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.

Castle Air Museum to host POW/MIA Day ceremony

Castle Air Museum and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, 13th District, will jointly host a Nation POW/MIA Day Ceremony at 1 p.m. on Friday at Castle Air Museum grounds, 5050 Santa Fe Dr., Atwater. The community is invited and encouraged to attend this traditional ceremony to honor the ex-POW's who were once held prisoner by United States' enemies, and the large number of those who are still missing. This timely ceremony is ...

Carnegie reopens with fanfare

Turlockers who were looking to celebrate the fulfillment of a six-year long dream gathered with visitors from around the region on Saturday for the grand reopening of the Carnegie Arts Center.

Ceres council approves Wal-Mart Supercenter

The Wal-Mart Supercenter and accompanying 26-acre Mitchell Ranch Shopping Center was given a green light by the Ceres City Council Monday evening after months of public hearings. Council members Ken Lane, Bret Durossette and Guillermo Ochoa voted unanimously to reject an appeal of a Planning Commission approval of the center. A group calling themselves Citizens for Ceres asked the council to overturn the commission's approval of the shopping center for the northwest corner ...

Oakdale city employees under fire for opening Turlock business

A Turlock consulting business came under fire at a special Oakdale City Council meeting on Monday. The Limited Liability Company is registered in the name of three top City of Oakdale employees and one former Oakdale city manager. Oakdale City Council members held an open forum, followed by a closed session, to discuss the business. Following closed session, the unanimous decision was made to hire the legal firm of Meyers Nave at a ...

Shelter in the storm

Verda's House looks like a cross between a daycare center and the home of a very devoted grandma. The kids have decorated the dining area with seasonal artwork, there are toys in every room, and even the bathrooms have tiny toddler-sized toilets. The hope is that when kids visit Verda's House they feel like they are in a safe family environment where they can work through any crisis they might have at home. <p ...

Fire, police host memorial event

The Turlock Fire and Police departments are holding a memorial Sunday to honor the fallen on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The ceremony will begin at 8:46 a.m., the exact time the first plane struck the World Trade Center North Tower. The service is being held at the Turlock Fire Station at 540 E. Marshall St. The scheduled keynote speaker is John McPartland, vice president of BART ...

Turlock man recalls his time as Ground Zero chaplain

On a June day of this year Turlock resident Tim Guerino was once again walking on Ground Zero. Ten years prior he had stepped on that same hallowed ground, among the rubble and ruins praying for the fallen and the living alike, doling out words of solace, hope and faith. On Sept. 11, 2001, Guerino, who spent much of his youth in New York, was living in Alabama serving as a pastor. On ...

Health department fines Emanuel Medical Center for safety violation

For the second time Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock has been issued an administrative penalty after the California Department of Public Health concluded the hospital had not fully complied with health and safety standards. The hospital was fined $75,000 for failing "to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its surgical policies and procedures," the CDPH stated in their news release. The fine stems from an ...

New bus hub underway; Construction causes traffic problems

The effort to construct a new bus transit hub in Turlock is well underway on the triangle of land bordered by Del's Lane, Golden State Boulevard and Hawkeye Avenue, and traffic jams from related road work are expected to conclude soon. "It's moving well," said Turlock City Manager Roy Wasden. "But it's generating a lot of questions and it's a little inconvenient right now." The new transit hub, funded entirely by federal ...

Turlock woman dies in crash

A Turlock woman was killed in a solo crash Sunday night in Hilmar. The deceased was identified as 25-year-old Cassy Mancebo. The California Highway Patrol suspects Mancebo was under the influence of alcohol when she crashed her 2003 Ford Focus. Mancebo was driving the Ford eastbound on American Avenue, west of Columbus Avenue in Hilmar around 8 p.m. Sunday. The CHP said Mancebo drove her vehicle off the road and ...

Balloon festival raises money for children’s hospital

RIPON - Holding the palms of his hands over his ears to soften the roar of the flame shooting into his hot air balloon, 7-year-old poster boy Adham Hamza had the thrill of his life during the opening day of the Color the Skies balloon festival Saturday. The official ambassador for the event, Adham had developed brain cancer when he was only eight months old and is a regular ...

Wildlife center opens doors to public for annual event

THE FIRE LANE

The Turlock Fire Department responded to a total of 426 incidents during the month of August. These included a total of 259 emergency medical service calls. Turlock Fire responded to 19 motor vehicle accidents, and 26 commercial/ residential fire alarms. There were a total of 26 fire type calls: five building fires, three vehicle fires, two unauthorized burns, three cooking fires, eight vegetation and/or rubbish fires, two fires in structure "other," and three additional ...

United Nations takes issue with water quality in Central Valley

Poor water quality in the Central Valley &ndash; and the relative concentration of that water in poor, rural areas &ndash; has drawn the attention of the United Nations. Catarina de Albuquerque, United Nations Independent Expert on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, issued a report to the UN Human Rights Council on the state of water and sanitation access in America earlier this month. Playing a large role in that ...

Local church offers free after-school tutoring

First Presbyterian Church is giving back to some of Turlock's youngest residents with The Learning Zone, a free after school tutoring program for kids in first through sixth grade. The Learning Zone offers one-on-one tutoring to students for an hour and a half per week. Sheri Cripe, a director at The Learning Zone, said the program mainly targets students from Julien, Crowell, Denair and Dennis Earl elementary schools because these schools are closest ...