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.

The 'Connect' will not be published on Friday in celebration of Cesar Chavez Day

House approves river funds
Ending years of negotiation and debate, the House on Wednesday gave final approval to a massive public lands package that clears the way for restoration of the San Joaquin River. The 1,218-page bill also ends other long-running debates in the central San Joaquin Valley by authorizing a Madera County water bank and protections for Sierra Nevada wilderness.
San Francisco Chronicle article

San Joaquin River renewal gets OK from Congress
Half a century after Friant Dam blocked the natural flow of California’s second longest river, the San Joaquin River is expected to be restored to allow salmon and other fishes to thrive. On Wednesday, after nearly 20 years of litigation and lobbying, legislation clearing the way for the restoration was approved by the House of Representatives as part of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act.
Central Valley Business Times article

Still coming up dry:
A wet February allowed the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to announce last week that farmers north of the Delta will get 5 percent of their allocation instead of 0 percent. But for growers in the Westlands Water District in Kings and Fresno counties, there will still be no water flowing down from the giant pumps that suck water out of the Delta and send it south.
Hanford Sentinel article

Quest for a job brings hundreds to Modesto job fair
The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County is 16.9 percent. But that number doesn't really tell the story. To get the true picture of the depth of joblessness in the county and throughout the Northern San Joaquin Valley, all anyone needed to do was head over to a job fair Wednesday at Modesto Centre Plaza. What they would have seen before the doors opened for the noon to 4 p.m. event was a line of job seekers that snaked across the plaza, down K Street and around the corner along 11th Street.
Modesto Bee article

Oakdale Council Hears Worst Case Scenarios
Oakdale City Council members directed the administrative heads of both police and fire to come to the table with their worst-case scenarios in the event of a 15 percent cut from their 2009-2010 budgets - and they didn't disappoint. It was a full house Monday, March 23 at a special budget workshop focusing specifically on fire and police services and the air was solemn as community members, police officers, and firefighters crowded into the council chambers
Oakdale Leader article

Selma budget $1.1 million short
The city of Selma is looking at a $1.1 million deficit after huge losses in the general fund. City of Selma auditor and consultant Steve Yribarren gave his report at the March 16 City Council meeting. "Keep in mind that the projections for 2008 were done in March and April of 2007, before all hell broke loose," said Yribarren. "That was before the collapse in the economy."
Selma Enterprise article

Preventing heat stress remains top priority for farmers, regulators
The purpose of the campaign is to reduce the problems of heat illness injuries in agriculture by training participants about the dangers of heat-related injuries and how heat injuries can be prevented. In 2005, California became the first state in the nation to adopt heat illness prevention regulations.
California Farm Bureau Federation article

Salton Sea shocked by series of quakes
California’s odd Salton Sea, a brackish body of water in the desolate desert 38 miles north of El Centro, is the location of at least three small earthquakes Tuesday morning.
Central Valley Business Times article

Galgiani says she won't run for state Senate in 2010
Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani said Wednesday she wasn't going to run for the 12th district Senate seat that will be vacant in 2010. Her announcement came after widespread speculation that she would be a candidate. "A campaign for higher office is a tremendous undertaking, even in good times," Galgiani wrote in a letter to the Sun-Star.
Merced Sun-Star article

Gentlemen, restart your engines
The track closed when it was sold to land developers, but the deal was cancelled and it is now being operated by promoters Tony and Carol Noceti. The track has been cleaned up with a new white-and-blue paint job, rebuilt grandstands in the corner and other improvements..
Stockton Record article

After School Program Success At El Portal Middle School
Put on through the 'No Child Left Behind' initiative, the program is offered free to all students at the school, from sixth though eighth grades. Officials said while participation has been steady this year, there is room for more students and they want to bolster their numbers in hopes of keeping the program going next year.
Escalon Times article

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