Local Politics · Merced, CA
The Community Alliance for a Sustainable Economy filed a lawsuit on October 8 in Sacramento County Superior Court accusing the California High-Speed Rail Authority of attempting to relocate the Merced station without required legislative changes or environmental reviews. The suit alleges the agency is violating state law SB 198 and CEQA by proceeding with plans for a rural station site south of Mission Avenue instead of the mandated downtown location. The rail authority recently withdrew a notice claiming the new project was exempt from environmental impact studies, stating it was conducting further review. This legal challenge follows previous community backlash against the agency's cost-cutting measures that reduced Central Valley service.
Crime · Merced County
The California Highway Patrol announced Wednesday the arrest of Manuel Adrian Salceda, 39, of Turlock, in connection with the July 9 discovery of Javier Becerril Jr.'s body in the trunk of a Tesla on Highway 152 east of Lower Cottonwood Road in Merced County. Becerril, 42, of Hollister, died from a gunshot wound to the neck and had also been assaulted, according to the Merced County Coroner's office. Salceda was apprehended in Dublin on Oct. 11 and booked into Merced County Jail. He faces murder and enhancement charges. District Attorney Nicole Silveira noted Salceda had a prior 2010 conviction for felony criminal threats involving a child abuse charge.
Crime · Winton, CA
Merced County Sheriff's deputies responded to a shooting in the 7000 block of Shaffer Road in Winton on Tuesday evening, finding a victim with a gunshot wound who was transported to a hospital. Turlock Police located and detained two suspects at around 11 p.m.: Samuel Rojas, 44, arrested for attempted murder, and Joanna Mendoza, 25, arrested as an accessory to attempted murder. Both were booked into the Merced County Jail. The sheriff's office is seeking tips from anyone with information.
Community News · Fresno County
The San Joaquin River Restoration Program reached a milestone in summer 2025 when 448 adult spring-run Chinook salmon returned to the river, the highest count since juveniles were first reintroduced in 2014. A $44 million hatchery opened in May 2025 in Friant produces up to 1 million juvenile salmon annually for release at the Merced River confluence near Newman. Construction of a $93 million bypass channel around Sack Dam and the Arroyo Canal east of Dos Palos began in 2025, while a Mendota Pool bypass project expected to cost up to $700 million is planned for 2028. Program managers estimate full river navigability for salmon by 2035, well past the timeline set by the 2006 legal settlement that created the program.
