Welcome to The Modesto Focus
Our goal is to provide readers with local news that deepens their understanding and connection to the community.
Our focus includes coverage of local government and the people who make the Modesto region a vibrant area to live, work and play. Watchdog journalism is the foundational tenet our work and we take it seriously.
We prioritize Modesto and Stanislaus County news, plus provide important content from partner organizations to share stories that impact the San Joaquin Valley region.
The Modesto Focus News Team
Marijke Rowland, Editor of The Modesto Focus
Marijke Rowland is editor of The Modesto Focus.
Her experience includes more than two decades reporting in the Central Valley for The Modesto Bee and The McClatchy Company.
She was also senior health equity reporter for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative before becoming founding editor of The Modesto Focus.
A graduate of Indiana University’s School of Journalism and alumni of the Poynter Journalism Fellowship, Rowland moved from the Midwest to California in 1997.
She has spent most of her career covering the valley’s intertwined worlds of food, business, and entertainment. During her tenure with The Bee, she has also delved into coverage of LGBTQ+ rights, diversity and inclusion issues, and workplace safety.
Her award-winning work has garnered multiple honors through the years, including three first-place honors from the California News Publishers Association for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
She is excited to continue covering the Valley and providing vital news to the region.
Garth Stapley, Accountability Reporter
Garth Stapley is a senior writer dissecting local government topics with The Modesto Focus news team.
During his 30 years at The Modesto Bee, he was known for award-winning coverage of the case of Laci and Scott Peterson, as well as illuminating editorials and opinion columns.
He returns to Modesto journalism after 20 months as a public information officer with the California Department of Aging.
Garth enjoys hiking in the Sierra, paddleboarding on the Stanislaus River, and woodworking. He and his wife, Cathy, have three adult children and six grandchildren.
Vivienne Aguilar, General Assignment Reporter
Vivienne Aguilar reports for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative’s Modesto Focus newsroom.
Since beginning her career at San Joaquin Delta College’s student newspaper, she has covered news throughout the valley.
She’s written for The Calaveras Enterprise, Lodi News Sentinel, Sacramento and Modesto Bee, and Stocktonia News Service.
Aguilar’s collegiate enterprise news reporting received honors from the California News Publishers Association and George F. Gruner Awards. More recently, CNPA honored her professional work on youth and education.
After graduating from CSU Monterey Bay, she was accepted into the Asian American Journalism Association’s VOICES and National Public Radio’s Next Generation fellowships. She is a member of AAJA and Society of Professional Journalists.
As a general assignment reporter for The Modesto Focus she covers a diverse range of topics, with an emphasis on education and the arts.
Ximena Loeza, Bilingual Communities Reporter
Ximena Loeza brings her storytelling talent to The Modesto Focus as the bilingual communities reporter. Ximena graduated from San Francisco State University with a journalism degree and criminal justice minor before working as a reporter for multiple Bay Area news organizations.
Ximena joined the California Local News Fellowship at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism as part of its first cohort. As a fellow she worked at El Tímpano where she created detailed reports about Contra Costa County’s Latinx and Mayan immigrant populations while leading Spanish-language outreach through SMS campaigns, community events and newsletter distribution. Her reporting mission focused on creating trust with her audience while fighting misinformation and providing essential resources to immigrant residents.
She’s been featured in KQED and Univision as well as The Oaklandside, Contra Costa Pulse and El Tecolote and multiple other news outlets. Ximena brings expertise in teaching journalism and multimedia production as well as print and digital publication design to her work. She speaks Spanish fluently while dedicating herself to community-driven journalism that brings underrepresented voices into mainstream news coverage.
Ximena will serve The Modesto Focus by reporting about the diverse bilingual communities of Modesto and Stanislaus County while sharing stories about their strength, cultural heritage and daily connections in the Central Valley.
Tim Sheehan, Health Care Reporting Fellow
Tim Sheehan is the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative’s Health Care Reporting Fellow, covering issues of health access, equity and more across the San Joaquin Valley.
Sheehan earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at California State University – Fresno, and a master’s degree in leadership studies at Fresno Pacific University.
Before joining CVJC, he spent 27 years at The Fresno Bee, reporting on issues ranging from transportation and agriculture to local government and public health. His work has been recognized with numerous regional, state and national journalism awards, including multiple honors from the California News Publishers Association and the National Newspaper Association; and from the Center for California Studies for his work covering California’s high-speed rail project.
In addition to his work in journalism, Sheehan teaches journalism and communications classes at Fresno Pacific University and the State Center Community College District (Fresno City College and Clovis Community College).
He and his wife, Linda, live in Fresno. They enjoy traveling, cooking and curling up to relax with Ozzy, their miniature Dachshund.
Community Advisory Committee members
Katie Barber
George Boodrookas
Maria Cortez
Lynn Dickerson
Patty Guerra
Amanda Hughes
Marian Kaanon
Nancy Martinez
Kate Trompetter
Melissa Van Diepen
Chelsie Webster
Ken White
Susan Windemuth