County residents speak out against transmission project

A room full of angry citizens greeted the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning, as dozens gathered to speak out against the planned Transmission Agency of Northern California Transmission Project.

Local animal rescue and shelter will soon be mobile

The general consensus in the Turlock Journal office on Monday was "awwww, he's so cute!" The coos and baby talk were in response to a blind kitten that was brought in by LeeAnne Pinkerton from the Friends of Turlock Animals shelter. The kitten, who is looking for a home, sauntered around the conference room table, exploring with his paws and nose, oblivious to the bright flash of the camera that would usually scare a cat his age.

Governor’s plan ‘dangerous to public safety,’ say local district attorneys

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to commute the sentences of illegal aliens and reduce several felony crimes to misdemeanors was universally rejected by California prosecutors on Monday.

102 years young

Evelyn Gawthrop turns 102 on Sunday. She celebrated with cake and ice cream at Paramount Park senior living center on Friday with friends and family. Evelyn was born in 1907 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She moved to California when she was 12 years old. Evelyn attended UCLA and started teaching elementary school in 1928. Her niece, Suzie Corbin, said that Evelyn was Marilyn Monroe's third grade teacher.

MR. TURLOCK COMES TO TOWN

Stefan Turlock came all the way from Sweden last week to visit his namesake town. Stefan and his girlfriend, who were vacationing in California, spent an entire day getting to know Turlock. They strolled down Main Street, bought a few souvenirs at the Visitor's Center and made friends with local firefighters. As far as he knows, Stefan and his family are the only Turlocks in the country of Sweden. His grandfather Elmer, who grew up ...

Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are all together

Hundreds of local Iranians and Americans of Iranian descent showed their support for friends and family still in Iran on Thursday and Friday with peaceful rallies. Groups of Assyrians born in both Iran and the United States gathered on the corner of Countryside Drive and Monte Vista Avenue with signs, banners, face-paint, and flags.

Law enforcement cracks down on illegal fireworks

Local fire departments and law enforcement agencies are going to be taking a hard-line stance this year when it comes to illegal fireworks.

The jewel of the downtown

When two burglars lit a match and set the Carnegie Arts Center ablaze on a cold November night in 2005, they likely had no idea of the political firestorm they were launching.

Merced supervisors speak out for local dairy farmers

The Merced County Board of Supervisors hope a resolution passed last week will get Washington, D.C., moo-ving forward to provide relief for troubled California dairy producers.

Community rallies to support local boy battling cancer

Family, friends, and perfect strangers turned out in droves Monday at a community blood and bone marrow drive for Turlock's Dylan Givargiznia.

Long time Turlock grocer dies at 72

The doors of National Market closed early on Friday and remained shut today in observance of the passing of Jing Ow, the store's longtime owner. Ow, 72, died June 10.

County records slight dip in unemployment

For the second straight month the unemployment numbers in Stanislaus County made a small decline.

Sheriff’s budget crunch brings an end to special assignments

In a move meant to trim expenses and avoid deputy layoffs, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department has ended several special assignments.

Father’s Day card more than a sentiment to local man

In July of 1950, Amos Moss scribbled a letter to his father from a fox hole in Korea. The note was on a Father's Day card that his sergeant had given him. Until he was handed the card, he didn't even realize what day it was. Moss wrote to his father that he missed him and was proud to be his son. He sent the letter back to his father, Amos Moss Sr., in the states and didn't think much about it after that.

Three local dads share love of barbecuing

The Journal put the call out several weeks leading up to Father's Day asking for families to nominate their dad as the King of the Grill. Three dads were nominated, and it was too hard to pick just one. So all three of these men now proudly hold the title of "King of the Grill."

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 ...