McDonald’s to hire 50,000 in single day

Now all those people who say "I'll flip burgers if it comes down to it," can put their money where their mouth is. McDonald's is hiring 50,000 new full and part-time people during a national hiring event on April 19.

Swarm surprises downtown workers

Rosemary Hughes is used to dealing with bees. A large jasmine bush located just outside of her downtown office building is a popular place for bees to congregate come warm weather. On Tuesday, however, the flying visitors were more than just a temporary nuisance.

Turlock girl tests her memory as ‘Brainsurge’ contestant

Denair Middle School student Lauryn Johnson was thrilled to slide down a slime-filled tunnel and land in a pit of foam. While the Turlock teen isn't particularly a fan of getting dirty, she is a fan of the Nickelodeon television show "Brainsurge."

More dogs, cats left at shelter due to foreclosures

All members of a family are impacted by the loss or foreclosure of a home, and that includes pets. The City of Turlock Police Department released its 2010 annual report, and Animal Services has seen an increase in dog euthanasia, likely related to the increase of foreclosed homes in the area.

Winter showers bring hungry mosquitoes

A mild, wet winter could translate into a buzzy, bitey, mosquito-filled summer.

TID looks at rate increases for 2012

The Turlock Irrigation District may need to raise rates an effective 9 percent for 2012 primarily to meet debt obligations associated with the Tuolumne Wind Project, district Trustees learned in a financial forecasting workshop on Tuesday.

Extremely rainy March sees end of drought

Turlockers are welcoming the warm and sunny spring weather after more than a week of rainy days in the Valley. Spring got off to a rainy start, but sunshine is in the forecast for the upcoming week.

Beekeepers could get stung by proposed fee

A proposed assessment fee on beekeepers that do business in California is causing a storm of controversy amongst the industry.

BBQ FOR LIFE

Some tasty barbecue ribs were cooked up over open flames during the 4th Annual Century 21 M&M and Associates Rib Cook-Off benefiting the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life on Friday. Over 400 people attended the event, which featured 17 barbecue teams, raffles and even cupcakes. The team with the best barbecue wins bragging rights and a traveling trophy. M&M hopes to raise $6,000 this year.

Turlock Christian junior earns Eagle Scout

Benjamin Steven Paris of Troop 451, Turlock recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor in Boy Scouts of America. Ben began his Scouting experience with Cub Scout Pack 451 in Turlock where he earned his Arrow of Light, the highest rank in Cub Scouts. He continued on to Boy Scouts earning 28 merit badges, camping 76 nights, hiking and backpacking over 134 miles and held various leadership positions. <p ...

Evacuation notice given for western Stanislaus County

Stanislaus County Officials and the Sheriff's Department are issuing a recommended evacuation notice for specific areas along the San Joaquin River in the Newman area in response to the rising river levels.

Turlocker earns accolades for community service

When a crisis occurs and community members and law enforcement personnel are involved in traumatic situations they often need the emotional support of someone trained in mental health first aid and stress management. That is where Al Opdyke comes in.

University hosts César Chávez Day celebration

Cries of "Si, se puede" rang across California State University, Stanislaus Wednesday night as the college hosted its 16th annual C&eacute;sar E. Ch&aacute;vez Memorial Celebration.

Hundreds turn out for job fair

With unemployment rates hovering around 18 percent in Stanislaus County, many residents are looking for any type of job they can find. Hundreds of those would-be workers lined up outside Modesto's HIREvent and waited up to an hour for the opportunity to hand their resumes over to companies looking to hire.

Local businesses take top awards in Entrepreneur Challenge

When the dust settled on the San Joaquin Entrepreneur Challenge, two groups of Denair-based entrepreneurs stood atop the field of 65 entrants from across the Valley.

ROPING IN A WIN

Despite the near-century mark temperatures on Thursday and Friday, hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls saddled up for the American Cowboy Team Roping Association's State Finals held at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds this week. The four-day event was expected to bring in 2,000 participants. Team roping requires close cooperation and timing between two highly skilled ropers - a header and a heeler - and their horses. The header ropes first and must make one ...

Stanislaus County Fair sets dates for 2012

Stanislaus County Fair officials confirmed the dates for the upcoming 2012 fair. The fair will resume its 10-day run July 13 &ndash; 22, 2012. This follows the 2009 decision of the Stanislaus County Fair Board of Directors to change the traditional late July fair dates to mid-July. "We have some exciting things in the works for 2012 that will bring a different dynamic to the fair," said Chris Borovansky, chief executive officer for ...

Tobacco sales to minors reach new low in state

As the Stanislaus County Office of Education prepares for its seventh annual "Tobacco Slam" event, the California Department of Health is reporting some good news about youth and smoking. Illegal tobacco sales to minors have fallen to their lowest level on record in the state, Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health, announced Thursday. The 2011 Youth Tobacco Purchase Survey found that tobacco sales to minors at retail outlets ...

Merced County reports first human case of West Nile

Merced County reported its first confirmed human case of West Nile Virus disease for 2011 on Friday. According to the Merced County Department of Public Health, the adult patient's symptoms began on Sept. 1. The patient, a resident of northern Merced County, was hospitalized beginning on Sept. 15. The patient was able to recover sufficiently from illness symptoms and was released from the hospital within a week. The patient is expected to make a full recovery.

Memoirist highlights cancer event

Author, television producer and breast cancer survivor Geralyn Lucas will be the keynote speaker at Emanuel Medical Center's 14th annual Women's Cancer Awareness event. Lucas was 27 years old and a producer with "20/20" when she found a lump in her breast during a self exam. Lucas had no family history of cancer and credits awareness campaigns with her early diligence. She decided to document the journey through her diagnosis and thus the ...

Judge calls Delta salmon protection plan ‘bad science’

The government will be forced to rewrite a plan to protect endangered Delta salmon from water pumps, following a Tuesday court decision which overturned parts of the plan for lacking scientific merit. The National Marine Fisheries Service biological opinion, issued in 2009, had called for strict flow rates for delta water pumps, which ship water to farmers south of the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta. The move was intended to save the lives of ...

Record almond harvest underway

The predicted record breaking 2011 almond harvest is underway in farms throughout the Central Valley. In July the United States Department of Agriculture predicted an all-time record crop of 1.95 billion meat pounds, coming from 750,000 California almond bearing acres. This will account for nearly 80 percent of the world's entire almond supply and 30 percent of that comes from Stanislaus and Merced counties. The average nut set per tree this year is ...

Community Supported Agriculture offers consumers a ‘share’ in farming

Genovese basil. Romanesco zucchini. Spanish musca pole bean. Minowase radishes. Red kuri squash.Crimson carmell tomatoes. Boxes full of those mouthwatering farm-fresh heirloom vegetables &ndash; and countless other varieties &ndash; are going straight from small local farms to households around Turlock each week. It's all part of a burgeoning movement in farming called Community Supported Agriculture which sees customers buy a "share" in a farm, in exchange for a share of the farm's ...

Volunteers prepare to make Turlock shine

Community invited to help celebrate university’s Founders Day

Last year, California State University, Stanislaus drew about 700 members of the community to its first ever StanFest &ndash; a family-friendly free event with carnival games and activities for kids. This year, the college hopes to bring more than 1,000 children and adults on campus to celebrate CSU Stanislaus' 51st Founders Day. "The whole point of StanFest is to celebrate our Founders Day," said Cesar Rumayor, ASI executive director. "We plan on ...

California’s rural roads rank second for fatalities in nation

The vast network of rural roads and bridges that connect California's communities are reaching a point of deterioration that they hinder both public safety and economic growth, according to a new report by a national research group. The report, "Rural Connections: Challenges and Opportunities in America's Heartland" was compiled by The Road Information Program, or T.R.I.P., a non-profit group based in Washington D.C. The TRIP report found that despite a recent decrease ...

Motorcyclist killed in freeway collision

A 29-year-old San Diego man was killed in a traffic collision Friday night on Highway 99. The name of the man has not been released pending family notification. The man was driving his 2009 Honda motorcycle southbound on the freeway, just south of W. Main Street around 8 p.m. Friday. The California Highway Patrol did not know what lane the man was traveling in or how fast he was going. For ...

MedicAlert celebrates 55 years

The MedicAlert Foundation celebrated its 55th anniversary with a Health and Safety Fair on Saturday at the foundation's international headquarters in Turlock. Event attendees were provided with free health screenings, safety information, first responder demonstrations, children's activities and even free food. MedicAlert CEO Andrew Wigglesworth explained the foundation's commitment to Turlock. "While MedicAlert has four million members worldwide we never lose sight of the community where it all started and we ...

1 in 6 Americans in need of food in 2010, report finds

The number of households dealing with a shortage of food remained almost unchanged in 2010 according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA report, "Household Food Security in the United States in 2010," found that one in six Americans, or 49 million people, had trouble putting food on the table at some point in 2010. That number represents 14.5 percent of the population, a percentage statistically unchanged from ...

Mosquito abatement season comes to an end

The mosquito abatement season is coming to a close at the end of this month, and the current count of human West Nile Virus cases is up to seven in Stanislaus County. Two of the infected live in the Denair and East Turlock areas, although one case may have been contracted outside of the area. Mosquito season can last through November, but activity slows down considerably in cooler weather. Jerry Davis, outgoing manager ...