marci's blog

Tonight I covered a retirement dinner of one Cmdr. Tom Martin, of the
Merced Police Department. A very well-liked man by all his peers.
There were boards covered with photographs of Martin in various
stages of his career and life. There were 100 plus well-wishers in
attendance. After dinner there were awards and plaques presented to
Martin. A great group of people in attendance, to remember the person they

Over the Christmas holiday I traveled by air to Las Vegas to visit
my son, his wife and my 5-year-old grandson. I was supposed to take
off from the Merced airport at 10:58 a.m. but guess what--we didn't
leave until 1:40 p.m. Evidently, our plane was coming from Mexico and
there was ice on the wings. So they had to de-ice the wings before
proceeding to Merced. After we boarded the plane and were on our way to

The day is coming.

 Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, where people wait in line, sometimes as early as 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, just to get a good place in line for the early-shopper bargains.

Can you imagine, waiting in line in the dark cold night and into the early morning just for a bargain? These dedicated shoppers bring their blankets, heater stoves, chairs, food, family and friends to join them as they wait in line for the stores to open.

There are a lot of helping hands in our community.

The other day I was on an assignment where a company had donated 50 turkeys to the Rescue Mission for the Thanksgiving dinner that they provide every year at the American Legion Hall on Main Street in Merced.

The dinners aren't just for the homeless--they are for everyone. Feeling a bit lonely and and don't want to be alone? Go to the American Legion Hall, have a hearty meal and meet some people that are feeling the same way as you do. You don't need to be alone during the holidays. Or you can even volunteer to help serve, or just help in general.

People, people, everywhere

What a weekend.

First there was the band review, in front of Golden Valley High
School on Childs and Parsons Avenues. There were 34 bands competeing
in this event from all over California, the farthest being Oroville.
There was a lot of talent among these great bands.

The community was out in full force, in support of these youngsters. They were lined up all along Parsons and Childs Avenues, sitting in their comfortable

Yesterday Oct. 29, 2007, was my day off. I was just kicking back,
drinking hot lemon tea to get rid of a cold, when a news flash came across the
TV screen warning of a severe thunderstorm. I thought what a beautiful photo the lightning would make. A mighty powerful photo indeed.

So about 7 p.m.,I decided to venture out and see what I could
get.The wind was blowing branches all over the place and the rain was