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Hey everyone! Welcome to another episode of Local Turlock Podcast for the week of May 28th. I am here to give you some of Turlock’s latest scoops, news & stories, with 2 business highlights for the week. Starting with our first story, a Turlock firefighter sustained a first degree burn and a dog bite while responding to a vegetation fire Tuesday afternoon. Beautification Committee with volunteers from different sectors do their part in the community by picking up trash throughout Ceres. Moving on the sports news, Pitman High School basketball standout Abbie DiGrazia excels in Turlock and beyond. Looking for high-quality restaurants in the area, a new steakhouse prepares to open in downtown Turlock next month! Next on our list, construction is underway on the new roundabout at El Camino Avenue and Pine/Park streets in Ceres. Give your love and support to our local businesses especially during this pandemic as I highlight 2 businesses this week. Also sharing the latest updates about COVID 19 in Stanislaus County. All that and more today in this week's Local Turlock podcast.

Firefighters rescue dogs in vegetation, structure fire

A Turlock firefighter sustained a first degree burn and a dog bite while responding to a vegetation fire Tuesday afternoon. The fire was reported to the Turlock Fire Department at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the 1200 block of Fifth Street. According to Turlock Fire spokesman Capt. Jason Bernard, the first firefighters to arrive at the scene found flames had raced across about two acres of vegetation and spread to a residential structure. There were no occupants inside the residence, however, three dogs were located inside the home and removed to safety. One firefighter was bitten by one of the dogs while moving it out of the home and sustained a first-degree thermal burn due to radiant heat. The firefighter was quickly assessed and treated by American Medical Response and then returned to the fire ground. None of the dogs incurred injuries or burns during the rescue. While battling the blaze, firefighters noticed electrical wires were arcing between two residences. All emergency personnel were advised through emergency radio traffic and the area was secured to prevent any injuries. The Turlock Police Department provided traffic control and animal services assisted with the dogs and documented the bite the firefighter incurred.

Beautification Committee, others join in park clean-up

Approximately 40 community members, including scouts, Army recruiters, citizens and city officials and workers reported for a two-hour Saturday work detail in Smyrna Park to pick up trash. They’re hoping the community takes notice and does its part by picking up trash throughout Ceres. The event was organized by the city’s Ceres Beautification Committee which began in 2019 as a think tank for ways to reduce blight and improve aesthetics. After months of talking and coming up with ideas, the group decided to roll up their sleeves and pick up trash to draw attention to the problem of blight. You can take it to Turlock and dump it for free. The facility is the Turlock Recycling and Transfer Station at 1100 S. Walnut Road, Turlock. The city still offers the Adopt-A-Park program so that groups can volunteer to pick up trash in Ceres parks. Those efforts help free up city parks staff members who can then work on other maintenance.

Pitman basketball star excels in Turlock and beyond

When it comes to Pitman High School basketball standout Abbie DiGrazia, it’s clear there are several factors responsible for her success in the sport so far: hard work, a positive attitude and an excellent support system behind her.  It was DiGrazia’s grandfather who first put a basketball in her hands, inspiring her to follow in the footsteps of her mother and aunt, who both played college basketball at Chico State, as well as her father, a former collegiate basketball player who also played professionally in the Philippines. The sport is definitely a family affair for DiGrazia, and after her grandpa signed her up for a basketball league in elementary school, the rest was history. When she’s not in the gym at PHS, shooting around at home with her grandpa or getting her homework done, DiGrazia is playing on one of the premier club basketball teams in the area. DiGrazia is a junior at PHS and a team captain for the varsity girls basketball team, which she helped lead to an 8-2 overall record this season and a second-place finish in the Central California Athletic League as the Pride’s shooting guard. At the start of her high school career she was the only freshman on the varsity team, and last year she tied the school record for most three-point field goals in a game with seven. Following this shortened COVID season, DiGrazia was one of the Pride’s top three shooters and averaged 11.1 points per game.  While she obviously excels at the high school level, that’s not all DiGrazia does. She is in her second year with Bay Area-based team West Coast Elite, a premier Amateur Athletic Union Girls Basketball organization, and was recently promoted from the NorCal 17U Regional Team to the National Team.  As part of the National Team, DiGrazia will face much stiffer competition filled with fellow athletes with one thing on their mind: playing basketball in college. With the promotion comes more exposure at larger tournaments with more college scouts watching — something DiGrazia considers an honor after playing with the organization for just a couple of years. While she’s not sure what she wants to major in or where her basketball journey will take her, DiGrazia knows she wants to play at a Division-I or Division-II NCAA university. As a junior, she’s already received interest from multiple schools and her goal is to earn a scholarship, and as a young phenom who’s looking to someday play at the next level in college, her family’s support means everything — especially in a year like this.

New steakhouse prepares to open in downtown Turlock

Visitors to downtown Turlock will soon have another dining option that aims to bring something new to the area, which has become known for its high-quality restaurants in recent years. Jerry Powell and Devin Hill are preparing to open Cuts Steakhouse next month in the location that formerly housed Hauck’s Grill. Powell owns downtown bars The Udder Place and Cru as well as Katana Sushi Bar on the other side of Turlock, and Hill oversees operations at all three establishments. The pair began brainstorming plans for a restaurant as co-owners a couple of years ago, Hill said, and the opportunity to overtake the downtown space came up as Hauck’s fell victim to the pandemic. With a wide variety of restaurants already operating along Main Street, Powell and Hill wanted to open an establishment that would bring an entirely different cuisine to the scene that will soon also welcome Commonwealth across the street and Rancho Fresco Mexican Grill in the newly remodeled Enterprise Building. With a menu featuring nothing but fresh ingredients and a specialty cocktail selection sure to impress, Cuts is set to open in June. Crews have been hard at work transforming the historic Hauck’s Building on the corner of Main Street and Broadway, which once housed Hauck’s Pharmacy, so memories of the former barbecue joint can make way for a new customer experience. The outdoor seating area is expanding and towering wooden doors will welcome customers into the new space, complete with theater-style lighting throughout. Booth seating featuring six-foot tall backrests will provide plenty of privacy for diners, whether they’re stopping by for a special occasion or taking advantage of the restaurant's quick and affordable lunch menu on their work break. 

Pine Street roundabout work starts

Construction is underway on the new roundabout at El Camino Avenue and Pine/Park streets. City of Ceres Public Works Director Jeremy Damas said the new roundabout at the eastern portion of the Pine Street Overpass will provide traffic calming measures while improving traffic flow. It will also help, he said, in the detours once the city and Caltrans begin building the new Service/Mitchell/ Highway 99 interchange. Construction is expected to last through to the end of summer. The project consists of constructing a roundabout at the intersection and includes concrete curb, sidewalks, medians, hot mix asphalt surfacing, pavement marking and striping, roadway signs, landscaping and street lighting. The new roundabout will bring the city’s total roundabout count to five. In 2019 the city finished a roundabout at Morgan Road and Aristocrat Drive. One was built on the west side of the Pine Street overpass at Central and Industrial avenues. Two exist in downtown. 

Business Highlights:

Humble Beginnings Barbershop

Established in 2016, Humble Beginnings Barbershop is bringing the old school barbering back. A group of professional licensed barbers cater to people of all ages and genders. Hair cut price starts at $30. Come to Humble Beginnings Barbershop if you are looking for the best haircut experience of your life.

Location: 1203 Bittern Way Turlock

Tel No.:  (209) 427-2020

Operational Hours:  Monday & Sunday (Closed) 

• Tues-Thurs (10am – 6pm) 
• Fri (9am – 6pm)
• Sat (9am – 4pm)

David’z Tacos

If you are looking for the most satisfying and delicious Tacos around Turlock, David’z Tacos is the way to go. This little hidden gem sells one of the best Queso Tacos in town. Tacos served are extremely crunchy, packed with flavors, and will leave craving for more. 

Location: 1030 East Ave Turlock

Tel No.:  (209) 626-0654

Operational Hours: 

• Monday – Friday (10 am to 7pm)
• Saturday (8 am to 5pm)
• Sunday (Closed)

Stanislaus likely in red tier until June 15

The chances that Stanislaus County will move into the less restrictive orange tier for COVID-19 are diminishing. As of Tuesday, Stanislaus County was at 7.8 percent new case rate per day per 100,000 residents, which was adjusted to 7.6 percent for tier assignment. The testing positivity was at 3.1 percent and 4.6 percent for underserved communities. The orange tier requires that counties meet a daily case rate between 2 to 5.9 percent and a testing positive rate of 2 to 4.9 percent. Stanislaus County is now one of eight counties in the state that remain in the red tier, which signifies COVID-19 is still substantial in the community. Thirty-five counties are in the orange tier and 15 are in the yellow tier. Starting on June 15, California residents who are fully vaccinated can remove their masks in any setting and businesses won't have to have capacity limits or enforce social distancing. On Tuesday the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency reported the county has recorded 56,043 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,066 deaths. For vaccine locations in Stanislaus County visit http://schsa.org/coronavirus/vaccine/.

Outro:

Thank you for tuning in to this week’s episode. Don’t forget to visit our website, localturlock.com, to stay up-to-date on our local news. You can always email me at turlock@localturlock.com and visit our Facebook at Facebook.com/localturlock and leave us some comments! Stay tuned for next week’s exciting episode! Have a great weekend and always stay safe!

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