Despite facing challenges and setbacks, more than 1,000 Merced College students fulfilled their dream of earning a college diploma Friday night.

Two of those graduates shared the special day with a parent who also received a diploma during the college's 50th commencement ceremony.

Jurors in the homicide trial of Maria Teresa Ceja Robles and Jose Augustine Velarde this week got their first look at video footage of interviews conducted with Velarde by Merced County sheriff's detectives.

Maj. Derrell Jeffords bounced his roaring Spooky 21 down and off the runway at Da Nang Air Base in Vietnam. It was just before 7:30 a.m., on Christmas Eve 1965. The big camouflaged belly of his twin-prop AC-47 was easily visible against a blue sky as he banked west.

The cargo plane-turned-gunship was on its way to Laos; its mission was top secret.

The number of homeless people in Merced County has dramatically decreased, according to this year's recently released Homeless Count and Survey.

Merced County law enforcement will beef up patrols during the Memorial Day weekend with a multi-agency effort.

Fifteen narcotics units used the former Castle Air Force Base on Friday for the certification of about half of their teams of officers and K-9s.

Memorial Day is often associated with barbecues, camping and other outdoor activities, but the holiday is about much more than that.

A full moon hung over the Elk Grove High stadium and Dallas Hoofard stood alone. The Atwater High senior, who earlier won the 300-meter hurdles, sobbed and was unable to approach his 4x100 relay teammates. Hoofard took the anchor baton in third place but finished fifth as the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Track and Field Championships rallied to an end.

To his credit, Hoofard was in no mood to celebrate his Masters victory in the 300-meter hurdles.

Bart McAfee enjoyed a luxury few softball coaches get to experience.

The Merced coach had two spectacular players on his team who both pitch and play shortstop.

As a coach for the Golden Valley junior varsity and the Atwater Competitive Soccer club, Jason Durbin has witnessed first hand how much talent continues to be turned out in Merced County. Getting that talent exposed to the rest of the state and country has historically proven trickier.