Merced, CA
45 ºF Low
Sunrise : 6:20 AM
Sunset : 6:06 PM
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Merced, CA
45 ºF Low
Sunrise : 6:20 AM
Sunset : 6:06 PM
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“I’ll pay for them!” exclaimed Renee Davenport, as she advocated for the homeless on the coldest night of the year during Monday night’s Merced City Council meeting.
There will be crowds of Spanish-speaking residents pouring out of Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Sunday around noon.
Hundreds will surround the church and fill its sidewalks.
There will be an ice cream man pushing his cart. Another vendor will be selling balloons, or maybe churros and chocolate.
Sometimes a person will pass by and ask what's going on.
A parishioner will probably smile and tell the passerby that it's just a regular 'Misa.'
Mass crowds, you see, are a given at Sacred Heart.
Andreas Montiel, 18, knew he wanted the part of Jesus when planning began for Sacred Heart Church’s annual re-enactment of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday.
“Ever since I was a child I had a dream that I would someday play the part of Jesus Christ,” said Montiel, a Golden Valley student and member of Corazones Juveniles — the youth group that performs the Passion play.
The procession began at 12th and Canal, slowly winding its way through the neighborhood followed by a crowd of more than 600.
Kids were laughing, parents were buying tickets and the rides were spinning.
It was better than normal for Kiddieland as it returned to action for the 2009 season over the weekend.
"This is a great day for Kiddieland," said Alan Schoff of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Merced, the organization that runs the park. "We are opening on time, and with all the new community awareness, we have more volunteers and we are seeing a lot more kids."
In August, a state inspector forced an early closure of the popular rides at Applegate Park. The park had been operating under the state radar for years and operation manuals and safety procedures were not up to code.
But the closure sparked a community outcry, and the Kiwanis Club mobilized a grassroots effort to get the park up and running again.
Businesses responded — like Pete's Auto Body, where the Go Gator ride got some new fiberglass work.
Residents responded — like Katie Winn, who took it upon herself to hand paint all the horses on the carousel.
Young volunteers responded — like students from UC Merced, Merced High School, Golden Valley High School, the Key Club and Police Explorers who helped clean the park up and took safety classes so that they could help operate the rides over the spring and summer.
"It's just one of those great things you see when people in the community step up and contribute," Schoff said.
.preview.JPG "High Speed Rail: Chris Cradit, Merced Court Reporter, writes down comments made by Kim Forrest, Refuge Manager with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.")
High Speed Rail: Chris Cradit, Merced Court Reporter, writes down comments made by Kim Forrest, Refuge Manager with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.The idea of high speed rail may be getting past the "way-out-in-the-future-but- maybe-someday" stage.
The spunky 18-year-old, 100-pound Raen Bohn was bouncing, smiling and seemingly excited as she entered the caged ring.
But there was no denying the young lady Bohn faced — Samantha Riley — had a good 20 pounds on her and much better arm and leg extension.
"I was excited to be just doing it," Bohn said later. "I figured if I lost, it would still be good experience."
And it looked like she would lose soon after the fight started.
In the adult world, they can take your jobs, your houses and your credit away.
But when it comes to children who know little about such things, some honorable members of the community have something to say in this time when many of us are doing without all the extras:
DON’T MESS WITH KIDDIELAND.
“Let’s be loud and proud,” Alan Schoff told fellow members of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Merced in a recent report. “Kiddieland is going to re-open after an untimely end to last season.”
Merced leaders, homeowners and a bunch of playful kids brought some excitement to the official dedication of Elmer Murchie Park in the Bellevue Ranch East neighborhood in Merced.
Prominent resident Wayne Hein recommended the name for the park — located at Bancroft and Arrow Wood drives — several years ago.
Murchie worked for 52 years as a foremen for the Crocker Huffman Land and Water Operation on the site of today’s park. He retired in 1961.
There was a festive atmosphere as Atwater women and children enjoyed a breezy, sunny day March 7 on the grounds of Bloss Medical Clinic at 1251 Grove Avenue in Atwater.
It was a day many community members had been waiting for the entire year — the second Castle Health Fair as a result of a collaboration between Soroptimist International of Atwater and Castle Family Health Centers.
Theresa Tapetillo, a member of Soroptimist and a Board member of Castle Family Health Centers, explained, “This is our second event we’ve done with Castle to promote women’s health.”
Alice Kieffer, Marketing Outreach Coordinator for Castle Family Health Centers and a Soroptimist, continued, “The first Saturday in March, Soroptimist International all over the world does a Day of Service in the community. We teamed up to provide health services for women and children, since Soroptimist stands for improving the lives of women and children.”
Outdoors, there was music playing, balloons waving in the breeze, and an air of excitement about who would win the raffle prize — a $50 gift certificate from Super Target.
Children had their faces painted and munched on apples while their mothers waited in line to sign them up for activities with Atwater Police Activities League.
Joe Hoffar, Executive Director of Atwater PAL, said, “We’re giving out information regarding different free programs we have for the youth. We’re also recruiting for Police Cadets, and passing out information about gang and drug awareness.”
Inside the clinic, there were stations set up to service community members with health needs. At the blood glucose station and also at the blood pressure station, volunteers from UC Merced and West Med College helped deliver diagnostic screenings to those in need.
West Med College students volunteered at the vision and hearing stations as well. West Med College is a board-certified institution which has been training vocational nursing students locally for the past two years. To enter the 12-month program to become an LVN, students must have a high school diploma and pass an entrance exam and CPR class.
Christina Hill, the Health Services Supervisor for Merced County Office of Education’s Head Start program, was volunteering at the blood glucose station.
Hill, who has a Master’s degree in Public Health, was a fund of valuable information for the benefit of community members.
Explaining the importance of blood glucose screening, she said, “What we’re doing here is measuring the amount of sugar in the system. People with elevated blood glucose we take to the PA [Physician’s Assistant Enrique Talamantes], and he explains to them what it means. Then he can give information for them to call Castle and meet with a physician who can do further testing.”
She continued, “Sometimes the elevated blood glucose test means there’s a problem with the diet. Some people just have not eaten before arriving. But the test can also diagnose diabetes.”
Merced enjoyed a full Saturday of racing thrills and fun with the MERCO Credit Union Cycling Classic's Downtown Grand Prix.
Thousands of Mercedians lined the route that circled around downtown streets and hundreds more enjoyed surrounding family and community awareness activities that included live music, food and fun for kids.
The easy-to-enjoy MERCO event — in its 16th year — was a stark contrast to the elite Tour of California bike race that came and went through town in a matter of minutes just a week before. This time, however, racing fans could see the action and racing progress up close with several races throughout the day including the men's and women's elite finals.
The top men's race concluded with a thunderous sprint to the finish with Rahsaan Bahati holding off Justin Williams by one-hundredth of a second. Ina Yoko Teutenberg of Team Columbia Highroad won the women's race. In that race, local favorite Charlotte Hart finished in 37th place after being involved in a crash on the course.
Many community organizations were on hand with booths and information from Mental Health to Rainbow Valley Foster Care. The United Way had a prime spot for special guests who were treated to a sit-down lunch right next to the racing action. A live band played classic rock in Courthouse Park as children enjoyed bounce houses.
To the delight of parents in the crowd, the annual PeeWee Classic brought out a record number of children — more than 300 — and their smiles and determination easily won over hearts as they powered their tricycles and bikes toward their own finish line.
The two-day event wrapped up on Sunday with Ignacio Silva winning the pro Foothills Road Race to Snelling.
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