It was Nov. 11 in 1959 when the Army trained me to be a medic. I had no idea I would end up in Korea as all but 10 percent of my class was sent off to Germany. I planned on seeing Europe, and enjoying my next two years in the military. Wrong! There was a reason why, the top 10 percent were being held back. Our job would be to take an…

There’s always so many things to do in Merced. Often, there are just too many choices. Do we want to go to a concert? A play? A charity fundraiser? Combine two…

By MIKE BETTENCOURT Upon reading “ICE Out of Merced” (Op/ED, Oct. 31 edition) I was sickened to realize how much the State of California has declined under…

I am a member of ICE Out Of Merced — a coalition of non-profit agencies, faith-based organizations, and community members working towards the protection of immigrant rights in Merced County. For over a year, I have been reaching out to Sheriff Warnke to engage in a dialogue about what the Sheriff is doing to make immigrants in our community…

On Saturday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the corner of Loughborough Drive and Meadows Avenue in Merced, there is going to be a “Town Hall Block…

Some of my most cherished memories growing up were the cross-country automobile trips we took from California to Michigan and New York in the summers. My…

Mexico is not just beautiful vacation beaches, luxury resorts, culinary delights and friendly people. Nor is it just rural poverty, government corruption, drug cartels and crime. Mexico is also about a country steeped in a diversity of cultures and their respective festivals, some that are local, but also some deep-rooted traditions that…

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…

By Lee Pevsner When I was about 12 years old, I was in Redding, and happened to see a marching band going down the street. I wanted to be a snare drummer…

Normally, it would have taken years for a product like vaping to pass through the riggers to be approved by the United States Food and Drug Department; however, many felt it was the answer to getting people to quit smoking. Now the country is just starting to see the ugly head of the snake. The names and flavors of the products should…