Classified employee Matt Vargas was among those addressing board members and district administrators last Wednesday about potential budget cuts. About 60 people were on hand for the workshop, in which the school board identified more than $1 million in budget cuts for the coming year.

NEWMAN – The Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District is planning to shed more than a dozen jobs through attrition and staff reduction, the music program could be scaled back and less money will go to maintenance next year.

Those steps and many more all add up to more than $1 million in savings as the district tightens its belt to absorb the tough economic times that local administrators acknowledge may be the new normal rather than an economic cycle expected to rebound in the near future.

The impacts could be felt in ways ranging from fuller school buses transporting students to the district no longer providing bottled water for staff.

In addition, the district is expected to ask employees to agree to concessions such as furlough days that could shorten the 2012-13 school year. District officials say concessions will be necessary if Governor Brown’s tax proposals are rejected by voters in November and schools take a mid-year budget hit, or if the district suffers other unforeseen budget cuts.

While administrators stressed that they left no stone unturned in the search for budget-cutting options, ultimately much of the discussion and a significant amount of the budget cuts involved staffing – a painful reality not lost on school board members as they deliberated Wednesday before an audience of about 60 people. Most were school employees; some held jobs that hung in the balance of the budget deliberations.

“We understand that this is a difficult time. This is something that none of us want to be here doing,” Board President Kerry McWilliams said in opening the three-hour workshop. “People are being affected, programs are being affected, students are being affected.”

Board members conceptually agreed to budget cuts totaling about $1.1 million at the workshop last Wednesday, and formally voted Monday to adopt the budget plan.

With a variety of options on the table for consideration, the board was able to identify the $1.1 million in budget cuts believed needed to balance the budget next year without dipping into the district’s dwindling reserves, which have carried the district in recent years.

On Wednesday, classified employees stepped to the podium to implore that any cuts be equally spread among all employee groups, and that every possible cost-cutting move be considered before jobs were impacted.

Classified employees also pointed out that members of their ranks had previously accepted furlough days to save jobs. While maintenance and custodial furlough days have been rescinded, CSEA President Paula Mathews told the board, secretaries and attendance clerks still work on a shortened year.

She stressed the importance of the role played by the classified employee team.

“Cutting just one employee would make a big difference in our children’s lives,” she told the board. “It would make an impact for the rest of their lives.”

A total of 13 classified jobs were on the table for possible elimination, but seven of those jobs were ultimately preserved.

The classified positions being eliminated include three part-time kindergarten instructional aid positions and three pre-kindergarten positions. Superintendent Ed Felt said those jobs were previously slated for elimination because their funding source expires. He said the three kindergarten aides were hired for this year only with federal stimulus funds (which expire this year), and that the district had only committed funding to continue the pre-K program through the current year.

One kindergarten aide, Maria Gastelum, urged the board to keep the positions, which she said were crucial to helping young students mold a foundation for future success.

“We help the students directly. We help them learn how to read and write,” she stated. “Our kindergarten teachers do not have aides other than us.”

Teaching and administrative ranks will also be thinner next year.

Two administrative positions – the half-time Bonita principal job and the Orestimba dean of students – are being eliminated, Felt said, one through retirement and the other through reassignment. Felt said the Bonita duties will be assigned to one of the other elementary principals, and that the administrative staff at Orestimba will be reorganized.

Certificated staffing will also be impacted through a combination of attrition and layoffs.

Three teachers are retiring, officials said, and two employees whose jobs are currently funded with ARRA money will be absorbed into site schedules to replace those retirements. Orestimba and Yolo staff will each absorb the loss of one teaching position, Felt said.

In addition to the attrition, one music teacher will be receiving a notice of potential layoff.

If that layoff goes through, the remaining music teacher would split time between Yolo and Orestimba, and elementary music would become part of the after-school program.

That option would be devastating to the music program at Orestimba, said second-year music teacher Charles Talcott.

He said he was still in the process of rebuilding and lending continuity to a program which has seen a number of teachers come and go in recent years.

One person splitting time between Yolo and Orestimba would not be able to teach the electives now offered, he stressed.

“Pretty soon there won’t be a band left to save. There won’t be a music program,” Talcott told the board.

Classified high school employee Vicki Felber noted that the OHS music program has more than 100 students involved. For many, she pointed out, music is their niche at school. “It would be sad to eliminate or reduce the program,” Felber stated.

In addition to one music position, the budget plan also calls for the elimination of one part-time K-5 position funded by the federal ARRA money.

In all, 13 full-time and part-time jobs would be eliminated in the budget plan approved by the board this week.

The cuts didn’t stop with personnel.

The district will shift funding sources for some programs and supplies, eliminate many contract services, will trim its transportation budget, cut travel and conference spending, reduce maintenance contributions and exercise closer oversight on the use of lottery funds.

Among the outside services being eliminated are the services of a grant-writing firm, use of a drug dog, bottled water and counseling services being provided by the Center for Human Services.

Not everything on the table for consideration was cut.

The board decided to retain freshman athletics at OHS, for example, and after discussion also gave direction to keep the school resource officer position – although the district will look into renegotiating its contract with the city for that service.

Board members also debated discontinuing the video service which allows board meetings to be recorded and broadcast on television. After initially proposing to eliminate that service, the board agreed to a new, less-expensive contract with the service provider – and suggested a willingness to reduce their own $240 monthly stipends to cover the new video cost of $200 per meeting.

Trustees also asked to revisit the board member compensation policy which allows them to opt for more expensive health care coverage rather than the monthly stipend. No board members currently take the district-paid insurance as compensation for their service.

Concessions on the table

Board members directed staff to approach employee groups about possible concessions for the 2012-13 year.

A single furlough day would save the district $74,000, district officials said. The savings of six furlough days (which would shorten the school year to 175 days) would result in $444,000 in savings.

The $1.1 million in budget cuts already approved bridge the projected shortfall for the coming year, but do not position the district to absorb the additional $1 million mid-year hit that it could suffer if the state tax measures are not approved in November or to weather other unexpected cuts.

“Our next task will be to prepare for that if it occurs,” Felt told Mattos Newspapers.

Officials said concessions could be structured to take effect only if the tax measures fail or the district suffers more revenue losses.

McWilliams asked that any negotiated furlough days result in equitable numbers of furloughs for all employees, rather than having days added to those who are already making that concession.

The district will continue to keep a close eye on staffing.

Already, Felt previously said, job openings are being evaluated as they occur to determine if positions must be filled or if duties can be absorbed by remaining staff.

Felt said the district will also be evaluating services at the end of the year as it typically does.

“We will have some positions that at the end of the spring we may not need,” Felt told Mattos Newspapers. “It won’t be based on the budget, it will be based on whether we need those services.”

He stressed that district staff looked at every available option in exploring possible cuts, and did everything possible to preserve jobs and programs. Simply looking at outside contracts produced enough savings to preserve a couple of jobs, Felt pointed out.

He said he believes the process – while difficult and unsettling to those notified that their jobs might be in jeopardy – produced fair reductions which were across-the-board in all areas.

The financial scrutiny will continue, board members said after taking action to finalize the budget plan, and if additional funding is located some of the decisions made could be revisited.

“Everything is fluid,” McWilliams stated, noting that the state budget revision in May or a firmer calculation of the district’s ending balances could change the financial outlook. “We may see that there are some changes that allow us to do some different things.”

Newman is among the cities which have formally identified growth limits beyond which the city would not grow before 2050 if the planned countywide initiative goes to voters and is approved.

Supporters of the program, including Newman Mayor Ed Katen, contend that the maps would protect ag land by setting growth boundaries.

But skeptics argue that cities are setting such expansive growth limits that the maps don’t restrict sprawl – or protect ag land. Their numbers include outspoken Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini, who was taken to task at a recent Newman City Council meeting by Katen for published quotes attributed to the supervisor stating that none of the county’s mayors cared about protecting farmland.

Katen said he took personal issue with the remarks attributed to DeMartini in a September edition of the Valley Citizen, and said that the comments were a slap in the face to Newman leaders who have worked diligently to control growth and develop a plan that does.

DeMartini subsequently told Mattos Newspapers that his comments were in reference to unsuccessful county efforts of the past to reach agreements with cities about protecting ag land – not the current issue.

“I know that isn’t true,” he said of the remarks. “Painting everybody with a broad brush is never good and I apologize for that.”

At the same time, DeMartini said, he doubts that the growth maps being carved out by cities will have any real impact in protecting the area’s rich farmland.

“I really can’t say that the mayors don’t care about ag land,” the supervisor commented. But, he went on, “When you put the limits out far beyond where you could possibly grow by 2050, I’m not sure what you have really accomplished. That’s the problem I have with that. Preserving ag land means that there are some areas you just do not develop on, so that we don’t end up like Santa Clara County.”

DeMartini, responding to Katen’s comments at the council meeting, said he is a strong advocate of ag preservation.

While the supervisor said he was pleased that the issue is again being addressed, he said his “preference is to have the cities more compact and stay within lines that make some sense to that ag ground can be farmed.”

The mayor, in taking issue with previously published comments attributed to DeMartini, said the idea not a mayor cares about ag preservation is “so far from the truth.”

If anything, he said, most cities feel as though they need to protect themselves from the influence of county development at their borders.

Katen acknowledged that the city is highly unlikely to reach its proposed growth limits by 2050 – and may not even develop its smaller sphere of influence in that time – but defended Newman’s commitment and track record in controlling growth.

“The city of Newman over the years has been very diligent in controlling our growth and protecting our farmland,” he told DeMartini. “I think we have done a good job of protecting farmland.”

City Manager Michael Holland noted that Newman has annexed no property in the past 10 years while county leaders entertain proposals which would take farm ground out of production – such as the planned gravel mine west of Newman.

Katen said a countywide planning agency – the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO – has pressed cities to come up with maps identifying growth limits.

He also said backers of the ag land preservation issue have been praised for their their communication and collaboration.

“There has been a lot of good communication going on,” he commented. “This process has gotten to a point where there is something tangible that we can look at. Our city thought it was a good plan.”

Newman’s council adopted a planning area which encompasses about 6,900 acres, plus an urban reserve of about 500 acres. The city currently is about 1,300 acres in size, and its existing sphere of influence covers about 3,600 acres.

The map adopted was downsized from that initially recommended by the Planning Commission. Prime ag land west of the CCID Canal was taken out of the growth map, city officials said at the time, and growth instead will be targeted to less productive soils to the north and east of the existing city.

“I think it is very specific to the concerns of ag land preservation,” Katen said. “We’ve been very clear that this is not about a land grab by our city. We’ve gone to great lengths to try to identify prime farm land and our boundaries.”

It remains to be seen whether the cities’ proposed growth maps will go before voters in November.

That remains the target but could be subject to change, Katen indicated.

Not all cities have formally adopted a growth map.

DeMartini said he remains unconvinced that the approach of the cities will be effective in preserving ag ground.

“This is not what LAFCO had in mind,” said DeMartini, who sits on the commission.

NEWMAN – The city of Newman is turning 125 years old on April 28, 2013, and community and city staff members are planning to celebrate the milestone with festivities at various points through the year.

Members of the committee being formed to plan the quasquicentennial celebration envision opportunities for service groups, charitable or civic organizations, involved community members, the school district and the city to be involved.

About 20 people attended a meeting last week to kick off the planning process.

Those present revisited and reviewed the city’s last milestone celebration – its centennial in 1988 – and shared ideas on events and activities that could be held in honor of Newman’s 125th year.

Among those in attendance were representatives from the Newman Historical Society, West Side Theatre Foundation, Newman Chamber of Commerce, Newman Fall Festival, City of Newman and interested community members.

The consensus of the group was to spread the celebration throughout the year, starting with a big spring kick-off held the weekend of the founding anniversary, followed by a one-day summer event in the plaza,  activities during the Newman Fall Festival and incorporation of the quasquicentennial theme into the December Christmas festivities.

They would also like to see school activities incorporate the theme where possible.

While the planning remains in its early stages and is conceptual only, those present said they favored incorporating the milestone celebration into existing community activities and spreading it out over time.

“The centennial celebration was held over nine days (and nights) and by the weekend we were all tired. It was too long,” Mary Moore recalled.

The nine days of the centennial celebration were packed with non-stop activities, including a pageant and concert held in the newly-built Orestimba stadium, special events under a massive tent in Densmore Park, a wagon train, historic tours and much more.

The festivities were memorable, agreed those who were involved, but the event was too much packed into too short a period of time.

At the same time, they acknowledged, some aspects of the successful centennial celebration can be incorporated into the upcoming gala – such as a founders ball, a parade, and a memorabilia shop.

“For the nine-day event we had to hire a lot of people to be able to cover all of the activities,” Barbara Powell recalled. “With smaller events (spread out over a period of time) we wouldn’t have to hire people from out of town. We have a lot of local talent here,” she pointed out.

Rita Martina wondered if residents would tire of going to so many different events, but others said they did not believe that would be the case.

“The feeling I get from the community is that they seem to enjoy activities in town,” Newman Chamber President Vicki Lucas expressed. “I think it depends on how we present it and how it flows throughout the year. I think the community will embrace the idea.”

The committee will determine the scale and scope of the celebration, which will be a guiding factor in the organizational process.

“We’ll have to decide if it will be Newman-centered with the focus of having a good time with Newman residents and our nearby neighbors, or if it will be (a regional event),” Newman City Manager Michael Holland mentioned. Those factors decide if the celebration is budget driven or work driven, he said.

Budget is another consideration that has to be addressed by the planning committee.

“Does the city have a budget for this?” Glennis Kidder asked.

“No, that is something that would have to be brought before the City Council,” Holland confirmed.

The city’s role is undefined at this time, but there is anticipation that local government will play a part working with other groups like the chamber and Fall Festival.

“We’re going to dedicate staff to be part of the committee and to be at each of the meetings,” Holland said. The city plans to play an active role in the celebration, he explained, but anticipates having multiple partners involved to make the event a success. At this early stage, city staff has helped organize the initial meetings to help establish the planning committee.

The next committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 29, at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers. All interested community members are invited to attend.

The agenda will include establishing the leadership for the committee, defining goals, articulating a time line for events and discussion on how to select a name for the celebration.

Community members seeking additional information or wishing to become involved in the planning effort may call City Hall at 862-3725.

Gustine High School won first place in the small schools division of the 2012 Merced County Academic Decathlon held Feb. 4 at Merced College. The team included, from left, Amy Alves, Marcos Flores, Kataryna Verissimo, Luis Gonzalez, Cassie Kerckhove, coach Wassim Absood and Ashley Jones.

GUSTINE – Gustine High School earned top honors in the small schools division of the 2012 Merced County Academic Decathlon earlier this month.

The West Siders more than held their own in the academic challenge against students of other county high schools despite fielding an inexperienced team and taking just six contestants rather than the customary nine to the annual knowledge showdown.

Team advisor Wassim Absood noted that the team was just 309 points from a third-place finish overall.

“That’s out of a possible 100,000 points,” Absood pointed out, adding that Gustine outscored four small schools and two large schools in the event.

A team usually consists of nine students competing in three divisions: varsity, scholastic and honors, based on grade point average. The GHS team included two in each division and those six students were competing for the first time.

“It was a great experience,” Ashley Jones expressed. The Gustine High junior was the team’s high scorer and the recipient of a $500 scholarship. Some of the tests were harder than others, she said, but she was able to formulate “best guesses” using reasoning skills.

Students weren’t always competing in their individual areas of interest and expertise, Jones said.

She found the music questions particularly challenging, but worked through that section by bringing knowledge of other subjects into play.

“I have no background in music. I am not in band so this test was really difficult for me, but since much of the vocabulary was of Latin origin I just figured out the best answers,” Jones shared. Her methodology worked, it seemed, as she received the highest score of her team on that particular test.

Music wasn’t the only difficult subject for team members, who overcame the challenge of studying materials with very short notice.

The GHS team got off to a late start, forming a team which met only a few times prior to winter break. They arranged to get the electronic version of the materials, but they didn’t arrive until January. In the past, the materials were received in the fall so students had the opportunity to prepare throughout the school year.

And while many schools offer academic decathlon as a class, Gustine does not. Team members met whenever they could find time available, often after school or during lunch. In addition, Absood said, the administration allowed him to sequester the team the three Fridays prior to the competition to study and prepare. “We really appreciated the support of our administration,” he stated.

Ultimately, they overcame the odds against them – as evident by the plaques and medals they brought home on Feb. 4.

“It was tedious getting through all of the materials but was well worth it when they started calling our names (during  the awards presentation),” Luis Gonzalez Haro said. In addition to the team award the senior walked away with two silver medals in the honors division for speech and interview – and a $250 scholarship.

The academic decathlon consists of 10 events which cover a variety of subjects with a single theme woven throughout. This year’s theme was Age of Imperialism.

Students write and submit an essay about a week prior to the day-long competition where they take written tests in music, art, economics, language and literature, mathematics and science. Students also deliver a prepared speech and an impromptu speech before a panel of judges, and another panel of judges scores them in the oral interview event. The final event is the Super Quiz which is partly a written test and partly a live question-answer team event in front of an audience.

Having only two members in each division made the competition especially challenging for the GHS team which came in fifth place overall in the Super Quiz out of 10 schools competing.

“Our students are the top in the county. There is no high school in the county or the state for that matter that I would be afraid to put my students against in any academic competition,” Absood expressed.

The 2012 GHS team include two juniors, who both said they plan to compete again next year. “It was fun,” related Cassie Kerckhove, who won a bronze medal in scholastic art. “We supported each other and worked together.” she added.

Every member has their strong subject areas and brings their skills and talents to the team overall.

The team also included Marcos Flores, who won a gold in varsity mathematics, a bronze in varsity music and a $250 scholarship; Amy Alves, who won a gold in varsity interview and bronze in varsity language and literature; and Kataryna Verissimo, whose point total helped the team to its small-schools championship and fourth-place finish overall.

Speaking in a packed board room, parents and teachers voiced their concerns about the safety of the old middle school campus and the financial impacts of opening another school, complained that parents and staff did not have a voice in the process and questioned whether such drastic steps were needed to jump-start student achievement.

The vocal criticism appeared to leave the proposed school restructuring in doubt.

Superintendent Gail McWilliams said Friday that she will re-evaluate the proposal before deciding whether to press forward with the restructuring, which would create a K-3 campus at GES, a 4-6 school at the current middle school, K-3 and 4-6 campuses at Romero and a 7-8 junior high at the old middle school site.

She had previously told Mattos Newspapers that the now-vacant campus which previously housed the middle school was sound, and noted that the facility offers a gymnasium. The new GMS campus does not. The superintendent had said that the restructuring would provide the learning advantages of a smaller school environment, and could be achieved with little fiscal impact.

The restructuring proposal is linked to Program Improvement requirements.

McWilliams said in announcing the possible restructuring that the district as a whole and Gustine Elementary have entered Program Improvement, and that GMS and Romero are Program Improvement schools which have reached the restructuring level of sanctions.

Because the district is so small in size, its restructuring options (such as closing a school) are more limited than those of larger districts, the superintendent pointed out, but she believes the available facilities also offered some unique opportunities for the district.

“The thought was to look at K-8 as a whole rather than site by site. Because we are so small, it is hard to restructure one K-5 and 6-8 without affecting the others,” McWilliams told Mattos Newspapers. “I and the administrative team feel this is a good way to go for kids.”

At the same time, the superintendent said Friday, she had not yet decided whether to bring the proposed restructuring plan before the board for firm direction.

A number of concerns and criticisms of the plan – and its development – were voiced to the school board last Wednesday.

Parent Sherri Marsigli dismissed the idea of moving grades 7-8 to the vacant campus as doing little more than shuffling students in a move that does nothing to reduce class size.

“It also splits the parents club, removes the student help currently offered by fifth-graders to younger classes at the elementary level and raises the question of how we can possibly offer the technology we desperately need to our students and staff,” Marsigli told the board.

She suggested alternatives which included moving sixth-grade to the elementary campus, and giving administrators additional time to improve test scores.

Speakers said reopening the unused middle school would impact food and custodial services, and questioned whether the facilities were safe to occupy and could provide adequate communications, technology and security for students and staff.

Tom Gomes, speaking on behalf of the GMS Parents Club, said the restructuring would result in a hardship for parent clubs by creating one more group which would be competing in fund-raising circles.

He also echoed the concerns of those who said parents were not adequately informed and learned of the proposed changes only through newspaper stories.

A newspaper story implied that the teachers union supports the restructuring, Gustine Romero Teachers Association President Chandra Brace told the board, but that is not the case.

“We have only that single article to judge the proposal by,” Brace stated. “Once we have absorbed the information presented and asked the questions that we educators are duty-bound to ask, we will be able to take an official position on the matter.”

Brace acknowledged that many questions surround the proposal. She questioned whether the board would back another option if a more beneficial plan was presented, and asked if the proposed move was legally possible.

Not everybody lined up in opposition to the proposed restructuring.

Rocco DiConza dismissed the criticism as “canned presentations from parents who don’t want change.”

The district has a responsibility to look at alternatives for changes which promote student achievement, he pointed out.

“What’s wrong with change that will benefit the kids?” DiConza asked.

Board members listened to the remarks during the public comment portion of the meeting but offered no response other than to assure speakers that their concerns were heard and to reaffirm their commitment to doing what was best for students.

In formal action last week, the board:

·  Accepted the retirements of Gustine High Principal Dennis Shaw and Gustine Middle School Principal Rita Azevedo. McWilliams said the district would begin advertising the positions immediately.

·  Approved replacement of the gym floor as part of the planned renovation of the gymnasium at the old middle school campus, which is being funded by left over modernization money from previous projects that must be spent or returned to the state.

School board members gave Superintendent Gail McWilliams and district staff direction to proceed with that budget approach at their meeting last Wednesday.

The district faces a $1.3 million deficit next year – with the worst-case assumption that the governor’s proposed tax measures will be rejected and a mid-year cut of $602,000 is imposed.

Essentially, the option selected by the board means that the district must make staffing cuts or reach concession agreements with its employees that save $229,000 next year. The district in turn will pull $306,000 from its reserves – which could take the available general fund reserve to below $700,000 (assuming the district must also absorb the mid-year cut).

The alternative would be to ask for employee concessions or enact personnel reductions of $500,000 and take just $35,000 from general fund reserves, according to the report presented to the board.

“Normally I would go with the other recommendation (to preserve more of the reserve funds), but I’m just willing to take a little bit of a gamble right now. If we have to really look at expenses next year, we will do that,” McWilliams commented.

The district’s required minimum general fund reserve is 3 percent of its budget, or about $417,000.

The staff report also notes that a 2012-13 budget will rely on one-time use of more than $600,000, and cautioned the board to plan for the possibility of an ongoing revenue reduction in excess of $1 million annually.

“We can mitigate this for one year, but we don’t have any other pots of money to pull from for next year,” McWilliams said.

“This is not sustainable for more than one year,” Chief Business Officer Lizett Aguilar said of the budget approach approved.

Board members agreed to soften the hit to employees by dipping more deeply into the reserve.

While the outlook is bleak, board member Pat Rocha said, “Id rather go with the more drastic option, and face the devil when it comes.”

“And that might be 2013,” McWilliams cautioned.

Still, Rocha said, “At this point it seems to be the lesser of two evils.”

“No matter what, we’ll have to make cuts next year,” board member Melanie Gomes added.

Two audience members previously addressed the budget issue in their remarks to the board.

Chandra Brace, president of the Gustine Romero Teachers Association, said union leadership had recently received its first official budget briefing and was reviewing the information and figures.

“We are eager to sit down with the district in the coming weeks,” Brace said.

Parent Sherri Marsigli suggested that asking employees – administrative staff included – to take percentage pay cuts would be prudent and more equitable than attempting to negotiate furlough days.

At this point, no employee concessions have been negotiated.

McWilliams said the district would achieve the necessary $229,000 reduction in personnel costs if all employee groups agree to five unpaid furlough days next year, but in the absence of agreements the district has no choice but to identify reductions in staffing and proceed as if those steps will be necessary.

The district may have to issue tentative layoff notices, she said, which can be rescinded if concessions are reached. Certificated personnel must be notified of possible layoff no later than March 15, the superintendent added, and contract agreements will not be finalized prior to that deadline.

The board will hold a budget workshop Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 5 p.m.

“I will give them two or three options for meeting the $230,000 (in employee reductions),” McWilliams noted. “We’ll have to look at things like increasing class sizes or considering programs that could be eliminated.”

McWilliams said her preference would be to negotiate five unpaid furlough days with employee groups, with the contingency that the furloughs could be rescinded or reduced in number if the tax measures pass in November and mid-year cuts are avoided.

District employees are no strangers to furloughs.

Three unpaid furlough days are built into the current year schedule. Last year, all district employees had five unpaid furlough days.

The victim was identified by authorities as Jon Darren Carter, 46.

According to California Highway Patrol reports, Carter was riding his 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle southbound on Highway 33, following a line of traffic behind the Peterbilt driven by Ryan Vanderhelm, 24, of Modesto.

When the traffic slowed as the truck driver prepared to make a left turn onto Cottonwood, reports indicate, the motorcyclist crossed over the solid double yellow lines and began to pass traffic.

Carter braked in an attempt to avoid a collision with the turning vehicle, but the motorcycle slid into the truck.

Carter was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m.

Stolen vehicles

Two vehicle thefts were reported in Newman over the weekend, authorities said.

A 1995 Acura Integra was reported stolen Feb. 11 from the 1600 block of Great Basin.

A 1997 Plymouth Breeze was reported stolen Feb. 12 from the 500 block of Crow Mountain.

Neither vehicle had been recovered as of Tuesday morning.

Trailers taken

Police said a utility trailer and a camper trailer were reported stolen Feb. 7.

According to police reports, the trailers had been parked in an alley between the 1200 blocks of S and R streets.

The trailers had not been recovered as of Tuesday morning.

Activity report

Newman police received 189 calls for service, handled 22 cases, made five arrests, issued 31 traffic citations and towed one vehicle in the week ending Feb. 12, according to the department’s weekly activity report.

Gustine Police

Burglary arrest

A Gustine man was arrested early Feb. 10 on suspicion of burglarizing a closed North Avenue cheese plant.

According to police reports, an officer observed a man leaving the abandoned Valley Gold plant shortly after 3:15 a.m.

Police said the subject, identified as 31-year-old Enrique G. Villano, was seen throwing items on the ground as the officer approached. The items, which included copper wire and metal pipe, were subsequently determined to have been stolen from the plant.

Villano was booked into Merced County Jail on charges of burglary, possession of stolen property, committing a felony while free on bail or own recognizance and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

DUI arrest

Gustine police said Isaias L. Leal, 24, of Newman, was arrested Feb. 8 on suspicion of drunken driving.

According to police reports, an officer responding to a report of a vehicle partially off the roadway near Highway 33 and Jensen Road made contact with Leal at that location and subsequently took him into custody on suspicion of DUI.

Police said Leal was cited and released to the custody of a responsible adult.

Weapons charge

Gustine police said a 14-year-old female was taken into custody on charges of having a weapon on school grounds after being found in possession of a locking three-inch knife at Gustine High on Feb. 8.

Authorities said the student was cited on the felony charge and released. Police said additional charges are possible, stemming from a subsequent report that the student had threatened another with the knife.

Vehicle stolen

Police said a 2004 Ford Expedition was reported stolen Feb. 8 from the 100 block of Jensen Road.

The vehicle had not been recovered as of Tuesday.

Activity report

Gustine police received 104 calls for service, handled 21 cases, made 13 arrests and issued seven traffic citations in the week ending Feb. 14.

James Bell

James “Jim” Bell of Newman passed away Feb. 9 at age 81.

Mr. Bell was a native of San Francisco.

He lived in Newman for 22 years, where he was an evidence clerk at the Newman Police Department for 20 years.

He was the former owner of Bell Insurance Company, where he was a certified insurance underwriter and certified financial planner.

Mr. Bell was a parishioner at the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, and a past grand knight and faithful navigator.

Mr. Bell was a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Korean War. He belonged to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Joseph G. Rose Post 7635, Gustine.

Mr. Bell was a past officer of the California Association of Property and Evidence, and he was a member of the first graduating class of the STARS (law enforcement volunteers) of Stanislaus County.

He was a Safe Environment Coordinator of the Diocese of Fresno, a board member and honorary member of the Girl Scouts of America and past member ACE and SCORE retired professional mentors for small businesses.

He was also a very active volunteer at Von Renner Elementary School, and loved volleyball and dancing.

An avid musician, Mr. Bell enjoyed big band music and jazz.

Mr. Bell is survived by his wife of 52 years, Joan Bell of Newman; four sons, Richard Bell of Washington, David Bell of Newman, Michael Bell of San Leandro and Donald Bell of Norway; five daughters, Colette Johnson of Tennessee, Diana Lowrimore of Mississippi, Lori Obispo of Virginia, Michelle Bell of Arizona and Pamela Beneda of Washington; 24 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Helen Bell, and a sister, Patricia Cunningham.

Visitation will be held Friday, Feb. 17, from 5-7 p.m. at the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles, with a rosary to follow.

A second visitation will be held Saturday, Feb. 18, from noon to 1 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles, with a celebration of life to follow.

Interment is private.

Hillview Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Remembrances may be directed to: Our Lady of Miracles School, 370 Linden Ave., Gustine 95322; or: TOSCA Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 18, Newman 95360; or: GUSTO, P.O. Box 431, Gustine 95322