University drama production chosen for national festival

The California State University, Stanislaus staging of "Debris," an unflinching drama dealing with the consequences of lifelong abuse, has been selected for a performance in the national spotlight.

New CEO for Merced court

The new Chief Executive Officer of Merced County Superior Court is Linda Romero Soles, a former Turlock resident.

Suspect flees, copper recovered

The Merced County Sheriff's Department is searching for the man who tried to steal copper wiring from a Ballico farm.

Rape Aggression defense class

The Turlock Police Department and Stanislaus State University Police are providing Rape Aggression Defense training to women in Turlock. The training is offered at no cost to the public. The 12-hour course is broken up into two sessions over a period of two weeks.

Pipe band takes first

The Turlock Police and Fire Pipe Band won first place at the recently held Bakersfield Highland Games Band competition.

Collisions injure one on highway

A chain-reaction of crashes on Highway 99 in Turlock injured one and slowed traffic down for a short time Tuesday afternoon.

Jury convicts Turlock brothers of killing rapper

Two mothers sat on opposite sides of a courtroom. One was waiting for justice for her slain son and the other was waiting to hear if her two sons would ever know freedom again.

Murder suspect testifies gun went off on accident

After five weeks of testimony and a day of listening to closing arguments, the fate of two Turlock men accused of gunning down a 26-year-old man with aspirations of rap stardom, is inching closer to being in the hands of 12 jurors.

Bank robber makes bomb threat before fleeing

The Turlock Police Department is seeking the man responsible for a bank robbery and launching a bomb scare.

Fatal hit and run suspect racks up another traffic citation

The Patterson woman who is standing accused of hitting a bicyclist while driving on a Turlock road and leaving him mortally wounded, was issued another traffic citation March 25, just five days before her last court appearance.

Former postal worker charged with fraud

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a Turlock woman suspected of committing multiple acts of mail and workers' compensation fraud while employed as a postal worker, according to the Department of Justice.

Gangsters crash soldier’s party

A going away party in Hilmar for a man joining the military was crashed by suspected gang members and escalated into a large brawl that injured several and resulted in four arrests.

Swiss Echoes perform traditional folk music

The songs and sounds of the Alps will be ringing out loud and clear when the San Joaquin Valley Swiss Club stages their annual spring concert Saturday.

Guilty verdict for double homicide

A Merced County jury has returned a guilty verdict for a man who authorities say stabbed to death a married couple after living with them for three years.

Police officer arrested on drug, embezzlement charges

The Modesto Police Department has arrested one of their own police officers on several felony charges following an internal investigation.

Public no show at road tax forums

What if the city decided to propose a city-wide road tax and no one really cared? That could be the feeling the Turlock City Council is getting after the second community forum to discuss the tax and other city issues drew only a sparse crowd of concerned citizens. Just a little more than a dozen people attended Thursday night's meeting at Westside Ministries, where the questions raised ranged from how a road ...

Jury: Hoyt not guilty of murder in roadside beating

At 2:30 p.m. Friday Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorney Wendell Emerson delivered the unwelcome news to the family and friends of Kenneth Winter that a conviction of second-degree murder for the defendant Michael Hoyt was looking less and less likely and a hung jury was a very real possibility. Almost 45 minutes later their heartbreak became official. A Stanislaus County Superior Court jury found Hoyt not guilty of second-degree murder and voluntary ...

Former Turlock resident mines family saga for debut novel

For Marylin Hayes-Martin inspiration struck on a flight to the Gulf Coast. Having turned the last page on "Cane River," a family saga of four generations set in Louisiana, Hayes-Martin's thoughts turned to her Cherokee-born great-grandmother and the line of women that grew in her wake in the Ozarks of Arkansas. "I knew I had all these great stories about these women and the hardships they endured," Hayes-Martin said. "I said to ...

Witness helps catch purse thief

A helpful citizen aided the Turlock Police Department in catching a suspected purse thief Thursday afternoon. Around 1:30 p.m. Thursday a woman was walking in a shopping center in the 1800 block of Countryside Drive when a man came up behind her and snatched her purse. The woman started to chase after the suspect and yelled for help. A witness to the theft joined in the chase and snapped a picture of ...

Large haul of marijuana found in Hilmar

Investigators with the Merced County Sheriff's Department confiscated more than 2,500 pounds of marijuana in Hilmar on Friday. The seizure was made possible after a month long investigation into three residences on American Avenue in Hilmar. The investigation was initiated after an anonymous tip was received about a potential marijuana grow operating in the neighborhood, said sheriff spokesman Deputy Delray Shelton. At three homes investigators found 2,518 pounds of finished marijuana product, ...

Joke turned fundraiser benefits kids fighting cancer

The breeze tickling the trees around Henry and Vivian Soares' home Monday afternoon carried with it the scent of a freshly picked harvest with a faint edge of newly turned soil. Wooden crates were stacked high outside their garage with strips of vibrant green fava beans peeking through the slats. Inside the garage were about 60 people busying themselves with shelling mounds of pods piled up on the tables. Moving between them ...

Police arrest two on torture charges

Hoyt murder trial in hands of jury

At one end of the courtroom hallway stood the friends and family of Kenneth Winter. At the other end was Michael Hoyt surrounded by his loved ones. And nestled in between in a small room were seven women and five men tasked with determining justice. A verdict was not reached on Friday and deliberations won't resume again until Thursday because of a scheduling issue with one juror. Hoyt, 53, is facing a ...

Roads top issue at first public forum

The City of Turlock held its first community forum Tuesday night with very few community members in attendance. The forum was held to ostensibly address any city-related issues, but the main topic was the city's roads and how to pay for the needed repairs. The city is currently considering a couple of different funding options for the city's streets. In 2008 a Pavement Management Project, which is an in-depth analysis of the ...

Hoyt recounts details of fatal fight

In an effort to disprove the murder charge looming over him, Michael Hoyt took the stand Tuesday to tell the jury his recollection of the altercation on a rural Turlock road on Feb. 1, 2010, that ultimately ended in the death of Kenneth Winter. Hoyt is facing a second-degree murder charge for the death of 67-year-old Winter. The Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office case against Hoyt alleges he was so upset over a ...

Bomb scares prompt school lockdown, road closure

Two suspicious devices found Morning morning on Lander Avenue prompted a school lock down and a road closure as the county bomb squad investigated. Cunningham Elementary School was put on a lock down for several hours and Lander Avenue between Linwood and Glenwood avenues was closed to traffic for part of the morning and afternoon. The school was put on lockdown just as a precaution. Neither device turned out to be ...

Council adopts right to farm, passes on developer energy analysis mandate

A lawsuit settlement stipulating the Turlock City Council consider two environment-based motions resulted in the adoption of a right to farm ordinance and a rejection of a resolution requiring energy-efficiency reports for large-scale building projects.

DA questions credibility of only witness to fatal roadside beating

After more than a week's worth of testimony that sought to lay out point by point the evidence that led investigators to arrest Michael Hoyt for murder in the death of Kenneth Winter and discredit the defense's theories, the prosecution brought their case to a close Friday. The defense's response was to ask for the entire case to be dismissed based on a lack of evidence. Defense attorney Frank Carson said he ...

Blood evidence presented at murder trial

The murder trial for the Turlock man accused of beating a man to death over a traffic incident continued Tuesday with a series of law enforcement witnesses testifying to the forensic evidence collected during the investigation. Michael Hoyt, 53, is on trial for second-degree murder for the murder of 67-year-old Kenneth Winter in February 2010. The Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office contends Hoyt was angered by Winter over a traffic incident on Paulson ...

Drug take back on Saturday

The Turlock Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will host a drug drop off event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, as part of National Take Back Day. Individuals can drop off potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs at the Turlock Police Department, located at 900 N. Palm St. The service is free and anonymous, and no questions will be asked. Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of ...