Here are our reporters’ favorite stories, topics from 2019
I sometimes hear from readers and sources that all we write about is bad news.
Eyeballing our trending or most-clicked on stories each day, I’d be hard-pressed to convince readers otherwise.
Just look at the headlines of our Top 20 most-read stories of 2019 — generally crimes, crashes and controversy, with a few mall stories tossed in. (Our readers love their mall stories!)
But, it’s really not all we do and who we are as a newsroom. Certainly, if customers like widgets, we’re going to build widgets. One of our duties is to cover breaking news, to explain to our readers in real time what’s happening around them and adding context.
But what’s most meaningful to the women and men at The Bee are the stories they produce that you won’t find anywhere else. Holding leaders accountable. An emotional profile piece. Giving local relevance to a national issue. So-called “positive stories,” ones that help us maintain our faith in humanity. (By the way, you can find those in our Friday morning “Best of The Bee” newsletter)
When I asked our reporters to send me a few of their favorites, there were just a couple that popped up in the Top 20. Both of those — the cell tower controversy in Ripon and the move to build a tent city in Modesto to house the homeless — weren’t necessarily what we would call “breaking news.” They were stories that mattered to their respective communities, the types our reporters love working on the most.
Below are a handful of the more than 2,800 bylined stories created in 2019 from inside the walls of our downtown Modesto office. These are the stories that resonated with our reporters, our readers or our community:
- In addition to his tireless work covering shootings involving Ceres Police Department officers, and his year-long focus on Modesto’s homeless situation, Kevin Valine broke a lot of news. He reported that a Turlock building that was the site of a marijuana raid was partially owned by former Congressman Jeff Denham. In pinpoint reporting illustrative of his coverage of Modesto City Hall, Kevin told readers how the city failed to follow normal bidding rules in awarding a $3.7 million contract to a business owned by the Modesto Chamber of Commerce board chairman. He also offered blanket coverage of the Straight Pride rally, a story picked up by several national news outlets.
- Ken Carlson’s stories about the Ripon Unified School District’s concern over a Sprint cell phone tower and possible but ties to cancer cases at Weston Elementary School led to the telecommunication company’s removal of the tower that was on campus. There has been no proven ties to the tower and the cancer cases, but the fear among parents and administrators — along with Ken’s stories — was enough for Sprint to agree to remove the tower. Ken also writes on education, health and county issues, including the proposed reservoir at Del Puerto Canyon and the cannabis industry.
- Erin Tracy kept a watchful eye on crime and safety. She secured court documents illustrating the work of the accomplices who helped Ronil Singh’s alleged murderer, Paulo Virgen Mendoza, hide from authorities before eventually being arrested outside of Bakersfield. After a public records request, she, along with fellow Bee reporter Kevin Valine, detailed the misdeeds of five former Modesto Police Department officers, all of whom were fired over the last five years for various transgressions. The department released the records as a provision of Senate Bill 1421, the new state law that forces agencies to release records once kept out of the reach of the general public. Erin also covered a visit to Stanislaus County by newly elected Governor Gavin Newsom, who talked water issues with residents at the Monterey Park Tract.
- As always, Deke Farrow brought out the human side — and struggles — of those he reported on. His work this year included a revealing look at Mark Hernandez Chacon, who’s paying for a decision his caretaker made in giving Chacon a birth certificate of her own child, who had died at just 8 days old. Deke illuminated the story of Ceres resident Erika Preciado, who got to listen to her father’s heart beat inside that of another man. Her father, Erik Gustavo Sandoval Preciado, died when she was 4, but was an organ donor whose heart went to a Bakersfield man. He also wrote on a Turlock couple married for 72 years and an 82-year-old traffic guard.
- In addition to writing about the opening and closing of local restaurants and businesses, Marijke Rowland writes on food. And, one of her favorite stories to write was a review of Popeyes Louisiana Chicken’s new chicken sandwich. “Naturally, we at The Modesto Bee had to try the new Popeyes chicken sandwich ourselves because as journalists we live by the credo ‘trust but verify.’ ” Showing her versatility, Marijke reported on the Modesto “Straight Pride” rally, which drew about 250, a majority who were protesters.
- The Korey Kauffman murder case which concluded with the acquittal of Modesto defense attorney Frank Carson and two others, and the dismissal of charges against the last remaining defendant, lasted more than four years. It was complex, but luckily, we had Rosalio Ahumada to break it all down and keep a close eye on the legal wranglings. When it finally ended last summer, Rosalio wrote: “For those involved in the case, it seemed to go on forever.” Kauffman went missing in 2012. Rosalio covered several criminal cases from inside emotional courtrooms, including that of a man accused of a drunk driving fatality, leaving the victim’s father writing: ““By killing our only daughter, you killed all three of us.”
- When sports reporter Julian Lopez wasn’t chasing after the top Stanislaus District football teams in the area — including CIF State champions Escalon and Ripon — he was shedding light on important issues that touch student-athletes, coaches and administrators and parents. Julian’s reporting took a look into the long, costly travel of new Western Athletic Conference Modesto teams Beyer, Johansen and Davis, which were tossed into a league with teams in Merced and San Joaquin counties. Julian also chronicled the lack of depth in the ranks of high school refereeing. He also told the story of Modesto Junior College tennis player Trey Reed and his struggles with drug abuse.
- ChrisAnna Mink, our resident Report for American reporter, shined a light on the plight of the children living in the Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter. She also took a smart look at the issues surrounding teenagers and screen time in a two-part series. One story looked at the issue and possible solutions to time spent staring into cell phones. The other examined how predators use the internet to groom unsuspecting teens for sex trafficking. ChrisAnna will write more next year on teen mental health.
And speaking of next year, we look forward to bringing you more in-depth reporting about Modesto and Stanislaus County you can’t find anywhere else.
Nobody provides better election coverage — and offers a greater forum for our readers — than your local news organization. We plan to work tirelessly to keep you informed.
And, of course, we’ll dutifully report on breaking news, hold leaders and agencies accountable and write stories that inform and entertain.
We hope your 2019 was great and wish you a happy 2020.
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The Bee’s Most-Read* Stories of 2019
1. An unsettling sight: Someone strung dead coyotes along fence near Oakdale Road.
2. Denair school stops science teacher who was handing out “Gender Unicorn” graphic
3. Tents are up at new Modesto homeless camp under bridge. People could move in soon.
4. Plane crashes on Highway 99 in Modesto; pilot suffers minor injuries
5. Four deputies injured, horse punched during large fight at Stanislaus County fair
6. Big rig launches off Highway 99 in Turlock, lands on Fulkerth Road
7. Searchers find body of 5-year-old Matilda Ortiz in Stanislaus River
8. Three killed, two injured in Oakdale-Waterford Highway crash, fire departments report
9. Fourth Ripon student has cancer. Parents demand removal of cell tower from school
10. Dave & Buster’s, HomeGoods coming to Modesto Vintage Faire Mall; Sears site filled
11. Case Suspended against man accused of killing police officer; competency questioned
12. Update: Officers get suspected jumper off Highway 99 bridge in Modesto
13. J.C. Penney, Victoria’s Secret and Gap are closing stores. What’s happening here.
14. ‘I have to know.’ Wife of worker killed in garbage truck accident looking for answers
15. Pursuit with shots fired at officers end in fatal crash at Modesto taco truck
16. Update: Arrest made, IDs released in shooting behind Modesto tattoo parlor
17. Man lights himself on fire in Target parking lot, suffers burns to half his body
18. Update: Four suspects sought in violent robbery at Modesto’s Vintage Faire Mall
19. Bodycam footage shows Ceres officer firing repeatedly as 15-year-old runs into orchard
20. Modesto’s Marie Callender’s restaurant closes abruptly; customers, employees shocked
* Measured by page views from modbee.com.
