County residents speak out against transmission project

A room full of angry citizens greeted the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning, as dozens gathered to speak out against the planned Transmission Agency of Northern California Transmission Project.

Local animal rescue and shelter will soon be mobile

The general consensus in the Turlock Journal office on Monday was "awwww, he's so cute!" The coos and baby talk were in response to a blind kitten that was brought in by LeeAnne Pinkerton from the Friends of Turlock Animals shelter. The kitten, who is looking for a home, sauntered around the conference room table, exploring with his paws and nose, oblivious to the bright flash of the camera that would usually scare a cat his age.

Governor’s plan ‘dangerous to public safety,’ say local district attorneys

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to commute the sentences of illegal aliens and reduce several felony crimes to misdemeanors was universally rejected by California prosecutors on Monday.

102 years young

Evelyn Gawthrop turns 102 on Sunday. She celebrated with cake and ice cream at Paramount Park senior living center on Friday with friends and family. Evelyn was born in 1907 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She moved to California when she was 12 years old. Evelyn attended UCLA and started teaching elementary school in 1928. Her niece, Suzie Corbin, said that Evelyn was Marilyn Monroe's third grade teacher.

MR. TURLOCK COMES TO TOWN

Stefan Turlock came all the way from Sweden last week to visit his namesake town. Stefan and his girlfriend, who were vacationing in California, spent an entire day getting to know Turlock. They strolled down Main Street, bought a few souvenirs at the Visitor's Center and made friends with local firefighters. As far as he knows, Stefan and his family are the only Turlocks in the country of Sweden. His grandfather Elmer, who grew up ...

Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are all together

Hundreds of local Iranians and Americans of Iranian descent showed their support for friends and family still in Iran on Thursday and Friday with peaceful rallies. Groups of Assyrians born in both Iran and the United States gathered on the corner of Countryside Drive and Monte Vista Avenue with signs, banners, face-paint, and flags.

Law enforcement cracks down on illegal fireworks

Local fire departments and law enforcement agencies are going to be taking a hard-line stance this year when it comes to illegal fireworks.

The jewel of the downtown

When two burglars lit a match and set the Carnegie Arts Center ablaze on a cold November night in 2005, they likely had no idea of the political firestorm they were launching.

Merced supervisors speak out for local dairy farmers

The Merced County Board of Supervisors hope a resolution passed last week will get Washington, D.C., moo-ving forward to provide relief for troubled California dairy producers.

Community rallies to support local boy battling cancer

Family, friends, and perfect strangers turned out in droves Monday at a community blood and bone marrow drive for Turlock's Dylan Givargiznia.

Long time Turlock grocer dies at 72

The doors of National Market closed early on Friday and remained shut today in observance of the passing of Jing Ow, the store's longtime owner. Ow, 72, died June 10.

County records slight dip in unemployment

For the second straight month the unemployment numbers in Stanislaus County made a small decline.

Sheriff’s budget crunch brings an end to special assignments

In a move meant to trim expenses and avoid deputy layoffs, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department has ended several special assignments.

Father’s Day card more than a sentiment to local man

In July of 1950, Amos Moss scribbled a letter to his father from a fox hole in Korea. The note was on a Father's Day card that his sergeant had given him. Until he was handed the card, he didn't even realize what day it was. Moss wrote to his father that he missed him and was proud to be his son. He sent the letter back to his father, Amos Moss Sr., in the states and didn't think much about it after that.

Three local dads share love of barbecuing

The Journal put the call out several weeks leading up to Father's Day asking for families to nominate their dad as the King of the Grill. Three dads were nominated, and it was too hard to pick just one. So all three of these men now proudly hold the title of "King of the Grill."

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 ...