Parks commission to consider renaming Centennial Park

The Parks and Recreation Commission will consider renaming Turlock's Centennial Park to "Swanson Centennial Park," following a sizable donation from the Swanson family. In early August, the commission voted against renaming the park after the Swanson family, who owns the local Pet Extreme, offered to donate $35,000 for the construction of a dog park at the location of the existing Centennial Park. The original request was denied as the commission felt it ...

Planning commission approves new preschool

A new private preschool will soon open in Turlock, as the city's planning commission approved the school's operation on Thursday evening. Set to open at the Cornerstone Covenant Church on Crowell Road, the new Cornerstone Christian Preschool will serve Turlock families with children three to five years of age. The new school was approved for operation between the hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and is expected ...

Planning commission to consider new preschool

Cornerstone Covenant Church may soon become filled with crayons, brightly colored backpacks and finger paints as the Turlock Planning Commission will decide whether or not to allow a new private preschool to operate there.

Denham hailed as leader by Latino Christians

A Ceres sanctuary filled with Latino parishioners and social activists thundered with applause Sunday at the introduction of Rep. Jeff Denham. They came to St. Jude's Catholic Church to thank him for being the first Republican member of the House of Representatives to support immigration reform in H.R. 15, and to ask what they can do to win passage of the landmark legislation. "We thank Congressman Denham for standing up for our families," ...

EDD grant to help farm workers

A $6.4 million grant from the California Employment Development Department will be used to retrain 1,187 jobless migrant and seasonal farm workers statewide for new careers in the allied health field, industrial maintenance, retail trade/service, and the green and renewable energy sector. "The recession dealt a heavy blow to farm workers statewide, a population already struggling with high unemployment," said EDD Chief Deputy Director Sharon Hilliard. "This grant will help them move from ...

County bans mining, exportation of groundwater

In an effort to help protect the region's diminishing groundwater, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors approved new groundwater mining and exportation regulations on Tuesday morning that will help end the over drafting of the precious resource. With some exemptions, the ordinance prohibits the mining of groundwater within the unincorporated areas of the county and the export of water. Finding a solution has not been an easy task, however, as the process ...

County to build $2.5 million veterans center

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the Capital Improvement Plan Project List for 2013-14. Amongst these projects is the development of a new Veterans Center, with the hefty price tag of $2.5 million. According to the County, the project will develop the Veteran's Center for the consolidation of services to Stanislaus County Veterans. The services will include counseling, medical referrals, transportation, social, educational, and Veteran Affairs and Cal ...

Food and shelter funding workshop

Any agency interested in applying for funding from the National Emergency Food and Shelter Program must attend a mandatory application workshop Nov. 5 at the Red Cross office in Modesto. The National EFSP Board, a program funded through the Department of Homeland Security and chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has awarded the Stanislaus County Emergency Food and Shelter Program $356,679 that will be granted to local service organizations that provide emergency ...

Denham joins Democrats in immigration reform

In what might be considered a politically provocative step, Congressman Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) has become the first and lone Republican to co-sponsor an immigration reform bill that could provide millions of immigrants a pathway to attaining citizenship. While Denham is the first Republican in the House of Representatives to cosponsor the bipartisan bill, H.R. 15, he remains hopeful that other Republican colleagues will soon follow his lead. The bill currently has 185 Democrats ...

Council updates facilities fee structure

The Turlock City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday evening to amend the Capital Facilities Fee program which had remained unchanged since its inception in 1996. The CFF program currently provides funding for capital improvements that fall into the categories of transportation, police, fire, and general government. Since the City of Turlock adopted a new General Plan in Sept. 2012, city staff felt it was necessary to amend the 17-year-old ordinance to ensure it ...

Council to county: Stop the pumping

The City of Turlock will urge members of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors to consider a temporary cease on new agricultural production wells, as groundwater continues to become a diminishing resource in the city. The issue was brought to light at Tuesday evening's City Council meeting when city staff requested City Manager Roy Wasden to write a letter to the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors seeking a stakeholder group be assembled to ...

Town hall meeting spells out new federal health insurance mandates

For the first time in U.S. history, the federal government is requiring all citizens to buy a product - health care insurance. But as the controversial Affordable Care Act - often called Obamacare - takes effect, many Americans are confused about the mandates and what the new law means. That's why state Senator Anthony Cannella staged a Town Hall meeting in Ceres on Oct. 8 to bring in local experts to talk about ...

Council to consider banning EcoATM machines

Although automated kiosk machines that buy back personal electronic devices may seem like a quick way to get cash in exchange for old electronics, the Turlock City Council may put a ban on them. An automated secondhand dealer kiosk machine allows people to sell their old cell phones, MP3 players, tablets, and other similar electronic devices for immediate cash. Since there is no limit to the number of devices or transactions one person ...

Political group reprimands Denham for shutdown

During the government shutdown that ended on Wednesday, many political advocate groups targeted politicians throughout the nation in an attempt to pressure members of Congress to find a solution to the 16-day standoff. Congressman Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) was not exempt from such targets, and is continuing to be targeted after voting in opposition to the bill that reopened the government. In an ad sponsored by Americans United for Change – a nonprofit ...

Cannella, Vidak ask for EDD inquiry

The prolonged delay in sending out unemployment benefits in September by the California Employment Development Department has prompted two state senators to request an oversight hearing. State Sen. Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) and State Sen. Andy Vidak (R-Hanford) both have issued a call for a hearing into EDD's practices and the reasons why nearly 150,000 Californians had their unemployment insurance benefits delayed in September. The EDD undertook an update to the claims process ...

Council to tackle food vendor zoning

Tuesday evening marks the last City Council meeting for 2013, with the council taking on a full agenda.

Keyes biorefinery plant against Olsen ethanol bill

Over the past several months, Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) has been adamantly calling for a reduction in corn-based ethanol requirements contained in the Renewable Fuel Standard – the federal program regulating the minimum volume of renewable fuel that must be contained in transportation fuel sold in the United States. Although Olsen claims that the standards are nearly impossible to achieve while negatively affecting dairies in California, others view the standards included in the ...

Food truck future in downtown looks dismal

Food trucks may not be included in the future of Turlock's downtown, following Thursday's Planning Commission meeting where the general consensus was not in favor of the mobile facilities. During Thursday's meeting, the Planning Commission and City staff held a public workshop on whether or not food trucks should be allowed in the downtown core district, running primarily along Main Street from Palm to Lander. The purpose of the meeting, said planning ...

High Speed Rail faces more setbacks

TID makes progress with Don Pedro Project

The Turlock Irrigation District continues to make significant progress with the Don Pedro Project - a relicensing process that has been moving forward since 2011. Last Tuesday, TID and the Modesto Irrigation District worked together to file their Draft License Application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. According to TID, the DLA provides an opportunity for public review and comment on the application before the two districts file the Final License Application in ...

Economic development task force reviews City’s accomplishments

Sometimes you cannot know where you are going until you know where you have been. This was the mantra of the Mayor's Economic Development Task Force on Tuesday, as the group reviewed the City's accomplishments over the past 10 years to discuss how Turlock might continue moving forward. Noting the economic development plan of 2003, members of the task force highlighted some significant changes that have occurred in Turlock in the span ...

City seeks community input on food trucks