NEWS Section

First place for MJC speech and debate
The Modesto Junior College speech and debate team claimed first place among community colleges in the Kevin Towhy Memorial Speech Tournament, held Oct. 23-25 at Diablo Valley College. MJC defeated 14 Northern California community colleges for the honor.




Legless CSU Stanislaus student author to celebrate Veterans Day
CSU Stanislaus Social Work grad student Derek McGinnis lost his left leg and suffered serious brain and hand injuries, shrapnel wounds, and burns when a suicide bomber attacked his Naval unit in Iraq. From 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the veteran, author, and student will participate in the “Support Our Troops” information table program at CSU Stanislaus, at the “Thank a Veteran” booth in front of the Vasche Library Building.




Election Results 2009
Denair Unified School Board Robert Hodges        414        23.10% Louisa Allen           404        22.54% Ray Prock Jr.          311       17.35% Denise M. Hurd       234       13.06% Norma M. Cordova   219        12.22% Eric Andersen         206        11.50% Turlock Unified School District Bob Weaver            3,489        21.76% Josh Bernard           3,340        20.83% Lori Crivelli             2,572        16.04% Timm La Velle       ...




Women caught in stolen pickup also suspects in robberies
Two women suspected of numerous robberies in Merced were arrested on multiple felony charges after they were caught in a vehicle stolen out of Turlock.




Expectant mothers get first dibs for county H1N1 vaccine
The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency has decided to use their limited supply of the H1N1 virus vaccine to inoculate pregnant women.




More students want to attend Turlock schools, fewer students are leaving
With school district funding dependent upon the number of students attending school, inter-district transfers can be quite troublesome when a large number of students elect to go to school in a town other than where they live.




‘Historic’ water bill paves way for new infrastructure
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law what he termed a “historic package to reform and rebuild California’s water system” on Friday.




CSU Stanislaus to offer Degree Completion Program in Tracy
To help working professionals earn their degrees, CSU Stanislaus will begin a Tracy-based Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program in January 2010, through their College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Office of Extended Education.




Stanislaus seeks applicants for Stockton-based Educational Doctorate Program
The California State University, Stanislaus Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program will soon accept its third cohort of doctoral candidates. Classes will be held at the CSU Stanislaus-Stockton Center, beginning in June 2010. The priority deadline for applications is Feb. 15, 2010.

Pitman student’s dreams fly at 30,000 feet

Pitman student’s dreams fly at 30,000 feet
Pitman High student Jose Zapien knows why he chose the hobby he did. “It is the sensation you get when you take off,” Zapien said. “You aren’t looking at things like you normally do. You start looking at things from a different perspective.” Zapien took his first seat behind an airplane when he was 16 years old. Since he was a little boy, Zapien said he was fascinated with airplanes. This fascination has driven him ...
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Cargo container legislation in the works
The City of Turlock may soon adopt a policy to address the countless cargo containers around town.

In Becky’s honor

In Becky’s honor
Westside Ministries founder and director JoLynn DiGrazia will never forget the winter 20 years ago when she asked 11-year-old Becky Valencia, “Where’s your coat?”
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Photography students take their work to a new dimension

Photography students take their work to a new dimension
Kicking back and munching on some popcorn is all Pitman High teacher Will Creighton expected while being entertained recently by a 3-D movie. But the movie had more in store for him and his photography class.
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Road closure
Due to the demolition and reconstruction of the road, North Olive Avenue between Minnesota Avenue and Tuolumne Road including the intersection of North Olive Avenue and Tuolumne Road will be closed Monday, Nov. 9 through Wednesday, Nov. 18. This road will not be open to emergency traffic. Detours will be posted.




Head-butt lands man in jail
A Turlock man was arrested on suspicion of assault after police said he head-butted and bit his girlfriend during an argument.

Pink pride

Pink pride
Over 1,000 Pitman High students and staff members donned pink to show their support for those affected by cancer on Oct. 29. The campus ‘Pink Out’ was organized by the Pitman FFA and ended a month-long cancer awareness campaign. Pitman FFA, along with the Pride volleyball team, Pitman Band and other individuals and school clubs, all raised money for cancer research and awareness throughout October. The final donation count came to $1,545.57.
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County reports success in mental health services
About 15 years ago, schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder caused Robert Hall to run away from home, as if he were a teenager again, and no one understood why, not even himself.

Holiday revelers find tricks and treats at downtown festivities

Holiday revelers find tricks and treats at downtown festivities
Ghouls and ghosts, princesses and super heroes gathered in downtown Turlock on Saturday for Halloween fun. Participants in Saturday’s Downtown Trick or Trick event made candy stops at downtown merchants, while other Holiday revelers played games for prizes at the Halloween carnival held at Central Park. The carnival was hosted by the Iota Beta chapter of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority from Cal State Stanislaus. The scariest witch in town made a repeat performance this ...
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On track at Keyes Elementary

On track at Keyes Elementary
Keyes Elementary School students were running circles Tuesday afternoon, struggling to complete a mile on the newly completed decomposed granite track.
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Frantz named TID director

Frantz named TID director
Michael Frantz, a Hickman farmer, was appointed to the post of Turlock Irrigation District Division 1 Director on Tuesday morning. The vote of appointment was unanimous among the other four TID directors.
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Unpaid debt motive behind fatal stabbing
A fight over a debt of less than $100 built up into a physical confrontation that left a Turlock man dead from a stab wound, the Turlock Police Department reported.

Temporarily homeless

Temporarily homeless
Six members of Nu Alpha Kappa fraternity are raising awareness of homelessness in the community by experiencing homelessness first-hand. The members are spending a week in the quad at CSU Stanislaus. This includes sleeping, eating, and doing every day-to-day activity at their campsite in the grass. They gave up luxuries like cell phones and computers for the duration of the experiment, and fraternity president Humberto Sanchez said they can only leave the quad for classes.
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Battalion Chief says goodbye after 31 years

Battalion Chief says goodbye after 31 years
After 31 years of fighting fires, responding to medical emergencies and in general, being there when he was needed most, Turlock City Fire Department  Les Austin is hanging up his fireman’s ax and retiring.
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Challengers sweep TUSD board race

Challengers sweep TUSD board race
It’s out with the old and in with the new at the Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees this Election Day.
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New traffic court hours
Starting this upcoming Monday, the Stanislaus County Superior Court Traffic Division will be changing their hours of operation.




Crash causes power outage
A crash believed to have been the result of two racing drivers caused a power outage early Saturday morning, but no major injuries the Turlock Police Department reported.




Woman suffers head injury in collision
A 38-year-old woman is in stable condition days after she was struck by a car while crossing the street Saturday night.




‘Learning today... Leading tomorrow’ wins slogan contest
The Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees and administration have been touting the benefits of their new strategic plan for months. The only thing missing was a slogan.  




Argument leads to fatal stabbing of Turlock man
A confrontation between two men erupted into violence Saturday afternoon and left one man dead from a fatal stab wound.




Halloween Events 2009
Turlock • The Turlock Downtown Property Owners’ Association will host “Trick-or-Treat Street” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Trick-or-treaters can visit tables set up along Main Street for free candy and treats. The event, previously called Downtown Trick-or-Treat, is now open to any Turlock business that wants to set up a booth at the event. The Turlock Police Department will also have a booth at this year’s event. Trick-or-Treat Street will include a maze ...




Alliance announces Turlock schedule
The Stanislaus Economic Development and Workforce Alliance has officially set up shop inside the Turlock Chamber of Commerce.




DUI enforcement for Halloween
The anti-drunk driving campaign, Avoid the 12, will be out in force for the Halloween celebration.




Hit and run update
The Turlock Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying the driver who struck a 13-year-old boy and left him injured in the street.




Down economy leads to creation of fee deferral program
In an effort to help developers bring their building plans to fruition in the current down economy, the City of Turlock will now offer a fee deferral program.




Hilmar drug bust nets four arrests
A search warrant served Thursday morning in Hilmar by the Merced Multi-Agency Narcotics Task Force resulted in the arrest of four people and the seizure of a large stash of narcotics.

Halloween on parade

Halloween on parade
Witches and cheerleaders and princesses, oh my! Brown Elementary School students showed off their creative Halloween costumes on Friday putting an end to their Red Ribbon Week celebrating “Hocus Pocus, drugs aren’t my focus!”
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Former Stanislaus Nursing chair enters Hall of Fame
Nancy Clark, who served as Chair of the CSU Stanislaus Nursing Department for 29 years until her retirement in 2008, has been named to the Central San Joaquin Valley Nursing Hall of Fame.




Stanislaus professor writes on “Hitler’s Ethic”
Adolf Hitler’s immorality was inspired by evolutionary ethics to pursue the utopian project of biologically improving the human race, according to a new book by CSU Stanislaus History Professor Richard Weikart.




CSU Stanislaus grad student secures national scholarship award
Aerynn Dighton, a California State University, Stanislaus Master’s candidate in History, was named a “Love of Learning” award recipient by the national academic honor society Phi Kappa Phi.




Grand opening scheduled for Merced College academic building
An open house will be held at the Allied Health Center, the newest academic building at Merced College, at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 18. The Merced County Chamber of Commerce will conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility, while faculty and students will lead tours.

Elementary students take gardening to a new level

Elementary students take gardening to a new level
Second grader Amelia Boyd’s favorite part of the Julien Elementary Garden Celebration is the taste testing. Along with tasting the variety of plants, she  danced to garden songs, learned about nutrition, and studied the process of photosynthesis on Friday.  
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Local congressman laments governor over NFL stadium and the Delta Smelt
The Delta pumps being turned off over two years ago has stirred up quite the controversy. The dormant pumps have caused suffering in the Central Valley agriculture industry with a loss of more than 40,000 jobs. So why push aside environmental regulations for a National Football League stadium in Los Angeles and not push those regulations aside to get the water moving again throughout California?




H1N1 cases rising as county awaits more vaccine
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a move to bolster the county’s H1N1 preparedness plan as the number of infections continue to grow locally and across the nation.

Couple sentenced on seduction charges

Couple sentenced on seduction charges
Husband and wife defendants, Amy and Justin Northcutt, were sentenced Tuesday to two and three months in jail, respectively, as part of a plea deal they entered into on charges of trying to seduce a minor.
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Local farmers, businessmen vie for TID appointment
The applications are in — 11 will compete for appointment to the vacant Turlock Irrigation District Division 1 Director seat.

Turlock hosts SWAT, critical response training

Turlock hosts SWAT, critical response training
In one room was a distraught mother who had barricaded herself and her children and refused to come out. In another, two agitated men were holding a group hostage. And across town there was an active shooter roaming inside a factory.
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Turlock Gospel Mission prepares to open doors
During the wind, rain and cold nights, most homeless people don’t have a place to take cover from the harsh weather. Their cardboard box homes become soaked and wet clothes only bring on flu-like symptoms. This is where the Turlock Gospel Mission steps in to help give the homeless a warm and dry place to stay along with a full belly before bedtime. They are planning on opening their doors Nov. 15 and will stay open through April 3, 2010.




‘Move over’ law gives Caltrans the right to rule the road
A new law allows Caltrans vehicles to have the same priority as ambulances, police officers and firetrucks with a flash of a light.




Four suspects nabbed for two drive-by shootings
Four Delhi men were arrested Sunday on the suspicion that they shot at homes in Delhi and Turlock, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Department.




DUI enforcement for Halloween
Turlock Journal Staff reports The anti-drunk driving campaign, Avoid the 12, will be out if force for the upcoming Halloween celebration. “With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we want to make sure revelers aren’t taking the party to the roadways, putting trick-or-treaters and responsible motorists at risk,” said Turlock Traffic Sgt. Robert Lugo. “Law enforcement officers throughout the region will be out in full force arresting and removing drunk drivers from our road.” ...







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