News & Notes

Attendance facts

In a continuing effort to raise awareness of the importance of school attendance and to increase attendance rates, schools throughout Stanislaus County kicked off a second year of the "Every Day Counts" Attendance Campaign.

After last year's campaign,

17 school districts in Stanislaus County reported improved attendance rates overall, with six of those attaining a half-percent increase or more.

Did you know ...

Poor school attendance is the most frequently identified symptom of the potential school dropout.

Delta farmer sues state over silt

A delta farmer and levee authorities in San Joaquin County are suing the state, claiming California water managers are increasing flood risks by allowing sediment to collect in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Landowner Dino Cortopassi and Reclamation District 2086 say they want

the Department of Water Resources to dredge sediment from channel beds, so that high water will run less risk of engulfing local property. Cortopassi owns a ranch near Walnut Grove and says sediment is piled as much as 8 feet high. His attorneys filed the lawsuit in San Joaquin County Superior Court on Monday. The department did not return a message seeking comment.

Contact us with cost-cutting tips

Have you found creative ways to cut costs for your household? Share your suggestions with other Bee readers looking for ways to save a few bucks in this economic downturn. We are not looking for obvious tips, such as coupon cutting. We want the scoop on deals people find locally if they get creative. Where can people find free entertainment, cheap drinks, discounted clothes, budget-friendly weekend trips and more? Tell Bee staff reporter Eve Hightower at ehightower@modbee.com or 578-2382.

Yesteryears

75 YEARS AGO: Stanislaus County elementary school budgets were slashed $477,585.87, or 26.9 percent from the previous year, the state Department of Education said. The county's reduction was close to the state average of 27.4 percent.

25 YEARS AGO: The unemployment number for the previous month in Stanislaus County hit 22 percent, making it the highest unemployment level in the county since the state started keeping records in 1974. Mike Crowley, a spokesman for the state Employment Development Department in Sacramento, said he wouldn't be surprised if the level set a record dating back to the Depression.

-- Karen Aiello