Wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard a politician, especially those in the Valley, say they were voting against something because they “were tired of nickel and diming the voters.” So, now we routinely cut millions in jobs and services, while cashiers opt not to give us back a penny in change “because [...]

Been reading a lot lately about how communities around the nation are responding to fiscal stress — what’s being cut, picked up by others, re-invented. Been wondering if I should adopt a nearby house in Clovis, CA,  that has been vacant for more than a year and has weeds up to my breastbone (can’t imagine [...]

We’re got anorexia and bulimia, simultaneously, I said in my question. With health reform, the feds are expanding coverage to the needy, surely bumping up Medi-Cal enrollment and those coming to safety-net hospitals like Community Medical Centers. Meanwhile, the deficit-ridden state of California is into another machete season with social services. So, what’s sliding around [...]

As I yanked them, some as high as my thigh, I warned them to cease and desist. As they broke above the entrenched root, I swear I heard them laugh. I pledged I’d be back. As I toted away my victims, I wondered how I’d ignored that side yard of my Clovis home for so [...]

Might be some downtime during the Pro Bowl, SuperBowl, trips to baseball spring training. Here are some tidbits to dip into: 540 — the number of hospitals that offer a blog or have some presence on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. (Yep, Community Medical Centers is among them.) 2,469 — the number of people killed in [...]

I’ve seen a lot of dirt pushed around in my nine years with Community Medical Centers, and in the years prior while covering health care for the Fresno Bee. But there was something electric on Jan. 14, when earth movers and levelers, a street sweeper and even the oddly timed honey wagon went to work [...]