Fresno County in Comparison

For those of you who have no comprehension of Fresno County:

Fresno County covers 5,962 square miles and, according to the 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, has a population of 877,584.

Smaller in area than Fresno County are Rhode Island (1,545 square miles), Delaware (1,954) and Connecticut (5,554).

Smaller in population are Wyoming (509,294 people), Vermont (623,050), North Dakota (636,677), Alaska (663,661), South Dakota (775,933) and Delaware (843,524).

This research comes from the blog of famed Fresno Bee columnist Bill McEwen.

Getting Over on The Donald

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the valley, Donald Trump resurfaces. Last week, The Donald made a $20 million offer on the Running Horse development. As Fresnans know, this was a low-ball offer. However, given the state of things, there was the possibility that owner Mick Evans would bite.

Evans not only turned down the offer, but has stated that there are several others interested. Curious. At one point, the PGA was planning on a course located at Running Horse, but that has gone bye-bye.

What Trump and others are hoping, I would guess, is that they can get the PGA back. It’s Donald Trump. He probably can.

Trump has now offered $40 million. Half up front and half on the back-end. Evans has said that there is another offer of that same amount, but with more money up-front. He has said he will respond to Trump by Friday.

Trump is not just interested in the course, but as part of the deal:

The new offer contains the same conditions Trump has been demanding throughout the negotiations, Cohen said Wednesday. Those include the possible use of government powers of eminent domain to acquire private property to complete the project, closing California Avenue and historic Kearney Boulevard where they run through Running Horse and revitalizing thousands of acres around the project.

While one has to question any deal that Mayor Autry supports, this may be our one best chance to save that part of the city.

Everybody loves baseball!

This from today’s Fresno Bee:

For kids in wheelchairs who love to play baseball, a field of dreams is not carpeted in soft, green grass and dirt, but in smooth, man-made rubber.

A nonprofit organization connected to the Fresno Grizzlies Triple-A baseball franchise will team with the Clovis Unified School District to create such a field, converting the softball and playing fields at Gateway High School.

Yes, we’re goofy around here, but nice things can happen as well. For the rest of this Fresno Bee article (by Anne Dudley Ellis), click here.

I am quite pleased today with the Fresno Grizzlies and Clovis Unified School District for stepping up and making this happen.

Happy Thanksgiving

I would like to wish all Fresnans and the people of the United States a happy Thanksgiving. We have so much for which to be grateful.

Bee Blog Mention

After my post on the proposed riverwalk, Bill McEwen of the Fresno Bee commented and linked back to Fresburg.

Rest in Peace, Roman

The media is rife this week with the story of the death of Roman Quiroz, age 3 months. The accused is his father, Lance Corporal Robert Quiroz. Only 20 years old, he was the father of two children. His wife died shortly after the birth of Roman and Quiroz was recalled from Iraq. According to his sister-in-law, he seemed totally incapable of taking care of his children. He was also grieving for the loss of his wife.

I won’t give you the entire scenario because that is readily available elsewhere. However, this is a situation where Child Protective Services already had this baby in their care a month ago with the possibility of abuse. He was returned to the father due to lack of evidence.

It sounds like Fresno County will be bringing in state investigators to determine fault. I saw an interview with Henry Perea this evening and it is his hope to get to the bottom of this sad event.

For my money, I don’t know if there is a bottom to get to. Yes, CPS definitely takes children out of the home that should have stayed. However, my guess is that they are following the state’s guidelines as well as a little push from the officer on the scene.

How could this have been handled differently? Better communication between the police and social services would be a good place to start. Not likely, though, because they run competing investigations and can have simultaneous court cases. Yep, just plain silly.

And you have to wonder if there will be any justice for Roman.

The solution is water…again

Six years ago Mayor Alan Autry floated the idea of creating a lake in order to revitalize Fresno’s downtown. As with many of Autry’s ideas, long on idea, but short on implementation. It went nowhere because he had not checked first with the business community to see if they would support it.

Now Autry is looking at the final two years of his job and has begun to think of his legacy, or in his case, lack thereof. He has done little of what he promised. One noticeable area of failure has been downtown revitalization.

Today’s Fresno Bee has a column about creating a riverwalk in downtown. Now, as it happens, I spent a week in Sacramento this summer. Sacramento is a city that has not allowed itself to die and has wonderful areas around its rivers. Restaurants, shops, Old Sacramento, and more abound.

Could this work for Fresno? Perhaps. But it would need to be a project with buy-in and not another of King Alan’s whims. I get that legacy is important. He should get that improving Fresno is even more important.

Bill McEwen, Bee columnist, puts it best:

The riverwalk is vintage Autry. He thinks big and asks questions later.

McEwen, like me, though, see this as a real possibility. He asserts that making it happen will require state, local, and federal money as well as significant investment from the business community.

Can Autry pull it together? Hard to tell. It would require Autry working with the city council to make it happen, something that he has not done well in the past.

A typical Saturday night in Fresno

You kind of have to expect this sort of thing in Fresno, but I just about witnessed a fight last night. I was out with my wife at Tahoe Joes alone (a not common occurrance given our three children) and one booth over there was a neanderthal. Apparently a neanderthal who was going to get violent with the waiters.

The supposed crime?

He believed that the waiter purposely sprayed him with a small amount of soup. Yes, the way it is set up does get a large pot of soup close to that particular booth. His theory:

One time is an accident. A second time is on purpose.

Interestingly, human beings from this century just asked to be moved to a different table.

And the kicker? He had his family with him, including a young daughter who was busy learning that it is acceptable to be loud and obnoxious in public.

Surprisingly, when the restaurant staff who was very patient and didn’t have him thrown out, moved him, he brought his beer along for the walk to the new table.

Fresno on the World Stage

Or what it takes to get noticed is to have a riot over Playstation 3s. Yes, we are all idiots here.

See: Playstation 3 wait turns violent.

and: Chaos breaks out over Playstation 3.

It’s a game, people. A freakin’ game.

"New Normal"

City Hall is operating under a New Normal. This new management style works to create a culture of excellence where people get the best every day. This message has been working its way through every city department and now they want the citizens of Fresno to know about it.

So, with excitement, I read this pronouncement on the City of Fresno website. And right below it there is a link to learn more about this new exciting new city policy. Being the loyal Fresnan that I am, I clicked away.

In typical Fresno fashion, I got…

Photo op.

No text. Nothing but pictures of smiling politicians (and people required to be there for politicians).

Figures.