In the News
By: David Taub
Any Valley resident or farmer will tell you, where the water flows, food grows.
It was July 12 that the latest Congressional effort to provide water for Central Valley farmers passed the House of Representatives. H.R. 23, or the GROW Act, passed 230-190 on the House floor.
Congressman Jim Costa, D-Fresno, talked with Merced County health leaders and advocates on July 6, 2017 to receive feedback and discuss how the Republicans' proposed health bill will impact people in Merced County.
Congressman Jim Costa speaks with Kevin Cirilli of Bloomberg:
On the evening of May 18th, the Los Banos Soroptimists held a very special evening to honor local women of all ages for their distinction. The group was also honored to have in attendance representatives from the offices of Congressman Jim Costa, Senator Anthony Canella, Assembly Adam Gray, as well as County Supervisor Jerry O'Banion, and Mayor Mike Villalta. The Soroptimists work with, and award those women within our community who have shown achievement in many areas, as well as unselfish time in service to others in many ways.
The Korean War had been raging for two years when Riverdale native Bill Robinett spent his first night in a trench in Korea. He was 22 and scared.
"It was very scary, of course, especially the first week and first night," says Robinett, now 85 and living in Fresno. "We were in our trench and they (North Koreans) were in their trench about a quarter-mile away and it was a case of who could shoot the most at each other.
Bill Robinett of Fresno is a Korean War veteran who will be traveling to Washington, D.C. with the Central Valley Honor Flight.
At only seven years old, Brandon Colwell knows the importance of honoring his grandfather and great-grandfather.
"These people were fighting and because of the Civil War," Brandon said.
His grandfather Don Colwell says they attend the Memorial Day ceremony at Memorial Gardens every year, and they sit next to a veteran's grave that's very special, his father's.\
"It's the closest we can get to him on earth, and he's just very special," Colwell said.
Hundreds gathered Monday to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Though Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who have died in U.S. military service, chaplain Capt. Kenneth Cain stressed to a crowd here Sunday the importance of remembering and honoring all veterans who have died.
"Not all who sleep here died in combat or were even in a combat arena," he told the roughly 600 people who attended a Memorial Day service at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery.
Thanks to Rep. Jim Costa ("Building on UC Merced's success is good for the Valley," May 26) for highlighting UC Merced and why we should support the school's 2020 Project. As a member of the UC Merced Board of Trustees, I have seen the significant economic boost UC Merced has brought to our community, creating thousands of construction jobs, nearly adding 800 permanent jobs on campus, with UC benefits and wages.
New York Mills truck driver Bill Brady feels like he's making a difference through his work with the not-for-profit group Truckers Against Trafficking.
Brady, who drives for Lodestar and grew up in Wadena, has been working with the organization for roughly three years. Truckers Against Trafficking is a not-for-profit group that works to educate, raise awareness and combat trafficking in the trucking and travel plaza industries.
The House on Friday passed a big energy and water spending bill that showcases the continuing federal discord over how to handle California's drought.
The $35 billion bill includes money for the California status quo, ranging from Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta restoration to operations of the sprawling Central Valley Project. It also includes drought-related language, with directives to speed completion of water storage project studies.
Nearly every member of the House Democratic Caucus signed onto a letter demanding an independent investigation into two fatal shootings carried out in the span of a week by officers at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We are calling for immediate independent investigations into both of these deaths, without interference,” the lawmakers wrote, referring to the killings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Guerrero in Maine.