A Merced Sun-Star blog written by online editor Brandon Bowers and executive editor Mike Tharp.
Got a tip for Lips? E-mail bbowers@mercedsun-star.com
UC Merced's part of Costa Country now. Chancellor Dorothy Leland said she heard that Dennis Cardoza "handed off" the campus to fellow Congressman Jim Costa during a recent dinner in the nation’s capitol. Voters still have to make the ultimate decision who'll replace Cardoza in the redrawn congressional district representing Merced, but hey, it's a nice gesture. Costa has until Nov. 6 to show Mercedians he bleeds blue and gold, though he probably should avoid kissing any bobcats unti...
More...Sounds like it's time to replace the counterfeit detection pens at the Merced County Tax Collector's office. It seems times are so tough people are turning to Milton Bradley to pay their taxes. Normally, assures Merced County Treasure-Tax Collector Karen Adams, all payments are processed through a "counterfeit detecting device." Yet somehow, back in October, two bogus bills made it through the checkpoints. Oops. Adams made a red-faced appeal last week to the Merced County Board of Supervis...
More...Quick: What do the phrases "Ironclad Trifecta," "Nostalgic Paralysis," and "Domestic Terrorists" have in common? Any journalist who's spent any amount of time covering Merced will tell you they're the unique utterances of Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin. The sheriff is known for his purple prose in newsrooms throughout the Central Valley. You can imagine our disappointment when we heard he's not taking his act on the road to Washington. Our sister paper, the Fresno Bee, reported that Pazi...
More...Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Tuesday -- but he wasn't the only one predicting six more weeks of gloom. Merced Mayor Stan Thurston peeked at Merced's financial skies last weekend and promised hard choices ahead. Thurston promised he'd make every attempt to protect firefighters and police officers in this year's budget, but the enigmatic executive refused to be pressed for details. Don't get excited: More cuts could be coming, folks. Like Bill Murray's character in the movie "Groundhog D...
More...It was a match made in the Valley: One was a strapping blonde-haired, blue-eyed farmer-turned-politician; the other, a successful businessman and racehorse owner. They were supposed to meet in the U.S. Capitol Building for the hottest show in town: President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. But the meeting apparently never happened. Jeff Denham, the Republican congressman representing Mariposa County, had reached out to Merced Democrat Dennis Cardoza to sit with him during the non...
More...Atwater’s Public Safety Committee meetings look a little different these days, considering there are no Cal Fire officials there. The supposed problem? Councilman Gary Frago. That's right, a Loose Lips tipster heard that Frago’s presence and frequent bashing of Cal Fire at the meetings was enough to make the organization decide to stop sending any officials to the city's get-togethers. Maybe the absence was prompted Frago's capacity to criticize, or maybe it was his constant pus...
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It's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but lame duck Congressman Dennis Cardoza is apparently defecting to The Colbert Nation.
More...This column has enjoyed its cloaked existence over the years as various Sun-Star newsroom staffers wore the Loose Lips mantle. Today, we're pulling back the curtain a bit.
More...Not content to remain out of the Loose Lips spotlight, Ellie Wooten seems to have forgotten she no longer has the mayor’s gavel. The former mayor and current real estate agent was spotted at a recent Merced City Council meeting, where she yelled at several of Occupy Merced members who were supporting the Tenants Together movement. "This is city government," she told an unidentified woman in the audience. "Don't play games with me." She then walked up to the dais to talk to council membe...
More...The tower on the new theater building is causing consternation for some of the area's graphic design snobs. Specifically, they don't like the bright blue font used on the theater marquee.
More...Public radio station KPPC in Los Angeles gave a back-handed compliment to the Valley’s own Gallo Family Vineyards. In a blog post titled "The best wine to buy when there isn't any wine to buy," writer Matthew DeBord suggests being on the lookout for Ernest and Julio's hearty hooch when faced with a wine-buying emergency. Feeling thirsty but can't be bothered to find a wine bar or at least a BevMo? Check your nearest gas station for a jug of Gallo's greatest. "It tastes, to my pal...
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Who knew former mayor and rootin'-tootin' Realtor Ellie Wooten would become Merced's latest centerfold? She's featured on page 134-135 of the new book "Chicks with Guns" by photographer Lindsay McCrum. The book features 80 women from all over the country posing with their firearms. It'll come as no surprise to anyone who’s followed Wooten's career to learn that the former mayor has been spending more time at the firing range since she stepped down from the dais in 2009. Her rep...
More...What's the only thing scarier than walking into the Merced County Administration Building? Getting trapped in the Merced County Administration Building. That's what several Le Grand Bulldogs had to endure late last month when they got stuck on an elevator on their way to be recognized in the Board of Supervisors Chambers for reaching the state championship game. After they escaped from the wanton elevator in a matter of minutes, one Bulldogs coach said the experience just adds to the list ...
More...Atwater city officials learned recently how to train their dragon. City Manager Kathy Kivley – known as the "dragon lady" by some residents for her fire-breathing reputation when it comes to dealing with the public – got an early performance review a few months back from the City Council. Though the issue was a closed-session item, Loose Lips heard that it related to her behavior on the dais when speaking to council members. Sources have noted Kivley's dismissive attitude and argu...
More...Local muckety-mucks, look out: We’re back, baby. After an 18-month absence from the pages of the Sun-Star, Loose Lips is ready to dish out the latest gossip. We've deployed our army of muckrackers to look under the rocks, pull back the curtains and snoop through the underwear drawers of Merced's halls of hot air. Look for us every other Friday in the print version of the Sun-Star. For you Lips junkies, items will get posted online throughout the week, so you'll want to make regular v...
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