Vehicle slams through house

WARRIORS OFF BUT
BEAT CELTICS 114-111
POLICE: HIT-AND-RUN KILLED ATWATER TEEN
LOCAL & REGION A2
TIME FOR CONGRESS TO VALUE FAMILIES
Home winning streak extended to 19
OPINION A4
SPORTS B1
SHINING
75 cents
Newsstand price,
less with home
delivery
O V E R C A L I F O R N I A’ S
GREAT
CENTRAL
VA L L E Y
SINCE 1869
MERCED SUN-STAR
MONDAY,
January 26,
2015
BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT MERCEDSUNSTAR.COM
Arrest made in arson fire
11 ELDERLY, DISABLED RESIDENTS
LOST HOMES IN APARTMENT BLAZE
By Rob Parsons
rparsons@mercedsunstar.com
Andrew Kuhn akuhn@mercedsunstar.com
Merced city and county fire crews work to secure the scene of
the apartment fire in the 300 block of T Street on Wednesday.
City
names
interim
manager
Miss Merced’s moving journey
WRESTLER FACED
OBSTACLES OF LIFE
IN FOSTER CARE
By Doane Yawger
dyawger@mercedsunstar.com
Not only is Rose Beltran of
Atwater the new Miss Merced
County 2015, she’s also an accomplished high school wrestler
who has grappled with many
obstacles during her 17 years.
In and out of the foster care
system since she was 6 years old,
Beltran lived in seven homes
growing up. She was adopted
into her “forever” home in September but still has a heart for
foster children.
The Buhach Colony High
School senior won the county
beauty pageant Jan. 17. Initially
there were 14 contestants, and
Beltran was selected among four
finalists. She received a $1,000
scholarship and will take part in
the Miss California pageant in
June in Fresno.
Beltran is undefeated in
league wrestling competition.
She also enjoys varsity softball,
water polo, track, cheerleading,
gymnastics and participating in
Playhouse Merced productions.
Besides the $1,000 scholarship, Beltran was led to enter
the pageant in November by the
hope she could bring the foster
care situation to the forefront if
she won. She wants to earn a
master’s degree in clinical psychology at California State University, Fresno, and perhaps go
for a doctorate and become a
psychologist.
When she finishes college, she
said, she is leaning toward a
career working with children.
“The world that I have come
from has made me mentally and
emotionally stronger and it
caused me to grow this fire in
my heart to be better,” Beltran
said. “I am always reaching for
the brightest star. I experienced
the hurt and feeling of neglect
other foster children have felt,
and it has made me want to give
back. I want them to know that
dreams can come true if you
PAGEANT | Back page, A5
By Ramona Giwargis
rgiwargis@mercedsunstar.com
The Livingston City Council
named an interim city manager
this month, in addition to adopting two new ordinances – one allowing smoke shops to open in
town and another prohibiting
trash scavengers.
Odi Ortiz, assistant city manager and finance director, was unanimously appointed by the council
on Tuesday after several closeddoor meetings. Councilmen Jim
Soria and David Mendoza were
absent for Tuesday’s closed session.
Ortiz, 42, replaces City Manager Jose Ramirez who resigned last
month after nearly four years on
the job. Ramirez’s last day with
the city is Jan. 31. Ortiz, who’s
been with Livingston more than
three years, said he’s looking forward to the new challenge until a
permanent city manager is hired.
“It’s going to be a little different,
but I’m ready to take that challenge,” Ortiz said, adding that he
wants to tackle next year’s fiscal
budget, hire a Public Works director and keep a close eye on city finances.
Ortiz will receive a 10 percent
bump in salary for the temporary
appointment. His current salary
is $97,000 a year.
In other business last week, the
City Council voted 3-1 to pass an
ordinance prohibiting people
from rummaging through someone else’s trash, despite opposition from one councilman.
Mendoza, who voted against it,
took issue with overburdened police officers being required to enforce the new law. “Cops have a lot
going on, and I don’t want to see
LIVINGSTON | Page A5
News outside Merced County
NUCLEAR DEAL: President
Barack Obama and Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
announced a deal to clear the
way for U.S. companies to help
build India’s energy sector,
potentially bringing tens of
billions of dollars and thousands
of jobs to the United States. A3
BLIZZARD: Residents in the
Northeast scrambled to pick up
emergency supplies as
forecasters warned that a
“crippling and potentially
historic blizzard” could dump as
much as 3 feet of snow from
Philadelphia to Boston. A3
WEATHER
Early fog, then partly sunny
today; showers developing
tonight. High of 53, low of 48.
Salvadori is the prime suspect in the fire, which was
reported Wednesday morning at Merced Golden Manor
apartment complex in the
300 block of T Street, Merced
Fire Department Battalion
Chief Billy Alcorn said.
A total of 11 elderly and disabled residents lost their
homes in the blaze. All the
ARSON | Back page, A6
MERCED MATTERS
LIVINGSTON
COUNCIL ALSO
PASSES TWO LAWS
QUICKTAKE
A 31-year-old Merced man
has been arrested in connection with an arson fire last
week at an apartment complex that displaced 11 people,
the Merced Fire Department
confirmed Sunday.
James D. Salvadori was arrested Saturday in the area of
Seventh and V streets. He
was booked into the John Latorraca Correctional Center
on suspicion of arson – intentionally setting fire to an in-
habited structure, which is
a felony. He
was still in
custody as of
Sunday morning with bail
set
at
James D.
$100,000, acSalvadori
cording
to
Merced County jail booking
records.
Andrew Kuhn akuhn@mercedsunstar.com
Rose Beltran, 17, says, “I
try to excel in
everything I do.” That
involves a wide range of
activities. She’s an
aspiring psychologist, a
gifted high school
wrestler and – since the
Buhach Colony High
School senior was
named pageant winner,
left, earlier this month
at her school in Atwater
– Miss Merced County
2015. Beltran is making
her mark despite being
in and out of the foster
care system since she
was 6 years old.
Christopher Winterfeldt
cwinterfeldt@mercedsunstar.com
Schools to get help with USDA could drop fees
for more organic growers
broadband upgrades
By Doane Yawger
dyawger@mercedsunstar.com
Four area schools will benefit from
part of $27 million awarded to 227
California campuses to help enhance
their broadband infrastructure, according to the state Department of
Education.
El Nido and Plainsburg elementary
schools, Romero Elementary School
in Santa Nella and Lake Don Pedro
Elementary School in Mariposa County are getting Broadband Infrastruc-
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ture Improvement Grants from the
state. They are intended to help isolated schools administer the new Smarter Balance state achievement tests.
Rae Ann Jimenez, El Nido superintendent-principal, called the state
grant a huge step in the right direction
for her district 15 miles south of
Merced. They applied for funding last
fall.
“Our students deserve to be connected to the outside world,” Jimenez
BROADBAND | Back page, A6
INDEX
Classified B3
Comics B6
Crossword B6
By Michael Doyle
McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON – Organic
farmers are fertilizing a proposal
to broaden their exemption from
paying industry fees that largely
support conventional agriculture.
Hundreds of organic growers
and their supporters have urged
the Agriculture Department to
grant the broader fee exemption.
The proposal would free more
growers from the industry fees
COMING TOMORROW
Dear Abby A6
Horoscope A6
Lottery A2
Opinion A4
Sports B1
Weather A6
The California Department of Transportation
will remove a homeless camp near Kelly Avenue
and Highway 140 on the east side of Merced.
used to promote the likes of almonds, beef and raisins, and
would potentially cut some conventional agriculture advertising
budgets.
USDA officials are now giving
all sides more time to comment
on the proposed fee exemption.
“The organic producers should
be in control of their own money,”
Laura Batcha, executive director
and CEO of the Organic Trade Association, said in an interview FriORGANIC | Page A5