Lathrop council may change meetings

LATHROP – When Jose D. Hernandez served on the Lathrop City Council two mayors ago, he lost a number of hours at work and, on a few occasions, arrived late at the meeting. Sometimes, he did not even have time to grab something for dinner while dashing off from work to the 7 o'clock council meeting at City Hall.

FLAG VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Ripon gang member sentenced to 5 years

RIPON - A 16-year-old gang member has been sentenced to five years and four months in juvenile detention after pleading guilty to assault with a deadly weapon in a stabbing in August that left him with a broken hand.

SJ deputies looking for missing man

LATHROP - San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department reported Mario Pena as a missing person.

2 laid off officers land Hayward jobs

Two recently laid off Manteca police officers have been hired by the City of Hayward with a higher wage scale than they had in Manteca.

Give Every Child a Chance appreciates support of business, rest of community

In these tough economic times, Carol Davis greatly appreciates any and all donations to her non-profit organization.

Pumpkin Maze: Smashing hit

LATHROP - It is without a doubt the largest agri-tourist attraction in the Central Valley if not all of California.

Retired black minister struggles to secure VA benefits

This is a story of a retired black minister who served his country, refused a medical discharge for a back injury because of his sense of duty, and who was told by a Navy doctor that he could file for disability when his pain became more intense as he aged.

$746M in Manteca retail sales projected for fiscal year

Manteca's municipal spending plan is based in part on the conservative projection that taxable retail sales will hit $746 million in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010.

Ethel Allen house built in 1878 torn down

LATHROP – One of Lathrop's oldest homes is no more. The house where one of the city's revered teachers lived was razed last week to make room for a warehouse expansion of California Natural Products across the street on McKinley Avenue.

Dinner raises money for pencils, hand sanitizers

The New Haven School Community Club is looking to purchase supply of pencils and hand sanitizers for youngsters.

Free Facebook basics class this Thursday

Fred White of DeCristo Productions is offering a free Facebook basics class at Main Street Café on North Main Street this Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

ARTIST GUILD SHOW

Swiss Echoes dance, concert Saturday

RIPON - The San Joaquin Valley "Swiss Echoes" will perform their Fall Concert and Dance Saturday, Nov. 7, at the San Joaquin Valley Swiss Club hall at East Main Street and Manley Road.

First fireplace ban issued for today

The season's first fireplace and wood stove prohibition has been issued in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Fresno, and the valley portion of Kern counties for today due to deteriorating air quality.

SUPPORTING MILITARY

The Manteca Unified School District is the recipient of a Patriot Award from the Department of Defense. A separate Patriot Award was also presented to Superintendent Jason Messer.

Soroptimist fashion show & tea Saturday

Spring is in the air and so is the Spring Tea & Fashion Show hosted by the Soroptimist International of Manteca.

Manteca High leaving others green with envy

Green isn't just a school color at Manteca High School.

Small Manteca ministry seeks to feed homeless

Terry Pierce wants to give back to a community that has shown his young hotel nothing but support.

Great Valley Writing Project pupils produce book for Sequoia library

Barbara Damewood talked about writing the same way she would to any student in a writer's workshop.

The $9.99 watermelon

Sticker shock, courtesy of the drought, is coming to a supermarket near you.

CIVIL WAR ENTHUSIASTS

Scott Quealey has been a welder for more than two decades. He currently works at Rosa Welding in Manteca.

Manteca may stop discharging water to SJ River

The wish list of Manteca's leaders - both elected and bureaucratic - for major undertakings is long and expensive.

Community rallies to help victim’s family

The wick on the red scented candle had nearly reached the bottom of the votive, and the flame – the last remaining out of the more than a dozen candles that had accumulated at the makeshift memorial for Kelly Marelich – flickered wildly as a breeze crept through the alley.

You could check out books & enjoy ice cream as well at Manteca Library

Public libraries with treats such as coffee on the side aren't a modern creation.

A $1,000 speeding lesson

Get caught for speeding fast enough in the Highway 99 construction zone through Manteca and it could set you back nearly $1,000.

Diane Phillips: Jane of all trades

She's a farmer. She's a businesswoman. She is a postal worker; and to the best of her knowledge, she was Manteca's first letter carrier. She is an artist, a landscaper and designer. She is also an architect and a homebuilder, and although she does not have the official papers to declare her as one, she has the house that she built as proof.

Is Lathrop tax driving away truck business?

LATHROP – Lathrop business owners want a do-over when it comes to Measure C.

ACE opens $65M state-of-art facility

Bryan Pennino likened the sparkling new Altamont Corrdior Express Maintenance Facility as an auto repair shop.

Soccer use at park stirs controversy

LATHROP – A group of die-hard soccer players asked the City of Lathrop for more leeway so they could further expand their blossoming operation.