Saturday, Sep. 06, 2008

Make car theft vigilance your new normal

The decline in auto thefts for the first six months of the year is good news, but it's premature to celebrate a turnaround and it's absolutely no time to get complacent.

We've seen a decline before, but then the auto thefts rose again and then Modesto -- really Stanislaus County -- reclaimed the dubious distinction of being the car theft capital of the country.

So we applaud all those involved in the progress reported this year -- law enforcement, the courts and residents who are more conscientious about not leaving their vehicles idling or the keys in the ignition. But we also encourage everyone to keep up these habits. Being vigilant against car thieves cannot be a short-term behavior; it has to be the new and permanent normal.

We hope Modestans will turn out in great numbers to welcome Olympic gold medalist Erin Cafaro, who will be honored at a presentation Monday evening in Mancini Bowl at Graceada Park. Cafaro, a 2001 Modesto High School graduate, was part of the winning U.S. women's eight rowing team in Beijing. Several local merchants are providing hot dogs, ice cream and apple pie to those attending. We're not sure hot dogs belong on the menu of an event celebrating athletic success, but, hey, it's a special party. The program is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and it's free. Cafaro is a role model for Modesto youth, so we hope children will be in abundance.

Want to do something worthwhile to help our community? There are many opportunities, but we'd like to highlight the free Community Emergency Response Team course, which begins Monday at the Regional Fire Training Center, 1220 Fire Science Lane, just off Carpenter Road in west Modesto. This 20-hour course covers emergency preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue operations, disaster psychology and more. Training consists of approximately 10 hours in the classroom and 10 hours of field training. Participants must be at least 18. One series of classes begins Monday and runs through Oct. 27, from 6 to 9 nightly. Another series will be offered on Saturdays starting Sept. 27. For more information, call 577-5344.

Haven't heard much about the threat of invasive mussels lately? Then listen up: They were found on the stern of a boat at Lake Tahoe last weekend. That means that state inspectors have found more than 200 boats carrying the destructive species this year. How close a call was it at Tahoe? The 32-foot cruiser was in the air on its way to being lowered into the lake. The harbor master at Tahoe Keyes Marina spotted the infestation and stopped the operator from lowering the boat.

While it isn't an official holiday, Sept. 11 is surely an important day in U.S. history and we encourage people to fly the American flag, stop and reflect on the attacks of seven years ago, or attend an observance at any of the Modesto fire stations. All will be at 9:45 a.m.

Here's a milestone worth celebrating -- the groundbreaking for the Empire community pool and spray-splash playground. The celebration is scheduled at 6 p.m. Friday in Empire Community Park, at Yosemite Boulevard and I Street. By next summer, youngsters from Empire and surrounding area should have a safe place to swim and stay cool.