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Turlock Irrigation District customers with the sort of outdated heating and cooling systems that make electricity meters spin and budget-conscious homeowners cringe are now eligible for rebates that could make purchasing a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

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 ...

Local kids get hands-on with dental health

Students from TLC day care and preschool classes learned a lesson about dental care from First Step Dental employees on Friday morning. The class was just one of 12 groups that took a tour of the dental office and learned dental hygiene from the professionals. February is children's dental health month, and in honor of that First Step Dental invites community preschool, daycare and kindergarten groups to tour their office every year. Kids learn ...

What is romance?

My assignment this week, whether I liked it or not, was to write an article about the inner workings of romance. This article, I was told, had to be a first-person perspective on the issue. I thought this would be an easy assignment, but it turns out that defining romance is harder than I expected. The first person I approached for this article was my wonderful and loving boyfriend. I thought that surely ...

Delhi residents rally to save local state parks

DELHI &ndash; Every weekend, sounds of children squealing in the water, mariachi music, and people generally having a good time waft through the gates of McConnell State Recreation Area. But those days could soon come to an end, as the State of California plans to close both McConnell and nearby George J. Hatfield State Recreation Area in a cost-savings maneuver &ndash; unless the community raises enough money to keep the parks open. <p ...

Settlement promises hope for struggling homeowners

A landmark multistate settlement with several of the nation's top banks will enact a monetary penalty for years of foreclosure abuses and bring some much needed relief to homeowners hit hardest by the mortgage crisis. In the multistate settlement the banks agreed to $20 billion in mortgage relief and $5 billion to be paid to local and state governments. The California Attorney General's Office secured a separate agreement that will bring in ...

Diamond Food audit results in leadership change

An internal audit by Diamond Foods Inc., found discrepancies in crop payments, prompting the company to replace their top two executives. On Wednesday Diamond Foods announced Chief Executive Officer Michael Mendes and Chief Financial Officer Steven Neil were placed on administrative leave based on information turned up during a three-month long probe into the company's accounts. The audit was carried out by a committee from the company's board of directors. According ...

Mosquito conference addresses new requirements

The Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California met on Jan. 30 to discuss issues facing local control districts. Top on their list of priorities was the new Clean Water Act permit requirement that might result in mosquito control agencies being unable to provide the same level of service. Turlock Mosquito Abatement District manager David Heft attended the conference. He said that the new Clean Water Act enforcement might require permits for all ...