tool name

Similar stories:

• Thumbs up, thumbs down

  Thumbs up, thumbs down

  Thumbs up to the sweepstakes winners in the 60th annual Central California Science Fair regional: Madalyn Berry, sixth grade, Quail Lake Environmental School; Talie Cloud, seventh grade, Quail Lake Envrionmental School; Titus Patton, eighth grade, Washington Academic Middle School; and Hannah Washburn, senior division, Sanger High School. All attend Sanger Unified schools.

  Thumbs down to the state Legislature for its poor efforts to make public information accessible on the Internet. California lawmakers received a "D" from the nonprofit Sunlight Foundation. Today concludes "Sunshine Week," a national initiative dedicated to promoting open records and transparency in government.

  Thumbs up to farm manager Don Cameron and Terranova Ranch for participating in a program that will use Kings River floodwaters to recharge the San Joaquin Valley's aquifer. "Like the crops we grow, we must tend to and care for the water sources that are so critcal to our region and state," wrote Cameron in a commentary for The

• Walters: Modern tycoons may vie for Sacramento Kings

  Walters: Modern tycoons may vie for Sacramento Kings

  Recently, the History channel aired a documentary series about the late 19th century and early 20th century tycoons who -- spurred by ambition, greed and rivalries -- made the U.S. an industrial powerhouse.

• Thumbs up, thumbs down

  Thumbs up, thumbs down

  Thumbs down to Fresno County Supervisors Debbie Poochigian, Phil Larson and Judy Case for opposing the nomination of former colleague Susan Anderson to the First 5 Fresno Commission. Many county commissions, boards and committees have vacancies and a dearth of volunteers. The supervisors sent the wrong message about the value of public service by indicating they would vote against Anderson's appointment. Anderson is more than qualified, and her rejection smacks of political retribution.

  Thumbs up to the Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for its Snip N Chip program. Low-income residents from the central San Joaquin Valley can have their cats and dogs spayed/neutered and receive microchip identification for $35.

  Thumbs up to Fresno State men's basketball coach Rodney Terry for the team's upset victory over Mountain West Conference power University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Terry is rebuilding the program the right way: making players accountable for their performances on the

• What about Autry's role?

  What about Autry's role?

  In regards to the Feb. 20 letter by Roger Montero about analyzing trash facts: He states that the City Council's decision to privatize residential trash collection is in our best interest.

  Whose interest? The ratepayers? Really? He goes on to talk about the "narrow interests of the unions representing workers" who perform this service. What about them? The city trash collectors are not the reason the city is all messed up in their finances!

  It was the previous administration's spending habits, like hiring a deputy mayor (I think he was Roger Montero), while the then-Mayor Alan Autry conducted city business out of Starbucks in North Fresno.

• Wants fire fee help

  Wants fire fee help

  In response to the Feb. 27 letter from Jeffrey W. Eisinger calling for an additional sales tax so that the city of Fresno can keeps its current trash service: It didn't take long for Fresno customers who receive Fresno trash service to come up with the idea of requiring everyone to pay for it.

  I live in Auberry, where we were recently assessed a new yearly fire fee of $135 per dwelling. Can we reduce that fee and increase the sales tax to cover the difference? I'm sure you would be against that.

  Then again, we don't have a strong union or the votes up here to get that, do we? Come to think of it, why not a new sales tax in Fresno, to help subsidize our trash service in the foothills while you're at it?