Appliance Repair in Stevinson, CA

Patriots rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson had an outstanding preseason for the Patriots, scoring five touchdowns, including a 91-yarder in the opener against the Washington Football Team. His strong running, averaging 7.2 yards-per-carry through the three games in August and finishing as the leading preseason rushing in the NFL, was reason to believe that the rookie would make an immediate impact.

But in the first game, Stevenson had a fumble and struggled on a pass protection rep, cutting his debut short. After spending the next three games inactive, Stevenson has bounced back in the last two games, rushing 16 times for 46 yards, including his first career regular-season touchdown against the Cowboys, while also chipping in an intriguing three catches for 39 yards.

"I'm getting a feel for the game a little bit more, just getting comfortable with my teammates and I know that they're starting to trust me more so that makes me even more confident," said Stevenson on Thursday evening. "I think it's just a confidence thing."

With rising confidence, Stevenson offers intriguing potential for the Patriots backfield that has battled through injuries and inconsistencies through six games. They're led by workhorse Damien Harris, who has three touchdowns and 331 rushing yards. But at 23rd in rushing offense DVOA and 27th in rushing yards per game, the group could certainly use the kind of boost that Stevenson could provide, especially after James White's hip injury landed him on IR.

White continues to lend his leadership behind the scenes despite his injury.

"He's still vocal, he's in all of our ears, still he's a great mentor," said Stevenson of White.

Stevenson's soft hands have been on display since the summer and, as he gets more confident, he could offer some third-down possibilities in replacement of White. But route running has been a new challenge for the rookie.

"I ran routes before but it's never been very consistent," said Stevenson. "I'm learning, getting better and better at those each day as well. Just like any other part of my game, I feel like it's elevating."

A rookie season can be a whirlwind but it appears that Stevenson is starting to find his footing and that's good news for the direction of the Patriots' attack.

"It's football at the end of the day, I feel like I just need to do what I was blessed to do and just make it count every rep on the field," said Stevenson.

ew England Patriots rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson played quite well in training camp and the preseason, but a fumble in the team's Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins saw the University of Oklahoma product miss the next three games.

He got another chance in Sunday's Week 5 win versus the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

With starting running back Damien Harris unable to play late in the second half because of a chest injury, Stevenson and veteran Brandon Bolden got the majority of the snaps. Stevenson ran for 23 yards on 11 carries, with his longest rush going for nine yards.

If Harris is unable to play in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys, or is limited with his injury, Stevenson could see an even large role in the offense. Either way, Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears is confident the 23-year-old rookie is ready to find his groove and be productive.

Ivan Fears: âRhamondre started out too cautious. He was almost very nervous to carry the ball. We canât play that way ⦠He turned it loose (at the end), didnât he? Weâre going to get the cow bell going with that boy. Heâs going to turn it loose and weâre going to be all right.â

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 12, 2021

Stevenson has a powerful run style that the Patriots can use to their advantage, especially near the goal line where his strength will help him fight for extra yards.

The most important thing is protecting the football, which the Patriots have not done a good job of throughout their running back group this season.

Harris has coughed up the ball twice in the red zone, including a Week 1 fumble that cost the Patriots a victory. J.J. Taylor fumbled in field goal range during a Week 4 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Stevenson, as noted above, also fumbled in the season opener.

If Stevenson can hang on to the ball, he could be a very useful player for the Patriots this season. They need to run the football effectively to take some pressure off rookie quarterback Mac Jones. He's had to shoulder too much of the offensive burden through five games.

Former Stanislaus County CEO Reagan Wilson, who resigned in 2003 after concealing business ties, could begin working as Turlock’s city manager on Wednesday.

The Turlock City Council is scheduled to vote on hiring Wilson Tuesday, per the agenda packet, more than a year after officials started going without a permanent city manager.

Wilson served as county CEO from January 1993 to July 2003, when he resigned after failing to publicly disclose his private business relationship with a consultant, The Bee previously reported. Wilson apologized to the Board of Supervisors before resigning but said the advice of his friend, the consultant R. Lee Torrens, saved county taxpayers more than $12 million.

After he resigned, the county deducted about $20,000 from his last paycheck because Wilson used his county credit card for invalid purchases. A 2003 Bee investigation of county records found Wilson once paid for a $220 massage at a New York City hotel with the government credit card.

Wilson stands to make a base annual salary of $197,640 as Turlock’s next city manager, per the pending employment agreement. The annual salary is about $20,000 less than what Turlock paid former City Manager Toby Wells, who separated from the city in May 2021.

The council voted 3-2 to put Wells on investigatory leave in January 2021 and has filled the city manager position on an interim basis since then. In the council staff report, Interim City Manager Sarah Eddy said Wilson is the leading candidate for Turlock’s top management position.

“Mr. Wilson was quite forthright about his errors in judgment surrounding his departure as County CEO,” Eddy said in an email to The Bee Monday. “I think his directness about what he learned from the experience approximately 19 years ago was refreshing. I don’t expect it will adversely affect his tenure as Turlock City Manager.”

Wilson has not worked a government job since resigning from the county in 2003, Eddy said. The agenda report does not list Wilson’s current job, nor any of his work history other than referencing a 30-year career in various leadership positions.

Reached by phone, Wilson said he is retired and works as a farmer at a walnut ranch located between Stevinson and Hilmar. He lives in Stevinson.

“I’m looking forward to the council making a decision,” Wilson said.

His other previous jobs include running both Alternative Energy Group Inc. and Phoenix Rising Development Inc. as president, per his LinkedIn profile. Both companies are closed, Wilson said Monday. The companies dealt with reducing air pollution and developing solar energy facilities, per his profile.

Turlock’s city manager position has a high turnover rate. Since 2015, eight people have served as Turlock’s city manager on a permanent or temporary basis. Some worked the role multiple times in separate stints.

Since 2015, the position has been filled by Roy Wasden, Michael Cooke, Gary Hampton, Robert Talloni, Robert Lawton, Toby Wells, Dan Madden and Sarah Eddy.

This story was originally published February 7, 2022 12:33 PM.

GHOST WALK is a site-specific, digital audio show for the streets of City of London.

GHOST WALK is a site-specific, digital audio show for the streets of City of London, playable on audience's smartphones.

Created by multi-award-winning POLTERGEIST THEATRE, star casting includes Juliet Stevenson, Lydia West, Adam Buxton, Paterson Joseph, Nina Wadia & Tanya Reynolds, and original music by Alice Boyd.

Co-Produced by New Diorama Theatre, supported by British Land and Arts Council England, this interactive comedy is the first public event launched by NDT Broadgate.

Acclaimed theatre company Poltergeist (Lights Over Tesco Car Park, Art Heist) return to London this December with GHOST WALK, a genre-bending audio walk. Download the app, plug in your headphones, and track down a host of hilarious ghosts lurking in the alleyways of City of London.

Collaborating with sound mapping app developers Echoes, Ghost Walk is a site-specific audio show, turning audience smartphones into ghost detectors. Launched through a 3-day live event in Broadgate, City of London (9th - 11th December), with tickets available now, the GHOST WALK app will then be available to download for free into Spring 2022.

The all-star cast is led by Olivier-winner Juliet Stevenson (The Doctor, Mary Stuart). It also stars Adam Buxton (The Adam Buxton Podcast, The Adam and Joe Show), Lydia West (It's a Sin, Years and Years), Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education, Emma), Nina Wadia (The Outlaws, Goodness Gracious Me), Paterson Joseph (Peep Show, The Leftovers), David Mumeni (Dead Pixels, Stath Lets Flats), and introducing Ivo and Zac Stimpson. The cast is rounded off by Poltergeist company members Rosa Garland and Will Spence.

Alice Boyd is Composer and Sound Designer for this audio experience, and Jack Bradfield is Director and Lead Writer. The piece is co-written by Rosa Garland and Will Spence, with visual design by Shankho Chaudhuri, and produced by Emily Davis.

Ghost Walk is powered by Echoes (https://echoes.xyz/), and is a co-production with New Diorama Theatre. Supported by British Land, Arts Council England, and with thanks to the Pound Corsham.

Juliet Stevenson said: "I have so loved my involvement with this unique project, and with Jack and all those who have collaborated on it. So exciting to be part of a team who are creating a new form, and to feel the originality of it. It's going to be such an immersive, fun, and fascinating experience for those who participate. Using the state-of-the-art technology of Now to explore and reveal the fascinating history of London's Then. Can't wait to be a punter myself and take the walk with the garrulous ghouls and ghosties in the City.

For tickets for the live event 9-11 December and more information go to: https://newdiorama.com/whats-on/ghost-walk

Residents of Stanislaus and Merced counties can apply for financial assistance to afford prescription medications through the RxRelief program Turlock-based nonprofits started in October.

The program plans to spend between $25,000 and $100,000 in charitable funds to help people pay for prescriptions through the end of December, said Jeffrey Lewis, CEO of the Legacy Health Endowment and EMC Health Foundation.

“As we get closer to the holidays, our goal is to help people keep a few extra dollars in their pocket,” Lewis said. “If they can enroll in this program, we can assist them with the cost of their copay or deductible or enroll them in a program if they’re uninsured so we can cover 100% of the cost.”

How much the endowment and foundation spend depends on the number of participants, Lewis said. He doesn’t expect to write Community Health Centers of America a grant of more than $30,000 to pay for the medications. But Lewis said he hopes hundreds of people sign up, allowing the nonprofits to assess community needs and budget programs accordingly.

To qualify, participants’ household income must be at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. That 300% is $38,640 for an individual or $79,500 for a family of four. The federal poverty rate for Stanislaus County is 17.2%, per census estimates from 2013 to 2017. Applicants do not need to submit proof of income, and Lewis said he believes he can trust community members who sign up for the the program.

People without insurance and those with employer-provided or commercial insurance are eligible for RxRelief. But people in public programs such as Medicare, Medi-Cal and Veterans Affairs do not qualify, Lewis said.

RxRelief program participants must live in one of the following communities: Atwater, Buhach, Ballico, Cressey, Ceres, Crows Landing, Delhi, Denair, Montepelier, Gustine, Santa Nella, Hilmar, Irwin, Hughson, Keyes, Livingston, Newman, Hills Ferry, Patterson, Diablo Grande, Westley, Grayson, Stevinson, Turlock, Cortez, west Modesto, Bret Hart or Winton.

From offering similar programs, Lewis said the nonprofits know locals are rationing or reducing their prescription medication doses for financial reasons. Nationally, a 2019 Kaiser Family Foundation poll found 24% of people taking prescription drugs reported difficulty affording them.

“People cutting pills in half, people taking less insulin than they’re supposed to take so they can stretch it out — that’s not uncommon,” Lewis said. “It’s just unfortunate. Our goal is to fix that problem so people in these communities understand there’s a resource to help them.”

In the first few days of the program, Lewis said between six and a dozen people had applied. The nonprofits will decide whether to continue the program past the end of December based on the number of participants. If they see a lot of participants are on high-deductible health plans, Lewis said there is a high chance of extending RxRelief.

To apply, visit usfreemeds.org which is available in English, Spanish and Punjabi. Call 209-250-2317 for any questions.

This story was originally published October 12, 2021 4:00 AM.