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.

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 – 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 – and countless other varieties – 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 – 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 ...