Remote Surveillance Trailer in Merced, CA

Contribute to the Team

Share team highlights with fans & mediaComplete the ScheduleComplete the RosterAdd missing athletes to the rosterMake a Correction

Schedule at a Glance

Thu, 2/27vs Sacramento WaldorfW 49-43Thu, 3/6Pvs Point ArenaW 71-60Sun, 3/9vs St. Bernard'sL 60-70

Full Schedule

Rankings

All Rankings

Team Leaders

All Player Stats

Meet the Team

Full Roster

Stat Leaders

Rebounds Per Game

Steals Per Game

Blocks Per Game

Nearby Basketball Teams

Two Merced County elementary schools are among the best places to learn in California, according to state officials.

The California Department of Education recently recognized a total of 336 elementary schools across the state as part of its 2025 California Distinguished Schools Program, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced on Tuesday, March 25.

Created in 1985, the Distinguished Schools program recognizes two types of “exceptional schools” — schools that are “closing the achievement gap” and those that demonstrate “exceptional student performance,” the state education department said in a news release.

It’s one of California’s “most important ways to celebrate exceptional schools, districts, teachers and classified employees for their innovation, talent and success in supporting students, the release said.

Here’s who made the list:

In Merced County, Grasslands Elementary School in Los Banos and Pioneer Elementary School in Merced were recognized as California Distinguished Schools in 2025.

“Excellent elementary schools play a critical role in the life outcomes of our young people,” Thurmond said in the release, praising the “hard work of our elementary educators and school staff who help our students discover passions and experiences that will propel them.”

Grasslands Elementary, 1951 Mission Drive in Los Banos, has a total of 892 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, according to school ranking site Niche. The school is part of Los Banos Unified School District,

“This award celebrates our school’s commitment to academic excellence and creating a positive learning environment for ALL students,” Grasslands Elementary representatives wrote in a social media post on Friday, March 28. “From our dedicated teachers and staff to our amazing students and supportive families, this achievement belongs to our entire Grasslands community!“

On the Grasslands Elementary website, school principal Margarita Ordunez said that the school focuses on implementing a “culture where all students feel successful, safe and welcomed at school every day.”

Pioneer Elementary, which is part of Weaver Union School District, also earned recognition.

The school at 2950 East Gerard Ave. in Merced has a total of 1,126 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, according to Niche.

“While we have all known for years that Pioneer is an exceptional school, this award recognizes and celebrates the hard work and dedication of the entire staff,” Mike Weber, superintendent of Weaver Union School District, wrote in a news release

All 2025 Distinguished Schools recipients will be formally recognized at a special ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim on May 30, the release said.

To identify California Distinguished Schools honorees in 2025, the California Department of Education said used multiple measures

Schools were selected by analyzing data reported through the California School Dashboard, with a focus on demonstrating excellence and growth in academic achievement and ensuring a positive school climate.

This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 12:44 PM.

The Fresno Bee

559-441-6005

Fernanda Galan covers Central Valley and California news as The Fresno Bee’s service journalism reporter. Before joining The Bee in 2024, she reported in Milwaukee, Arizona and Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Rain showers and a thunderstorm or two are slated to sweep through the Merced area, according to the National Weather Service.

“There is a pretty significant storm that’s going to move in late (Wednesday), and it’s looking like we’re going to get a period of moderate rain in the Merced area,” said David Spector, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

At least half an inch of rain could fall in the Valley, the weather service said in an X post.

There’s also a slight chance of thunderstorms on Thursday, according to Spector.

The last time Merced saw measurable rain was in March 6, when 1.8 inches of rainfall fell in the city, the weather service said.

Here’s what to expect:

Tuesday was expected to be sunny in Merced, with a high temperature near 68 degrees and a low temperature around 47 degrees, according to the weather service’s latest seven-day forecast.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, “We’re going to have slightly above-normal temperatures, but they’re going to plunge behind the storm on Thursday,” Spector said.

Showers are expected to start on Wednesday after 11 a.m., according to the forecast.

There is a 70% chance of rain on Wednesday, which will be mostly cloudy with a high near 64 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.

The chance of precipitation jumps to 100% on Wednesday night, when a low around 44 is expected.

“New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch (are) possible,” the weather service said in its forecast.

On Thursday, there is a 70% chance of rain before 11 a.m. with a thunderstorm possible after that point. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.

“There is a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening,” Spector said.

Merced could get a 10th to quarter of an inch of rain, with “higher amounts possible in case of thunderstorms,” the weather service said.

Thursday will have a high near 57 and an overnight low around 38.

Friday is also expected to see some rain, with a high near 52 and an overnight low around 40.

“Thursday and Friday will be much cooler than normal,” Spector said, noting that highs will hover around the mid 50s while lows could possibly dip into the upper 30s.

The Merced area will get a break from the rain on Saturday, which will be sunny with a high near 63. Saturday night will be mostly clear with a low around 41.

Sunday is also expected to have showers.

Otherwise the day will be partly sunny, with a high near 68 and gusts as high as 20 mph.

Rain could continue into Sunday night, which will have a low around 48.

“We’re looking at another weak system on Sunday night and Monday, and these systems are not going to produce as much precipitation,” Spector said. “We’re looking at about a 10th of an inch to a quarter of an inch from these (storm systems).”

Monday will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 62 and wind gusts as high as 15 mph.

“There’s the potential for another storm late next week, but there’s a lot of uncertainty with that one,” Spector said.

Most of California can expect below-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation from March 19 through March 25, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center.

This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM.

The Fresno Bee

559-441-6005

Fernanda Galan covers Central Valley and California news as The Fresno Bee’s service journalism reporter. Before joining The Bee in 2024, she reported in Milwaukee, Arizona and Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

More rain showers are coming to Merced as two storm systems sweep through California, according to the National Weather Service.

The initial storm will mostly affect the southern coast of California, including Monterey and areas around Los Angeles, said Emily Wilson, a meteorologist with the weather service.

“It’s not going to be super big for the Valley,” Wilson said. “It’s mostly just going to skate by.”

However, a second storm system will bring showers and gusty winds to the Merced area next week, the weather service said.

There’s “moderate to high probability” of “strong wind gusts more then 35 mph across much of the elevated terrain in Central California,” the agency said in an X post. “Some of these stronger winds have the potential to extend into the west and north San Joaquin Valley.”

Merced last saw measurable rainfall on Wednesday, March 5, when nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain fell in the Central Valley city, the weather service said.

Here’s what to expect:

Next week's system has a moderate to high probability (50-95%) to result in strong wind gusts more then 35 mph across much of the elevated terrain in central California. Some of these stronger winds have the potential to extend into the west and north San Joaquin Valley. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/efjOiZAO8k

— NWS Hanford (@NWSHanford) March 7, 2025

Friday was expected to be sunny, with a high temperature near 63 degrees and wind gusts as high as 15 mph, according to the weather service’s latest seven day forecast.

The weather service predicted a low temperature around 36 degrees on Friday night.

Saturday will also be sunny, with a high near 67 and an overnight low of 39.

“We’re going to see it warming up again about the 70s,” Wilson said.

The sun will still be out on Sunday, when the high will reach 73 and the low will drop to around 42.

Although Monday will be partly sunny during the day, with a high near 67, showers are expected to start Monday night, the weather service said. The low will be around 45.

There is a 20% chance of rain before 4 a.m Tuesday, according to the weather service.

Tuesday has a 20% chance of rain after 10 a.m., the weather service said. Otherwise the day will be partly sunny, with a high near 67 and a low around 47.

Tuesday night has a 60% chance of precipitation.

“The real system that’s going to be affecting our area ... (is) going to be coming through on Wednesday into Thursday,” Wilson said.

“It’s going to be a fairly wet system, just according to what our models have right now.”

That’s when “Merced will start to cool down,” she explained, adding that the dip in temperatures will be “pretty dramatic.”

On Wednesday, there’s an 80% chance of precipitation with a quarter- to a half-inch of rain possible. The high will be near 61 and the low will be around 43, with wind gusts as high as 25 mph.

“We may see close to three quarters of an inch as the system moves across,” Wilson said.

More rain and gusty winds are expected on Thursday, when there’s an 80% chance of precipitation with a 10th to a quarter-inch of rainfall expected.

“The mountains might see a little bit of extra snow, like a tiny bit of dusting, but it’s going to be real minimal on Monday and into Tuesday,” Wilson said.

According to weather service models, it was too early to tell how much snow could fall in parts of the Sierra Nevada later in the week.

This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM.