CVJC Newsletter Oct. 16 edition: The latest Merced and Valley news
Here are some of the top news items that made recent headlines in the San Joaquin Valley
Joe Munguia of Atwater donned special glasses to view Saturday’s eclipse with others at Merced College. Credit: Michelle Morgante/CVJC
We are the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a new nonprofit newsroom geared toward covering Merced and the San Joaquin Valley.
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The following is a collection of news items written by CVJC, in addition to KVPR, Fresnoland and other partners.
Scroll through this newsletter to see these highlights:
Merced College attracts crowd for weekend solar eclipse viewing
Death row inmate who murdered Merced police officer back in court, says his ‘rights violated’
Los Banos: A city dealing with broken processes, procedures and promises
Merced names Modesto lieutenant as city's next police chief
UC Regent and astronaut José Hernández shows students their dreams aren’t ‘A Million Miles Away’ (UC Merced)
Merced College attracts crowd for weekend solar eclipse viewing
MERCED (CVJC) – Using special glasses, telescopes and other gear, hundreds of people gathered on the lawn of Merced College on Saturday to share in the wonder of viewing a partial solar eclipse.
Robert Davies, professor of astronomy, geology and physical science, helped residents safely view the celestial line-up, which dimmed sunlight over much of the West for nearly three hours. Merced was not within the band of the eclipse that allowed viewers elsewhere to see the famed “ring of fire” effect.
“A solar eclipse is when the moon moves in front of the sun and blocks out some of the light,” Davies explained. “An annular eclipse is when the moon is a little bit farther away in its orbit, so it’s not big enough to cover the whole sun.”
The college provided donuts and coffee for the morning crowd. Davies invited viewers to return in April 2024 when Merced will again experience a partial solar eclipse.
“If you want to see a complete total eclipse next year, go to Missouri,” he said. “Or, come here and we’ll see a partial pretty much like this.”
-Reporting by Michelle Morgante
Death row inmate who murdered Merced police officer back in court, says his ‘rights violated’
The inmate sitting on California’s death row for the 2004 murder of Merced Police Officer Stephan Gray was back in a Colusa County courtroom Thursday, alleging his trial more than 15 years ago was unfair. READ FULL STORY
Los Banos: A city dealing with broken processes, procedures and promises
Two sources within city government said manager Josh Pinheiro has ordered staff not to talk to any council members. But, said one, “we’re not to respond to one particular council member at all.” READ FULL STORY
Merced names Modesto lieutenant as city's next police chief
A veteran of the Modesto police force will become the new police chief in Merced, an appointment that city leaders say will bring stability to a department that has seen repeated turnover. READ FULL STORY
UC Regent and astronaut José Hernández shows students their dreams aren’t ‘A Million Miles Away’ (UC Merced)
Hernández grew up in Stockton, in a family of migrant farmworkers. He said his father, despite only having a third-grade education himself, taught him the recipe for success. READ FULL STORY
Farmers fighting farmers over pumping allocations as Kaweah subbasin prepares for state scrutiny (KVPR)
Groundwater relations in the Kaweah subbasin in Tulare County have gone from bad to worse. (READ FULL STORY)
Is the San Joaquin Valley ready for its post SGMA future? Not…quite…yet (SJV Water)
In less than 20 years’ time, the San Joaquin Valley could become a patchwork of vast swaths of vacant, weed-filled lands interspersed with a few single-crop mega farms that employ only a small fraction of those who currently work in agriculture. READ FULL STORY
San Joaquin Valley growers may face probation for failing to protect groundwater (Cal Matters)
California water officials recommended putting several San Joaquin Valley groundwater agencies on probation for failing to develop an adequate plan to stop over pumping their severely overdrafted aquifers. READ FULL STORY
Meetings and events calendar
Merced City Council meeting — 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Civic Center, 678 W. 18th St. in Merced.
Merced County Supervisors, 10 a.m. Oct. 17 County Administration Building, 2222 M St. in Merced.
Livingston City Council meeting, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, 1416 C Street in Livingston.
Atwater City Council, 5:30 pm. Oct. 23, 650 Bellevue Road in Atwater.
Merced County Nut Festival — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Merced. Admission is free. mercedcountynutfestival@yahoo.com.