Take the ACE Train

A Small but Successful Commuter Line Between Stockton and San Jose Points a Way Forward for California Transportation

As the ACE Train pulls into the Santa Clara station, the conductor pops out—and begins apologizing for his train.

“I’m sorry, but this is not the Amtrak!” he bellows, loud enough to be heard by all boarding passengers on the long platform

“And this is not Caltrain! If you want the Caltrain to San Francisco, do not board this train!” he yells.

This warning is useful: The ACE Train uses some of the same tracks but doesn’t go the same places as Amtrak and Caltrain. It’s also fitting: The ACE Train …

The Modesto Girls are a Family Miracle

How Five Sisters (and Their Brothers) Survived Childhood and Stuck Together in Stanislaus County

California changes too fast. The new so quickly replaces the old. People come and go with a blur. I often feel like you can’t count on anything staying here anymore.

But …

How to Infect an Entire City with Art

Rather Than Building a Museum, We Turn Neighborhoods into Galleries

The reception for the Modesto Art Museum’s 2014 architecture movie night was well underway and about 200 people were mingling in the lobby of Modesto’s art deco State Theatre. Everyone …

‘Modesto Bee’ Editor Joseph Kieta

A Champion of Local News

Joseph Kieta is editor of the Modesto Bee. Before moderating a panel on the state of the arts in Modesto, he talked about why he loves the city’s people, his …

MoBand Director George Gardner

I’m a Music Teacher. I Run From Karaoke.

George Gardner began playing in MoBand—a community orchestra in Modesto, California, that performs free concerts every Thursday in the summer—in high school. He is the band’s longtime director and spent …

Singer Dellanora Green

Thank God for My Voice

Dellanora Green is a street performer who sings in Modesto, California. Before participating in a panel on how music reaches people in her city, she talked about Ringo Starr, God, …