Patty Guerra

Temperatures in the 90s are nothing new to the northern San Joaquin Valley. But having them in March, as expected this week, is unusual and potentially dangerous.

An exceptionally strong ridge of high pressure will bring record-breaking heat to the entire region, the National Weather Service said. Temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley are likely to reach 90 degrees by Tuesday and 95 by Friday. That's 20 to 25 degrees above normal.

Breyenne Pierce wasn't sure UC Merced was for her.

The Turlock High graduate had followed her passion for water polo to Sierra College in Rocklin. As she was concluding her community college experience, she started looking for a four-year university to complete her degree.

"Honestly, I didn't want to go back home," she said. "I enjoyed being at Sierra. Even though it was two hours away, it was far enough to really spread my wings."

If it seems anxiety around elections is at an all-time high, then political groups have done their jobs.

"It's very conscious, it's very calculated," said UC Merced political science Professor Anil Menon, displaying a pile of negative campaign mailers during a panel discussion on campus Wednesday.

Dozens of high school students stepped off buses at UC Merced on a toasty Monday last summer, coming from Stockton, Modesto and Merced to spend a few days exploring college opportunities.

They were part of a special program, the 1300 Campaign, which aims to increase the number of young men of color attending University of California and California State universities by 2025 and 2026.

Construction has begun on a pilot project to install solar panels above two sections of Central Valley canals. This innovative initiative, which studies significant power and water issues, has already garnered recognition.

Project Nexus, a partnership between the Turlock Irrigation District (TID), the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), Bay Area development firm Solar AquaGrid, and UC Merced, received the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Award from the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB).

A major route to UC Merced could soon begin to be much safer under a project to install, test and assess several bike lane and other safety interventions.

Incoming first-year student Hayden Elliott will hit the UC Merced campus this fall with quite a bit of college already under his belt.

A 2023 graduate of Turlock High School, Elliott has earned associate's degrees from attending both Modesto Junior College and Merced College in their dual enrollment programs.

    A day before the midterm election, Gov. Gavin Newsom made a surprise visit
    to a political science class at UC Merced.

    Newsom was invited by Assemblymember Adam Gray, who co-teaches the class
    and provides insight about how government, specifically the California
    State Legislature, operates. As part of the course, students take on
    various roles, including state senators, lobbyists and the media, as well
    as a candidate running for governor.