Disaster assistance available for small businesses

Small, non-farm businesses in San Joaquin County and the neighboring counties of Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Sacramento and Stanislaus are now eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration. "These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by freezing temperatures that occurred in San Joaquin <span ...

County bus agency to hold public meeting about fare increases

The Stanislaus County Public Works Transit Division, administrators for the county's intercity bus system, Stanislaus Regional Transit or StaRT, will be holding a series of public information meetings to discuss a proposed fare increase to be effective Aug. 1.

Water group looks to build synergy

Local agencies are banding together to form a regional water management group in Stanislaus County &ndash; one of California's only populated areas not to have such a group &ndash; in hopes of obtaining millions in state water funds for local projects.

Egg farmers ask to join JS West in lawsuit

The Association of California Egg Farmers (ACEF), an industry association that represents 70 percent of California's egg farmers, filed an application to join JS West, a Modesto-based egg farming company, in a lawsuit against the State of California and the Humane Society of the United States.

Local business makes community service a priority

Every year Lancaster Painting donates labor and supplies to a family or nonprofit organization in need. They have done multiple projects for both the Stanislaus County Society for Handicapped Children and Adults and Westside Ministries.

Hashimoto takes helm at TID

After a six-month, international search for a new Turlock Irrigation District general manager, the Board of Directors decided the best candidate already had the job.

HEALTH: CPR SATURDAY

The American Red Cross held their 28th annual CPR Saturday this weekend, and the Stanislaus County office offered two-year certification classes for only $10. One certification location was California State University, Stanislaus, where Red Cross volunteers, including Turlock City Council member Amy Bublak, taught three-hour classes on CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED.) More than 150 people attended the Turlock classes, where they received two-year certifications in CPR ...

Local juniors win scholarships

The Distinguished Young Women of Turlock competition was held Saturday at the Turlock Community Auditorium and two local teens won top honors. Ashley Gomez was named North Turlock's Distinguished Young Woman of 2011 and Madison Patino won South Turlock's Distinguished Young Woman title.

Pedretti Field draws tourism dollars

Turlock will host a major softball tournament in August 2012, and the economic benefits for the town could be significant.

Japan quake shakes local man

A Central Valley man feels "good to be alive" today after witnessing firsthand the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan at 9:46 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Thursday.

Gas prices on the rise

California gasoline prices have risen by 32 cents per gallon in the last 14 days and 15.5 cents per gallon in the past week alone, averaging $3.87 per gallon &ndash; 82.8 cents higher than a year ago &ndash; according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Turlockers campaign for cancer screenings

Three Turlock community leaders have partnered with Emanuel Medical Center to encourage people to get colorectal screenings.

New fire chief sworn in

Tim Lohman officially became Turlock's newest fire chief during a ceremony at the City Council meeting Tuesday night.

Turlock Fire Department Fire Call Summary

Turlock Fire Department Fire Call Summary

County fair announces changes to livestock rules

The Stanislaus County Fair announced changes to livestock rules for the 2011 fair.

USDA grants to help California specialty crops

Health department urges seasonal flu vaccination

Gas prices fall; still higher than last year

As the temperature has fallen, so too has the price of gasoline in California, according to an AAA Northern California report. A gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline now averages $3.81 in California, down 14 cents from a month ago. But that price drop is expected to slow or reverse in the coming months, per AAA. "Increased demand for gasoline and oil has helped to stall out recent price drops at the pump," ...

Turlock Fire Open House

Lessons of fire prevention and emergency responses will be doled out in hefty doses today at the annual Turlock Fire Department open house. The fire department's open house is running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Fire Station 1 at 540 E. Marshall St. The annual event is capping off the national Fire Prevention Week and will feature fire and rescue demonstrations, as well as valuable information on what to ...

Air district disputes federal fine

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is filing an appeal over a federal fine for ozone violation, citing a natural disaster as the cause of the spike. The air district submitted their appeal to the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind some of the ozone violations recorded over the summer because they were caused by a large wildfire. The air district contends that the Lion Fire in the Sequoia National Forest, which ...

Turlock woman celebrates 106th birthday

Hattie Belle Smith has seen a lot of changes in her lifetime. The biggest change she has witnessed, according to Smith, is electricity. "There wasn't electricity for miles around," said Smith, who was born on Oct. 23, 1905 in Almeria, Neb. and raised on a farm with her six siblings. "Everything was dark." Smith grew up on the family farm, helping out as needed until her father's death when she was a ...

Cancer survivors find strength in numbers at annual event

Emanuel Medical Center and the Turlock community celebrated cancer survivors with an evening of inspiration at the 14th annual Women's Cancer Awareness event. The evening was headlined by motivational speaker Geralyn Lucas, who wrote the book "Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy." The evening started with a procession of cancer survivors through Monte Vista Chapel. The group included women who have survived cancer anywhere from one day to more than 30 years. ...

Hughson High student’s death leaves classmates mourning

Students at Hughson High School are mourning the death of a classmate who was killed in a Friday afternoon vehicle crash. R.J. Barney, 17, son of Rowe and Linda Barney of Roberts Ferry, died instantly in the crash. Barney was driving to Merced to pick up his sister when the crash occurred at 12:10 p.m. According to the California Highway Patrol, Barney was driving southbound on Oakdale Road north of East Avenue ...

Baking for a cause

Each November local bakers of all ages and every skill level are asked to prepare the best pumpkin pie in their repertoire and compete for cash prizes. This annual pie contest not only gives amateur bakers a chance to shine, it also helps feed hundreds of hungry people in the Turlock area. Local chiropractor Dave Dubyak holds the pumpkin pie contest every year, with the caveat that all participants submit two pies - ...

Humane Society event brings rescues, community together

Puppies, kittens and bunnies - and their owners - came together at the Tuolumne River Regional Park on Saturday for Petoberfest, a new event held by the Humane Society of Stanislaus County. The event invited eight pet rescues and many pet-related vendors to share in a day of celebrating "adopt a dog" month. "We have a lot of rescues in this area but we never work together on the problem (of pet homelessness.) ...

Turlock Sikh Temple teaches children faith, equality

In the Sikh Temple Turlock a group of nine volunteer teachers have built a successful youth education program that is teaching students about the importance of the Sikh cultural heritage, faith and equality. An essential part of that cultural heritage education is the Punjabi school where students are learning the Punjabi language and the Sikh religion. Part of the Punjabi school's dedication to its students is a Student of the Month award for ...

THE FIRE LANE

The Turlock Fire Department responded to a total of 400 incidents during the month of September. These incidents included a total of 262 emergency medical service calls. Turlock Fire responded to 25 motor vehicle accidents, and 17 commercial or residential fire alarms. There were a total of 20 fire type calls: one building fire, two vehicle fires, two unauthorized burnings, two cooking fires, seven vegetation and/or rubbish fires, one fire in a structure ...

TID begins painful budget process

The Turlock Irrigation District Board of Directors kicked off the 2012 budget process on Tuesday with an overview of what the budget might look like, as the district attempts to keep costs flat and mulls an electric rate increase. The preliminary budget sees the district reduce seven unfilled positions year-over-year, dropping from 479 positions to 472. The employee allocation also drastically shifts from a year ago, with the General Manager's office and ...

Fun activities for young and old planned throughout area

There is - finally - a chill in the air and the leaves are starting to change into vibrant oranges, yellows and reds. Autumn is here and with it harvest and Halloween activities for young and old. The following are just a few of the local events happening this month:

Local pumpkin patch features first-ever corn maze

Ten foot tall corn stalks rustled in the breeze on Friday afternoon as families made their way down the narrow and winding corridors of a living maze. They back-tracked a few times, had to check the map more than once, and a few were a little spooked by the sound of birds and other people making their way through the corn. Eventually everyone made it back to the safety of the R.A.M Farms pumpkin ...