Local students to compete in state finals for Odyssey of the Mind

Students from Dutcher Middle and Cunningham Elementary schools recently competed in the Odyssey of the Mind competition, earning spots in the State Finals to be held later this month in Brentwood. Odyssey of the Mind is an international competition that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that ...

EDUCATION: WISE LESSON

Nancy Haydock of the Stanislaus Wildlife Care Center presented a horned owl to students at Wakefield Elementary School in Turlock. Haydock's presentation was part of Go Green Week, a partnership between the City of Turlock and The Turlock Unified School District.

Medeiros fifth grader doesn’t see his cerebral palsy as disability

In Horacio Gutierrez's mind he isn't succeeding at anything - other than being a fun-loving kid.

City, TUSD partner for environmental education program

The Turlock Unified School District and the City of Turlock Municipal Services Department teamed up for the fourth annual "Go Green Week" program, which is the city's primary environmental education program. Go Green Week started Monday and will continue through Friday.

Turlock Junior High students learn that milk rocks

Recording artist and up and coming star Britney Christian proved that milk rocks during a concert at Turlock Junior High on Tuesday. Christian stopped in Turlock as part of the Foster Farms/ Milk Rocks Central Valley tour, taking place this week at schools from Livermore to Stockton. The Milk Rocks campaign is a multifaceted school campaign promoting the benefits of milk as a healthy alternative to other beverages. ...

Waiting for Walnut

Several hundred anxious parents gathered in the Walnut Elementary Education Center gym Tuesday night, waiting for their child's name to be called on…"the list."

County fair announces changes to livestock rules

The Stanislaus County Fair announced changes to livestock rules for the 2011 fair.

Grape crop grows in 2010

The California Table Grape Commission reported Thursday that in 2010 the industry shipped 98.3 million boxes (about 20-pound boxes) of fresh grapes from California.

EATING HISTORY AT JULIEN

Fifth grade students from Julien Elementary School in Turlock got a taste of history with maple syrup, a common source of sugar and water during colonial America. Students in fifth grade learn about early U.S. history and pioneers. Julien parent Christina Hemming volunteered to give students a taste of what early Americans did for sugar. She explained that pioneers in New England would tap trees for sap.

Tobacco whistleblower shares story with Turlock students

Good parents always tell their kids not to smoke and while most of the time it works, their advice can sometimes go in one ear and out the other.

Rabbits and cavies take over fairgrounds at annual show

More than 1,200 rabbits and several hundred cavies were on display at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds last weekend during the California State Rabbit & Cavy Breeders Association Show.

TUSD budget committee advises salary reductions

District-wide salary and benefits could be on the chopping block when the Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees produces its final budget in June.

Group raises concerns over Central Valley ground water contamination

Food and Water Watch, a non-profit safe water and food advocacy group with offices in San Francisco, issued a 25-page report last week that raised safety concerns about the Central Valley's ground water supply and a possible lack of oversight from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB).

Farmers fight back against rural crime

During a recent Stanislaus County Farm Bureau workshop, Governmental Affairs Director Tom Orvis asked a group of about 50 local farmers if they or their property had been a recent victim of crime. Nearly every single farmer raised their hand, and now farmers have begun voicing their frustration with the county's rural crime activity. <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: ...

Walnut brothers live by ‘Golden Rule’

February Character Counts Profile: Respect

Can Tree gearing up for season of giving

As the season of giving arrives in the coming weeks the Turlock Christmas Can Tree Project begins its quest to help feed thousands of needy area citizens over the holidays. Can Tree is part of a three pronged approach to fighting hunger during the holidays, which includes the Salvation Army and Turlock Together. Since 1982 local realtor groups volunteer their time and talents to hold annual fundraising efforts to raise money for ...

2012 fair kicks off with a mob

Crane Park residents cry foul on proposed bocce ball court

Crane Park resident Dan Palmquist says living across the street from Turlock's most-used recreation area is like coming home after a hard week of work to see and hear a party that lasts all weekend, every weekend - only he is never invited to it. Another recreational amenity, a proposed bocce ball court, he says, would only make that on-going party bigger. The City of Turlock Parks and Recreation Commission voted to oppose ...

UC Merced continues commitment to increase first-generation college students

When the University of California, Merced campus opened in 2005 it was supposed to be the beginning of a new era of access to higher educational opportunities for San Joaquin Valley students. In 1995, the University of California Board of Regents specifically selected Merced because it was in the heart of the state's largest and most populous region without its own UC campus - which hindered opportunities for residents and left a need for ...

Turlock, Hilmar receive Cal Trans grant to improve pedestrian safety around schools

The State of California Department of Transportation announced that Turlock will be receiving a nearly $320,000 grant through the Safe Routes to School Program for pedestrian safety construction in front of Turlock Junior High. Funding is part of a $48.5 million statewide effort of 139 projects aimed at increasing safety and helping to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities among children in grades K-12 who walk and bicycle to school. City ...

Livingston celebrates

The Livingston 4th of July Celebration kicked off on Friday, extending the Valley's Independence Day festivities. The event continues Saturday from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. On Sunday, the Livingston Sweet Potato Festival returns for the first time in 15 years. Visitors can expect everything from sweet potato pie to fries from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday's events will feature the carnival, more talent show acts, a car show, live bands including ...

All things dairy

Dairy parents steaming over fair changes

Tempers are flaring among some 4-H and FFA dairy parents over what they say is a major scheduling debacle by the Stanislaus County Fair. For nearly four decades the county fair has held dairy cow judging, showings and sales from the first day the fair opens to the public to the last. But this year the fair changed the schedule and the vast majority of at least 300 dairy cows will only be ...

Horsing around at the county fair

Hundreds of 4-H and FFA youth put their skills to the test Tuesday at the Showmanship and Western horse competitions held at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds. Tuesday's competitions were just two of the events held during this week's pre-fair horse events. "Horse shows are a great part of Fair," said Laura Moore, exhibits manager. "We hope everyone comes out to see the spectacular events." Pre-fair horse events continue Wednesday with 4-H/FFA ...

Turlock Sikh Temple holds first parade

The world comes to Turlock

This summer more than 200 young adult Catholics from around the globe will converge on Turlock for the 2012 Young Adult Teams Of Our Lady International Meeting, which will be held at California State University, Stanislaus in July. YATOL is an international young adult Catholic movement built on the principle of youth serving youth, which began in1975 in France and is now headquartered in Seville, Spain. YATOL is for young adults who are ...

Turlock dad, daughter recovering well after kidney transplant

This Father's Day Turlock resident Les Crutcher will receive the greatest gift he could ever receive - a simple day with his family. On May 1, Les donated one of his kidneys to his 5-year-old daughter Isabella, who had suffered from acute kidney failure after she ingested the E. coli bacteria strain, resulting in a kidney infection. Les and Isabella recovered at a remarkable speed, and ...

City permit required for all garage sales

Before putting out one box of knick-knacks or rack of clothing onto their front yard on Tuesday, the Cotton family obtained a permit from the City of Turlock to hold a small garage sale. The Cotton family was one of only about a dozen homes that obtained the mandatory $15 permit for that particular day. While the Cottons followed the city ordinance pertaining to yard sales, not all do. In just a mile radius ...

Hilmar graduates its centennial class

Hilmar High School celebrated its 100th commencement Thursday night at McSweeney Field. After the last high school diploma was handed out a massive fireworks display lit up the night sky as a flashing "Class of 2012 100 Years" sign made the night's event one to remember.

KTL educator retires after 40 years

When Keyes to Learning Principal Lee Ann Stangl launched one of the state's first charter schools in 1995 there was a lot of resistance to the idea, but she remained steadfast to her belief that parents and students wanted a choice in education - something that was not readily available at the time. Choice in education is now at the forefront in national news and Stangl was diligently working behind the scenes in the ...