The Modesto City Council is weighing an aggressive expansion plan that could nearly double the city’s population by 2050, while communities across Stanislaus County marked milestones in mental health awareness and the justice system. Here’s a roundup of the day’s biggest local stories.
Here are the day’s must-read stories:
• The Modesto City Council is considering a growth option that would add 13,860 acres to the city’s sphere of influence and could boost the population from 220,000 to more than 385,000 by 2050 — a plan opposed by farmland advocates and Wood Colony residents who say the city is following the same path as a failed 1995 general plan.
• The Skies the Limit Ceres Hot Air Balloon Festival is skipping 2026 as a planning and fundraising year, though dozens of other festivals — including Modesto Porchfest, Modesto Taco Fest and the Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee — are still set for May.
• Patterson hosted its first-ever NAMIWalks event, drawing more than 100 participants and raising just under $19,500 for NAMI — surpassing the $15,000 goal — as the Del Puerto Healthcare District prepares a 40-acre health campus with a mental health clinic set to open in 2028…