MERCED Students from Yosemite High School in Merced heard a lecture, jotted down notes and took a quiz as they got a peek at what college life would be like during a program called "University for a Day at UC Merced."
MERCED Merced College officials say they are worried some people think the college is not accredited.
However, college officials might be approaching the end of the process to try to resolve the institution's "warning status" with its accreditation.MERCED Several dozen Mercedians convened Sunday afternoon at the Merced College Theater to celebrate Black History Month.
The theme for this year's event was "March on Washington," in remembrance of the march's 50th anniversary. The event, from 3 to 5 p.m., included gospel, dance, poetry and musical performances.MERCED Terri Pickard had a special reason to participate in Sunday's Merced Honey Bun Run.
MERCED UC Merced lecturer Petia Gueorguieva asked a group of young girls why chemistry is important.
"Make medicines," one girl responded.The 13 girls and their mothers or grandmothers were participating in a chemistry session this week at Mercy Medical Center's Pavilion Building as part of Science Camp program.MERCED A one-woman play coming to UC Merced explores the troubling issue of physical and sexual abuse. The play tells the stories of six boys and men who have seen, suffered or committed such abuse, according to a news release. Dael Orlandersmith wrote the play and will perform it. She's an actress, poet and playwright born and raised in New York.
MERCED Some Mercedians might not know that the area where the flea market takes place at the county fairgrounds was home to one of 21 assembly centers where Japanese-Americans were sent soon after the Pearl Harbor attack. There were also 10 internment camps, said Bob Taniguchi, who's involved with the Livingston-Merced Chapter of the Japanese-American Citizens League. About 120,000 people were sent to the centers and camps.
A student club at Merced College is inviting the community to celebrate Black History Month.
MERCED Some women in the Central Valley are seeking alternatives to the traditional hospital birth experience by using midwives and doulas, despite the concerns of many medical professionals.
A Merced dentist accused of sexually abusing four female patients made a brief appearance in court Monday.
"Did everyone do their homework?" Kathy Diaz asked a group of 12 Latino women sitting in a small classroom at Sacred Heart Church on Thursday afternoon.
PLANADA -- The owners of a longtime cannery in Planada and the last fig cannery left in the country are trying to come up with a strategy to keep the plant running.
No outbreaks of norovirus have been reported in Merced County this year — but public health officials say they're monitoring the disease closely.
MERCED Rep. Jim Costa is urging the Department of Defense to reconsider its plan to close the center in Atwater that provides services to military retirees, active duty personnel and dependents. In a letter, Costa said the closure of the Tricare Service Center would force veterans in his district to drive up to 90 miles to Lemoore or 150 miles to Beale Air Force Base for in-person service.
MERCED Partying, hazing and drinking. Those are the stereotypes of fraternity life, a group of UC Merced students who are active in the "Greek" organizations on campus acknowledged recently. "We are not just that stereotype," said Steven Duval Ruilova, 20, of Folsom. "We want to be more than that."
MERCED Up to 100 low-income, first-time mothers in Merced County could be eligible to receive in-home visits from a registered nurse under a new wellness program. The Merced County Department of Public Health received federal funding to bring this program to the area, said Jane MacLean, nursing director at the county's public health department.
MERCED About 65 Merced residents packed Tenaya Middle School's gymnasium Monday night during the Merced City Council's second town-hall-style meeting.
The council took questions from the public and heard residents' concerns over the lack of jobs in the city, lack of interpretation services during the meetings, stray dogs wandering the streets in south Merced and the increase in the city's crime rate, among other issues.Health centers in the San Joaquin Valley, including two in Merced County, will benefit from a grant designed to ensure proper use of health information technology.
MERCED Merced area school leaders say a new education funding formula that Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed seems promising, but they want to see more details and remain wary of legislative changes to the proposal. Brown talked about the formula and other issues, such as the state emerging from its financial crisis, in his State of the State address Thursday in Sacramento.
ATWATER A program at Castle that helps military retirees, active duty personnel and their dependents access health care services is scheduled to close next month.
MERCED Hundreds of Mercedians representing all ages and backgrounds took to the streets Monday to remember the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, participating in an annual march honoring the trailblazing civil rights leader.
Toxic chemicals released into the environment from facilities in California increased in 2011 compared with 2010, a report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows. None of the facilities with the largest chemical releases are in Merced County, but some are in the San Joaquin Valley.
MERCED UC Merced Associate Professor Cristian Ricci recently received a prestigious humanities award that will help him research Moroccan literature written in French, Dutch, Spanish and English.
MERCED UC Merced undergraduate applications for the fall 2013 semester saw a 14.2 percent increase compared with last fall, according to data released Friday by the UC Office of the President.
That's good news for UC Merced officials, but it also presents challenges given the shortage of physical space on campus.MERCED Merced County and several of its cities are getting failing grades when it comes to tobacco control. Merced, Atwater, Livingston, Los Banos, Gustine and Dos Palos received an F in the "State of Tobacco Control 2013" report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association in California.
The University of California's Board of Regents on Wednesday discussed the need to take advantage of the latest technology to expand online education in a changing world. "It's no secret that UC has hit a wall with regard to traditional instructional methods," UC President Mark Yudof said Wednesday during the meeting.
Undocumented college students in the Merced area are being urged to come forward to seek financial aid for which they could be eligible under the state's Dream Act.
MERCED Merced College began its spring semester Monday, and preliminary numbers show a slight decrease in student enrollment.
As of last Wednesday, the college had a head count enrollment of 9,649, said Anne Newins, vice president of student personnel at Merced College. That includes only those who are taking for-credit courses.Merced County public health officials on Monday warned that San Joaquin Valley counties could see an increase in flu cases soon.
MERCED Merced is home to the fifth largest Hmong community in the country, according to a recent study.
The study, published in the Hmong Studies Journal's special issue on the 2010 census, states that Merced's Hmong population saw a significant increase from 2000 to 2010, going up to 7,254 from 6,148. The study used information from the 2010 census and expertise from scholars around the country.
MERCED Fewer than 10 percent of the people in Merced County have earned higher education degrees, according to data from the U.S. Census' American Community Survey. Out of the county's 143,187 population of people who are 25 years and older, an estimated 25.1 percent are high school graduates or the equivalent, while 6.9 percent have an associate's degree, according to recently released survey data on educational attainment.
MERCED Local urgent care clinics say they are seeing a surge in patients at their facilities. Many more people tend to come down with a cold or the flu during this time of year, health officials said. A Families Urgent Care has seen a 12 to 15 percent increase of people coming into the clinic, said Anthony White, office manager. "It's the new cold virus that's going around," he said.
MERCED Area public health officials are continuing their efforts to lower the rate of child deaths related to motor vehicle crashes in the county. Medical facilities are now required to provide parents information about car safety.
MERCED UC Merced officials are reviewing consultant recommendations for the most cost-effective way to continue to expand, given the state's financial challenges. The university began working with the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Land Institute in the fall, and paid about $125,000 for the group to assist with exploration for the next phase of the campus's capital development.
Mercedians will get a short break before the rain returns to the area.
MERCED A man was arrested Sunday after three pit bulls were turned loose on a woman and a hammer was used in an attack on a man trying to help her during a fight in Merced on Sunday morning, police reported.
After decades of rising childhood obesity rates, several U.S. cities are reporting their first declines.
MERCED The Golden Valley Health Centers is among several nonprofits in the Central Valley that received money from Kaiser Permanente to help improve access to health care services. Kaiser Permanente gave nearly $1.04 million in more than 20 grants ranging from $1,000 to $75,000.
MERCED Jesika Lopez, who grew up being judged by others, wants to prove people wrong. "I was a statistic," the 23-year-old Atwater resident said. "I was always shut down." But Lopez is not letting that stop her from pursuing her ambitions. She will participate in a new program for at risk-youth in Merced designed to give them jobs so they can gain work experience and skills.
FRESNO Valley fever is a humbling disease. It can rob sufferers of their health, their life plans and their financial well-being. Uncertainty adds to the trauma.
