Tricks and treats from the past week

If everyone else is going trick-or-treating tonight, why not us? We're not wearing costumes or giving out candy, but we are offering up a special Halloween edition of tricks and treats from the week that was.

TREAT: Yosemite is one of the world's most stunning natural wonders, but it takes a lot of work — and money — to preserve one of America's most heavily visited national parks. The nonprofit Yosemite Fund donated more than $5.8 million this year to repair trails, restore habitats and improve visitor services. Since 1988, the group has raised more than $55 million for more than 300 projects in Yosemite. Thanks for giving!

TRICK: The foreclosure crisis here is painful enough — for the individuals losing their homes as well as for our community's self-esteem. Now the folks at CNBC have added insult to injury with an online slideshow of the 10 metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates. Modesto/Stanislaus County is No. 5 on the list, joining Merced (2), Stockton (4), Riverside (6) and Bakersfield (7) as the California cities on the list. But what's worse is the photo CNBC chose to typify Modesto. While the other nine areas have photos of attractive neighborhoods, lakes and whatnot, Modesto's is of a wooden fence covered by graffiti. #$@&%*#!!!!!

TREAT: Six very giving individuals and companies were honored by the Modesto Rotary Club with National Philanthropy Day Awards this week. A round of applause, please, for Robert "Bob" Sanders, Marci Boucher, the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County, MOCSE Credit Union, and John Mayol and Pacific Southwest Container. And a standing "O" for Ron Emerzian, who received a lifetime achievement award for philanthropy.

TRICK: Shame, shame, shame on the scumbags who stole Diane Linville's motorized scooter. The Modesto woman can't get around without the 600-pound scooter, which was taken from her caregiver's van recently. Stealing is bad enough, but ripping off a person with severe health limitations is heartless. Here's hoping the goblins get you.

TREAT: Join us in saluting Army Lt. Chris Van Mater. The Ceres High teacher isn't letting his yearlong deployment in Kosovo with the National Guard keep him out of the classroom. Once a week, he and his fellow soldiers visit a four-room schoolhouse, where they are helping Albanian and Serbian children learn English. And it's spawned a bond between the school and Ceres High.

TRICK: We're sad to see the "closed" sign on the doors at Ciao Bella in downtown Modesto — it's the best Italian eatery that's ever occupied the 1200 block of H Street. The good news: Ciao Bella is being remodeled and soon will reopen as a Vietnamese restaurant.