Latest news with #ModestoJuniorCollege
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Modesto Garden Club, at 101 years, is planting the seeds for another century
From large clay pots with seasonal selections to blooming bursts of color adorning the giant flower clock in front of Centre Plaza, Modesto is abloom with beauty. The flowers and foliage around town didn't just sprout, they were planted and are managed by the dedicated members of the Modesto Garden Club. 'As I think of all the different kinds of flowers that go into making a beautiful bouquet, so it is with our club,' President Nancy Robinson said. 'There is a harmony in a variety of flowers in a bouquet much like the harmony of our personalities and unique talents that makes our garden club a beautiful organization.' Fresh off its centennial celebration last year, the club has accomplished much since its founding in 1924 by Frederick 'Pop' Knorr, who was the first professor of agriculture at Modesto Junior College. In addition to the pots downtown and the flower clock, the club has installed a drinking fountain and other greenery at the McClatchy Square Rose Garden, planted and maintained the gardens of the McHenry Mansion and created a rose garden on the Virginia Corridor. It has helped to restore parks in the city, including Graceada Park, and established memorial rose gardens at the Stanislaus County Courthouse for crime victims and at the club's office to honor members who have died. The club also hosts the popular annual Spring Garden Tour, which raises money for scholarships for students studying horticulture and landscape design. 'I refer to the club as a philanthropic-social organization,' Robinson said. During monthly meetings, members discuss club activities, hear from guest speakers and share gardening tips. Robinson sees it as her mission to help keep the club going for another 100 years by appealing to a younger audience. 'A lot of the members are in their 60s, 70s and 80s, but I'm working diligently to try to get some interest from younger people, because if we don't, in 10 years, we won't have a club,' she said. At one time, the club had the largest membership in the country, with close to 500 members. The number has decreased to 381, but Robinson said it's still the largest club in California. Robinson plans to reach out to a younger audience by creating more content on the club's Instagram and Facebook pages and exploring other platforms, like TikTok. She also plans to reach out directly to schools. 'My next project is to get a hold of the high schools and the ag teachers and see what we can do to coordinate with them,' she said. The aim is to have a new generation not only carry the club legacy but carry materials and the physical burden of gardening. It is getting harder for members to maintain some areas around Modesto due to challenging landscapes, Robinson explained. 'I am also looking at MJC, and maybe giving the students extra credit that helps our club because they're younger, and working on that clock is next to impossible for any of our members because it's on the hill,' she said. Membership for the club is $50 per year. It includes access to the monthly meetings, events and opportunities such as private tours of gardens near and far. On the calendar over the next few months are trips to the California State Capitol Gardens, Leland Stanford mansion, the de Young Museum in San Francisco. New members can sign up on the website To meet current members and to get more information, the garden club is having a plant sale and vendor fair this Saturday, May 3, at Modesto Covenant Church, 913 Floyd Ave., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Robinson said there will be 20 vendors in addition to food and fun. Mostly grown by garden club members, there will be annuals, perennials, vegetables, succulents and more. Admission is free. For more information, visit the club website or call 209-529-7360.
CBS News
04-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
California bill would increase age to ride shotgun up to 16, remove height requirements
MODESTO – A California assembly bill is looking to limit teens' ability to ride shotgun by increasing the age to 16. The bill was advanced by the Assembly Transportation Committee last week. Right now in California, children 8 years old and over or at least 4'9" can ride in the passenger seat and remove the height requirement. "So the best thing to do to keep your child safe while riding in a vehicle matches what our law is," said Assemblymember Lori Wilson, the author behind Assembly Bill 435 . Wilson said the bill is about safety. "It really is to take into consideration all the varying types of seats that we sit on in the car," Wilson said. The height requirement would be replaced with a five-point test. This would mean making sure the child's back can touch the back of the seat comfortably and their knees are properly over the seat. Then the lower half of the seatbelt needs to touch the hips, not the stomach, and the shoulder strap needs to touch the chest, not the neck. And lastly, that the child can maintain this position without straining or slouching. "It's where the seatbelt sits," Wilson said. "And so some cars are equipped with adjustments for a seatbelt." Wilson said just because a child fails the test in one vehicle doesn't mean they won't pass it in another. However, the bill states that children 13 and under who fail the test need to use a booster seat. But Modesto Junior College students say the bill isn't adding up. "How is this properly enforceable? Unless we are going to start pulling people aside who look short," a student said. "I think it's strange," another student said. "Mostly because there are already all these protections to make sure minors are protected and get their licenses safe." "This is about safety," Wilson said. "This is about making sure that if something happens, you are safe, and I think that's the key thing that we're trying to drive home is that it is not about treating people like babies." Wilson said they may change the age to 13 years old instead of 16. But this bill still has a long way to go. The bill did pass out of the Assembly Transportation Committee and goes to appropriations next. But it's not clear yet when that will happen.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Newsom responds to questions on trans athletes after bills killed in California Assembly
SACRAMENTO — California Governor Gavin Newsom spoke to reporters for the first time since launching his podcast that features conservative guests and since revealing he opposes trans athletes competing in women's sports . Newsom arrived for an event at a fire training center at Modesto Junior College as burning questions remained about his revelation that the long-time LGBTQ+ supporter opposes trans athletes in women's sports. This presser came a day after Democratic lawmakers killed two bills that would have banned trans athletes from girls' and women's sports . "What's your response to that vote, and also, should there, from your position as governor, be a California state law that restricts trans athletes from playing in women's sports?" I asked Newsom. "These kids just want to survive," Newsom responded. "And so the question you're asking is the question we've been asking ourselves for months and haven't been able to answer — What is that? How can you make this fair? And I haven't been able to figure it out." Jorge Salinas is a spokesperson for Equality California, the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. He said the organization is monitoring the governor's discussions. "Our reaction to what he said at the press conference, to what he said on the podcast, is still a reaction of disappointment," Salinas said. "Our relationship continues to be a respectful one. We still believe that he is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community until we see otherwise in action." Republican Assembly leader James Gallagher is calling for the governor to take action on his words. "If this was a real priority for him — fairness for young women in the state — you think he might have been here and you think he might have made some calls," Gallagher said. "To the extent someone can, and do it in a way that is respectful and responsible and can find a kind of balance, then I'm open to that discussion," Newsom said. "That said, this is not where all my energy flows." Newsom was in Modesto to announce a Master Plan for Career Education, which aims to connect Californians "to high-paying, fulfilling careers, with or without a college degree." The announcement included what is being called "career passports," which are digital tools combining academic records with verified experience from work like military service and training programs. The plan also invests in expanding credit for prior learning, allowing veterans and working Californians to turn real-world experience into college credit.
