Raking in the leaves

It's called fall for a million simple reasons: all those darned leaves that yellow, wither, and plummet from branches to ground.

Parks and Rec commissioner reaches term limit after 22 years

After 22 years of service to the Turlock Parks, Recreation and Community Commission, Brent Bohlender is finally faced with the end of his term limit. Bohlender has been on the commission since 1988, through five different recreation directors and three mayors of Turlock.

Local brewery to open ‘beer bistro’

Local residents will have a new place to taste the fruits of Turlock's own brewery, following a Planning Commission decision Tuesday evening.

Planning approves fun center

After a marathon three and a half hour meeting Thursday night, the Turlock Planning Commission recommended approving plans for the Ten Pin Fun Center, a proposed family entertainment center containing a 34-lane bowling alley.

Supervisors agree to cut 27 from sheriff’s ranks

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors gave the initial green light Tuesday for the sheriff's department to start the process of laying-off 27 employees. Whether that number will nearly double, decrease or stay the same will depend on budget negotiations between the sheriff's department and the county's chief executive office over the next month.

Split council denies fee refund

With a split, 2-2 vote Tuesday night, the Turlock City Council took no action to reimburse $635.93 in building permit fees to Lori Crivelli of Crivelli's Shirts and More.

City of Hughson signs contract with new auditors

After years of having the same Certified Public Accountant firm to audit the City's finances, Hughson decided on a new CPA firm for the next three years at their Monday meeting.

City reserves could help new ventures

The Turlock City Council on Tuesday will consider a new "Turlock Partnership Incentives" plan, which would offer $5,000 in fee relief for new businesses, to be financed from the city's General Fund Reserve.

New city commissioners look to better the community

The Turlock City Council approved four new city commissioners at Tuesday's meeting. Mike Dowd and Steven Nascimento were appointed to the Parks, Recreation and Community Commission; and Alex Cantatore and Susana Love were appointed to the Arts Commission. Each commissioner had his or her own reason for applying, but they all said they were happy to be appointed to serve their community.

Council decides to stay with agency operating Gomes Lake, for now

The Turlock City Council on Tuesday elected not to withdraw from a Joint Powers Agency in charge of operating Gomes Lake, where Turlock discharges its storm water.

Stars and Stripes to line Turlock streets

The American flag won't just fly over Turlock's streets on the Fourth of July.

State budget passes with $7.4 billion in cuts, no new taxes

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger set a new record by signing the $87.5 billion 2010-2011 state budget into law Friday night.

City offices to close for furloughs

The Turlock City Council adopted a schedule for worker furlough days which will see city offices close three days this year.

Turlock City Council briefs

On Tuesday, the Turlock City Council:

Hughson hires new city manager

Hughson has had a rough year with code-violating council members, sexual harassment claims in City Hall and an empty city manager position to lead the city out of the mess. But at Monday's special City Council meeting, council members voted 4-0 to appoint a new city manager.

More affordable housing needed, finds report

While housing prices have dropped, California still needs more affordable housing, according to a new state Department of Housing and Community Development report. "Prior to the foreclosure crisis and current economic downturn (also known as the Great Recession), California had experienced decades of undersupply, contributing to significant price escalation and the affordability crisis," the report reads. "... While the recession of the early 1990s was most devastating with regard to poverty and unemployment, ...

Failing water meters to get upgrade

City expects no changes for skate park when police offices move

The future of Turlock's popular skate park, located adjacent to the current Turlock Police Department, is in question given the construction of the new Public Safety Facility several blocks away. Turlock Parks, Recreation, and Community commissioners posed the question a month ago: without the close police presence, would the park – home to some acts of crime throughout the years – continue? But commissioners learned Tuesday that the skate park will remain ...

Voters to decide library tax on June ballot

A voter supported one-eighth cent sales tax has been the lifeblood of the Stanislaus County Library since its 1995 inception. But the fate of that sales tax, due to expire in 2013, will be up to voters once again in the June 5, 2012 Primary Election, following the Board of Supervisors' Tuesday action to place the issue on the ballot for renewal. The county's dedicated library sales tax was the first such ...

Council looks at replacing failing water meters

The Turlock City Council will consider a $495,225 upgrade to the city's failing automated water meter reading system at their next meeting on Tuesday.

Planning passes on regional ag map

A countywide initiative intended to preserve agricultural land, driven by local mayors, was shot down by the Turlock Planning Commission on Thursday for sidestepping existing planning efforts and failing to truly protect farmland. The initiative, known as the Agricultural Preservation Plan Map 2050, asks cities to clearly define their borders as of the year 2050. By doing so, the areas outside of the 2050 boundaries would be preserved for agriculture. The plan ...

City balks at proposed storm drain regulations

Washing your own car or having sprinklers that splash onto the sidewalk could soon be illegal, due to a proposed new state storm water permit. The new permit, drafted by the State Water Resources Control Board, is based on a concept of "only rain down the drain." Planners say they're attempting to meet federal regulations, but local officials say they've gone far beyond the realm of reason. "The requirements are so prescriptive, ...

What should come first, money or a plan?

Should Turlock be practical, given budgetary constraints, or should it aim for the stars? The question was front and center at a special meeting of the Turlock City Council on Tuesday, where council members went to work updating the city's strategic plan. The plan, a conceptual long-term planning document which will guide Turlock policy through 2013, has been in the works since March. Before that effort, the document had lain dormant since ...

Stanislaus County receives federal grant for preventative health programs

A federal grant aimed at getting to the root causes of chronic diseases was recently awarded to the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. The Capacity Building Grant of $293,899 was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a block of Community Transformation grants. The Capacity Building Grant money is to be used for laying the foundation for sustainable community prevention programs and practices that tackle smoking, ...

Ag secretary lauds Obama’s jobs plan in California

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the state this week, lauding the positive impacts President Barack Obama's proposed American Jobs Act would have on Californians. "The American Jobs Act provides common-sense steps we can take right now to put more people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans, without adding a dime to the deficit," Vilsack said to attendees at a business roundtable in Sacramento. The ...

Council votes to keep RDA options open

With the fate of redevelopment agencies statewide still hazy at best, a split Turlock City Council decided to keep its options open Tuesday, approving a resolution which will allow Turlock to decide whether or not to retain its agency at a later date. The move effectively informed the state that Turlock may eventually decide to issue a large "ransom" payment to the state in exchange for the right to keep its agency active, ...

Council to plan the future of Turlock

It's time for some long term planning, says Turlock City Hall.

City reports successful summer for rec programs

Turlock Parks and Recreation wrapped up a successful year of summer programming earlier this month. They saw high participation numbers across the board, and they received grant funding to offer summer programming to ACES after school program participants. "Our numbers were high from youth to adults. Summer went very well," said Erik Schulze, recreation senior supervisor. Turlock Recreation ran a special summer clinic for students who participated in the ACES after-school program ...

Council hires firm to recruit new police chief

The search for Turlock's next full-time police chief kicked off Tuesday, when the Turlock City Council approved hiring Teri Black and Co. to conduct an executive recruitment process. The recruiter will be tasked with finding a successor to former Chief Gary Hampton, who left to head the Tracy Police Department on July 31. Since then, Dave Young has served as the Interim Chief of Police. The use of an outside recruiter drew ...

Council awaits decision on RDA take legality

The future of redevelopment remains hazy, but the City of Turlock is attempting to plan for whatever fate may befall redevelopment agencies statewide. The Turlock City Council held a special workshop Tuesday specifically to discuss the city's options following the state's action to force all redevelopment agencies to either close their doors, or pay large fees to the state. "I think it's just a wait and see for me right now," said ...