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The Merced FOCUS @TheMercedFOCUS

Local Community News and Media

Joined January 2024
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  • Followers 92
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Merced might be removed from initial California bullet train route to cut costs, report suggests. Story by @VAPwriter themercedfocus.org/merced-mi…

Merced might be removed from initial California bullet train route to cut costs, report suggests

A new report by California’s High-Speed Rail Authority suggests the state could save billions of dollars by resequencing the planned Bakersfield-to-Merced segment of the bullet train.  That could...

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The Merced FOCUS retweeted
KVPR@KVPR
22 Aug 2025
Merced might be removed from initial California bullet train route to cut costs, report suggests via @TheMercedFOCUS kvpr.org/government-politics…

Merced might be removed from initial California bullet train route to cut costs, report suggests

The California High Speed Rail Authority recently completed a “holistic reassessment” of the project. Among the potential options, the report suggests that resequencing the train route from Bakersf...

kvpr.org
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Surprise! 🐻 Detectives with the Merced Police Department surprised the City Council with the stolen Applegate Zoo sign during Monday’s council meeting. The sign vanished in February, sparking a swift and very public response. themercedfocus.org/merced-pd…

Merced police recover stolen Applegate Zoo sign, after getting community tip

Detectives with the Merced Police Department surprised the City Council with the stolen Applegate Zoo sign at the Monday council meeting.

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The demonstration comes as a growing number of Americans question the ongoing military action in Gaza, amid images of children dying from starvation. themercedfocus.org/merced-co…

Merced County residents protest mass starvation in Gaza. ‘Stop funding genocide’ 

Local protesters unveiled banners above Highway 99 in Merced County during rush hour traffic to call attention to famine in the Gaza Strip.

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The Merced FOCUS retweeted
Shawn Jansen@MuhsdSports
22 Jul 2025
Thanks to the @TheMercedFOCUS for the story. themercedfocus.org/merceds-t…

Merced’s top sports scribe has a new gig. But he’s still doing what he does best

The walls are still bare inside Shawn Jansen’s new office digs just a stone’s throw away from the runway at Castle Commerce Center. Yet a tall stack of Merced Sun-Star sports special sections dating...

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The report, released Tuesday, showed the state lost over 3% of its private workforce in four weeks and described the loss as a sudden and rare drop not seen outside of major economic crises. themercedfocus.org/uc-merced…

Fear over immigration raids caused major job decline in California, says UC Merced study

A new report from UC Merced shows California’s economy lost over 3% of its private workforce as immigration raids ramped up.

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What the Big Beautiful Bill could mean for some hospitals in the San Joaquin Valley

Hospital executives in the San Joaquin Valley are assessing how to take in looming Medicaid changes from the Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress and signed by President Trump earlier this...

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“One of the things that we know is that LGBTQ people are being left behind regarding all the great campaigns there are in the U.S. to bring down smoking rates,” the UC Merced researcher said. themercedfocus.org/new-uc-me…

New UC Merced study would help LGBTQ adults quit smoking. How federal policies are affecting...

A new UC Merced study aiming to help LGBTQ2S adults quit smoking has paused recruitment pending legal challenges to federal policies.

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Considered a hidden gem off the 99, a loyal customer base has sustained Nagame in Merced for many years. Many residents told The Merced FOCUS the restaurant is going to be missed. themercedfocus.org/merceds-o…

Merced’s oldest Japanese restaurant saying ‘sayonara’ after four decades in business

Considered a hidden gem off the 99, a loyal customer base has sustained Nagame Japanese restaurant in Merced for decades.

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About once a month, the inside of the Merced Senior Center transforms into a dark, thumping night club – complete with a DJ, flashing lights and a snack bar that serves mocktails and nonalcoholic beer. themercedfocus.org/this-pop-…

This pop-up nightclub is a place of ‘pure happiness’ for Merced’s disabled adults

Merced's Club 67 gives disabled adults a fun-filled nightclub experience with friends they otherwise may not have.

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The bear is back. themercedfocus.org/merced-in…

The bear returns: Merced installs new sign at Applegate Zoo

Applegate Zoo in Merced has replaced the custom wooden sign that was stolen earlier this year.

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The red-carpet event will include a light reception and a performance by Laura Porter, principal harpist with the Fresno Philharmonic. themercedfocus.org/merced-po…

Merced Poet Laureate inauguration celebration set for Saturday 

The inauguration celebration for Joyce Dale as Merced’s first poet laureate is set for May 31 at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center. 

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The Merced County Board of Supervisors on a split vote approved the closure of Fire Station 75 located at the Dos Palos Wye. It’s one of two fire stations currently serving the city of around 6,000 people and the surrounding unincorporated area. themercedfocus.org/merced-co…

Merced County will close a third fire station, despite passage of Dos Palos sales tax

The Merced County Board of Supervisors approved the closure of Fire Station 75 located at the Dos Palos Wye by June 30.

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The life and times of one of the 20th century’s most prolific artists – who was a singer, actor, activist and scholar – will be celebrated in June with a one-man play in Merced. themercedfocus.org/play-cele…

Play celebrating the life of civil rights icon and actor Paul Robeson coming to Merced

“The World is My Home – The Life of Paul Robeson,” will be performed by Stogie Kenyatta at Unity of Merced. 

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The Merced FOCUS retweeted
Joe Moore@jn_moore
27 May 2025
KVPR remembers the life of longtime station voice Marv Allen kvpr.org/inside-kvpr/2025-05…
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Merced city officials plan to leave some city positions unfilled during the next fiscal year so that it can balance its $438.5 million budget. themercedfocus.org/merceds-p…

Merced’s proposed budget ‘maintains status quo’ as labor costs rise

Merced city officials plan to leave some city positions unfilled during the next fiscal year so that it can balance its $438.5 million budget.

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“When you have people who feel respected and valued and appreciated in their positions, they do a better job,” said one union member and Merced County employee. themercedfocus.org/merced-co…

Merced County employees get big raises one year after near strike. ‘They wanted to make it right'

More than 1,700 Merced County employees will receive a 10% pay raise and alleviated healthcare costs after nearly striking last summer.

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Millions in state dollars were allocated to help Planada recover from a flood. More than two years after the disaster, some residents are still waiting for that promised assistance to arrive. themercedfocus.org/im-still-…

'I'm still waiting.' Some Planada families frustrated by slow flood recovery

Even a member of the state Assembly is unhappy with the slow pace of repairs promised to residents, two years after a flood ravaged Planada.

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While Merced has more than 500 new affordable housing units in the pipeline, smaller Merced County cities have none. Recently proposed legislation might help change that. themercedfocus.org/affordabl…

Affordable housing is bustling in Merced, but smaller cities face barriers. ‘It’s not for lack of...

The city of Merced has a number of low-income, affordable housing projects in the works, but other, smaller Merced County cities have none.

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Offline Comedy does pop-up shows a few times a month at secret locations around the Valley, including this recent event in Merced. themercedfocus.org/from-merc…

From Merced to Sacramento, this pop-up comedy show is stirring up laughs across generations

Offline Comedy shows pop up a few times a month around the Central Valley. This time, it took place at a Merced film studio

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