Carnegie bid $2.4 million less than expected

The proposed reconstruction of the Carnegie Arts Center now looks like it will cost less than the Turlock City Council ever imagined, as the lowest bid submitted tallied just $5.3 million, more than $2 million less than the $7.7 million in funding identified for the project in October 2007.

Youth football league investigation continues

The investigation into the embezzlement charges against two former Turlock Youth Football officials is still ongoing and police say it could be a significant time before any determination of wrongdoing, if any, is made.

TID offers cool way to save energy

Turlock Irrigation District customers with the sort of outdated heating and cooling systems that make electricity meters spin and budget-conscious homeowners cringe are now eligible for rebates that could make purchasing a new air conditioner a bit more palatable.

Former mayors get bestowed with namesake parks

Anyone who wants a park in the city of Turlock to bare their name might have to wait a while for the honor. At the Turlock Parks, Recreation and Community Commission meeting on June 10 the name "Dale Pinkney Park" was suggested for the last un-named park in Turlock.

First confirmed case of H1N1 influenza reported in Stanislaus County

Stanislaus County Public Health officials received confirmation on Friday from the state laboratory of a positive novel H1N1 case in the county. The affected county resident is a 22-year-old female who did not require hospitalization.

Hilmar Eagle Scout works on play park

Anthony Sarment, 14, recently achieved the highest rank possible in Boy Scouts of America, the rank of Eagle Scout. Sarment completed a project of re-finishing and painting the children's play park at Donnelly Park. The project took 35 people over 127 man hours to complete.

Year’s first case of West Nile virus in Stanislaus County

A dead American crow, found in Modesto, has tested positive for the mosquito-borne West Nile virus.

Tuesday flea market a bargain shopper’s paradise

Why is a flea market called a flea market? That might sound like the beginning of a bad joke, but it is a valid question. The Turlock Tuesday Flea Market features everything from live bunny rabbits to used gardening tools, but there is not a single flea for sale.

Thieves steal priceless mementos from cancer-stricken child

It's a sad fact of life that Dylan Givargiznia has come accustomed to bad news. When he was 6-years-old Dylan was hit with the life-altering news that he had a rare form of leukemia. Since then he has been on a roller coaster of remissions and reoccurrences that have taken him in and out of the hospital. Now, the 10-year-old boy is dealing with the news that his prognosis has worsened and his odds of ...

Unions call for changes in wake of prison guard’s death

As the one year anniversary of Jose Rivera's death approaches, prison guard unions are stepping up the pressure for reforms within the Bureau of Prisons and for new safety regulations.

Program helps teens realize their leadership potential

Toni Deguire has been a member of the Teen Advisory Council since fall of 2004, when she was in eighth grade. Deguire graduated from Pitman High School earlier this month and ended her five year membership with the council. She said that being a member of the Teen Advisory Council helped her to realize her leadership potential and become more involved.

H1N1 cases reported in Stanislaus and Merced counties

Stanislaus and Merced counties have reported two probable cases each of the H1N1 virus, while the global community prepares for a pandemic.

Irrigation water lessened by federal decision

California's farmers could be hard hit by a biological opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service on Thursday, which calls for pumping operations in the Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project to be changed.

Lawsuit filed over guard’s fatal stabbing

The family of Jose Rivera, the prison guard stabbed to death by two inmates, has filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons alleging poor management and unsafe working conditions contributed to his death.

Free meals available to students through summer

Low-income students in the Turlock Unified School District can continue to receive free lunch even when school is out for summer break. TUSD offers the Summer Food Service Program to any child under the age of 18 during the months of June and July at select school locations.

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 ...

Glitz: Boutique fashion at affordable prices

Name of business: Glitz Fine Clothing Type of business: Clothing store Location: 306 E. Main St. Contact info: 664-9737 Hours of operation: Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. History of business: When Lisa Espinola bought Glitz from a family member in 2011, her goal was to change the way people shop - without having to spend an arm ...

Road Work Report

Caltrans has construction and closures planned for the following areas this week:

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 ...

Marine unit delivers burgers, smiles to Japanese orphans

NAGOMI ORPHANAGE, OKINAWA, Japan - As part of the Marine Corps' force in readiness for the Asia-Pacific region, the Marines and Sailors of Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, are expected to be ready for anything. For this occasion, they were ready to play. Twenty-one service members and a few family members donated part of their Saturday to play with local orphans and provide an American-style barbecue on Saturday. For a variety ...

Remote race to benefit victims of Boston bombings

Tracy Crane has organized memorial races, uniting the heavy-hearted in a common cause. She also completed 100 miles in February to commemorate the 100th month of her daughter's diagnosis with diabetes, raising money and awareness with each footfall. When life gets tough and overwhelming, Crane, a certified run coach and burgeoning race coordinator, does what she knows best. She runs. Not away from the problem, but directly at it. "Fortunately I have a way of ...

Homeless shelters close for season

Warmer weather has finally arrived in the Valley - just in time for those who now have no option left but to sleep on the streets. The Turlock Gospel Mission's winter relief ministry for women and children and the We Care cold weather shelter for men both closed for the season last week. TGM's winter relief gave shelter to 1,580 (99 individual women and children) over its five month season from mid-November to ...

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 ...

Turlock prepares to feel the love

A Valley-wide demonstration of love is set for Saturday as hundreds of volunteers will take to their city streets and neighborhoods to clean, paint, rebuild and repair. The second annual Love Turlock event is expected to draw at least 1,200 volunteers, said organizer Craig Brooks. While volunteers will be working on projects for a few nonprofit organizations, the focus this year is on helping individuals and families. "We want people connecting with ...

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

County unemployment continues to fall

The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County continued to make strides for the better as the jobless rate fell again, according to the latest report from the Employment Development Department. The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County for March came in at 14.6 percent, down from a revised rate of 14.9 percent in February and below the year-ago estimate of 16.6 percent. This is the second month in a row that the county has ...

THE FIRE LANE

The Turlock Fire Department responded to a total of 458 incidents during the month of March. These included a total of 303 emergency medical service calls. Turlock Fire responded to 25 motor vehicle accidents, and 19 commercial/residential fire alarms. There were a total of 22 fire type calls: two building fires, one vehicle fire, five grass/ rubbish fires, one arcing shorted electrical, four unauthorized burnings, three Dumpster fires, two cooking fires, one authorized control burn, ...

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 ...