Paper Trail Podcast

Paul and Ryan recount the comments from an Oct. 17 VUSD Board meeting that revealed the challenger of all 13 books, and those who advised that she do it. They expressed their deep disappointment that the books remained in high school libraries and bemoaned the lack of transparency in the review policy (2:05); then they recount the sting operation that took down the CEO of Universal Meditech Inc. i...

!!! DISCLAIMER: Due to some technical difficulties this week's audio leaves a lot to be desired, however the conversation is well worth the listen!!! Paul sits down with The Sun-Gazette/Mid Valley Times editor, Danielle Gutierrez. They talk about her time spent as a reporter, what she learned from that job that led her to this leadership role and what her stamp on the coverage is now that she is e...

Paul and Ryan follow up on the final decision the 13 challenged books in VUSD libraries and how their book ban policy leaves the door shut to public input (4:55); Then they discuss the fight between the city of Visalia and Rawhide over stadium improvements as the argument heads to court (19:00)

Paul and Ryan take a local dive on Kevin McCarthy's recent ousting as speaker (2:40); Then they pick up the Ever Well Mental Health Facility saga in Terra Bella as they had their special use permit permanent revoked by the Tulare County Planning Commission (14:20).

Reedley City Manager Nicole Zeiba joins Paul for a bonus episode of the Paper Trail Podcast to go through her role of shutting down Universal Meditech who famously operated an illegal lab in Reedley. Zeiba was first made aware through the famous garden hose discovery, but realized that only a small city would have been able to detect something so benign. 

Paul and Ryan talk about the increasing rate of euthanasia in Tulare County and Fresno County animals shelters (3:20); Then they talk about the county's push to institute two mental health facilities in their 2023-24 budget (26:38)

Paul and Ryan begin with "Big Thoughts" on the recent Congressional impeachment inquiry (1:55); Then they talk about the VUSD process on 20+ books that were challenged and stand to be removed from high school libraries (7:20); Then they talk about Universal Meditech Inc.'s announcement that they will be closing up shop in light of their recent debacle in Reedley (22:20).

Paul and Ryan open the show to talk about where they were on Sept. 11, 2001 and how badly America handled the fallout in the generations after (4:05); Then they talk about the residents' of East Orosi's urge to have their community services district clean house by firing their staff over a slew of allegations (17:00); and then they talk about Sen. Melissa Hurtado's push to reveal anonymous land pu...

Paul and Ryan review their thoughts following the previous week's GOP presidential debate (2:40); then they talk about the Tulare County Board of Supervisor's decision to take no action a noise ordinance, and how an animal protection group tried to careen the conversation toward cockfighting (9:40); and then they talk about the dismal state small town chambers are finding themselves in in light of...

Paul and Ryan dive into the recent Kansas newsroom raid at the Marion County Record as one of the most egregious affronts to the first amendment in the modern US (2:20); then they talk about the state's projection to hit stagnant population growth by 2060 (21:55). 

Ryan and Paul start off with their new segment called "Big Thought" inspired by last week's riff on Twitter's rebrand as "X." This week they openly complained about the GOP's unwillingness to get off the mind drug known as Donald Trump. However they jump into the latest on the Reedley Lab story that was originally broken in the Mid Valley Times (15:00); then they recount the story where local high...

Paul and Ryan go through the troubles at Twitter...we mean "X" and how billionaires detach themselves from a normal feedbackloop (1:40); Then they talk about the "spicy" public meeting between Springville residents and the Del Oro Water Company who has given them inconsistent water while charging them a full monthly price (9:45); Then they talk about the third update in the battle between Ever Wel...

Paul and Ryan discuss how a simple code violation led to a Reedley, Fresno County Department of Public Health and CDC investigation leading to hundreds of dead lab mice and illegally disposed medical waste (4:35); Then they discuss the dramatic increase of homelessness in Tulare and Kings Counties between 2022 and 2023 (20:35).

Ryan and Paul talk about the Transdev drivers strike as they request better pay, benefits and holiday schedule and what strikes mean for labor movements (2:10); Then they revisit the Ever Well facility's debacle in Terra Bella as it approaches resolution at the Tulare County Planning Commission (16:40).

Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward discusses what has stunted prosecutors' mission against fentanyl, how prison closures lead to early releases for nonviolent crimes and what communities should do to help quell a prevalence in crime. 

Paul and Ryan discuss an article that pits Visalia's sewer capacity against a San Joaquin Valley Homes development slated for Goshen (3:25); then they unpack Visalia's renewed path toward a second Costco development on the west side of town (15:10)

Paul and Ryan talk through a city council, city staff and marijuana cultivator's tax debacle in Parlier (2:25); Then they highlight the sky-high fines for illegal fireworks in Visalia (19:45).

Paul and Ryan return to the pod and talk about the lack of movement a mental health facility is willing to take to help residents in Terra Bella (3:20); Then they review a televised panel from law enforcement and local prosecutors over fentanyl in communities (18:42).

Reggie makes a brief return to the podcast to talk about the housing bottleneck in Visalia from an environmental lawsuit two years ago, but things are looking up as the city makes corrections to their 2030 General Plan (1:30); Then Paul and Reggie talk about the obstacles of taking over the Mid Valley Times and then merging the two companies within a year (15:15).

Paul and Ryan first talk about Ruiz Foods' decision to move their headquarters to Frisco, Texas in part because of a dwindling talent pool for some of their corporate positions (2:30); Then Ryan lends his perspective on the unraveling of BitWise in Fresno following the deluge of reports that tied their revenue to grant dollars from various agencies (20:55).

Ryan and Paul review Maddi Langton's story on Tulare City Council's decision to move forward with a larger dog kennel at their permanent low barrier homeless shelter (5:13); Then they talk about OxiTech, a bioengineering firm, as they withdraw their research application in California that would have released genetically engineered mosquitoes to combat a nonnative species of mosquito in Visalia (17...

Paul and Ryan talk about how four cities in Tulare County are among the fastest growing in the state despite the state losing .2% of it's population. However housing has not kept pace in the county to accommodate the population (7:25); Then Ryan recounts his time in Silicon Valley during the early days of the internet, and his motivation to return to the Valley (22:20).

Paul and Ryan talk about VUSD teacher's accounts of troublesome students who disrupt their entire class. Teachers also claim that their Visalia administrators are turning the other way on discipline (2:40); Then The Sun-Gazette is in the news after closing on a deal to purchase the Mid Valley Publishing operations, expanding their reach into Fresno County (18:00).

Paul and Ryan open the show talking about the encouraging sign that comes with dropping prices in diesel costs (1:50); then they talk about the aspirations Quesadilla Gorilla has now that they have the greenlight for franchises in California (16:30).

Ryan and Paul talk about the recent groundbreaking for the navigation center that the county's homeless population can use for wraparound services...once it's built and in operation (3:05); Then they talk about the Valley's concerns over California's push to ban diesel vehicles in the state, and all gas powered vehicles by 2035 (19:10).