John Derby 112 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

Town Hall Meetings Offer A Way To Get Involved

John Derby Feb 6, 2023

If you don't like what is going on in our town, don't just sit back and complain — get involved. The city, and we mean the Merced City Council as well as City Staff, have set up a series of Town Hall meetings and this is a way to get involved. The last one will be held at Weaver Middle, 3076 E. Childs Ave., on Thursday, Feb. 9, from 6…

Insights and Opinions

The Making Of A Mega Garage Sale For Students

John Derby Feb 2, 2023

There is a saying, “People tend to accumulate as much stuff as they have room for," and such is the case down here in Mexico, where there are literally…

Insights and Opinions

Water, Water, Water… How Much Is Enough?

John Derby Jan 26, 2023

There was a time when flooding was common place here and G Street was G Grade — built high enough to stop the water overflowing from Bear Creek. Bear…

Insights and Opinions

If Merced Isn’t Careful, No One Will Want To Work For City

John Derby Jan 19, 2023

There is such a thing as being "Black Listed" and the City of Merced is close to being on the list of such cities. The city needs a new police chief. Would you want to go to work for a city in which the Police Department is under investigation by the Attorney General? If you were a Law Enforcement Officer, or a Firefighter, would you pick…

Around Town

Medical Ministries providing the world with needed supplies

John Derby Jan 12, 2023

Joyce Eden showed up at a recent Merced Sunrise Rotary meeting with a message which is hard to believe. She is the director of Medical…

Insights and Opinions

59 Years … And 2,919 Editorials Later

John Derby Jan 4, 2023

As 2022 comes to an end, and as we look forward to our 59th year in business, it’s time to look back at all the years that have passed. It was on a day…

Insights and Opinions

There Is No Place Like Home For Holidays

John Derby Jan 1, 2023

We are sure many people will be traveling much further than we have traveled to be home for the holidays, but 1,200 miles from the beach community in Mexico to Merced in a pickup truck was all we bargained for. The weather when we left was between 75 and 80 degrees. Going to Merced Rotary the day after our arrival it was 30 degrees and we…

Insights and Opinions

CRACKY — The story of a near-sighted crab

John Derby Dec 29, 2022

Editor’s note: For nearly 30 years, Publisher John Derby, wrote one children's story a year at Christmas time, and his late wife Kathy…

Insights and Opinions

A Gift That Keeps On Giving, Every Week Of Year

John Derby Dec 12, 2022

Now is the time for gift giving, and if you are no different than most people, finding just the right gift for that someone special is not easy. There is…

Local News

Frankincense Found In Mexico, Not Far From Us

John Derby Dec 5, 2022

Who has not heard about the Three Wise Men who visited the Christ child in Bethlehem bringing gifts of "Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh"? Not far from our home in Mexico, the Boswellia Tree, which is where Frankincense comes from, is growing in the wild. A week ago, a lady was going to take a hike with other people in our area to find the…

Load More Posts