A little bit about a lot of things:

• Many Newman residents remember the floods of 1995 and 1998, when runoff from heavy winter storms cascaded out of the coastal foothills, sheeted across ag lands and eventually reached downtown Newman and some surrounding residential neighborhoods.

Those events spurred city and county officials into action with a renewed call for flood control measures on the Orestimba Creek......a quest which the more frequently flooded farming community had been seeking with little success long before the city ever got its feet wet.

The late Newman Mayor Jim Silveira championed the flood control project, recognizing that a growing city would flood again if the creek was untamed; at the county level, now-retired Director of Public Works George Stillman led the campaign.

Now, others have taken up the cause. Mayor John Fantazia, Supervisor Jim DeMartini and new county Director of Public Works Matt Machado have each devoted countless hours to the Orestimba Creek project.

Local officials have a friend in Washington whose support has been instrumental in moving the project forward, as Congressman Dennis Cardoza and his staff are firmly behind the flood control efforts.

The focus has always been on creating an upstream detention basin which would temporarily hold floodwaters after a major storm, releasing the water at a rate which could be handled by the creek channel without flooding.

That option simply makes the most sense – but based on preliminary cost figures presented last week by the Army Corps of Engineers other alternatives may move to the forefront.

With an estimated $86 million price tag and a negative benefit-cost ratio, the upstream dam is not likely to be the preferred alternative of choice for the Army Corps – although that option remains on the table if the community wants the dam, is willing to pay an additional tens of millions of dollars in cost differences between alternatives and has the will to fight the environmental battles certainly necessary before a dam can ever be built.

What seems to be emerging as a flood control possibility is a hybrid of sorts, a project which would increase the capacity of the Orestimba Creek channel, build a short levee on the north side of Stuhr Road to shield the city and construct a bypass channel (read: “ditch”) to carry away water collected behind the levee and minimize flooding there.

A levee system has always been viewed with reservations for fear that it would induce flooding in new areas and would hem in the city of Newman’s future growth options. Those concerns remain very real and would have to be overcome for that option to be acceptable to the community.

It seems frustrating at best.

After a decade of progress at what seemed to be a glacial pace, the alternative which holds the most promise of actually controlling flood waters doesn’t appear to pencil out nearly as favorably as the options which would attempt to guide that water after it hit the valley floor.

Ten years have passed since Newman last flooded, and for many residents those memories are receding. So, too, is the sense of urgency. Floods are the last worry on the minds of many in these challenging times.

As a community we must continue pushing toward some sort of flood control solution.

Without changes, farmers will continue to suffer flooding losses.....and when those events are particularly severe portions of Newman will also be under water.

Could be next year; could be 15 years from now.

But it is not a question of if; only of when.

• Our communities have many fine men and women serving in the armed forces, and a number of organizations and individuals are supporting their efforts.

Among them are the Women’s Auxiliary of VFW Post 7635, which has been sending “care packages” to local troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Marine Corps Captain Derek M. Cotta of Gustine, an MV-22 Osprey aircraft commander, recently wrote back to express his appreciation.

Cotta included a certificate and a U.S. flag which he flew on an Osprey (which is a tilt-rotor aircraft) mission over Al Anbar Province on July 1.

“I can’t tell you how much that meant,” said Auxiliary President Judy Quinn. “To visualize our flag being flown over there is a very special honor for us.”

The Auxiliary is sending one care package a month to a local soldier. Each includes toiletries, hard candy, magazines, energy bars and other assorted items to help make life a little easier for those in the field.

Community members who would like to suggest a recipient can contact Quinn at 854-6620.

We don’t always take the time we should to remember those who are serving or give due credit to their sacrifices as we go about our busy lives, but groups like the auxiliary let the soldiers know that they are appreciated and supported here at home.

• Closed campus? That’s the question on the table at a community meeting at Gustine High School tonight (6 p.m., school auditorium).

Give the school credit for seeking pros and cons from the community on that topic.....but just the fact that they are holding a meeting signals a serious interest in at least partially closing the campus at lunchtime.

I have no problem with an open campus policy in many ways.

GHS is situated right on the end of Main Street, close enough that students can patronize downtown stores and restaurants at lunch and still be back in time for afternoon classes.

It would certainly not help an already-struggling downtown to take away those lunchtime sales, and the open campus is a privilege which the students enjoy.

Still, student safety trumps all else and is the ultimate responsibility of the school district.

Students can make the strongest case for keeping the campus open by driving safely, not littering or fighting, being courteous and being back to class on time after lunch.

The large majority of students probably meet those expectations already, but enough don’t that the school feels it must take a look at its alternatives.

Should be an interesting meeting......