More dogs, cats left at shelter due to foreclosures

All members of a family are impacted by the loss or foreclosure of a home, and that includes pets. The City of Turlock Police Department released its 2010 annual report, and Animal Services has seen an increase in dog euthanasia, likely related to the increase of foreclosed homes in the area.

Extremely rainy March sees end of drought

Turlockers are welcoming the warm and sunny spring weather after more than a week of rainy days in the Valley. Spring got off to a rainy start, but sunshine is in the forecast for the upcoming week.

Hundreds turn out for job fair

With unemployment rates hovering around 18 percent in Stanislaus County, many residents are looking for any type of job they can find. Hundreds of those would-be workers lined up outside Modesto's HIREvent and waited up to an hour for the opportunity to hand their resumes over to companies looking to hire.

Cancer patients gear up for Relay for Life with Monkey Business

Local cancer survivors and their supporters are gearing up for Relay for Life. Emanuel Cancer Center kicked off Turlock's Relay for Life 2011 with "Take Two," a survivor reception and a special concert by their Monkey Business children's group.

HEALTH: CPR SATURDAY

The American Red Cross held their 28th annual CPR Saturday this weekend, and the Stanislaus County office offered two-year certification classes for only $10. One certification location was California State University, Stanislaus, where Red Cross volunteers, including Turlock City Council member Amy Bublak, taught three-hour classes on CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED.) More than 150 people attended the Turlock classes, where they received two-year certifications in CPR ...

Pedretti Field draws tourism dollars

Turlock will host a major softball tournament in August 2012, and the economic benefits for the town could be significant.

Spring Juried Art Show now on display in City Hall

City Hall was unusually active this weekend, with artists from all over the Central Valley dropping off their entries for the 29th annual Spring Juried Art Show. Judging took place on Sunday and the show is now on display at the Turlock City Gallery inside of City Hall.

Hutton House: Providing a safe haven for runaway teens

Hutton House has been a safe haven for runaway and homeless teens in Stanislaus County since 1976. Youth ages 13 to 17 who need a temporary place to stay during a crisis situation can live at the Modesto shelter for up to two weeks. Hutton House also offers day and drop-in services, and between the residential and non-residential programs they serve around 800 clients per year.

UNIVERSITY: WARRIORS HOMECOMING

California State University, Stanislaus students kicked it old school during the final day of homecoming celebration activities. Due to rain, the homecoming parade went from an outdoor float decorating competition, to an indoor shopping cart decorating contest.

Community discusses return of Hughson Chamber of Commerce, Fruit and Nut Festival

In 2008 the Hughson Chamber of Commerce held their last Fruit and Nut Festival, and shortly after they shut their doors. The chamber has been completely inactive since that time.

A new face for Henry

The day after his eighth birthday, Henry Johnson was in surgery. This was not just the latest of a lifetime of reconstructive facial surgery, but a surgery that would give him a whole new face.

Turlock Junior High extends learning day with after-school program

After-school programming at Turlock Junior High has taken a leap into the technology era with Wii game systems, flat screen televisions and the latest in video gaming technology.

COMMUNITY: ART AND BAGPIPES

Downtown Turlock was serenaded by the sweet sound of bagpipers on Thursday evening. The musicians were part of the entertainment at a wine and chocolate event hosted inside of the Community Art Gallery on Center Street. The kilt-clad men and women played out on the sidewalk and confused more than a few passers-by.

Local speed dating service gives singles second chance at love

Valentine's Day is often despised by singles who have not been struck by cupid's arrow by the big day. But local singles will have a new opportunity for meeting their dream date thanks to Turlock entrepreneur Amber Scabia and her business partner Enrique Mendoza. The two used their own experiences with dating in the area as inspiration for their new speed dating business, Two Minute Match. <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; ...

Rush of the roses: Local florists prepare for busiest day of the year

Valentine's Day is one of the busiest times of the year for florists nationwide. The same holds true for local flower shops as they gear up for the mad rush of flower deliveries and drop-in customers on Monday.

Local man volunteers skills for ‘Extreme Makeover’

A local man went above and beyond his normal job duties when he traveled all the way to Medford, Ore. to volunteer his time for the television program "Extreme Makeover Home Edition." The show builds brand new houses for worthy families in need. Scott Jerner spent several days in Medford in September helping to build a brand new home for the McPhail family, a family of five including two autistic children. "I got ...

Local woman transforms yard into ghoulish display for kids to enjoy

Stephanie Valgos and her family and friends are hard at work building the creepiest house in the neighborhood. Valgos' haunted house is a community effort and is open to the public for free. "This is something that brings the whole neighborhood together. The kids all like to help us decorate," Valgos said. Valgos came up with her haunted house idea five years ago when she noticed that a few neighbor kids were ...

Pink car tribute to family members

Turlock Relay for Life holds kickoff event

Brother and sister team produce cooking show for online audience

Cancer survivors find strength in numbers at annual event

Emanuel Medical Center and the Turlock community celebrated cancer survivors with an evening of inspiration at the 14th annual Women's Cancer Awareness event. The evening was headlined by motivational speaker Geralyn Lucas, who wrote the book "Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy." The evening started with a procession of cancer survivors through Monte Vista Chapel. The group included women who have survived cancer anywhere from one day to more than 30 years. ...

Humane Society event brings rescues, community together

Puppies, kittens and bunnies - and their owners - came together at the Tuolumne River Regional Park on Saturday for Petoberfest, a new event held by the Humane Society of Stanislaus County. The event invited eight pet rescues and many pet-related vendors to share in a day of celebrating "adopt a dog" month. "We have a lot of rescues in this area but we never work together on the problem (of pet homelessness.) ...

Fun activities for young and old planned throughout area

There is - finally - a chill in the air and the leaves are starting to change into vibrant oranges, yellows and reds. Autumn is here and with it harvest and Halloween activities for young and old. The following are just a few of the local events happening this month:

Local pumpkin patch features first-ever corn maze

Ten foot tall corn stalks rustled in the breeze on Friday afternoon as families made their way down the narrow and winding corridors of a living maze. They back-tracked a few times, had to check the map more than once, and a few were a little spooked by the sound of birds and other people making their way through the corn. Eventually everyone made it back to the safety of the R.A.M Farms pumpkin ...

Gallery exhibit features 20 years of Emerson’s shapes and patterns

The California State University, Stanislaus Department of Art is hosting an exhibit by Mark L. Emerson through the end of this week. "Twenty Years Painting" opened on Aug. 22 in the University Art Gallery and will run until Friday. Emerson's paintings are mostly polymer on canvas and range in size from 12 by 12 inches to 7 feet high. The paintings are colorful collections of shapes and patterns with varying textures. "In gathering ...

Local group sends care packages to soldiers serving overseas

Local organization Soldiers Far From Home has sent a whopping 11,000 pounds of care package goodies to soldiers overseas in the last eight years. Sheila Wilmouth, coordinator of the care packages for soldiers effort, said that the group relies on community donations to send a little piece of home to servicemen and women deployed in Afghanistan and other parts of the Middle East. The group is holding a fundraising spaghetti dinner to help cover ...

County mental health looks to form partnership with university

The Stanislaus County Mental Health board brought their regular monthly meeting to the California State University, Stanislaus campus on Thursday to consider the potential for forming a partnership with the university. Members of the Stanislaus County Mental Health Board previously visited the Martin Gipson Socialization Center in Stockton, which is a drop-in center for the mentally disabled. The center uses curriculum-based small classes to teach life skills to clients. Karl von Spreckelsen, chair ...

Covenant Village residents have historic celebration

Covenant Village in Turlock celebrated 125 years of Covenant Retirement Community operations with a day of historical presentations, guest speakers, and 19th century costumes. Covenant Retirement Community was founded by the Covenant Church with the purchase of Home of Mercy in Chicago in 1886. It has since expanded across the United States. Covenant Village in Turlock was founded in 1977.

American Legion donation to help city’s ‘cat problem’

Turlock Animal Services will soon be offering cat spay and neuter coupons to city residents thanks to a donation from the American Legion Rex Ish Post 88. The group gave a $1,500 donation to the Turlock Animal Shelter to spay and neuter cats in the Turlock area. "There are way too many animals being taken to the shelter. But at the same time lots of people can't afford to fix their animals. This ...

ROPING IN A WIN

Despite the near-century mark temperatures on Thursday and Friday, hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls saddled up for the American Cowboy Team Roping Association's State Finals held at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds this week. The four-day event was expected to bring in 2,000 participants. Team roping requires close cooperation and timing between two highly skilled ropers - a header and a heeler - and their horses. The header ropes first and must make one ...