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Why does the Courier shortchange Citizens for Ceres civic interest?
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Editor, Ceres Courier,

Your editorials are beginning to sound very skewed, if not rabidly antisocial in tone. In last week's editorial, "Where was ‘Citizens for Ceres' Outrage Over Dollar General?" -- you lambast the prominent Citizens for Ceres group (of which I am a member) for not challenging the approval of a 9,100 square-foot Dollar General store. Considering the obvious distinctions that this store is approximately 1/30th the size of the Supercenter shopping center project (yes it would take about 30 of these Dollar General developments to equal the size of Wal-Mart's shopping center project), the lack of any third party reports showing Dollar General stores cause other stores to close, and Wal-Mart's project admittedly resulting in its abandonment of its existing 132,000 square-foot store in favor of the new project, this is a misguided question.

In the future, please provide a more complete editorial that includes the many positive outreach efforts made by Citizens for Ceres on behalf of the Ceres community for nearly six years. The group's opposition to the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter is only one facet of the group's mission. Not once have you reported about several other community achievements this group is known for. You always provide descriptive reports about other community groups -- why do you shortchange this one?

To shed a little light on this topic, in July 2013 the Citizens for Ceres group will turn six years old. Before the group became the forerunner for community protection against the poorly written Supercenter Environmental Impact Report, the group was helping homeowners who were losing their homes to foreclosure. Then as early as November of 2007, the group's opposition to the supercenter was reported in newspapers and members opposition to the project was mentioned on the website sprawlbusters.com<http://sprawlbusters.com/>; the title of the article read: Wal-Mart Steals Land From Goddess of Agriculture (http://sprawl-busters.com/search.php?readstory=2910).

Your rhetoric, "‘Citizens'...was the group that appeared out of nowhere" -- demonstrates how the Ceres Courier has failed to report historical facts about the group's origins and history. One should not overlook how members of the Ceres community and environmental groups were upset by the premature demolition in 2007 on the proposed Supercenter land. The demolition occurred before the environmental studies were completed, and in the process the foxes were not properly captured before the demolition occurred. In fact, the foxes weren't even captured after the demolition.

In late December 2007, CBS 13 News reported how Ceres residents and environmentalists were upset at the city of Ceres for their mishandling of the proposed supercenter land because of the fact that the land was cleared before the studies were complete.

In moving forward, I hope to read more balanced articles by you because it is more interesting for your readers to hear both sides of any local story. Basic civility and journalistic integrity are qualities that the Courier should care about. Unfounded assertions and indictments take value away from the conversation.

Rick Rushton,
Ceres

LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the editor will be considered for publication but must be signed with the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters should contain 250 words or less and be void of libelous statements. Letters may be sent to The Ceres Courier, 138 S. Center Street, Turlock CA 95380 or emailed to jeffb@cerescourier.com