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Farmers Seek Options for Wood Disposal, California Farm Bureau Federation Reports

in Environment

Grape grower Chris Gillespie looks over one of many piles of recently removed zinfandel vines at his Acampo farm. Gillespie and his father, Curt, say no viable option exists for disposal of these vines other than burning, because of the steel wires enmeshed in the vines. The California Air Resources Board has voted to phase out most agricultural burning in the San Joaquin Valley by 2025.
Photo/Kevin Hecteman

March 8, 2021 - By Kevin Hecteman - Curt Gillespie and his son Chris have tall piles of grapevines awaiting disposal at their Acampo farm. The piles won't be going anywhere for a while.

There has been an uptick in vineyard removals in the area, resulting in a backlog of burn requests being made to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

Now, the California Air Resources Board has voted to require virtually all agricultural burning to be phased out by Jan. 1, 2025. The board's action, taken unanimously last week, affects eight counties under the jurisdiction of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern.

Continue Reading on Sierra Sun Times

Vaccine Equity Metric Could Mean More Doses Locally

in Health

The Newsom Administration on Thursday announced that California has set aside 40 percent of vaccine doses for the hardest-hit communities and established a vaccine equity metric – which seeks to increase vaccinations in those communities – as a prelude to adjusting the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which governs the conditions under which California’s economy can safely operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

California’s approach, according to information from the Governor’s Office, will continue to focus on masking and effective use of testing, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation. The state is also updating its recommendations about the most effective use of masks and when to consider double masking.

“With more vaccines online and administered, California is now in a position to take steps toward ending this pandemic by keeping our guard up and by vaccinating those Californians most at risk and most exposed,” said Governor Newsom in a news release posted by his office. “Vaccinating our most impacted communities, across our state, is the right thing to do and the fastest way to end this pandemic.”

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Turlock woman catches the eyes, ears of American Idol judges

in Entertainment

TURLOCK, Calif. — She is normally skeptical of auditions for voice competitions, partly due to fear of rejection, which is why she believes her husband didn't ask before submitting her name for American Idol.  

Ashlyn Ruder, an American Idol contestant from Turlock, told ABC10 she called her husband screaming after learning she would be on the reality show.

"That excitement hasn't happened for a really long time, especially because COVID has been happening and everything else in the world is kind of closed," Ruder said.   

After hearing Ruder perform a song about how proud she is of her dad being sober going on three years on the show, Lionel Richie gave her advice she won't forget.  

"He said, 'I've been in this business for a really long time and the one thing that never goes out of style is talking about love and sharing love through music," Ruder said. 

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‘We may be getting closer to the end of this’ | San Joaquin, Stanislaus could see red tier by Mid-March

in Around California

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. — San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties could be in store for a long-overdue breath of relief as their COVID-19 stats continue to drop.

If all the trends go the right way, officials in both counties say they could be making the leap to California’s red coronavirus tier by the week of March 15. Both counties are currently in the purple “widespread” tiers, which is the most restrictive one.

The red tier would allow a number of businesses to partially reopen indoor with modifications, and, if the case rate metrics line up, children could also return to the classroom in Stanislaus County.

There’s only a couple of things standing in the way, the adjusted case rates and testing volume. In other words, the counties need a case rate of 7 per 100,000 or lower to move into the red tier, and, to get there, they say more people need to get tested.

Continue Reading on ABC 10

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Manteca is inching toward year round homeless shelter

in Around California

Manteca has taken the first step toward city funding of a year-round homeless shelter and services.

The City Council Tuesday authorized spending $180,000 in the first of what could be a series of six month contracts with the Turlock Gospel Mission to operate an emergency homeless shelter at 555 Industrial Park Drive.

The vote that extends the shelter through Sept. 30, 2021 also grants the city manager authorization to extend it for a second six-month period from Oct. 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022 for an additional $180,000.

They also approved a conditional use permit to allow the tent operation to legally take place in the industrial park much to the chagrin of neighboring property owners and businesses.

They expressed their dismay in an email to city officials sent via a representative. At least one owner that had spent significant money buying and repairing a nearby industrial building that had been damaged by an illegal marijuana growing operation several years ago has decided to sell due to the proximity of the homeless shelter. They have been experiencing non-stop issues with homeless that vandalize, trespass, and defecate on their property.

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Plans for second Dutch Bros spark ire from neighboring cafe

in business

Dutch Bros Coffee is hoping to open a second Turlock location after submitting plans to the City last month, but not everyone in town is excited. 

Turlock’s first Dutch Bros location opened last September across the street from Stanislaus State and has been busy ever since. Now, the company is looking to add to its Turlock success with a double drive-through location in the Turlock Town Center. When Mundo’s Latin Grill eventually moves to another space within the shopping center, Dutch Bros hopes to take over the restaurant’s building and cater to even more coffee connoisseurs.

For the family-owned coffee shop Alison’s Cafe House, located just down the road at 219 W. Canal Dr., the news was like déjà vu. Last October, the small business spearheaded an online petition after they realized a Starbucks would be built across the street from them and worried about going out of business. Although the petition to stop the Starbucks’ construction received over 2,500 signatures, the effort came well after the City’s deadline to appeal the project. 

Now, Emita Paris of Alison’s Cafe House is wondering if the coffee shop will be able to survive twice the competition. Since the first Dutch Bros location opened, she said her family’s business has lost half of its revenue despite the competition being located across town.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

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Turlock native to appear on ‘American Idol’

in Entertainment

Growing up, Turlock native Ashlyn Ruder could turn anything into a stage. From her grandmother’s bed where she’d belt out “The Sound of Music” to the tailgate of her dad’s truck performing the songs she had written, music has always served as a way for the 22-year old to express herself. 

On Sunday, Ruder will sing on one of the world’s biggest stages when she appears on the newest episode of “American Idol” in its 19th season. 

“Music has been a pastime of mine my entire life. I was always doing something music related, and that’s just how it was for me growing up,” Ruder said. “Now, it’s become a dream that’s real and it’s a career. It’s crazy.”

Ruder was born and raised in Turlock and graduated from Turlock Christian in 2017. During her younger years, she kept busy by performing in her church’s worship band and even recorded an album at age 13. That endeavor never came to be — producers saw Ruder as a pop star, while her heart was with country music — and it would be almost a decade until the singer got her big break. 

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

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5 Things to Know: Blue Shield takes over California’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution

in Health

On Monday, Blue Shield took over California's COVID-19 vaccination distribution in an attempt to streamline the process and create a single, statewide criterion, remove the responsibility from individual counties.

San Joaquin and Stanislaus were among the first counties impacted by the shift to Blue Shield, as the insurance company focused its efforts on communities where the virus disproportionately affected families.

Here are five things to know about the shift:

1.Blue Shield's goal is to fully inoculate 25 million people by the summer. In a statement sent to KCRA 3, the insurance company said its plan is to increase the doses per week from one million to four million by the end of March.

The transition began Monday, March 1, and is expected to finish the change to the statewide criteria by end of the month.

Continue Reading on KCRA

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Air board tells San Joaquin Valley growers to phase out ag burns by 2025

in Around California

California’s air quality board voted today to call for a near-complete ban of agricultural burning by 2025 in the San Joaquin Valley, one of the most polluted regions in the country. 

The move to phase out burning is more than a decade in the making for the eight-county Central Valley, where growers set fire to hundreds of thousands of tons of waste from vineyards and orchards every year. Burning sends up plumes of particles and gases that drift into farm towns largely made up of Latino residents. 

After a four-hour hearing and more than an hour and a half of debate, the air board unanimously approved a resolution directing air board staff to work with the local air district to phase out nearly all burning over the next four years. 

The phase-out will mostly affect owners of vineyards and orchards who will have to grind up vines, trees and other waste and mix it into soil, or haul it to composting and biomass facilities. 

Continue Reading on Visalia Times Delta

‘We’re A Dying Breed’: East Sac Hardware Store Closes Up Shop

in business

EAST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Soroush Rahimian cleared out his basket and checked out one last time at the East Sac Hardware Store, which is closing up shop for good Sunday.

“It’s been nice to not have to go to the big box stores when you need something quick and convenient,” Rahimian said.

Fast, easy, and one-stop shopping, Rahimian got everything from electrical supplies to replace switches to toys for his kids, but not anymore. Yet, another it’s the next in a long line of small businesses that didn’t survive the pandemic.

“The time has come, we don’t have family that wants to take it over,” said owner Sheree Johnston. “A lot of things, COVID has been a problem.”

Johnston has run the neighborhood store for decades, hanging on even when Home Depot moved in around the corner in 2000, when the recession hit in 2008, and they never missed a day of service when COVID-19 hit.

Continue Reading on CBS 13

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