Acts of kindness restore memorial to fallen soldiers after vandalism

February is a tough month for the Gonsalves family. It was on Feb. 13, 2006, that their beloved son Chad Gonsalves, an Army Green Beret, was killed in action while fighting in Afghanistan.

Gas prices on the rise

The average price of gasoline in California surged six cents from January to February, mainly due to political concerns, according to AAA Northern California.

COMMUNITY: ART AND BAGPIPES

Downtown Turlock was serenaded by the sweet sound of bagpipers on Thursday evening. The musicians were part of the entertainment at a wine and chocolate event hosted inside of the Community Art Gallery on Center Street. The kilt-clad men and women played out on the sidewalk and confused more than a few passers-by.

Tough road ahead for local businesses in 2011

All four speakers at Wednesday's Turlock Chamber of Commerce Membership Breakfast offered a common message: 2010 was a rough year and much work remains for 2011. But all speakers also noted unexpected bright spots, which could point toward an earlier than expected recovery.

Cigarette, oxygen tank blamed for fire

Two people were injured from a fire that officials say was sparked by a person smoking while using an oxygen tank.

New programs help keep families in their homes

The California Housing Finance Agency announced on Thursday the implementation of four programs intended to fight California's foreclosure crisis, and to keep families in their homes.The federally funded programs, made possible by the U.S. Treasury Department's Hardest Hit fund, will be operated under the umbrella title of "Keep Your Home California." "Our goal is to get the very most out of these federal dollars to assist California families," said ...

Local speed dating service gives singles second chance at love

Valentine's Day is often despised by singles who have not been struck by cupid's arrow by the big day. But local singles will have a new opportunity for meeting their dream date thanks to Turlock entrepreneur Amber Scabia and her business partner Enrique Mendoza. The two used their own experiences with dating in the area as inspiration for their new speed dating business, Two Minute Match. <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; ...

Rush of the roses: Local florists prepare for busiest day of the year

Valentine's Day is one of the busiest times of the year for florists nationwide. The same holds true for local flower shops as they gear up for the mad rush of flower deliveries and drop-in customers on Monday.

Business development remains focus of downtown in 2011

The efforts to make downtown Turlock into a booming business district once again will continue through the new year as the Turlock Downtown Property Owners Association unveils a series of programs, events, and advocacy sessions to keep the seed of revitalization growing.

COMMUNITY: EAGLE SCOUT

Skyler Sexton will become an Eagle Scout at a ceremony scheduled for Feb. 26 at the First United Methodist Church. Skyler was a Cub Scout for five years, during which time he earned the Arrow of Light, the highest honor in the Cub Scouts. He has been a Boy Scout for six years with Troop #451 and has earned 29 merit badges, attended ...

Grant allows small business development center to expand services

A new federal grant to the Small Business Administration's University of California, Merced Small Business Development Center Regional Network will provide additional resources to grow or start businesses &ndash; and create jobs in the process.

Funding to promote prevention and early intervention of mental health issues

In the past, California public mental health services were limited to treatment, usually medication, for people with serious mental illness. The California Mental Health Commission is hoping to change that by promoting "help first" rather than "fail first" mental health treatment.

Turlock manager lovin’ her job reaps rewards

When Betsy Lazar moved to Turlock from Iran in 2001 she took an hourly job at McDonald's. She had no idea that she would someday be in the top 1 percent of McDonald's management.

Llama hobo classic show brings the fuzzy to town

Llamas from all over the state &ndash; and their owners - converged on the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds this past weekend for the Llama Association of North America's (LANA) third annual hobo classic llama show. This winter event is an opportunity for owners to show their llamas as nature intended them, fuzzy, dirty and happy.

State budget cuts could deflate county fairs

Governor Jerry Brown's current budget proposal includes a 100 percent reduction in California county fair funding, slashing $32 million from fair budgets across the state. If the budget is approved, nearly 30 county fairs could permanently or temporarily close.

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 ...

BUSINESS: GREEN AGENCY

Green isn't just in this insurance agency's name &ndash; it's a way of life. Winton-Ireland, Strom & Green Insurance Agency representatives announced this week they have installed an electric vehicle charging station at their 687 E. Canal Dr. offices. The charging station includes a 220 volt attachment for Chevrolet Volts, and a 110 volt adaptor for other electric vehicles. Winton-Ireland, Strom & Green Insurance Agency is believed to be the second business ...

Valley air historically clean in August; Air Alert issued for September

One day after announcing for the first time the San Joaquin Valley has seen August pass without recording a single violation of federal air standards, the Air Pollution Control District issued an Air Alert for the first week of September. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District said Thursday that this was the first time in recorded history that the air basin did not incur an exceedance for the standard in August. ...

City comes together to welcome visitors — and their economic impact

While communities across the state continue to struggle with the economic recession, there have been small gains in a few industries, among them tourism. In Turlock, businesses and organizations are coming together to compete for those tourism dollars. "We're working really hard at pushing the Turlock stay," said Turlock Convention and Visitors Bureau director Desa Cammack. The Turlock CVB works hand in hand with promoters, local facilities, the City of Turlock and ...

Long road to economic recovery, finds report

A new report of labor data shows California making progress on unemployment rates but predicts that the road to a full recovery is going to be long and slow moving. The Economic Development Department looked at labor data through July and found that unemployment in most areas of the state has begun to trend downward and that job growth was returning to the private sector, albeit slowly. The San Joaquin Valley, which ...

Local woman makes fitness dreams reality

Lori Hooper might be the successful owner of two fitness studios now, but just a few years ago she was Lori Avila, a student at Turlock High School and a member of the cross country team. Hard work paid off for Hooper, who opened her second studio in Turlock in January. "I was studying at Stan State when I had my daughter and had to quit going. But I told myself I would ...

Turlock boy helps ‘Color the Skies’ for Valley hospital

Hot air balloons, jets, kites and skydivers will all fly over Ripon on Saturday and Sunday in a show of support for the Children's Hospital of Central California. Color the Skies balloon festival will offer two days of family entertainment and fundraising activities this Labor Day weekend. And presiding over all the festivities will be Adham Hamza, a Turlock resident and ambassador for Children's Hospital Central California. Hamza was chosen by the hospital ...

California reaches new high in farm revenues for 2010

Not only was 2010 a banner year for Stanislaus County agriculture - with a farm gate increase of $260 million for an all-time record total income of nearly $2.57 billion - but the entire state also saw new highs in agricultural income. California agriculture revenues increased 9 percent for 2010 from the revised 2009 income level of $34.6 billion, according to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service and Economic Research Service. The state's 81,700 ...

Gas prices rise — just in time for holiday travel

The price of gasoline has surged once again &ndash; just in time for the Labor Day travel weekend. "Retail gasoline prices finished last week quite strong in some areas on concern surrounding Hurricane Irene," said Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst. "The concern surrounding refinery production on the East Coast helped boost gasoline prices outside that area as well." According to gasoline price-tracking firm GasBuddy.com, average retail prices for gasoline in Stanislaus ...

Carnegie readies for reopening

From the fire in 2005 that left it in ruins to the political wrangling that almost sank it, the Carnegie Arts Center has risen like a phoenix from the ashes more than once and is set to begin a new chapter with a grand reopening Sept. 10. With the opening a little more than a week away workers have been busy installing lights for the Ansel Adams show and putting on all the ...