The San Joaquin Valley Connect is a daily publication of the Great Valley Center's Energy Program and is designed to keep you informed about what's happening in your region. You have been subscribed because of your interest in regional happenings and energy efficiency in the San Joaquin Valley. If you do not wish to receive this daily newsletter click here to manage your subscription.

Tax credit lures buyers of new Valley homes
If Wes Tarvin and his wife, Muey, are any indication, a new $10,000 tax credit designed to spur new-home sales appears to be working.
Fresno Bee article

Wal-Mart distribution center remains on track for Merced
A massive, 1.2 million square foot Wal-Mart distribution center long planned for Merced in the Central Valley will stay on a previously announced public comment schedule, Merced City Council has determined.
Central Valley Business Times article

Hybrid car sales go from 60 to 0 at breakneck speed
The Ford and Honda hybrids due out this month are among dozens planned for the coming years as automakers try to meet new fuel-efficiency standards and please politicians overseeing the industry's multibillion-dollar bailout.
Los Angeles Times article

Lodi could lose permit to irrigate
State water quality regulators today will consider striking down the permit that allows Lodi to irrigate crops with recycled wastewater near its Interstate 5 sewage plant, a move officials say could leave the city on the hook for millions in plant upgrades.
Stockton Record article

Valley businesses make big shifts to survive
For the Starlette O'Hara dress shop, economic survival comes from ballroom gowns. For 1st String Sports, it's women's lacrosse equipment and trophies. And for a computer repair company, it means going after a completely different customer.
Fresno Bee article

Central Valley congressman issues ‘users guide’ to stimulus money
A “users guide” that details the availability of money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly known as the economic stimulus package, has been issued by U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton.
Central Valley Business Times article

Tight budgets turn schools toward grant programs
With the country's economic downturn , some Tulare educators are turning toward an old standby to fund educational activities outside of the classroom — grants.
Visalia Times Delta article

SBA to host stimulus Web chat
The Small Business Administration will host a Web chat Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on what the economic stimulus legislation means for small businesses.
Sacramento Busines Journal article

College students and staff protest budget cuts, proposed fee hikes
Students and staff from colleges across the state marched from West Sacramento to the state Capitol on Monday, protesting budget cuts and proposed fee increases at California's universities.
Sacramento Bee article

Support for this
e-newsletter is provided by: