The Modesto Focus

Reading Time: 2 minutes Hey Focus fans! Imagine a local candidates forum where “the community speaks first and candidates listen.” Those words come straight out of promo material for an Oct. 3 Latino Community Listening Forum featuring all city council and school board candidates throughout Stanislaus County who want to participate. People can share their “lived experiences, concerns, and priorities” with these candidates, a notice says.

Reading Time: 5 minutes This week the powerful Ninth Circuit federal appeals court temporarily lifted an injunction that many immigration experts say has spared large swaths of California, including the Central Valley, from mass sweeps. The ruling is adding to anxiety about a recent uptick in enforcement across Stanislaus County and the region. On Monday, Aug.

Reading Time: 4 minutes The long-term use of a toxic and popular agricultural herbicide in California is coming to an end – and Stanislaus County almond growers will feel the impact locally. As of August 10, California state pesticide regulators will begin the phase-out process of paraquat-dichloride after every manufacturer doing business with the state said they have given up making pesticides that include the chemical, officially withdrawing their registrations.

Reading Time: 8 minutes Ron Cook joined a crowd of protestors on M Street in front of Merced’s Courthouse Park at the end of July. Much like previous protests, the demonstrators held pro-democracy signs, as well as messages decrying ICE, President Donald Trump, and the war in Iran. But there was a specific topic on Cook’s mind that day. He marched down M Street, sign in hand, to the office of California District 13 Rep. Adam Gray, D-Merced.

Reading Time: 3 minutes Whether longtime Modesto Irrigation District board director Larry Byrd stole water for his personal gain from the public utility he helps lead is the subject of an active investigation, Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero confirmed.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Hey Focus fans! Republican candidate for California governor Steve Hilton is coming to Modesto for an interactive limited-seating event at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 4335 North Star Way Suite F.

Reading Time: 3 minutes The agency that provides Modesto residents their energy waded into the citywide data center discussion during a special board meeting Tuesday that drew no audience speakers, unlike last week’s four-hour city council meeting. Modesto Irrigation District officials must protect customers above all else if approached by potential data center builders, most board members said in an Aug. 18 open forum.

Reading Time: 5 minutes Linda Wilson hasn’t been able to drive since breaking her arm on Easter. Still the Ceres retiree has been able to make it to all of her medical appointments and social calls with ease. But she’s not taking a bus, taxi,ride share or even relying on friends for her door-to-door service. Instead, she uses Care Cruisers, a free publicly-funded transportation program offered to all Stanislaus County residents aged 50 and up, plus people with disabilities or mobility issues.

Reading Time: 3 minutes U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared Thursday in Merced County, where he unveiled a new funding stream for health clinics nationwide, $102 million aimed at expanding access to primary care, including in rural communities. Kennedy, accompanied by federal Health Resources and Services Administrator Thomas Engels, made the announcement Thursday afternoon at Castle Family Health Services in Atwater.

Reading Time: 5 minutes Vanessa Barahona received a call this past spring from Angelica at Kern Family Health Care in Bakersfield, California, telling her it was time to renew her coverage under Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid. Angelica helped Barahona, 41, schedule an appointment to complete her paperwork in person at Kern Family’s offices before she submitted it to Kern County officials for approval.