Editorial

HOLLISTER, CA - The bikes rolled back into Hollister, California last Friday for the now annual Independence Rally hosted by city. The of this historic rally was San Benito Street right in the middle of the city’s downtown. Motorcycles filled the city’s main street for a four block area where vendors sold everything from t-shirts to motorcycles along the side roads.

This year marked the seventh anniversary of historic American Motorcycle Association sanctioned Gypsy Tour Event held in the city where "evil bikers" (the 1%) invaded the city in 1947.  After staged photo outside Johnny's Bar was published in Life Magazine in 1947, followed by a Harper's Magazine's article "The Cyclists Raid" and the Marlon Brando movie "The Wild Ones" hit the theaters, the legend of the outlaw biker was born. However the events in Hollister in 1947 bore little resemblances to the movie or the article, the bikers did not run amok nor become violent.

RENO - The Fall motorcycle rally in Reno known as Street Vibrations rolled out of town Sunday night after a hugely successful and safe weekend of entertainment, poker runs and fun. It is estimated the 22nd annual rally brought in more than $114 million into the local economy through hotels, restaurants, gasoline and sales from the more than 50,000 participants.

 On Thursday television star Erik Estrada served as grand marshal for the parade of police bikes to kick off the event. He later sat for a meet and greet where fans took photos and got autographs from the "CHiP's" star. Estrada wasn't the only entertainment, bands from across the country performed at the over ten stages through-out the rally in Reno, Carson City and Virginia City.

Hollister - The city of Hollister is a great example of how the media can manipulate their readers into believing anything. After a staged photo taken outside of Johnny's Bar in 1947 and a story of the 1% evil bikers invasion of the city during a sanctioned Gypsy Tour Event of the American Motorcycle Association, the legend of the rebel without a cause wild ones American Biker was born, even if they were riding English bikes.

Well motorcycling is still alive and well in the city of Hollister and this last weekend over 40,000 bikers passed though the city for the Hollister Freedom Rally. The free event attracted hundreds of vendors to feed the bikers and provided goods from souvenir t-shirts to leathers and accent lighting kits. If it had anything to do with motorcycles, someone was selling it in downtown Hollister.

EDITORIAL - In the rural Central California city of Madera, Thomas Jefferson Junior High principal Benny Barsotti was concerned that one of his teachers did not show up for school or call in for a substitute. This was highly unusual for this teacher, who chaired the school's English department and was hired thirteen years earlier from the Stanford University Graduate Program. The teacher lived alone, just three houses south of the school, so Barsotti walked over to see if everything was all right. First, he knocked on the front door, but there was no answer. Then, he noticed the teacher's car was not in the driveway. For some reason, Barsotti walked around the house to the backyard and looked through two French doors that looked into the living room. He then got on his school radio and told the school secretary to call the police immediately.[1]

When Officer Sam Anderson arrived at the house three minutes later, he was directed to the backyard, where he attempted to gain entry. Once inside, he found what appeared to be a body covered by a large bath towel, leaning on the front door in a seated position on the floor, where a large pool of blood had formed. The officer noticed the wall and door behind the body were covered in blood splatter, with bloody handprints down the hallway to the back of the house and a trail of blood to the home's only bathroom. When the officer removed the towel, he found the bludgeoned nude body of Glenn Reitz, the 35-year-old missing teacher. Anderson placed the towel back on top of Reitz’s head and body as he found it, then backed out of the house while calling for a supervisor and two of the department's detectives.[2] Once detectives arrived and the crime tape went up, the rumors began, and this teacher, who always placed the needs of his students first, went from a position of respect to becoming that gay teacher who was killed in Madera.

AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN MADERA: Part 1

MADERA - In 1977, I entered junior high school in the small Central California town of Madera. While I thought I knew everything and had experienced things that other twelve-year-old boys had not, it would be many years before my eyes would be opened to the big picture and the truth about people: We should all be treated equally no matter what the differences.

I was an only child of conservative Republican parents with country club memberships. Dad was an accountant and a member of the Elk's and Masonic Lodges. Mom was also involved in community service clubs. Being an only child, I had my parents' full attention most times. I sometimes forgot that I was only a lad and my mouth occasionally landed me in some real trouble.