Top Merced stories this week: Zoo reopens, DUI crash, new park. What to know

From a long-awaited zoo reopening to a serious DUI crash involving a child, Merced County saw a busy news week. Public health officials also issued warnings about West Nile virus as summer heat arrived.

Here are key takeaways:

• Applegate Zoo will hold a grand reopening on July 24 after being closed since Jan. 1 for major renovations, including a new black bear exhibit and upgraded bobcat exhibit. The Merced zoo houses about 75 native California mammals, birds and reptiles, most of them from wildlife rescue centers, according to the city of Merced.
• A 9-year-old boy suffered major injuries in a head-on crash on Lander Avenue in Hilmar around 1:54 a.m. Wednesday and was airlifted to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera. Jose Ramirez, 31, of Turlock was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI, and the boy’s father, Oscar Lopez Campos, 30, was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment after allegedly drinking with Ramirez before the crash.
• Merced will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday at 10 a.m. for General Vang Pao Park, named after the legendary Hmong leader of the “Secret War” in Southeast Asia. The new park will feature a monument to Gen. Vang Pao and an ADA-accessible playground named after Aletha June Schelby Nel, a late Merced resident and community advocate.
• Mosquito samples tested positive for West Nile virus in Planada, prompting Merced County officials to warn residents to wear repellent and eliminate standing water. As of July 6, West Nile virus has been detected in 24 California counties, with adults 55 and older more vulnerable to serious neurological illness.
• A separate head-on crash Tuesday afternoon on Lander Avenue south of Hilmar left both drivers with major injuries after a box truck crossed into the southbound lane and struck a semi hauling livestock feed.