Children's Hospital Central California has a new way to help doctors and nurses communicate with patients - a video and phone interpreting system that provides access to professional health-care interpreters.

The system allows for bedside interpretation through a video unit and a speaker phone that can be rolled into a patient's room.

The hospital is showing off the system Thursday, Sept. 2.

The hospital got a $167,000 grant as a member of the Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) to get the system up and running. Children's is the first pediatric hospital to join the network of non-profit California hospitals.

If the pilot project proves a success after six months and the hospital wants to continue offering the service, the hospital will be given the equipment to do so. The hope is the video interpreting will provide faster response time for interpreting needs and free up interpreters to provide face-to-face service for more complex visits, the hospital said.

Since 1980, Children's has used interpreters. The hospital has more than 24 interpreters who provide help in seven languages either face-to-face or by phone. Interpretation services for 30 other languages are provided for by contracted agencies. The video conferencing technology is not replacing interpreters at the hospital, but expanding interpreting resources, the hospital said.

One additional benefit of the video interpreting system: Sign language interpretation for patients who are deaf. There are not enough sign language interpreters available in the area to meet the hospital's interpreting needs, the hospital said. For example, some sign language interpreters drive more than hour to get to the hospital.

The video interpreting system also will provide services in Hmong, Lao, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Farsi, Mien, Arabic, Armenian, Mixteco and Russian..And more languages could be added in the future.

Downtown coffee fiends will have to get their fix someplace else until the Kern Street Starbucks reopens.

The location is closed for routine remodeling, according to a Starbucks spokesperson. It will reopen in "early September" -- whenever that is. The company didn't give specifics.

Federal officials late Tuesday stopped the restoration flow in the San Joaquin River beyond Mendota and Sack dams to do some routine maintenance.

Officials will spend the next two to four weeks removing sand from the Eastside Bypass. The sand was left by the higher flows used this year in the restoration to study the channel.

The flow beyond Sack Dam on the west side has been about 23 cubic feet per second. That's about 46 acre-feet per day -- each acre-foot is 326,000 gallons.

Officials said that flow has been captured downstream at San Luis Reservoir in western Merced County.

Patrick Hoare has trouble talking since his stroke July 11, but the Englishman who found himself stranded in Fresno said a lot with his eyes. They constantly crinkled and twinkled when he looked at his wife, Marina Hambly, and daughter Lily.

The family should be on their way home to London on Aug. 2.

But Fresnans, who were capitvated by their story, can ask to "befriend" Hoare and Hambly and follow his recovery on Facebook. Dr. Tanya Warwick, the Fresno neurologist who took care of Hoare at Community Regional Medical Center, helped Hambly set up the account. Hambly and Lily stayed with Warwick the eight weeks Hoare remained in the hospital.

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Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO who is now seeking to oust incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer from her U.S. Senate seat, was back in Fresno yet again today.

This time, Fiorina was at the Fowler Packing Company along with Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.

The topic: Federal budget reform.

At the news conference, Fiorina said she supported Thune's proposed legislation known as the "Deficit Reduction and Budget Reform Act of 2010," which includes a provision for a two-year budget.

CEO Watch -- which is funded primarily by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and is focusing on attacking Fiorina and Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman -- used Fiorina's visit to blast her as well as Thune and Chambliss for "opposing a new jobs bill that will save more than 2,700 education jobs in Central Valley public schools and is fully paid for by closing a tax break for companies that ship jobs overseas."

Not surprisingly, Republican Thune endorsed Republican Fiorina, and Republican Chambliss said he was "pleased to give her my strongest support."

Both senators will likely be with Fiorina this evening for a political fundraiser at Valley farmer Mark Borba's Madera County home, Rancho Vista Del Rio. The minimum campaign donation to get in to the event is $500.

UPDATE 8/31/2010, 3:40 P.M.

Assembly Bill 1998 is being voted on today by the California State Senate, reports a spokeswoman for the bill's author, Assembly Member Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica.

The "on-call" vote allows lawmakers to cast their votes throughout the afternoon and evening. If it passes, the bill would also need to return to the state Assembly for a vote on amendments. The Assembly passed an earlier version of the bill in June, but it has been altered since that time.

Today is the last day for legislative action on bills.

----------------------

From Friday, Aug. 27, 2010

A bill to ban disposable plastic carry-out bags at grocery, pharmacy and convenience stores was amended today by the state Senate's Rules Committee, and may come up for full legislative approval early next week.

Assembly Bill 1998, authored by Assembly Member Julie Brownley, D-Santa Monica, would bar stores from using the ubiquitous bags in 2012 in order to keep them from polluting roadsides, streams and waterways. Instead, stores would be required to sell reusable grocery bags.

Among the changes since the bill was approved by the full Assembly and the senate Environmental Quality Committee:

• Stores would be allowed to sell recycled-paper bags at a price that reflects the store's cost. An earlier version of the bill would have required stores to sell the bags "at a reasonable price," but not less than a nickel a bag.
• Stores will be required to provide free bags to low-income shoppers who receive aid through the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program or food stamps. Previously, the bill would have allowed, and not required, providing free bags to the poor.
• A bag-recycling program in which people can bring their old disposable bags back to stores will be continued. Earlier versions would have discontinued the recycling effort.

Click here, here, here and here for earlier Bee news and blog coverage of AB 1998.

Linda Rapattoni, a spokeswoman for Brownley, said the bill still needs to be approved by the full Senate, and the Assembly would have to approve any changes since its members voted in June. All of that needs to take place before Sept. 1 before the bill can be sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature.

Schwarzenegger praised the bill when it was approved by the Assembly earlier this summer.

Grapes probably aren't the first thing you think of when you get the munchies at a baseball park, but the California Table Grape Commission is working to change that.

The Fresno-based marketing organization has been promoting grapes at several baseball stadiums this season including, Los Angeles, Baltimore, San Francisco and St. Louis.

So now, along with peanuts, popcorn and Cracker Jack, baseball fans can gobble down some fresh California-grown grapes. The commission is also working with Food Network celebrity chef Tyler Florence to pitch the idea of choosing grapes at the ballpark.

"Fans are excited about Tyler and Grapes from California Day so we're seeing activity on blogs, twitter and online articles as well," said Jim Howard, commission vice president
.
The commission's grape campaign wraps up in Toronto on Sept. 24.

To check out photos of the promotion go to the commission's Web site at http://www.grapesfromcalifornia.com/baseball.php

Fresno buyers are finding an opportunity to invest in some property while cutting down the number of foreclosed homes sitting on the real estate market.

On Monday night, homebuyers picked up 36 homes and spent a total of $3.1 million during a foreclosure auction held by Real Estate Disposition LLC, a real estate auction company.

The auction, held at the Fresno Convention Center, attracted about 175 people. It was the last auction in a three-day campaign that stopped in Santa Clara and Sacramento.

Some of the deals included a 1,736-square-foot house in Central Fresno valued at $132,000. The house sold for $68,250.

A 1,940-square-foot home in Central Fresno worth $318,000 was sold for $126,000.

The auction company was last in Fresno in July, when 48 homes were sold at $4.64 million total.

Here's your morning platter of muse and news. Post comments below.

My column today is about the renovation of the Hidden Homes Children's Nature Trail at the River Center on Old Friant Road. The completion and overhaul of the trail was done by the East Fresno Kiwanis Club, with funding by the club and First 5 of Fresno County.

This service club has had a positive impact on the community since its inception in 1960. And much of that wallop stems from the fact that the club long has teamed up on projects with nonprofits, other volunteer groups and businesses.

This video of the club's volunteer day in April at the nature trail shows how bringing people together moves the community forward.

Midnight monkey business likely in state Capitol: Lawmakers have until midnight tonight to approve bills introduced during this two-year session. As the Los Angeles Times reports, the combination of the deadline and lobbyist persistence often leads to special-interest legislation of the worst kind.

Maybe there's hope for America after all: A majority of Americans, according to a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll, say that Sarah Palin wouldn't be an effective president.

Check out an amazing and inspirational woman: My Sunday column on Adelia Firpo of Fresno, who is still playing golf and walking the course at age 97, was accompanied by a video put together by The Bee's John Walker. You can see Firpo in action here.

Cancer claims cycling legend Fignon: Laurent Fignon, a Frenchman who twice won the Tour de France but was defeated by American rival Greg LeMond in perhaps the event's greatest race, died today. Here's the Associated Press story via ESPN.com.

Laugh of the Day: "According to U.S. and Iraqi commanders, if the U.S. pulls out of Iraq, their borders will be vulnerable and they won't be able to stop anyone from entering their country. Well, join the club." -- Jay Leno

At the Tioga Pass entry station in Yosemite National Park, the temperature hovered at 25 degrees at 7 a.m. Monday.

That's what I call a cool August morning. It's part of the wonder of the Sierra Nevada and an incredible contrast to the San Joaquin Valley. It's a contrast to Yosemite Valley, which is not far away as the crow flies -- or whatever bird you might find in the high Sierra.

It is not that unusual to get freezing summer temperatures at the pass, which is 9,945 feet near the spine of the Sierra Nevada. It snows sometimes during summer.

On the previous Wednesday and Thursday, Yosemite Valley was pushing 100 degrees.
Yosemite Valley is nearly 6,000 feet lower. You get different plants, different critters and obviously a different temperature most of the time.

Besides the good things the Sierra does -- helping to keep air and water clean -- it's an interesting place to watch when the weather changes.

It's a small beginning, but a beginning nonetheless.

Late Monday morning, Olga Guzman and a few other people connected to the Fresno Discount Mall were busy with rakes and clippers and shovels on the south end of Fulton Mall. They were cleaning the concrete, pruning the vegetation and weeding about 20 planters along a 50-yard yard stretch of Fresno's best-known but perpetually run-down linear park.

Fresno Discount Mall is in the old Gottschalks building on Fulton's Mall's east side, at Fulton and Inyo streets. Guzman is a partner in Gordo Shop, a family-owned restaurant inside the discount mall that serves Mexican and American food.

Guzman and the discount mall's manager, among others, have "adopted" the stretch of Fulton Mall in front of their building. Guzman said that means cleaning and maintaining the area at least every other day.

Guzman said the need for their volunteer labor is a sign of the times. City Hall doesn't have the money to keep the mall clean like in the old days. So, Guzman said, it's time for Fulton Mall's stakeholders to fill the vacuum.

"We want the outside of the building to look clean when customers walk in," Guzman said.

Guzman's 3-year-old granddaughter, Arianna Fernandes, was among those helping on Monday. Among her duties: Gather the clippings from her grandmother's pruning.

"I'm strong," Arianna said.

Jan Minami, executive director of the Downtown Association of Fresno, said she hopes shopkeepers along Fulton Mall's entire length will "adopt" the area in front of their businesses and keep it clean.

Things are moving fast for Fresno's new downtown property-based improvement district -- called a PBID.

Continue reading "Update on Fresno's new downtown PBID" »

Over the weekend, someone asked me if the lawsuit against the effects of the San Joaquin River restoration was filed by Westlands Water District farmers.

No.

The Wolfsen family in the Los Banos area filed the claim for damage from flooding and seepage. They are definitely west siders, but they are not making a claim as Westlands farmers.

They have historic rights to water from the San Joaquin River. Their cattle and farming operations were there before Friant Dam was built. There are many area farmers in similar situations -- these farmers have about 240,000 acres.

Like Westlands, they do have a connection to the federal Central Valley Project. But their water contracts are different from Westlands' contract.

In the 1930s, the historic rights farmers, like the Wolfsens, agreed to exchange their rights for water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, so Friant Dam could be built.

The so-called "exchange contractors" have a much higher priority than Westlands, often receiving 100% allotments when Westlands and other districts must accept big cutbacks.

But the river next to the exchange contractor's farms dried up.

Now, with the restoration project, the river is wet again. After six decades, it's hard to know where the seepage and flooding will take place as the water rises in the river channel. The Wolfsen family's claim says there has been damage.

A reader delicately pointed out that my story on the Valley's ozone violations this week was confusing. What's a one-hour violation? What's an eight-hour violation?

And why did the Valley get stuck with a $29 million fine for the violation on Tuesday?

Good questions, and I'm sorry I didn't have room to go into them.

A one-hour violation is a reading that exceeds 125 parts per billion during any one-hour period. The one at Parlier on Tuesday was a whopping 141.

Thanks to Kevin Stathem who corrected something I wrote earlier, see his comments below. His math is correct; I was using a comparison for parts per million, instead of billion.

If you want to read more about these kinds of comparison, here's a good site.

Anyway, an eight-hour violation is a reading that exceed 75 parts per billion as an average of eight one-hour readings. I call it the daylong standard. The Valley violates that one often.

If there had been no violations of the one-hour standard this summer, the $29 million penalty would have been postponed for a year. There was a second violation of that standard during the torrid part of the week.

Finally, the $29 million fine is assessed because the Valley hasn't achieved the one-hour standard yet. The area needs three seasons in a row without violations -- there hasn't been one yet.

Businesses are responsible for the $29 million penalty, but the air district is considering adding a $10 charge to vehicle registration to pick up most of the cost. Vehicles are 80% of the ozone problem, officials say.

The city of Fresno has lost one of its most eloquent defenders of perhaps the most politically-charge resource in the Valley.

For 10 years, Lon Martin has been the city of Fresno's water expert. But the assistant deputy director in the Public Utilities Department has left City Hall to take a position with the Fresno-based engineering firm of Provost and Pritchard.

Martin's last day with the city was Friday.

Martin, 42, has instructed the public on water issues as diverse as federal water contracts, residential water meters, water purity, water storage and high efficiency toilets.

At a small City Hall reception in his honor this week, Martin said he'll be working with farmers and government officials throughout the region on water-saving strategies.

Let this quote from Martin in a 2007 article in The Bee serve as his Fresno City Hall legacy: "We need to have a drought mentality."

Expect a plethora of political organizations to pop up in support of or in opposition to the various candidates running in the November general election -- especially those seeking the high-profile seats such as governor and U.S. Senate.

One such group is CEO Watch, which is focusing on Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman and GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina. Both are former CEOs -- Whitman of the online auction firm eBay, Fiorina of Hewlett-Packard. Thus, the name.

Whitman is facing Democrat Jerry Brown in the contest to replaced the termed-out Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Fiorina is hoping to unseat incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate.

CEO Watch is being funded primarily by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, so the group's message won't be hard to guess.

On Friday, some of its members held a news conference at Bullard Talent, a K-8 school in northwest Fresno, where teachers and parents criticized Fiorina for not supporting a $26 billion measure to help avoid teacher layoffs that President Barack Obama recently signed into law.

Republican officials say the bill is a union giveaway that will hamper the nation's long-term economic recovery. Fiorina spokeswoman Andrea Saul said Fiorina supports keeping teachers in classrooms, but this piece of legislation "fails to deliver on that promise."

As for CEO Watch, Saul said it "comes as no surprise that [Boxer's] cronies, in an effort to save her career as a politician, are having to defend her job-killing policies."

In the battle to replace retiring Republican George Radanovich of Mariposa in the 19th Congressional District, Rep. Devin Nunes campaigned so hard for Richard Pombo, it was like Nunes himself was seeking the post.

Fresno businessman Bob Smittcamp was another eager supporter of Pombo, who was seeking to return to Congress after serving 14 years before being defeated in 2006. He hosted a Pombo fundraiser that raised around $250,000.

But in the closing days leading up to the June Republican primary election, when it became clear that Pombo wasn't going to win, both men contributed money to one of his opponents -- former Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson. Others did the same.

By that point, polling made it clear that Patterson had the only real chance to defeat state Sen. Jeff Denham.

Smittcamp gave Patterson $2,400 on June 8. Nunes' campaign committee gave Patterson $2,000, and his New PAC political action committee chipped in $5,000.

For Nunes, this was likely an easy choice. As much as he liked Pombo, he disliked Denham and his questionable campaign tactics.

In Smittcamp's case, the twist was especially ironic. Tired of Radanovich and feeling he was ineffective, he was one of several influential Republicans who last year helped recruit Patterson to challenge Radanovich.

But then Radanovich, citing his wife's health problems, suddenly announced he was retiring -- and endorsing Denham. A few days later, Pombo jumped in the race.

Smittcamp then dumped Patterson for Pombo. He said at the time that Pombo had seniority, while it would take Patterson "a year to find the men's room."

Denham eventually won, and now is a virtual lock for the job. All he has to do this November is defeat Dr. Loraine Goodwin, his Democratic Party challenger, in a district that leans heavily Republican.

While Clovis residents slept early Friday, workers were returning the 70-year old "Gateway to the Sierras" sign to its rightful place.

Workers were out at 4 a.m. re-installing the 400-pound sign above Clovis Avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets.

The 13-foot wide sign was cleaned and refurbished while workers installed two steel support poles on the east and west side of the street.

The steel support poles were needed because the old wooden utility poles had been bowing, city officials said.

With the new half-inch thick poles, the sign can withstand a 75 mph wind gust.

The sign was taken down more than a month ago to allow pole installation and sidewalk work to be completed.

Most of the $128,000 project was paid for with state and federal funds.

Here's your morning platter of muse and news. Post comments below.

The city of Fresno faces another $12 million in budget cuts, and some council members believe the deficit is even bigger. With the short-term prospects for economic recovery bleak, the city general fund in coming years could be used entirely for police and fire services, bond debt and pensions.

While the city attempts to get its financial house in order, Fresno residents have a choice about their parks: watch them deteriorate or help maintain them by removing litter, raking flower beds, painting and pruning.

Here's a city news release explaining the city's plan to use volunteers to spruce up the parks:

"Each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, volunteer groups will be dispatched to two different park locations -- one in north Fresno and one in south Fresno. Volunteers are encouraged to wear long pants, hats, gloves and sun block and bring plenty of drinking water. Basic work tools and supplies will be provided by the City of Fresno. Each volunteer will be required to complete a volunteer form and waiver.

This Saturday, volunteers are needed at Victoria West Park, located at 3861 W. Clinton and Figarden Loop Park, located at 4265 W. Figarden Drive.

Individuals interested in volunteering should sign up at servefresno.com or by calling 559-237-3101. Additional park clean-up locations for September and October will be posted on the Serve Fresno website."

Breakfast Links will also publicize the park locations the week of each clean-up.

Retiring San Jose police chief's benefits worth as much as $8 million: Joyce Cordi, a re-inventing government advocate, has the details at PublicCEO.com.

We're No. 61: Fresno State is ranked 61st in the nation in sales of licensed apparel (think Bulldogs sports tee shirts). The national leader, for the fifth consecutive year, is the University of Texas. Check out the rankings here.

We're No. 93: Fresno is the seventh least-safe city for children in the United States, according to the stats compilers at Men's Health. The safest city for kids is Madison, Wisc. The least safe is Jacksonville, Fla. Read the criteria and the entire list here.

Laugh of the Day: "President Obama is on vacation. This is his sixth vacation. He'll have plenty of time for vacation when his one term is up." -- David Letterman

Actress and model Bo Derek will be among those on hand for Fresno State football's home opener next week against Cincinnati, and for a $500 political donation to Republican controller candidate Tony Strickland, you could tailgate with her. Oh, and you also get a picture with her.

Ed Dunkel Jr., the founder and president of Precision Civil Engineering in Fresno, is sponsoring the fundraiser for Strickland, who is currently a Republican state Senator from Moorpark.

For those not satisfied with a pregame tailgate with Derek, the first 20 to pony up $1,500 can watch the game with her in a skybox.

Incidentally, Derek -- who rocketed to stardom in the 1979 film "10" -- is up for a spot on the state Horse Racing Board, but the Los Angeles Times reported today that the Senate Rules Committee delayed action on her appointment, as well as three others.