FAMILY FUN DAY

The Kiwanis Club of Turlock hosted a Family Fun Day at Columbia Park on Saturday. The club gave out free hotdogs, brought games, had a bounce house and paid for every admission to the Columbia Pool on Saturday afternoon.

Dartmouth graduate looks to make a difference in international studies

While most high school students think that getting into an Ivy League college is an almost unattainable goal - former Pitman High water polo player Taylor Holt said it's only a matter of hard work.

TID to spend $3.4 million

The Turlock Irrigation District Board of Directors approved $3.4 million in pension-related expenditures Tuesday morning, intended to offset the effects of the weak stock market in 2008.

COMMUNITY: RUNNING OF THE WARRIORS

Dozens of people participated in the second annual Running of the Warriors at the Cal State Stanislaus campus early Saturday morning. The 5K run began near the front entrance of Warrior Arena before runners went around the campus and ended near the starting line. With the money going to the school's cross country teams, the fundraiser also included CSUS runners, who started a minute after the group of community members, as the times will be ...

New program pays rent for local homeless

Stanislaus County Planning and Community Development has distributed over $1 million to local agencies to help find permanent housing for the homeless.

Local agencies make plans for possible H1N1 flu outbreak

As the flu season approaches local agencies from hospitals and health centers to schools and public safety departments are bracing themselves for a possible onslaught of new H1N1 cases by putting into place plans that could help prevent a widespread outbreak of the virus in Turlock.

Double dose of good news for family coping with son’s cancer

The Givargiznia family got some welcome news this week. Ten-year-old Dylan, who has been battling a rare form of leukemia since he was 6 years old, went into remission and a life-saving bone marrow donor has been found.

Two dead, three injured in Denair accident

An accident along a stretch of country road in Denair on Thursday claimed the life of a little boy and a 40-year-old man, and left three others injured, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Unemployment remains high for county; state level rises

The unemployment rate in Stanislaus County for July stayed nearly unchanged, but the rate spiked throughout the state, according to the latest report from the Economic Development Department.

TRAFFIC DELAYS AND ROAD CLOSURES

Beginning Aug. 31, from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., the following roads will have traffic delays: * West Monte Vista Avenue * Countryside Drive Beginning Aug. 31, from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., the following roads will be closed to through traffic: * Hotel Drive * Entertainment Way Beginning Sept. 2, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the following roads will be closed to through traffic: * Alta Vista Street Bike Path * Roberts Road ...

Pastors swap pulpits to spread the good word

Pastor David Larson posed a question to some of his fellow Turlock ministers earlier this summer. If they could only give his congregation one message, what would it be?

Local rabbit champ dreams of national stage

Mountain View 4-H member Kayla Hilvers didn't need a rabbit's foot as a good luck charm to capture 17 awards at the Stanislaus County Fair. She had the whole rabbit.

COMMUNITY: GIANT PUMPKINS

Members of Calvary Baptist Church celebrated the harvest season a little early with their first annual Giant Pumpkin Day.

Alliance sets up in Turlock

The Stanislaus Economic Development and Workforce Alliance will be opening up an office inside the Turlock Chamber of Commerce within the next few weeks.

Crop revenue up in ‘08, decline expected in ‘09

2008 was a bit rough for most industries, but the region's agricultural producers enjoyed a banner year according to the newly released 2008 Stanislaus County Agricultural Crop Report.

Hunger campaign uses facebook votes to choose grant winners

Local communities are in the running to get a part of $2 million in funding to fight domestic hunger. As part of the Walmart Foundation's Fighting Hunger Together campaign, 200 metropolitan statistical areas with the highest unemployment rates as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the U.S. Department of Labor are in competition to win money for local food banks and hunger programs. Both Merced and Modesto are in the competition. ...

Family, friends of Brandon Koch start petition to rename skate park in his honor

Skateboarding was not just a pastime for Brandon Koch, it was a major component of his life. That is why Koch's family and friends can think of no better way to honor the memory of the 26-year-old who lost his battle with adrenocortical cancer on April 12, than by renaming the Turlock Skate Park the Brandon Koch Memorial Park. Koch's aunt, Judith Suliman, remembers her nephew's excitement when the Turlock Skate Park was ...

City, students celebrate Arbor Day with tree planting

Leaf it to Turlock to celebrate Arbor Day with a bang. Noted as a Tree City USA for 21 years – a designation given only to the tree-friendliest of cities – Turlock commemorated the 140th international Arbor Day on Friday. "Arbor Day is an annual observance that celebrates the role of trees in our lives and supports tree planting and care," explained Turlock employee Scott Hagerstrom. This year, the City of ...

Campaign to stop human trafficking comes to area

Grant to help socially disadvantaged ag producers

The USDA is accepting grant applications to assist small, socially disadvantaged agricultural producers and cooperatives in rural areas to spur job creation. "The funding we are announcing today represents USDA's continuing investment in providing small business owners with the assistance they need to improve their business operations, and serve their communities by creating economic opportunity for residents and training new generations of rural Americans to succeed in business," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. ...

2011 CALIFORNIA ALMOND ACREAGE REPORT

California's 2011 almond acreage is estimated at 835,000 acres, up 1 percent from the 2010 acreage of 825,000. Of the total acreage for 2011, 760,000 acres were bearing and 75,000 acres were non-bearing. Preliminary bearing acreage for 2012 is estimated at 780,000 acres. Nonpareil continued to be the leading variety, followed by Butte, Carmel, Monterey and Padre. Kern, Fresno, Merced and Stanislaus were the leading counties. These four counties had 64 percent ...

Kiwanis make a difference

Each year, Kiwanis Clubs around the world join in a day of service. This year it was April 21, and the Kiwanis Club of Turlock along with the Key Clubs from Turlock and Pitman high schools, came together to make a difference in the community. The clubs made over 40 flannel blankets to donate to local organizations. Last year, blankets were donated to the Turlock Police Department to hand out to families in crisis ...

Delhi junior to compete in teen pageant

Delhi's Jenise Naranjo will be competing for scholarship funds on Saturday in the 2012 Teen Pageant in Sacramento. This will be the Delhi High School junior's first experience with pageants. "I think it's a great new experience for me," she said. Naranjo, the daughter of Joe and Cora Naranjo, is a cheerleader at Delhi High and part of the Regional Occupational Program. Through ROP she spends two hours every school day ...

TAC donates children’s books to homeless center

The simple vision of a book in every child's hand has led to a massive book donation, thanks to local teens. Members of Turlock's Teen Advisory Council collected nearly 2,000 children's books in recent months, which were donated Tuesday to the Turlock Gospel Mission Homeless Assistance Ministry and to Child Protective Services in Modesto. "We're unloading books that we raised for the children," explained TAC member Cassie Lovell, a Turlock High freshman. ...

Measure to ban death penalty makes November ballot

The decision to repeal the death penalty and impose life sentences without parole for prisoners will soon be in the hands of California voters. The initiative to repeal capital punishment in the state qualified for November's ballot by collecting more than a half million valid signatures, according to the Secretary of State's office. The measure named Savings, Accountability and Full Enforcement for California Act would replace California's death penalty with life in ...

German students make ‘life-long friends’ in Turlock

Four years ago Bryan and Dorianne Long hosted German exchange students when their son Garrett, then a senior at Turlock High School, told them about the opportunity. In exchange Garrett was able to visit Germany. Since then the family has continued to host students every other year, something Bryan Long called "nothing but a wonderful experience." Last week a group of 15 German exchange students bid Turlock farewell after a nearly month-long stay ...

Turlockers turn out to support Relay for Life

More than 1,000 people participated in the 2012 Turlock Relay For Life, held Saturday at Dutcher Middle School. Seventy different teams, including participants from local schools, businesses and churches walked with a goal to raise $250,000. The preliminary fundraising tally was $169,017 on Tuesday, but the final numbers won't be in until later this week, according to event organizers. Last year the Turlock Relay For Life raised $237,000. The top three fundraising teams ...

Mad cow disease discovered in Central California dairy cow

A dairy cow from Central California was confirmed as the nation's fourth case of mad cow disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday. The animal was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, said USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford, and at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health. "The detection of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease) shows that the surveillance program in ...

Hundreds of Boy Scouts take over Turlock fairgrounds

An estimated 800 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Scouts and parents called the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds home last weekend during the Boy Scouts of America's Greater Yosemite Council annual Jamboree. Program Director Ken Moffitt said the event is a place for scouts of all ages to participate in fun activities, team-building exercises and even explore possible careers. On the menu for the Jamboree was archery, rifle ...

Dollar General Market opens in Hilmar

Hilmar gained about 50 jobs – and one of the California's first Dollar General stores - as the business celebrates its grand opening today. "Dollar General is proud to be opening one of our first California stores in Hilmar," said Mohamed Alaoui, Dollar General district manager. "We look forward to serving customers here with a superior shopping experience that encompasses convenience, value and customer service." The Tennessee-based discount retailer operates more than ...