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Paul Garza, of Fresno, CA, winner of the drawing for two roundtrip tickets and hotel accommodations for two. Congratulations Paul!

Flying 4 Food
Did you know that 1 in 8 Americans are at risk for hunger? From children and seniors to the working poor, millions of Americans are either hungry or nearing hunger. Today many public food-assistance programs and private organizations strive to meet the nutritional needs of these vulnerable Americans. Great Lakes Airlines and the Merced County Food Bank are asking for your help.

Throughout the month of July, bring a non-perishable food item to the Great Lakes counter and you will be eligible to win one of 4 round trip tickets between Merced and Las Vegas. Donate as much as you like, however only one entry per person / per week is permitted. Donations will be accepted Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the Merced Regional Airport, 12 Macready Drive. Weekend hours are limited. Please contact Great Lakes Regional Sales Manager, Kassi Mohlenkamp at 307-432-7018 with any questions.

Merced Passengers Will Be Flyin' to Vegas
The City of Merced and Great Lakes Airlines announced today that flights between Merced Regional Airport and McCarran International Airport Las Vegas would begin April 7. The airline will offer two flights to Las Vegas each day, and two flights from Las Vegas to Merced. View schedule here.

The current air service to Ontario International Airport in Southern California will be discontinued. The new air service will provide Merced with a destination that had been popular in past years for Merced residents. Under a previous air carrier, Merced saw nearly 10,000 enplanements to Las Vegas and that was going to the smaller North Las Vegas Airport. The Great Lakes Airlines service to McCarran offers passengers better connections, and is close to the downtown action.

In addition to being a destination, Las Vegas also is one of the major air hubs in the country. Great Lakes passengers would be able to connect to more than 30 different air carriers based at McCarran. Domestic flight connections include Honolulu, Washington and New York. Among the international destinations that passengers can connect to are Canada, Mexico, France and England.

UC Merced Continues to Grow
The University of California opened its 10th campus in Merced in 2005. For the second consecutive year, student enrollment at the University of California, Merced, has risen 45 percent compared with the prior year. There are 2,718 students enrolled this fall, up from 1,871 in the fall of 2007 and 875 in the university's inaugural year of 2005. The University opened new dormitory space, and has broken ground on its next new academic building. Ultimate buildout of the campus will take over 20 years, and result in a student body numbering over 25,000.

New Hospital Under Construction
Mercy Hospital, operated by Catholic Healthcare West, is on schedule with its construction of a new state-of-the-art hospital in Merced. The hospital, located on North G Street, will anchor a new campus of medical offices, which already houses a Cancer Center operated under a partnership with the University of California - Davis.

Major New Transportation Construction
Merced just received $12 million from the State to construct the first leg of Campus Parkway, which will connect Highway 99 (at the new Mission interchange) to the UC Merced campus. Also Caltrans will be reconstructing the Bradley Overhead starting in late 2009, which improves Highway 140 in eastern Merced at a cost of about $11 million. And the City just received a $9 million State grant to pay half the cost of an $18 million undercrossing of the BNSF railroad tracks at G Street in central Merced. All three of these projects are in the Gateways Redevelopment Area - totaling $41 million in transportation construction by 2010.

Proposed Wal-Mart Distribution Center
Wal-Mart has purchased a 150 acre parcel in eastern Merced to build a 1.2 million square foot distribution center, which will be an $8 million investment. Over 600 jobs will be created initially, with ultimate employment of about 1,000.

Downtown Projects Continue
The historic Merced Theatre is headed to restoration in 2009, creating a 1,100-seat performing arts theatre. Financial support from the community has been strong and fundraising is on target. The new Merced Center Parking Structure has just opened with 340 parking spaces and about 10,000 square feet of commercial/office space. And Merced College's Downtown Business Resource Center opened in early 2008, bringing the community college's economic development programming together in one downtown site.

Industrial Projects
The Airport Industrial Park is home to one of Merced's newest industries, Zymex. The packaging and processing plant is housed in a 15,000 square foot building with four planned expansions. Frito Lay has relocated and expanded its warehouse and distribution center, 6,000 square feet, to the Airport Industrial Park.

Merced Airport Goes Regional
Merced Municipal Airport/Macready Field has changed its name to Merced Regional Airport/Macready Field. The airport's name change was sparked by the recently received Small Community Air service Development Program Grant (SCASDP). The Airport Authority voted unanimously recommending the City Council approve the name change, and on March 6, 2009 the Merced City Council voted unanimously approving the change. In addition to receiving the grant and changing its name, Merced Regional Airport was also designated as an Air Service Development Zone by the Department of Transportation. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently changing all references on aeronautical charts and publications to Merced Regional Airport/Macready Field. Great Lakes Airlines flies daily to Ontario International Airport in Southern California where travelers can find 30 non-stop flights to various destinations across the US and to Mexico.