The Merced Focus

2 weeks ago | themercedfocus.org | Brianna Vaccari

Reading Time: 5 minutesNewly-minted Merced City Councilmember Mike Harris in December cast a yes vote on a multimillion-dollar construction contract awarded to a company owned by his brother-in-law. The contract with Atwater-based Rolfe Construction was for a major road reconstruction project that began last week on a one-mile stretch of Yosemite Avenue in north Merced. The Merced FOCUS looked further into the issue after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen.

2 weeks ago | themercedfocus.org | Victor Patton

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe diligent yeoman’s work done by Merced’s New Beginnings, in saving the lives of local animals, is about to be revealed to a much wider audience. New Beginning’s volunteers, who work in tandem with other nonprofits and government agencies to find loving homes nationwide for Merced County’s stray animals, were recently visited by a crew of filmmakers making a documentary on the topic of animal transport while spreading awareness about adoption.

3 weeks ago | themercedfocus.org | Victor Patton

Reading Time: 2 minutesThe City of Los Banos has been given the green light by county leaders to move forward with filling its vacant city council seat by holding a special election in four months. The Merced County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the Los Banos special election to happen on Aug. 26, in order to fill a vacant seat on the five-member city council.

3 weeks ago | themercedfocus.org | Brianna Vaccari

Reading Time: 8 minutesTwo South Asian women now lead Merced County’s largest public school districts in making policy decisions and keeping schools accountable. Amalee Jayasinghe was re-elected to Merced Union High School District’s board of education last year for a second term, and Priya Lakireddy was elected to the Merced City School District’s board of education in 2022. In December, both were nominated by their fellow trustees to lead their respective boards as president.

4 weeks ago | themercedfocus.org | Marijke Rowland

Reading Time: 3 minutesSan Joaquin Valley residents already bracing for possible federal cuts to Medicaid could be hit with a one-two punch as Congressional Republicans plan to slash another $230 billion, much, or all, of which could come from the federal food stamps program. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is called CalFresh in California helps low-income residents buy groceries.