Local law enforcement agencies - namely, the California Highway Patrol and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department - should take a lesson from the Turlock Police Department in media relations.
On Sunday, my pastor preached that "God will provide." He went on to say that since God has our needs covered, there is no reason to worry. I left church feeling good about the message and thinking, "You're right Pastor Dave. There's no need to worry, God has my back."
Dear residents of Denair, Do you care about your community? Do you have any aspirations of outgrowing the shadow of Turlock to become your own, independent locality? Well, I hate to say it, but you've got a long way to go to prove it. I'm not sure if any of you are aware of this, but there's an election coming in about three months. According to the electoral calendar three members of your five-member Denair ...
My Labrador-mix from the dog-pound is quite a mutt, but even so he shows Lab enthusiasm for retrieving sticks I throw into the river. (Just for the record, he's a specialist and won't retrieve sticks thrown on land.)
If my mom or dad caught me on TV acting a complete fool like some of the protesters at the various health care town hall meetings, I can guarantee you that my dad would fly up from Houston and smack the hell out of me.
Can you smell it in the air? Freshly sharpened pencils, Crayola crayons and Gucci backpacks - the smell of a brand new school year.
I am one of those people. You know, the ones who keep pictures of adored pets in their wallet and who think a family Christmas portrait isn't complete without Fluffy and Fido in the shot. I love my pets and animals in general.
I have an older brother in the Boston area who I don't see very often. He has a sick wife who was hospitalized for some time because of two failed kidneys. He took days off from work during that time, wanting to be by her side.
On June 25, the world changed forever. It's hard to believe that it's been a month now. You know, since Michael Jackson died. He was the King of Pop. He was Captain EO. He showed us how to moon walk, for goodness' sake. The first album I ever bought was "Bad." While growing up, I incessantly listened to "Thriller," "Dangerous," heck, anything the man put out. And, yet, in just a month, I've grown sick ...
I can't believe it's already that time of year again. The streets of Turlock are clogged with horse trailers. Local boot retailers are seeing an increase in sales and quad riders of all ages are suping up their engines. Yes, the Stanislaus County Fair is back in town.
Late the other night I was sitting in my room, minding my own business and absentmindedly watching a little television while scribbling some notes, when much to my surprise sunlight started shining through my window.
Plagiarizing, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, is to "steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own: use (another's production) without crediting the source."
I'm what, 30 miles across the border? If that? It's amazing how quickly it becomes apparent that you're not in Kansas anymore, Todo. From the second I stepped off the plane and into Vancouver, Canada, for a week-long writer's retreat I felt as though I'd entered bizarro America. The subway is on the honor system; there are no turnstiles to check your tickets, you just walk on. They call gyros "donairs" for no apparent reason. ...
It has been nearly seven years since California implemented its own statewide Amber Alert system. In that time, the system has helped recover 179 abducted children.
The river of green flowing from Washington D.C. has finally reached Western shores. Ever since the House of Representatives and Senate approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the glitter of free gold has been a glint in the eyes of cash-strapped agencies nationwide and especially in the Golden State.
Whenever a school board election comes around I can't help but think of the pioneering days when all the parents in a community would get together to build a school, purchase the books and hire a teacher. It really was a community-wide project.
Today marks my fifth day of being Facebook-less.
These are the good times.
Recently, the Pew Research Center released a poll gauging public sentiment on the nation's three big entitlement programs: Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Most Americans believe the programs are in trouble and need to be completely rebuilt or changed substantially. But an even stronger majority wants the programs' benefits to be left alone.
The news that Turlock's Borders bookstore will be closing its doors is not only a tragedy to the city's economic development, but also a hit to literacy.
The Ferris wheel - an icon of fair fun - is once again making its rounds above Turlock and the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds.
After being involved in this year's budget negotiations, a lot of people have been asking for my opinion of what went wrong. I haven't said much before now because I spent all of my time trying to work on the details of a solution, rather than attacking people in the press. Even after setbacks and frustrations, I remained quiet because I saw no value in fighting with the people I ...
In a time when getting by with less money and fewer resources is the norm and every other week a government agency is cutting more employees and services, it's nice to know there are people still out there fighting the good fight.
There's no doubt that the realm of sports continues to influence our society. Not only does remarkable athletic ability in itself appear to impress folks near and far, but we consistently put those individuals with great physical health and strength on a pedestal of nobility. Athletes seem to represent high artistry, striking character, and grand fortune – regularly setting standards and creating ideals to which we, the public, aim to ...
These past months have brought tough times for folks across the nation. Unusual weather patterns – too much water in some places, not enough elsewhere – have driven thousands of Americans from their homes, and threatened their livelihoods.
Casey Anthony killed her daughter. She may not have meant to, and she may have been much more interested in her own social life than in her daughter's well-being, but I have absolutely no doubt that she was responsible for her daughter's death.
With recent rains filling the State reservoirs and the above average snowpack in the Sierra, Governor Jerry Brown declared California's three-year drought officially over on March 31 of this year. While the "state of emergency" may be over, the problem is not going away. Anyone who has lived in the Valley for the last decade knows that next year could see a return to below normal rainfalls and snow. ...
I just wanted to extend a tip of the cap to the Turlock Unified Board of Trustees for their proactive approach to forming new trustee districts. I feel they did a fine job of doing it.
I'm not sure why legislators in California think they need to take on the role of parents to the state's millions of children.
Noelia could always make a teacher's day, so I was glad to do the same for her. A 17-year-old who moved to the country just recently, she told me she felt badly about her command of English.