Cap on payday loan interest, softball star in playoffs, non-alcoholic bar: Top stories
From a college-bound softball standout leading her team back to the playoffs to a new alcohol-free bar near downtown, here’s a quick look at what’s making news in Modesto and Stanislaus County today. These four stories highlight people, places and issues shaping the region.
Here are today’s must-read stories:
- Escalon senior Madison Babasa has signed a letter of intent to play softball at the University of Arizona and has helped lead the Cougars back to the postseason after a two-year absence, posting batting averages of .597, .600 and .706 over her final three varsity seasons.
- Members of Urban Forestry Modesto, the Sierra Club and the Stanislaus Audubon Society gathered at Tuolumne River Regional Park to create a native plant garden around a 250-year-old oak trunk, aiming to restore riparian habitat and bring native insects and birds back to the park.
- California payday lenders made more than 5.8 million loans worth $1.65 billion in 2024, with nearly 60% of lenders serving customers on government assistance, and Assembly Bill 2558 would cap payday loan interest rates at 36% APR — far below the current 372% average.
- The Alchemist Café, a zero-alcohol bar offering kava- and cacao-based mocktails and elixirs, opened April 26 at 1311 E St. in Modesto, arriving as U.S. alcohol consumption fell 5% in 2025 and California nonalcoholic wine sales jumped 29%.