Helping Idol hit a winning note

For as long as she can remember, music has always been a part of Melanee Scarborough's life.

Ripon parents challenge ‘the wall discipline at Weston

RIPON - It was all about "The Wall" disciplinary action at Weston Elementary School that drew the ire of one mom who spoke her mind to the Ripon Unified School Board Monday night after putting up a three-page website online defending her stand.

Water deal will trash Delta

The $11.1 billion water bond being pushed by the state legislature is expected to "trash the Delta," according to Manteca farmer and recognized California water expert Alex Hildebrand.

Browne will be subject to pay cuts, furloughs

LATHROP – The $480,000 settlement, which includes back pay and benefits, awarded to Matt Browne at the conclusion of his two-and-a-half years' wrongful-termination battle with the City of Lathrop will not be subject to a 10 percent cut.

Fence leaping ends in assault arrest

A man with a gun and a foot chase over nine fences by a Manteca Police officer resulted in the arrest of Mario Garcia Castaneda, 28, of the 1100 block of Windsor Place.

City of Manteca employees donate blood

The Delta Blood Bank mobile unit was parked Tuesday at the Manteca Senior Center. It was for the blood drive held specifically for City of Manteca employees, with every unit donated helping to sustain supplies at the local hospitals, according to Delta coordinator Cheryl Kirwan. "We try to have one here every 56 days," she said. Employees were screened prior to entering the mobile unit to give blood. Many, in fact, were no stranger to ...

VOLUNTEERING AT CEMETERY

Turkeys R Us short 300 turkeys for Thanksgiving

Turkeys R Us is just 300 turkeys away from their goal of making sure 1,300 struggling families in Manteca, Ripon, and Lathrop have a turkey on their Thanksgiving table.

LATHROP RESIDENTS REACT TO SETTLEMENT

LATHROP – Lathrop taxpayers are breathing a collective sigh of relief that the expensive and long-drawn Matt Browne debacle is over. However, they remain highly critical at the way the city's elected officials have handled – or, according to some, mishandled – the entire process saying it did not have to have dragged on this long and cost the city a ton of money.

Cowell School honors All Stars for October

Joshua Cowell School has selected the All Stars for October. Students are selected based on citizenship and academic effort. The students honored were: 1st Grade, Mrs. Kelley; Aaron Martinez, Aiden Garibay, Angel Ojeda, Jesse Batres, Kyle Neuman, Robert Overy, Janessa Rodriguez, Adrianna Velez. Susan Florez; Phoenix Anaden, Preston Church, Ahliyah Cota, Alissa Diaz, Angelina Galletta, Oscar Garcia, Lysha Nuncio, Marcelle Jilian Panelo. 2nd Grade, Mrs. Frost; Hailey Briseno, Frederick Cruz, Brandon Emens, Genna Florez, Jonathan ...

Hospice of San Joaquin plans 2009 Tree of Lights

Join hundreds of families in lighting-up the 2009 Tree of Lights. The traditional holiday tree at San Joaquin County Delta College, located at the corner of Pacific and Yokuts Avenues, will come alive with color during the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. Tree of Lights offers everyone an opportunity to memorialize a loved one who is no longer with us, or to honor a loved one who holds a special place in ...

Browne back on the job

LATHROP – The Matt Browne wrongful-termination saga is over. The Lathrop chief building official's two-and-a-half-year's dogged fight against City Hall is over. He is back on the job today inside the building where, at one point while he was waging his war to "clear my name," he was ordered by city officials not to set foot in any part of City Hall or risk being arrested for trespassing. In plain numbers, it's a $480,000 victory ...

Deeper cuts on horizon for Ripon if state budget gets worse

Layoffs could loom on the horizon for the Ripon Unified School District. "It's very painful, very depressing - the thought of cutting any more – very painful and makes me sick to my stomach," Ripon schools superintendent Louise Nan told board members Monday night. The state budget continues to be grim referencing a monthly school superintendents' meeting Nov. 2 that warned of a potential shortfall of $15 billion. "There is a possibility that the governor ...

THE BEDQUARTERS WAY

Julian Holifield is at ground zero of the squabble over the downtowns bulbs. "They (the bulbs) haven't hurt our business," Holifield said Monday shortly after 11 a.m. after ringing up his fifth sale of the day at Manteca Bedquarters located at Yosemite Avenue and Main Street on the ground floor of the IOOF building that's been there since 1913. Holifield believes the huffing and puffing over whether to keep the landscaping bulbs in place or ...

Brock Elliott tops can competition among schools with 519 lbs

When it comes to recycling, the City of Manteca wants kids to know they can. To that end Manteca Solid Waste Division conducted a Cans4Cash that 16 elementary campuses within the Manteca Unified School District elected to participate in. The object was to have each school collect as many aluminum cans as they could. They'd receive the redemption money from the cans collected plus the highest school in terms of poundage would receive a bench ...

RELAY FOR LIFE

It wasn't the weather that brought Virginia Zore to California. It wasn't Disneyland or Hollywood or San Francisco or any of the other trappings of The Golden State. It was cancer. It was the Relay for Life. After flying clear across the country to visit friends in Manteca, Zore - who was diagnosed with lung cancer on Oct. 12 – represents the fighting spirit that the event promotes and the tenacity that one person can ...

(Almost) 50 shades of green