Without major aerial display Ripon fire officials fear the worst

RIPON – The once majestic community fireworks display held the last several years at Mistlin Park is just another casualty in the budget crisis that is forcing cities to cut even their most popular programs in order to save staff.

MOVIES IN THE PARK MOVIES IN THE PARK SATURDAY

'Indiana Jones' is the featured presentation this Saturday, July 4, during Movies in the Park at Woodward Park. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. followed at 6 p.m. by live music. The movie starts at around 9 p.m. There is a $1 charge for those 12 and over to help cover city costs. People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and jackets. Mosquito repellent is also suggested. The movies are being presented by DeCristo Productions.

Braata on stage today at BLD celebration

Braata, a local Reggae Rock band, will start the entertainment at the Manteca Independence Day Celebration today at 4 p.m., at the Big League Dreams sports complex.

Manteca housing in a tight squeeze

Lisa Stallings has concerns about the Manteca housing market. The local realtor for RE/Max continues to see people lose their jobs and subsequently their homes. "It's really difficult to place them in a rental because their credit is already destroyed (after losing their home)," said Stallings, who attended the City of Manteca's second and final stakeholder workshop for the Housing Element Update held Wednesday afternoon in the Senior Center. Rik Keller, a planning consultant for ...

Lathrop’s 20th birthday low key but big in a small-town way

LATHROP – No fireworks lit up the evening sky. No long lines waited for free hot dogs being barbecued by community volunteers. And there was no band playing patriotic songs during the five-hour Picnic in the Park celebration Tuesday evening.

Turning up the heat on fire hazards

A three-year-long plea to have dry weeds cleared from behind their properties in Camellia Gardens has apparently fallen on deaf ears, said retired CHP officer Ed Estes.

Police Academy an eye-opener for teens

The first day of the Target "E" Junior Police Academy may have been an eye-opener for some 18 local junior high school students.

Fireworks booths enjoy brisk business

Charles Henry Jr. couldn't help but take in the massive variety of safe-and-sane fireworks that were on display at the stand outside of the Manteca Historical Society.

Texas 4000 to present program tonight at Manteca Presbyterian

The Manteca Presbyterian Church will be hosting a group of 25 bicyclists from Austin, Texas, tonight during their stop-over in the Family City on their way to Anchorage, Alaska.

CORRECTION

There will be 25 members of the Texas 4000 for Cancer that will be arriving in Manteca this evening, not 50 as reported in the Tuesday edition of the Bulletin. Some 50 college-age bicycle riders started in the Austin, Texas – Anchorage, Alaska bicycle ride; half of the group is taking the Rocky Mountains route, while the half that is making its stop-over in Manteca is traveling via the Coastal route. Some of those in ...

Parade, celebration, fireworks Friday

Independence Day celebrations in Manteca come a day early this year as part of a municipal strategy to avoid over $10,000 in holiday overtime costs for public safety personnel and street crews.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES

Jim Funsten is impressed. The owner of the firm that carries his name as a wholesale distributor of flooring products likes the "can do" attitude" of Manteca's city government. B.F. Funsten was preparing to close up shop in Manteca and move to bigger quarters in Stockton. Now – thanks to an intervention from City Manager Steve Pinkerton that helped clarify erroneous fee information coupled with a fast track commitment to get an addition done - ...

Lathrop’s 20th birthday bash tonight

LATHROP – It will be a quiet 20th birthday for the City of Lathrop today. There will be no booming fireworks lighting up the July 1 evening sky with the San Joaquin River levee for backdrop and Mt. Diablo looming in the dark distance, and no chorus of oohs and aahs from thousands of illuminated awed faces. No long lines for free hot dogs are expected either. But that does not necessarily mean the celebration ...

Lathrop man’s real home-grown business

Duane Aul didn't have an endless supply of rows to plant his crops. But despite the relatively closed-in confines of Aul's Lathrop backyard, the green thumb still managed to end up with an impressive assortment of vegetables and spices that he offered this Tuesday for the first time at the Manteca Farmer's Market. With mature tomato plants ready to be transplanted and eggplant bushes also sprouting the purple fruit waiting to attract the attention of ...

Big Dan’s hosting 50 bicyclists from Texas for dinner on Thursday

LATHROP – Lathrop will be playing host to the group of Texas students who are taking part in the 70-day cancer-awareness bicycle ride to Alaska during their stop-over in Manteca on Thursday.

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