Articles By Author - Brooke Borba

Local woman wins Boy Scout Honor Award

The Boy Scouts of America is known to be one of the nation's largest and most prominent values-based organizations for young boys over the course of a century, and has helped build education and humility through their participants by combining hand-on activities with responsibility. And though the Boy Scouts of America is about helping to form the next generation of young men, it is often the women who play an active role in ...

Almonds voted top nut in state

Almond Board representatives recently announced the results of an online contest in which KGO radio broadcast proclaimed almonds as the winner of the nut category in the State of California. California is the country's leading producer of tree nuts, and has produced nearly 27 million tons of nuts in 2012 alone, increasing its production by 4 percent since 2011. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, nearly 90 percent of each year's nut ...

Turlock readies for mosquito season

As spring turns to summer, members of the Turlock community are being told to gear up for mosquito season. As of last week, the Turlock Mosquito Abatement District has observed increased activity in adult mosquitoes near the Turlock community. Though mosquito season has just begun, District officials are wary of the current activity following last year's devastating outbreak, which soared across Stanislaus County, reaching record infection levels, according to the Centers for ...

Local kids learn benefits of eating healthy

Teaching children the importance of eating healthy is not always easy. Children often think negatively about fruits and vegetables, and are slow to taste new things. In response to this predicament, the City of Turlock has launched another After School Education Safety program with the Turlock Unified School District and in conjunction with the UC David Cooperative Extension program and AgLink.com to provide a farmers' market opportunity for local students. Turlock students ...

Premo’s proposal: Pit salmon welfare against land-based endangered species

Ever since the State Water Resources Control Board weighed a proposal that would negatively impact the region's water supply, agriculture operations and economy, members of the Central Valley have rallied together to protect the precious resource. According to the SWRCB's Substitute Environmental Document, the proposal attempts to take 35 percent of unimpaired flows along the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus Rivers from Feb. 1 to June 30 annually in order to benefit endangered fish ...

Fair jobs event draws hundreds

TID launches irrigation user webpage

It isn't easy maintaining over 250 miles of gravity-fed canals and laterals, but the Turlock Irrigation District refuses to shy away from assisting nearly 5,000 customers or their assets. Instead, they are creating an easier method for irrigation customers to pose concerns, ask questions, or view their current regulations. In an effort to offer better communicative services with its customers, TID has launched a new irrigation water user information website. The site officially ...

A bit of Turlock in the Capitol Dome

No one can represent patriotism quite like Turlock native and CEO of LOCK-N-STITCH, Inc. Gary Reed. Reed, born on the 4th of July, also shares an affinity for cast iron; a feature which designer Thomas Jefferson and architect Thomas U. Walter found necessary in building the U.S. Capitol's Dome. Since its final construction from 1855 to 1866, the cast iron Dome has cracked over time due to exposure to freezing temperatures, strain, and ...

School district buys land for ag farm

After three years of planning and plotting, the Turlock Unified School District finally decided to purchase a 10-acre parcel near East Taylor and Berkeley in Turlock to house farm animals, and provide agricultural field education for local students. Despite Turlock's rich agricultural region, finding a location for Pitman and Turlock high students to conduct agricultural studies and house their animals proved to be difficult. "We found plenty of properties that would have ...

Locals reach out to Boston loved ones

As explosions turned a jovial celebration at Monday's Boston Marathon into a tragedy, local residents frantically reached out to teammates and loved ones in the Boston area to inquire about their safety. The bombs - kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and other lethal shrapnel, according to the FBI - detonated near the finish line of the marathon about two hours after the winners crossed the line on Monday. The explosions killed ...

Olsen talks new bills, hydrofracking and regulations with Turlockers

Assemblymember Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) and residents of Turlock came together Thursday to informally discuss pressing issues affecting citizens at a Town Hall meeting hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. Items discussed included Olsen's 2013 legislative measures to protect students and veterans, as well as the need for job stability and Governor Jerry Brown's proposal to hydrofrack in California. Olsen started the Town Hall meeting by shunning the traditional podium- audience set up and ...

Bocce ball courts met with protest at all sites

Wednesday night marked the one year anniversary of when the Parks and Recreation Commission first heard a proposal from the members of the Turlock Rotary Club regarding their interests in establishing a bocce ball court in Crane Park. Since then, little progress has been made in the matter. Despite the best intentions of the Turlock Noon Rotary to construct two bocce ball courts as a gift for the Turlock community, protests have been ...

Queen Shamiram still homeless

It's been six years since Turlock native and television personality Narsai David has attempted to place a 9-foot bronze statue of Queen Shamiram on Turlock grounds. Since then, David has been met with confusing mixed messages by California State University, Stanislaus about placing the statue on its campus, and has found little ground for placing the statue anywhere else in Turlock. The Queen Shamiram Statue Location Subcommittee, comprised of Larry Yeakel, Lew Boyle, ...

Local man receives top honors in sales and customer service

Carlos Gonzales' embodiment of hard work and dedication were acknowledged recently when he was awarded the highest honor possible for a Verizon Wireless sales representative. Though employees are aware of the President's Cabinet Award, Gonzales never imagined that he would be the one to receive such an honor. "There are some employees with their eyes on the prize," said Public Relations and Employee Communications representative Heidi Flato. "When we were talking earlier, ...

Biggest Loser program offers cash incentive for weight loss

Lala Vasquez has made great strides in trying to keep her weight in check, but feels there is certainly room for improvement. The active grandmother and cosmetic sales representative is a returning contestant for Biggest Loser Turlock's "Get in Shape for Summer Challenge," a program designed for weight loss and cash prize incentives. Though Vasquez is a strong individual, her prior weight loss efforts were defeated when she had to deal with a ...