City Arts Commission looks for direction after losing funding, staffing

When the Carnegie Arts Center was gutted by fire in 2005, nobody could have predicted how much of an impact that one act of arson would have on the Turlock arts community. Five years later the City of Turlock, the Turlock City Arts Commission, and the Carnegie Arts Foundation are all dealing with new roles and challenges as a result of the fire.

Leadership group remodels Salvation Army study room

Seven years ago the Salvation Army opened a children's activity room in the Turlock Corps Community Center. The room has been used every day during the school year as an afterschool study room. Major Debi Shrum of the Salvation Army said that the room was starting to show its years of use by so many kids. <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New ...

TYPA tells the story of Annie Oakley

Turlock Youth Performing Arts Senior Company will revive the classic story of sharpshooter Annie Oakley this weekend with their production of "Annie Get your Gun."

Denair’s Dylan Souza looks to bring offseason conditioning to the field

While most of the class of 2011 was enjoying their summer break, Dylan Souza was hitting the gym. The varsity running back spent his off season preparing for his last, and what he hopes will be his best, year of Denair Coyotes football. Souza knows what he wants from his team this season.

Hughson council seat to remain open until after recall election

One week after not making quorum - and nine days before the recall election - the Hughson City Council held a special meeting with just three members. Ben Manley resigned from the City Council on Aug. 2 leaving a vacant seat, and Thom Crowder was absent from the meeting. Both Manley and Crowder, along with Doug Humphreys, are facing recall via the Aug. 24 special ...

Family remembers Turlock businessman and devoted husband, father

Orley William Jones passed away peacefully on Aug. 5 in Turlock. He will be missed by his family and community members who knew him from his many local business ventures. Orley was born on Sept. 30, 1924 in Biggar, Saskatchewan, Canada to James Ira and Lydia Pearl Jones. He was ...

Making fitness fun

Residents of the Westside of Stanislaus County are taking health into their own hands with some help from the West Side Health Care Advisory Task Force. Fed up with the lack of health services in the area, these newfound fitness freaks are challenging themselves and others to lose weight and get healthy with their own "biggest loser" competition. Seven ...

Stanislaus lab temporary home of ancient lizard fossil

Susan Bowman spends most of her days in the geology laboratory at California State University, Stanislaus, digging, dusting, gluing and otherwise cleaning up the fossilized remains of a giant aquatic lizard. Bowman is a graduate of CSU Stanislaus with a bachelor of arts in Anthropology and Archeology, and a minor in geology and paleontology. She is an intern at ...

New classes reach out to family members of those with mental illness

Debbie Callahan remembers what it was like to attend her first meeting of a family support group hosted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She was a little hesitant at first, and wasn't sure that the group could help. She said that's how most people feel when they first reach out for support when caring for a loved one with a mental illness. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; ...

Local unwanted small breed dogs find new owners out of state

A few lucky dogs from Turlock will soon have the chance to start over with a new life in a new country. The demand for small dogs in the Pacific Northwest and Canada is helping Turlock Animal Shelter find forever homes for local abandoned pets. Turlock Animal Shelter has sent 40 cats and 87 dogs to out-of-state rescue groups since January of this ...

Friday Night Live heats up with casino theme

Friday nights will be a little livelier in downtown Turlock thanks to a new local arts event. Local artists, musicians, poets and other performers will showcase their craft during "Friday Night Live" events at the Downtown Incubator. Each week's event will be a little different, but the current lineup spans from open mic night to standup comedy to live art demonstrations. The event ...

Zumba craze hits Turlock

The 20 or so women in Tiffany Ramirez's Friday morning class were a little out of breath as they followed along to her fast-paced Latin dance moves. One second they were pretending to play a bongo, the next they were jumping up and down, bending into squats and shaking their butts. Their hips never stopped moving throughout the routine, and by 10 ...

Hilmar man wins PepsiCo top award

Lance Hunter, a Hilmar resident, was recently awarded the highest honor possible for a Pepsi Beverages Company sales representative. Hunter was inducted into the PepsiCo President's Ring of Honor, an award reserved for less than one percent of PepsiCo's worldwide sales force. Hunter is a sales representative who specializes mostly in competitive restaurant sales. He targets those potential clients who sell competitors' beverages ...

Opening day at the fair

The 2010 Stanislaus County Fair started their 10-day run on Friday amid sweltering heat. The triple digit temperatures did not, however, deter die-hard fair fanatics, who swarmed the corndog stands, petting zoo and midway.

Arts Commission looks to define their role in community

"Change" is the word of the day at the Turlock Arts Commission. After one year without a paid arts facilitator the commission has decided to pick up the pieces and move on without a paid staff member. They are also looking into changes that can make them more productive as a volunteer committee.

Fun to dream, while it lasted

If you are reading this column, then I did not win the lottery. I wrote this on Friday afternoon, when lotto fever was still high and we all had hopes of winning $640 million dollars. I have to admit that I was not immune to that fever myself. I bought several tickets for myself, and I'm part of an office pool of 12 people. I prepared this letter in the unlikely, but unfortunate ...

Local kids get hands-on with dental health

Students from TLC day care and preschool classes learned a lesson about dental care from First Step Dental employees on Friday morning. The class was just one of 12 groups that took a tour of the dental office and learned dental hygiene from the professionals. February is children's dental health month, and in honor of that First Step Dental invites community preschool, daycare and kindergarten groups to tour their office every year. Kids learn ...

What is romance?

My assignment this week, whether I liked it or not, was to write an article about the inner workings of romance. This article, I was told, had to be a first-person perspective on the issue. I thought this would be an easy assignment, but it turns out that defining romance is harder than I expected. The first person I approached for this article was my wonderful and loving boyfriend. I thought that surely ...

Annual quilt show to display local talent, honor U.S. veterans

The Turlock Quilt Guild will be showing its colors on Feb. 18 and 19 at its annual quilt show. The "Stars Among Us" themed show will feature a special presentation to United States veterans by Quilts of Honor. The presentation of quilts to veterans of foreign wars is a regular thing for Quilts of Honor. The group hopes to honor members of the military by showing them appreciation for sacrifice and service. Their ...

Mosquito conference addresses new requirements

The Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California met on Jan. 30 to discuss issues facing local control districts. Top on their list of priorities was the new Clean Water Act permit requirement that might result in mosquito control agencies being unable to provide the same level of service. Turlock Mosquito Abatement District manager David Heft attended the conference. He said that the new Clean Water Act enforcement might require permits for all ...

Local woman collects teddy bears for firefighters

Jessica Austin is on a mission to help local children affected by fires and other emergencies. Austin was moved to action after the fire at Crowell Elementary School to collect small stuffed animals for the local fire fighters to distribute. "I just thought it was a good idea to replace what they handed out at the fire. (Firefighters) keep small stuffed animals with them to pass out to children who are scared," Austin ...

Emanuel welcomes new chief of staff, board members

Emanuel Medical Center is starting the new year with a change in board members and a new chief of staff.

Turlock says farewell to favorite Sister

After 28 years of memories, the Turlock community is saying farewell and safe travels to Sister Christina Doona as she embarks on the next chapter of her life. Doona will be leaving for her native Ireland on Tuesday, after serving the Sacred Heart Parish since 1983. "She has truly been a 'sister' to us. She has helped to make us truly feel like a family. Our parish family will not be the same ...

Turlock native releases fourth album

Turlock native Andy Padlo recently released his fourth album, "Buffalo Wedding." He describes his style as a mix of singer/songwriter, folk, and alternative country/rock. Padlo lived in Turlock for most of his childhood. His family moved to town when he was in fifth grade and he attended Chatom School. He graduated from Turlock High School in 1979, where he played in school bands. Padlo also had a rock band with his friends. In ...

Locals celebrate Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year was celebrated around the world on Monday by cultures that follow a lunar calendar. The holiday, popularly known in the U.S. as Chinese New Year, is also celebrated by Vietnamese, Korean, Tibetan and Mongolian communities. Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated in China as a spring festival. It includes dragon dances, fireworks, and family meals. Older relatives give gifts of red envelopes, normally full of cash, to children. Family ...

Turlocker presents 1966 turbo engine design to UNLV students

David Chovanak made the long trek from Turlock to Las Vegas this week to present a unique invention to a group of engineering students. Chovanak built what might be the first known micro turbine engine out of spare parts and kitchen utensils in 1966 as a student at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (then Nevada Southern University). He presented his invention - which he named The Rebel - to senior design students on ...

Chamber, community honors 'Best of Turlock'

The Turlock community gathered on Friday night to recognized business leaders, humanitarians and other local dignitaries at the Best of Turlock awards. The ceremony is put on every year by the Turlock Chamber of Commerce. This year's ceremony included awards presented to two local football volunteers, Joaquin Rose and Don Hill. Rose also won an award for Best Small Business for his leadership of B & B Manufacturing. The chamber also recognized the ...

Alzheimer’s Association offers advice for families

January is a busy time for the Alzheimer's Association. The organization receives an increased number of calls from concerned family members who noticed a change in a loved one during holiday visits. For some families, the holidays are the only time they see elderly relatives. Those visits can be a challenge for children, grandchildren and other family members who see personality changes in their loved one. The Alzheimer's Association's Northern California and Northern ...

Local Home Depot employees volunteer time, expertise

Local couple shares experiences with Nazi Germany

Hanna and Dieter Renning both survived an episode of world history that most Americans have only read about. Both Hanna and Dieter were born in Germany during WWII, but they had vastly different experiences. Dieter was made to join the Hitler Youth, and Hanna's family fled the Nazi Party for their lives. The Rennings will share their story at the Jan. 25 meeting of the Association of American University Women Turlock Branch. Dieter ...