Merced County Times Newspaper
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John Derby 38 posts 0 comments

Currently retired and living on the shores of Mexico, John Derby is the founder of the Merced County Times and Mid-Valley Publications. He is currently enjoying his time away from the newsroom he developed in 1964 by sailing through the waters south of the border while continuing to write his weekly From Ship to Shore column and other articles of interest to the readers of Mid Valley Publications' newspapers.

Insights and Opinions

This Is The Story Of Carla & Eden

John Derby
Carla Acosta and her husband, Eden Ramirez, are opera singers who have performed at the historic Mexico City Opera House. When the pandemic shut down entertainment venues, they were out of a job and had little money to survive, so they moved back to to the town of Mulege in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, where Carla was raised and…
Business

Local firm hires tutor to help workers with kids

John Derby
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit last spring, and then endured through the summer months, Doug Fluetsch knew that a number of his employees — essential insurance agents — were going to be torn between coming to work and being at home for their children who were facing a new school year with online distance-learning. “We wanted to…
Insights and Opinions

Memories Of Mexico Over Past 20 Years

John Derby
In 20 years, one accumulates so many vivid memories of trips taken to Mexico, starting with the most amazing trip of all, sailing out the Golden Gate to a land hundreds of miles away, and not knowing what kind of challenges we would have out to sea. Our original intention was to sail around the world, but after 32 days at sea we ended up in…
Insights and Opinions

Realtors hear from building industry

John Derby
Affordable housing is a joke if what is coming down from Sacramento, in the way of new laws, comes to pass. For one thing, the plan is to require all home construction and restoration workers to be paid at the Prevailing Wage level of pay. According to John Beckman, chief executive officer of the Building Industry Association of the…

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