The Modesto Focus
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Nonprofit, nonpartisan news for Modesto and Stanislaus County
09/23/2026
In the 2024-25 school year, the most recent year for which the California Department of Public Health has published data on county and school-level vaccination rates, of 916 schools in the Valley, the number of schools falling short of herd immunity among their kindergarten students had grown to 81. Read the full story, link in the comments. 🔗
09/22/2026
MID meets this morning, Modesto City Council meets later tonight, and there’s plenty more happening this week! Check out this week’s lineup of public meetings! 👀
09/21/2026
Check out last week's news recap. Visit our website today to read the full story: www.themodestofocus.org🔗
09/19/2026
09/18/2026
Check out what is happening in the coming days in your community! More events and info can be found at the link in our comments 🔗🎥🗓
09/17/2026
Join The Modesto Focus and its partners the NAACP Modesto/Stanislaus and the Stanislaus County Veterans Services Office for an in-person debate of the candidates running for the Modesto City Council. The event is free and open to the public.🗳
09/17/2026
Join us today! This event is free and open to the public. Join us at 5:00 p.m. on September 17 (Constitution Day) at the Smittcamp Alumni House at Fresno State. Use the QR code above to register for parking.
A Special Thank You to Our Sponsors: First Amendment Coalition,
ACLU of Northern California, Central Valley Journalism Collaborative and KVPR
Highlights from the State Senate 4th District forum between Democrat Jaron Brandon and Republican Alexandra Duarte.
In these clips:
The candidates responded to a question about the Private Attorneys General Act, which was created to enforce labor laws and protect workers. Candidates were asked: Do recent reforms to the law addressing excessive litigation go far enough?
The candidates also responded to a question about the implementation of the Sustainable Management Groundwater Act (SGMA): whether they support legislative changes to the law, and if so, what would they change? And if not, how do they see SGMA achieving its original intention?
The forum was co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Stanislaus County and the four Modesto-based Rotary clubs.
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🇲🇽 Happy Mexican Independence Day!
Today, September 16, Mexico celebrates its independence. Just a few days ago, South Modesto Business United celebrated with its own Mexican Independence Day celebration at El Rematito. The event drew more than 1,000 people on September 11, making it one of the organization’s biggest events yet.
Check out the sights and sounds we captured at the celebration!
09/16/2026
More than a decade ago, a fly-by-night bitcoin mining company called Aquifer leased space in the former plant and brought in rows of computer servers cooled by huge banks of industrial box fans. But the cryptocurrency sector was super volatile in those days. With mounting debt and vanishing resources, Aquifer soon went under, declaring bankruptcy in 2015 – and skipping out on $500,000 in unpaid rent and legal fees owed to Riverbank taxpayers. Read the full story from our accountability reporter, Garth Stapley, link in the comments. 🔗
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