is essential to progress in a professional career and most companies require a bachelor's degree at minimum. But with the increased tuition prices, it is making a bachelor's degree almost unattainable let alone getting a master's degree or a doctorate.
Water package is more litigation, less irrigation
Last week, the California Legislature passed a water package that many lawmakers are lauding as the solution to our state's problems. What this dysfunctional legislature really passed is three more layers of unneeded bureaucracy along with a bond that will not create a drop of water for at least 15 years - if at all.
A decision for change
Turlock voters made a statement on Tuesday: They want change. And change they will have, as it looks as if almost half of the Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees will be replaced. There are 13,000 to 15,000 mail-in ballots that still have to be counted and could potential change the election results, but I doubt it. I must admit that I was a little shocked at the outcome of Tuesday's TUSD board election. ...
‘Hard Candy Christmas’
The countdown has begun. There are only 51 days until Christmas. "Christmas," you say, "How can that be? It seems like just last week I was sweltering in Indian summer heat." I know what you mean. How can it possibly be time to bring out the holly and tinsel again when I haven't even had time to put away my summer clothes? On top of the seemingly supersonic season changes, finding the extra money for ...
What would you do if...
I like to think of Turlock as a caring community. There are dozens of service clubs, places of worship and volunteers who give of their time and money all year long to make our town a little bit nicer place to live. But I'm sure that the majority of people living in Richmond, Calif. also thought they lived in a caring community - until last Saturday that is. The Contra Costa Times reported that up ...
Who wants to be an idiot?
I, along with many of my co-workers, took time out of the busy workday on Thursday to watch a giant helium balloon float over the Colorado countryside while it was chased by a plethora of emergency vehicles.
New eyes and new ideas
This year is the 400th birthday of science and engineering. It's an occasion worth noting and giving thanks for because each day those twin disciplines improve the lives of billions of people around the world. (Beyond that, science and engineering are awfully fun, so their total effect is sort of like combining doing good all around the planet with the pure joys of playing chess.)
Our right to know
Democracy is a great thing. A government by the people, for the people sure beats a system that caters to a dictator or a royal family. But like many good and wonderful things in this world, democracy must be nurtured, watched over and protected by everyone involved in order to maintain its greatness.
Do the right thing
As a manager, I have the usually frustrating and always time-consuming job of interviewing candidates for open job positions. This is one of my least favorite aspects of my job.
$1 goes a long way in fighting auto theft
With over 700 bills sitting on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk waiting to be signed or vetoed in the latest version of partisan politics between the Governor and the State Legislature, sheriffs and other law enforcement leaders from around the state have joined forces to urge the Governor to put aside political haggling and sign a critical yet obscure bill, Assembly Bill 286. Frankly, there are a dozen or so bills of importance to day-to-day operations ...
Articles by Section - Editorial
Earth Day and farming
As the daughter of a farmer, I grew up with a love of the land and a deep respect for nature - you might say a native understanding that every day was Earth Day. My father worked the land. He took care of it and it took care of us, as well as many other people consuming what our farm produced. As California's secretary of agriculture, I welcome the attention that the annual observance of ...
Remove the crud and California is still 100% solid gold
Go ahead, trash California.
It’s time for real debate about need for high-speed rail
California high-speed rail is primarily about bringing two points together - downtown Los Angeles and downtown San Francisco.
Spring brings change to Journal
Spring has always been a time of change - in weather, the end of daylight savings, and the blooming orchards that line the Valley. This year spring has also brought changes here at the Journal.
On the road to racism
Lin-sanity may be ebbing, but a fundamental issue it raised is still on the rise.
Growth plans need to be fair for all Turlock
The ongoing debate about how to preserve farmland along with the economic base and food resources that agriculture creates for this county, as well as the nation, is healthy and necessary. However, I feel that the debate needs to occur within a much larger framework.
Improving on the staff of life
About 10,000 years ago Earth's climate lurched from bitter Ice Age conditions to the much balmier time in which we live today. We don't fully understand what caused that great climate shift, but we know it was near the time of that great temperature transition that people started to farm. And one of the crops people in some parts of the world learned to tend was wheat.
Fun to dream, while it lasted
If you are reading this column, then I did not win the lottery. I wrote this on Friday afternoon, when lotto fever was still high and we all had hopes of winning $640 million dollars. I have to admit that I was not immune to that fever myself. I bought several tickets for myself, and I'm part of an office pool of 12 people. I prepared this letter in the unlikely, but unfortunate ...
Standing up for our veterans
America is blessed with the strongest and most capable military in the world. Our service members execute challenging missions in the most complex environment on earth. They leave the military with skills that our economy needs to compete. It is our responsibility to take care of them when they return. Unfortunately, upon returning home, many of our veterans discover that even though they have the training to perform a wide variety of jobs, the system ...
A new wave of protest
I remember growing up in the 1980s and having my elders say things like, "Kids nowadays don't care about anything." After commenting on the apparent apathy of my peers, I would then be treated to a detailed recounting of epic protests against the Vietnam War, nuclear proliferation and segregation that took place in the 1960s and 70s. Maybe America just needed a 30-year hiatus to perfect its chanting and sign painting, because the ...
Half Dome ‘fix’ a hiker nightmare
Leave it to the federal government to screw up something that wasn't that hard to fix - if indeed it needed fixing.
Whatever happened to Turlock’s bridal district?
I remember it well. It was January 2008, and while there was a chill in the winter air outside, the atmosphere at Two Guy's Catering was electric.
Sen. Snowe’s leave and the deterioration of American politics
Most local individuals would be far from alarmed to learn that a Maine woman recently announced her decision not to run for a fourth term as senator. In fact, there are few folks who devote enough attention to remember the names and term numbers of local politicians, let alone ones coming from the opposite end of the nation. However, it is not former Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe's leave of politics, but rather her reason ...
Living in 209
I am always amazed at how once a year, that perfect day arrives in the spring that finds the Valley trees all in bloom, the sun is warm and the air is so aromatic you cannot help but say "Wow." My perfect day was over the weekend when driving about on Sunday I happened to find myself among several orchards lined one after another with beautiful pink and white blossoms. The warm 75 ...
Life-changing moment
It seems like you go along in your everyday life working, sleeping, and playing a little when there's time and energy. Then something happens that changes everything. On Feb. 16 I became a grandma. I've known for the past seven months that this day would come and I was attempting to prepare for it. But there was nothing that could prepare me for the joy in watching my little girl become a ...
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