Stories from here.

Editorial stories

• A Look Back on 2020-

  Why review a year many want to forget The year 2020 will be forever marked as the year of COVID-19.…

• A Little Voice Urging a Final Round-

  Playing a Sentimental Golf Favorite One Last Time The curved pine on hole nine at Modesto Muni Golf Course.…

• A Brief Visit to California -

  What the State May Have Looked Like for a Returning Vietnam Vet My latest book: Can-Do Californians, will be available at Lulu.com in December As the end of preparations for my upcoming book Can-Do Californians is now…

• Veterans- Now Never Forgotten

  How Merced and other Areas are Honoring those who Served Mark Bolte, the son of Air Force Colonel Wayne Bolte holds the sign that honors his dad along M Street (Veterans Boulevard) in Merced.…

• Election Day and the Right to Vote-

  Recalling memorable election contests over the years California is all in on mail-in ballots in 2020.…

• The Palm and the Pine from the Air-

  Sacramento TV Crew Show Unique Perspective of Local Icon The view of the palm and the pine on Highway 99 south of Madera as seen through the drone video camera of KCRA-TV in Sacramento.…

• A New Californian Making an Impact-

  Thirteen mountain hikes including Yosemite’s Half Dome for charity Brennen Thompson is one quarter of his way through climbing twelve peaks in California. He’s shown here on top of Sandstone Peak in Malibu.…

• A Courthouse Cupola View of Merced-

  On Top of the Iconic Courthouse Museum On the left - The view looking down N Street from on top of the Courthouse Museum. Right: The exterior of the iconic Merced building.…

• Politics and Sleep Deprivation

  * Memories from 1988 * The political parties are staging their conventions in August 2020. 2020 and COVID-19 We’ll be hearing a lot about the political conventions taking place in the final two weeks of August 2020.…

• Swinging through Summer with Youth Golf-

  First Tee Programs Help Kids Learn the Game & Build Character Area youth are learning the basics of golf through the First Tee of the Central Valley Program at St. Stanislaus Golf Course in Modesto.…

• Watching the Watermelon Harvest-

  Harvesters toss watermelons along a human chain until it reaches large cardboard storage bins on a flatbed truck. Photo: Steve Newvine Another Big Year for a Favorite Crop It’s an impressive sight.…

• A Special July-

  A month marking a milestone anniversary My friend Andy, who taught me the game of chess, was among the first to congratulate my fiancéeVaune. Photo: Newvine Personal Collection.…

• A Museum with a Sense of Humor-

  My return visit to the Merced County Courthouse Museum One of the displays at the Merced County Courthouse Museum “Beyond Appearance: Portraits of Merced County Women” exhibit shows two mannequins dressed in period…

• Yosemite Hiking trail tips. 3 moderate trails for a day hike.

  Hiking in Yosemite is an amazing experience. no matter if you choose to stay in the valley or head up into the high country, you will always be rewarded with wonderful views.…

• Yosemite and COVID-19 The latest update information

  To learn what the latest update concerning Yosemite national park.…

• Hiking Sentinel Dome. Amazing Views And An Easy Hike

  Trail view on the way to Sentinel Dome Have you ever wanted to climb Half Dome to the top to see the grand view on top of the dome?…

• Benny, Cole, and Jim Bradley, Junior

  Young drummer wowed Jack Benny and Nat King Cole in a 1964 television appearance Young Jim-w/Nat and Jack Caption: Jim Bradley Junior was a five-year old drummer prodigy in 1964 on the Jack Benny Program.…

• WW II ARMY PHOTOGRAPH RECALLS MY GREAT UNCLE ON MEMORIAL DAY

  WW II ARMY PHOTOGRAPH RECALLS MY GREAT UNCLE ON MEMORIAL DAY -Corporal Chester T. Dean, died two days after D-Day Corporal Chester T. Dean was killed in a training accident in Wales.…

• Taking a Trip to Half Dome? You Will Need a Permit. Here is How to Get One.

  The views as you enter Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park are always spectacular, but nothing amazes a visitor more than seeing majestic Half Dome rising high above the valley floor.…

• Yosemite Hiking tips: The Half Dome hike (not a walk in the park!)

  (see video below for more information) The Half Dome hike in Yosemite National Park This hike is not for the faint of heart. The hike will take all day and it is  important that you start early in the morning.…

• Welcome Back Customers-

  Some Stores Try Soft Opening Post COVID The entryway to the Helen & Louise clothing store at 1804 Canal Street in Merced is decorated in a big way as the shop welcomes visitors back inside following the COVID…

• Lake McSwain and Lake McClure

  PHOTO BY ADAM BLAUERT photo by adam blauert Lake McSwain and Lake McClureLake McSwain and Lake McClure: These two sister reservoirs on the Merced River are operated as a unit by the Merced Irrigation District.…

• Calvary Chapel Merced

  Calvary Chapel of Merced is a fellowship of people who seek to live lives that are pleasing to God, so we focus on understanding and applying what God has revealed to us through His Word, the Bible.…

• Passing Time in the COVID Era-

  What I will not take for granted post “shelter-in-place” A handwritten message at an area golf course offers a blunt take on social distancing.…