Police department gets $1.1 million for new officers

A federal stimulus plan to fund more police officer positions will mean four new officers will be patrolling the streets of Turlock.

TID extends irrigation season, offers more water

Local growers will be the beneficiaries of a wetter than expected rainy season this year, as Turlock Irrigation District customers will be entitled to a longer than anticipated irrigation season and an additional 15 inches of water allotment and additional 6 inch cap.

Local Assyrians protest Iraqi church bombings

In a 72 hour span, from July 11 to 13, seven Christian churches were bombed in Iraq. The reverberations of those bomb blasts were felt a half a world away here in Turlock, as Assyrian-Americans gathered at Monte Vista Crossings on Saturday evening to protest the lack of protection given to Assyrians still living on their native soil. "Our people over there need more support, more security," said Charles Givargis, Executive Director of the Assyrian ...

Adult school reaches out to community leaders

Turlockers who drive down Colorado Avenue on a daily basis probably do not even notice the Community Continuum College. The building sits so far back on the property that, despite large letters on the front of the building, it is easy to miss from the street. The physical isolation of the building reflects the relative obscurity of the school in the Turlock community.

STEPPIN’ TO THE BEAT

The Turlock Steppin Pards danced the night away at their Hootenanny on Friday. The evening started out with rounds and progressed into squares. Dancers each brought a can of food for the "hobo stew," a meal made of whatever vegetables and canned goods the dancer brought, and eaten out of a can.

Turlock lauded for eco-friendly ways

It's not easy being green, but Turlock excels at it, according to the non-profit National Resources Defense Council.

PRESCHOOL PARADISE

Campers at the Turlock Nursery School enjoyed a break from the summer heat this week with a "water fun" themed week of day camp. Kids slid down the zip-line in the back yard of the Turlock Nursery School on Friday while others painted sea-themed decorations during the arts and crafts portion of the camp. This week's theme allowed kids to play outside in the pool. Next week's theme is "rescue heroes," and campers will be ...

COMMUNITY: HORSING AROUND

Despite the triple-digit temperatures, over 80 4-H and FFA members have been competing in the annual pre-fair horse show at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds.

Pie contest sweet deal for bakers and USF

As the opening day of the Stanislaus County Fair draws close, so does the annual Apple Pie Contest. Each year local bakers put their talents to the test hoping that their pie earns top honors, while also giving back to the community. Each pie contest entrant is required to bake two pies - one for the judges and one to be given to the United Samaritan Foundation's Daily Bread trucks which serve a free lunch to those in need.

Smoggy car owners to get PASS at cash

Owners of vehicles that have a hard time passing those pesky smog checks may be eligible for a new program that offers cash to get repeat polluters off the road.

Power line project fizzles out

The Transmission Agency of Northern California officially ended its effort to install 600 miles of high-voltage electricity transmission lines stretching from Lassen County to Turlock on Wednesday.

Denair poker star finishes in the money at WSOP

Turlock area poker players have again done well on the sport's biggest stage, as Shayne Heine, a cattle broker from Denair, finished in the money at the 40th Annual World Series of Poker No Limit Texas Hold'em World Championship this week.

COMMUNITY: TWILIGHT MANIA

Turlock tween Haley Brock is one of the many young readers across the country who have fallen in love with the story of Edward and Bella as told in Stephenie Meyer's best-seller, "Twilight." When the movie version of the book came out, Haley's fascination with the vampire love story grew. So it was no surprise that when her family took a recent 10-day trip to Oregon, Haley's first thought was how close they were to ...

Jobless rate remains high for Stanislaus County

Stanislaus County's unemployment rate held steady for the most part for the month of June, increasing by just .2 percent, according to the latest data released by the Employment Development Department.

COMMUNITY: LLAMA LESSONS

"Llamas are always magical for children," said Lora Crawford of Lora's Llamas, "they just love them."

COMMUNITY: FIRE OPEN HOUSE

Lessons of fire prevention and emergency responses were doled out in hefty doses Saturday at the annual Turlock Fire Department open house. The annual event is capping off the national Fire Prevention Week and featured fire and rescue demonstrations, as well as valuable information on what to do in case of a fire.

Teen killed by car while running

A 13-year-old was killed Monday night after being hit by a car while running in Winton. The teen, whose name is being withheld pending family notification, and another person were running on Winton Way south of Bridget Court at about 7:30 p.m. on Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol. At one point the teen ran into the northbound lane of Winton Way and into the path of a Nissan Altima traveling ...

Californians ‘ShakeOut’ for safety

Businesses, schools and organizations around the state will be shaking it up on Thursday - or at least pretending to as part of the annual public earthquake drill. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency is encouraging all Californians to participate in the "Great California ShakeOut." The ShakeOut is the state's annual public earthquake drill, organized by the Earthquake Country Alliance. During the drill, which will be conducted ...

Garden Club keeps downtown green

Wearing green aprons and gardening gloves and armed with clippers and water, 25 volunteers from the 75-member Turlock Garden Club tend to more than 40 planter pots in downtown Turlock twice a month. The volunteers ensure Main Street looks a little more alive with colorful, well-maintained plant life. For garden club members it is a labor of love and the opportunity to give back to the community. "Volunteers really take ownership of ...

Brother and sister team produce cooking show for online audience

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.) ...