In the coming weeks, the Merced County Times will be exploring the communities covered by our Mid Valley Publications sister papers. We have editors and writers in six other communities: Hilmar, Denair, Waterford, Hughson, Atwater and Winton. We will be talking to them about what's going in in their towns, and about the challenges their residents and leaders face in these uncertain economic times.

Ashley Cahill: Hilmar Times editor Ashley Cahill outside her offices in Hilmar.Ashley Cahill is 22, fresh out of college and loving her first "real" job as editor of the Hilmar Times. But she never thought she would return and work in the same town that she grew up in since the age of 12. The Turlock High graduate studied journalism at St. Mary's College in the Bay Area and tried to get a career going there. But her parents — already suffering from empty-next syndrome — convinced her to come back home, and soon after, she obtained her new position and office just off Lander Avenue. The County Times caught up with her over a home cooked-style lunch at the local favorite Ranch Diner.

So, what's it like being the editor of the Hilmar Times?

Well, I have to do a lot of different jobs. I'm the go-to person for anything at the newspaper: advertising questions, classified ads, even subscriptions — I pretty much do it all. It's fun because I have become the face of the newspaper. People will recognize me around town and say 'Hey Ashley, I really loved that story that you wrote,' or they will give me story ideas. I grew up here, but it's funny because there are a lot of people in town that I don't know. And this gives me the opportunity to meet them.

Do you see the town differently now?

Oh, definitely. There was a lot of things that I did not know about this town. A lot more happens here than people think. Now that people know me, I get an overwhelming amount of calls and e-mails on events. I just can't go to everything. One thing I didn't know about Hilmar (prior to working for the paper) is how many interesting and famous people we have living in this area. We've featured stories on professional horse polo players, a world-renowned Scottish Highland Games professional, and many well-known businesses like Hilmar Cheese, Stevinson Bar & Grill, Stevinson Golf Course, and several respected horse ranches and dairies in the Hilmar/Stevinson area.

What's happening around town these days?

There are really just a lot of fundraisers, club events, and school activities. We got the PTA "Shall We Dance" competition on April 3. That's sort of set up like "Dancing With The Stars." But it's a fundraiser for several local organizations. My dad and I are actually going to be doing a routine for that one. On the April 28, there is going to be a benefit dinner for a local boy who is suffering from leukemia. Although I do cover a lot of events, I really like to focus our newspaper on the people in this community and the good things they are doing. Last week, I ran a story about a woman, Debbie Katsounakis, who recovered from kidney cancer and decided to contact her local state senator to get a resolution passed in honor of the disease. Sen. Jeff Denham got her resolution passed and named March "Kidney Cancer Awareness Month" in her honor. We also just had a guy from Hilmar (Allen Baballe) who won third place at a Tractor Pulling event in Kentucky. He competed against the top tractor pullers in the nation. People refer to this competition as the "Super Bowl of Tractor Pulls" so that was pretty cool.

What are some of the big challenges facing the community?

We are set off the freeway. We are off in our own little area, and we don't have really much of a downtown. The main road through town, Lander, turns into Highway 165. I think Hilmar would really like to have more sidewalks and awnings. They want people to come down here and shop on the street. But it's really congested right now. If that highway bypass ever happens, I think that will take a lot of the traffic off Lander. One plan would put in a center divider with nice trees to make the town feel more like a town. Another big challenge is the decline of the dairy industry. Hilmar is known for its dairies and many of the people who live here, make their living from this industry. With the price of milk dropping and the rising cost of maintaining a dairy farm, many farmers are struggling right now and it's a very difficult time. With that said, one of the amazing things about the people in this town, is their ability to transform a negative situation into a positive one. This year, for the first time in many years, the community is bringing back the Hilmar Dairy Festival in June. The goal of this is to remind people that the dairy industry is important and that we all need to support our local dairy products. Hilmar was known for this event for many years and I think it's great that we are bringing it back again.

How is Hilmar and its people different from other small communities in the Central Valley?

It is really one of the last "small towns" left. It seems like a lot of other small towns are in such a hurry to grow these days and that's really not the case here. Many of the families that live here have been here for generations and they love this community just the way it is. It is a small, safe place for people to live and raise their families. We have excellent schools, very little crime, and the people who live here are just honest, hardworking people who strive to make this community better for everyone in it. I, like many others, am proud to be a "Hilmarian." I think it's a great place to live and work and I feel fortunate that the community has accepted me and responded so well to the work I do here.