Nursing home residents displaced after sparks fly

Thirty nursing home residents were evacuated and more than 50 emergency personnel responded to the Bel-Air Lodge Friday afternoon because of sparking electrical lines.

TID stops TANC in tracks

The Turlock Irrigation District - and the Modesto Irrigation District - announced plans Tuesday to cease their participation in the Transmission Agency of Northern California's $1.5 billion plan to install 600 miles of high-voltage electricity transmission lines stretching from Lassen County to Turlock.

Bike Park moving forward; additional funding needed

Dominick Rufo came up with the idea of constructing a BMX bike park in Turlock when he was 14 years old. Rufo, now almost 17, saw his plan approved by Turlock City Council in February. The park, however, will not be built until $10,000 of private funding has been secured for the project.

Gas prices fall in wake of economic woes

Lately, drivers pulling up to a gas station to fill their tank don't know what prices they will find at the pump. Gas prices that were nearing the $3 mark just last month, are now closer to $2.50.

HOPE OF AMERICA

The Kiwanis Club of Turlock recently presented Hope of America awards to students in grades 5-9 at eight local schools.

First Presbyterian celebrates 100 years

The past 100 years have seen Turlock grow from a small agricultural community to a city with almost 70,000 residents. Those same 100 years have seen Turlock churches evolve from small outposts that farmers traveled to from miles away by horse and buggy, to large campuses with modern video and audio equipment. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is the dedication that Turlock residents show to their places of worship and spiritual development.

COMMUNITY: OUTREACH IN TROUBLE

"What do you want to do with all of that yogurt? We're using it right?" Lydio Banana asked. "So long as we can keep it somewhere," JoLynn DiGrazia answered.

AGRICULTURE: TRIPLE THE JOY

Jim Vieira said that in nearly 50 years of dairy farming, he has never seen three calves of the same gender born to one cow at the same time. But that's what happened on Tuesday when a 6-year-old dairy cow on Vieira's dairy gave birth to three healthy heifers.

County confirms first H1N1 death

The first death in Stanislaus County from the H1N1 virus was confirmed on Monday. According to the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, a 21-year-old county woman with pre-existing medical conditions died on July 1 while hospitalized with severe pneumonia. "Tests later revealed that this was a complication of infection with the H1N1 virus," said Stanislaus County Public Health Officer Dr. John Walker. The public health department also reported an increase in the number of confirmed ...

Patriotism on parade

Mother Nature showed her American spirit Saturday, allowing a cool breeze to blow through Turlock making the Downtown Fourth of July Parade a pleasant experience for participants and spectators alike.

TID solar incentive program updated

The Turlock Irrigation District Board of Directors adopted a revised solar energy incentive policy on Tuesday, which makes the cash for kilowatts program a bit more difficult to qualify for while rewarding those whose systems produce more energy.

4th of July Road Closures

The following downtown streets will be closed today from 6 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. as part of the scheduled 4th of July parade route:

Planning approves private dorms

The Turlock City Planning Commission unanimously passed two resolutions on Thursday that will allow Campus Crest LCC to move forward with their plan to construct a 10-building private dorm facility across from California State University, Stanislaus.

The unlikely officers

Right at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, Maureen Lowliss found herself living an extraordinary life as she neared age 50, even if she likes to downplay it.

SMUD tanks TANC

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, once the largest supporter of the Transmission Agency of Northern California's $1.5 billion plan to install 600 miles of high-voltage electricity transmission lines stretching from Lassen County to Turlock, announced Wednesday they intend to withdraw from the TANC Transmission Project.

Investigation continues into largest case of animal cruelty county has ever seen

The investigation is still ongoing into what Stanislaus County Animal Services Executive Director Annette Patton called the worst case of animal cruelty the county has ever seen. A citizen complaint call on Tuesday led to the discovery of an estimated 50,000 hens starving to death at an egg farm off South Carpenter Road. Patton said a third of the hens were found dead, and most of the rest have been "properly and ...

Lost camper found after four days of desperation

Chris Dellis went into the Stanislaus National Forest on Feb. 18 for a night of camping and a day of target shooting. What followed was an epic struggle for survival as the 32-year-old man wandered lost, dehydrated hungry, injured and burdened with a deep despair that he would never look once more upon the faces of his wife and three children. Sustained by his higher power and digging into a reserve of strength ...

Missing teen may now be with Turlock boyfriend

The search for a missing 14-year-old Livingston girl continues, though authorities now believe she left her family's ranch voluntarily with her 17-year-old boyfriend. The Merced County Sheriff's Department is continuing to actively search for 14-year-old Sarah Wade because she is considered "at risk" based on statements she has made about committing suicide. Wade was last seen at her home at 11933 W. Rose Ave. in Livingston around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. She went ...

Stanislaus Library launches mobile app

Smartphone users can play Scrabble, update Facebook, and tweet to their hearts' content, thanks to the myriad apps available in their respective app stores.

Fun center project still on hold

Last week's announcement that retailers Old Navy and ULTA Beauty are soon headed to Turlock's Monte Vista Crossings had Turlockers abuzz.

Diamond Foods, Pringles part ways

An acquisitions deal between Diamond Foods, Inc. and Proctor and Gamble that has been dogged by an internal accounting probe and lawsuits, came to an official end Wednesday when The Kellogg Company stepped in and purchased the sought after Pringles snack brand.

Pump prices dig deeper into consumers’ pockets

The recovering economy may be good news to investors, but it's bad news for drivers.

State closures leave TID looking at options to keep Turlock Lake open

Since moving to Turlock in 2002 the Turlock Lake State Recreation Area has become Nancy Jewett's home away from home, offering swimming in the summer, hiking in the winter, and a verdant natural landscape year-round. But Jewett's days of visiting Turlock Lake may be near an end, as the State of California is set to cease operations at the state park on July 1 in a cost-saving maneuver. "The entire recreation area ...

Turlockers open county’s first mobile cupcakery

Dry winter sparks increase in Valley burn bans

When the San Joaquin Valley's Check Before You Burn Program comes to a close in two weeks it will cap off a season that has seen a record number of banned burning days and some of the worst wintertime air quality. The dry and relatively wind-free weather that has been routine for most of this winter has had an adverse affect on the region's air quality and sparked an increase in the number ...

Turlock Chamber wins big at Western conference

The Turlock Chamber of Commerce made quite an impression last weekend at the Western Association of Chamber Executives' annual management conference in Las Vegas. Turlock Chamber President/ Chief Executive Officer Sharon Silva was named the Chamber of Commerce Executive of the Year and the Business News was awarded first place in the Magazine competition for chambers with under 1,000 members. "It's a very big honor for the Turlock Chamber," said Paul Porter, chamber ...

TID looks at possible dry-season irrigation allotments

With the Turlock Irrigation District's 2012 irrigation season just a few months away, an ongoing dearth of rain has forecasters projecting below-average allotments. As of Sunday, just .08 inches of precipitation had fallen in February. As much as 1.2 inches could fall in the TID watershed this coming week, per TID forecasts, but no rain is projected in the following week. New California Department of Water Resources projections suggest 1.03 million acre-feet ...

Gas prices climb

The pump prices have jumped in every single metro area across Northern California, according to the latest report from AAA Insurance, which tracks gas prices as a service to consumers. According to AAA, all of the Northern California metro areas tracked by the organization had double-digit increases over the past month. The Golden State's average for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $3.85, up 15 cents since last month's AAA report ...

Grape crush down 3 percent from 2010; price of all varieties reach record high

California's 2011 crush totaled 3,869,894 tons, down 3 percent from the 2010 crush of 3,986,314 tons. All wine varieties crushed totaled 3,342,689 tons, down 7 percent from 2010. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1,917,132 tons, down 7 percent from 2010. The 2011 white wine variety crush totaled 1,425,557 tons, down 7 percent from 2010. Tons crushed of raisin type varieties totaled 372,551, up 36 percent ...

Farm exports hit record levels

U.S. farm exports reached a record $136.3 billion in calendar year 2011, reported the United States Department of Agriculture. "The data released today by USDA represents a record-breaking calendar year for farm exports, demonstrating-once again-that American agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation's economy. We saw a rise in both the value and volume of U.S. agricultural exports worldwide in 2011, as international sales rose $20.5 billion over the previous record set ...