2023 in review: Modesto Bee writers reflect on stories that meant the most to them, readers

In April of this year, The Bee was recognized for the impactful journalism we produced in 2022. In 2023, we continued to cover the topics and stories that help our readers better understand and appreciate Modesto and Stanislaus County.

In addition to covering city and county government, public schools, arts organizations and business development, we also continued to focus on housing, equity, economic mobility and most recently, the growing fentanyl crisis.

In July, we wrote about the tragic death of a 27-year-old homeless Modesto woman. Christine Chavez was sleeping in a local park when a landscaping crew ran over her with heavy machinery.

Our former Opinions page editor Garth Stapley reminded us that wasn’t the first homeless person to be accidentally killed in our public spaces and linked the deaths to the rising cost of housing in the Valley and the rest of the state.

Also in July, we reported that Modesto’s beloved and and iconic A&W restaurant was being sold. And in November, former business reporter Marijke Rowland wrote about the restaurant closing due to a pending ADA lawsuit.

We asked our journalists to reflect back on 2023 and share the stories that moved them and impacted our community. Thank you for reading, watching and supporting our journalism throughout the year.

Carlos Virgen, senior editor

The Modesto Bee

Community board has a role in policing Modesto police

I covered the rollout in spring 2023 of the new Community Police Review Board in Modesto. Colleagues at The Bee had done most of the reporting and editorial writing on the topic in recent years. The City Council appointed the board with goals that included preventing shootings by officers and connecting homeless and other people with social services.

I believe history was being made when the nine-member volunteer board first met on June 15. It does not have authority to discipline officers who violate policies, but it does monitor how the management deals with such issues within the ranks. Police Chief Brandon Gillespie said on that first evening that he welcomed the oversight. The family of Trevor Seever, killed in a 2020 police shooting, also endorsed the process.

At subsequent meetings, police managers briefed the board on the basics of being a cop. This included the processes for investigating shootings by officers and for complaints in general. The chief and a contract psychologist detailed the hiring process. Another leader talked of how officers have adjusted how they respond to homeless or mentally unstable people. I used these monthly topics to in turn educate our readers.

— John Holland, covering economic mobility, housing, transportation and agriculture

Examining safe camping and pandemic premium pay

I wrote in April about City Councilman Nick Bavaro’s efforts to bring safe camping — or at least serious discussion about it — to Modesto. I followed him and two homeless advocates as they visited with homeless people, businesspeople and others.

The article included diverse voices in it and examined the effects of homelessness.

Bavaro said he has learned that some homeless people may never go to a shelter because it reminds them of when they were in prison, they don’t feel safe among large numbers of people or they don’t want to follow the rules.

A business owner spoke of being compassionate toward the homeless — giving people food, sleeping bags and more — but being tested by theft, vandalism and hostile behavior toward his customers.

Earlier in the year, I wrote with colleague Erin Tracy about Modesto giving premium pay of as much as $7,500 each to its employees who worked through the pandemic. Cities giving premium pay to its workers is not unusual, but what was unusual for Modesto is it waited two years to do so. When other cities were giving out premium pay in 2020 and 2021, Modesto was making its case that it needed more money, and voters approved a sales tax increase in 2022. We asked Modesto officials to explain the timing and why the pay went even to top officials while other local cities excluded city managers and other top officials.

— Kevin Valine, local government and homelessness reporter

Recovering addicts share experiences with fentanyl

I made a mostly unplanned visit to a Modesto drug addiction recovery center to talk with the counselors about the fentanyl epidemic. Bee photographer Andy Alfaro also arrived and we spoke with staff about the changes to the illegal drug landscape.

We asked if a few of those going through recovery could talk about their experiences with fentanyl. By chance, three volunteered to share their stories. The interviews were recorded on video, providing straightforward accounts of fentanyl use and their recovery pathways. I wrote one article based on the observations of New Hope Recovery staff. For the second piece on three people who survived fentanyl use, I let them speak in their own words as much as possible.

— Ken Carlson, county government and health care reporter

Providing clarity on complex criminal justice issue

Though always busy on her public safety beat with breaking news and court case coverage, Erin Tracy made time to dive into important criminal justice issues and break them down for Bee readers.

Last spring, Erin did that in her reporting on mental health conservatorships. When criminal suspects are found incompetent to stand trial, conservatorships “the last line of defense to keep these guys from walking out of jail unsupervised,” a Stanislaus County deputy district attorney said.

Under California law, if a criminal defendant is not restored to competency in two years, the charges must be dismissed.

Erin, who left The Bee earlier this year, reported that mental health conservatorships are reserved for people with serious mental illnesses and are different from probate conservatorships, which typically are for people with intellectual disabilities.

And there is no limit to the number of times a conservatorship can be renewed.

There for the kickoff of high school girls flag football

The California Interscholastic Federation, the state’s high school sports governing body, in February announced the addition of girls flag football to the list of official sports for fall 2023.

A number of schools across the Stanislaus District wasted no time in fielding teams. Central Catholic became the first Modesto school with a girls flag football team, giving Mikena Zuniga the opportunity to apply everything she learned as a member of the school’s tackle football team in a game.

Patterson, Orestimba, Ceres and Escalon all made the first ever Sac-Joaquin Section flag football playoffs. Escalon made a deep playoff push, advancing to the section semifinals. Though the Cougars fell to St. Mary’s 12-6, it capped the end to a successful first season for local teams.

It has been fun for me to cover the first season of a completely new sport from June to the final game in November. The best thing is the sport will only continue to grow as Modesto City Schools and other local schools will add teams in the coming years.

— Quinton Hamilton, sports reporter

Historic trees burn in a forest, and this reporter hears

In June, I received a tip from a Modesto Bee reader that two historic giant sequoias, one that may be up to 1,000 years old, were badly damaged in a prescribed burn at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. It was thought the eldest of the two trees would not survive.

When I took the position as Modesto’s service journalism reporter, I made a personal oath to be a listener. While Calaveras County isn’t our typical coverage area, I could sense the reader’s passion and concern and knew this was something I needed to look into.

After talking to the reader, I learned the incident was not public knowledge. I started my own investigation, reaching out to park officials to get them to confirm the fire damage happened and even drove to the park to see it myself. I attended a ceremony the community organized to pray for the survival of the trees. I talked to ecological experts who gave their opinion on the severity of the damage, fire experts who weighed in on why it happened, and I garnered a response from park officials.

The story, including my photos, was then picked up by the LA Times and sparked conversation about the benefits of prescribed burns and what efforts could be made to minimize potential unwanted effects.

Stories like this one remind me of the impact local journalism has, and why it’s important to be a good listener.

— Dominique Williams, service journalism reporter

School’s not all fun and games, but esports play goes a long way

Joining The Modesto Bee as education reporter with the COVID-19 pandemic finally in the past and more students adjusting to their studies again, I felt it important to examine how students are being active.

In September, I wrote about the esports program in Modesto City Schools. It was great to walk into a gaming lab to see a team at Enochs High School excitedly chat and as the teens played “Overwatch II” and “League of Legends.”

You could see these kids, from all different backgrounds, united as one and motivated to be the best. They want to come to school for these activities and want to interact with one another — a goal many schools across the country have struggled to meet postpandemic.

“Esports provides valuable skills, such as leadership, critical thinking, teamwork and communication,” a Modesto City Schools spokeswoman told me. “It can lead to college scholarships and careers after high school and college. More importantly, esports reaches students that traditional sports do not, it keeps them engaged in school and on track to graduate, and may lead to scholarships and intern opportunities in college.”

In the next year, I hope to find more niche clubs that encourage students to participate in their schools more and be happy to come to school again.

— Taylor Johnson, education reporter

Welcome to Stanislaus and its fentanyl crisis

For my first long-form story as the new public safety and breaking news reporter at The Bee, I decided to explore the complexities of prosecuting fentanyl-related crimes. At least that’s how it started.

The piece included interviews with a Stanislaus County deputy district attorney and a Modesto police officer who worked the drug beat. During these interviews — which included my first ride-along with an officer — I began to form a better picture of where fentanyl is coming from, how it impacts our community and what officials say are to blame for it. The story was also formed by previous in-depth reporting from my Bee colleagues.

There’s more to be reported on the fentanyl crisis, of course — other perspectives that need to be explored, further research to be done, more people to be interviewed. But I think it was a great starting point to better understand what’s happening in and beyond Stanislaus County.

— Trevor Morgan, covering public safety, courts and breaking news

Mural a beautiful reflection of Latino culture in Modesto

My first story as The Bee’s new equity reporter was on a mural recently unveiled in west Modesto. Painted by Jose “Hocus” Manriquez and a team of other artists, the artwork was felt deeply by the west Modesto community.

The county, through a grant, sponsored this mural and several other artistic endeavors.

In my reporting, I saw how this mural brightened up the neighborhood for many residents and how much it means to them. “To see something as beautiful as that, I could never imagine would be in my neighborhood, on my street,” one woman said.

The artwork’s significance to the community is palpable. Although Modesto has many murals, few of them reflect the city’s Latino culture the way this one does.

In the new year, I look forward to seeing the remaining art projects come to fruition and the opportunity to share their stories, too.

— Julietta Bisharyan, equity reporter