In the last month, Mariposa County has surged from one of the state’s lowest rates of new COVID-19 cases to one of its highest. As a result, county supervisors recently approved mask and vaccine mandates for county employees. As of July 15, Mariposa County had reported 472 total cases of …
Read More »It’s Been A Year Since COVID-19 Hit The Valley – Virus Update For Mar. 19
Like in so many places across the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic crept up on the San Joaquin Valley. Some of the region’s first official cases were linked to outbreaks on cruise ships that came into port in March, but as we later learned, the virus was already circulating long beforehand. …
Read More »‘A Very Helpless Feeling’ – Why One Clovis Woman Hasn’t Left Her House Since March
A global pandemic like COVID-19 can be risky for anyone, but the risk level is on a totally different scale for Rachael Goldring Bell of Clovis. Born with congenital heart disease, she was later diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and an immune disorder, all of which increase her risk of a …
Read More »It’s been more than 2 years since Merced cab driver was killed. Family ready for trial
A jury has been selected for a trial set to begin Friday in the 2015 death of a well-known taxi driver and former Dos Palos police officer. Joseph E. Castrillo, … Click to Continue »
Read More »Missing Riverbank woman ate nothing but ‘2 grasshoppers and a fly’ since vanishing
As Jamie Tull’s parents searched frantically for their missing daughter, the 33-year-old ex-teacher hid out in a dry cow pasture without shelter in rural Merced County for 17 scorching summer … Click to Continue »
Read More »Senator Harris Makes First Central Valley Stop Since Taking Office
California’s newest US Senator Kamala Harris swung through the valley Wednesday taking time to hear from farmers about what they want out of Washington D.C. Access to water and the need for comprehensive immigration reform topped the worries of the growers and local elected officials who met with Senator Harris …
Read More »Merced County suspects make first court appearances since massive gang sweep
Nearly a dozen defendants swept up in “Operation Scrapbook” – a series of dozens of gang raids coordinated by local, state and federal law enforcement that netted more than 50 … Click to Continue »
Read More »Merced County’s unemployment rate the best it’s been since 2007
Despite a seasonal rise in the unemployment numbers, Merced County’s 12.6 percent rate in January was four-tenths of a percent lower than a year ago, labor market analysts said Friday. … Click to Continue »
Read More »San Luis Dam near Los Banos days from filling for first time since 2011
The San Luis Reservoir is expected to fill in the next two weeks for the first time since 2011, a sign that users likely will have all the water they … Click to Continue »
Read More »Merced jobless rate rises; still the best December since 2006
The loss of 1,600 jobs from November to December drove up the unemployment rate in Merced County to 10.8 percent, according to numbers released Friday by the Employment Development Department. … Click to Continue »
Read More »Officials advice residents to sign up for emergency alerts, especially since heavy rainfall is expected
With the heavy rainfall expected in the valley this weekend, officials are urging residents to register for the Merced County Emergency Notification System. The notification system alerts residents in emergency … Click to Continue »
Read More »Farm jobs surge; July jobless rate lowest since 2007
An increase in farm and manufacturing jobs played a large part in Merced County’s 10.5 percent unemployment rate last month, the lowest July since 2007, labor market analysts reported Friday. … Click to Continue »
Read More »Since DDT ban, peregrine falcons rebound in Yukon River cliffs
Half a century ago, when DDT was widely used in much of the United States, conventional wisdom held that peregrine falcons nesting in the cliffs of Alaska’s upper Yukon River were too far away from where the pesticide was used to be harmed by it. … Click to Continue »
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