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Stanislaus County experiences spike in fentanyl-related deaths

in Health

STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. (KTXL) — A family and addiction doctor in Stanislaus County is warning residents about fentanyl-laced pain medication after the county has seen a spike in deaths.

The Modesto Police Department reports that since January the county has seen at least 20 deaths compared to just six last year.

“The color, the imprint, the scoring, everything’s the same,” said Dr. Vikram Khanna.

The little blue pills are made to look and feel like real oxycodone, but Khanna said what may look like pain medication may really be laced with fentanyl.

Continue Reading on Fox 40

Crews Making Progress On Northern California Mega Fires

in Environment

Stanislaus County, CA — Containment is growing on a trio of lightning complex fires, two of which have each burned over 350,000 acres.

The SCU Complex Fire is 365,772 acres and 25-percent contained. It is located in the Bay Area and Central Valley. The series of lightning fires, grouped as one incident, is burning throughout the counties of Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus.

To the north, the LNU Lightning Complex Fire has burned 357,046 acres and is 33-percent contained. It is burning in the counties of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Solano.

The CZU Lightning Fire, burning in the Santa Cruz mountains and parts of San Mateo County is 79,640 acres and is 19-percent contained.

Continue Reading on My Mother Lode

Stanislaus farm income in 2019 was solid though not spectacular.

in Food

Stanislaus County on Tuesday reported about $3.6 billion in gross farm income last year, up slightly from 2018.

The report is a reminder of agriculture’s strength amid a COVID-19 pandemic that has made a mess of the 2020 economy in general.

Almonds once again were the top-grossing farm product in 2019, followed by milk, chickens, cattle and nurseries that grow fruit and nut trees.

Milton O’Haire, the county agricultural commissioner, unveiled the report at the morning meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

He stressed, as usual, that the document does not account for farm production costs, and thus for profit or loss.

Continue Reading on The Modesto Bee

Weekly dinners keep America Legion afloat amid pandemic

in People

Vietnam veteran and Turlock resident John Haggstrom has been cooking dinners in the American Legion Hall’s kitchen for 50 years, but none have been more important to the organization than those he’s hosting these days to raise funds during the coronavirus pandemic.

Turlock’s American Legion Rex Ish Post 88 is a haven for local veterans and community members alike, serving as a gathering place for not only those who have fought in our nation’s wars, but also as a space where birthday parties are held, weddings are celebrated and organizations can convene. Haggstrom has been an American Legion member for 54 years, he said, and the state shutdown due to COVID-19 has put the group’s mission of “continuing to serve America” at risk.

Through community outreach, veteran support and monetary donations, the American Legion makes it a point to give back to the communities they’ve already served in uniform. Post 88 previously made a majority of its funds through their beer booth, or “fun booth,” as Haggstrom refers to it, at the Stanislaus County Fair. One year the organization earned just over $100,000 in beer sales alone, but now that annual revenue is gone with the fair’s cancellation.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

Turlock businesses help feed fire evacuees

in Food

While smokey air and raining ash are the only ramifications of statewide fires suffered in Turlock over the past week, local business owners have taken it upon themselves to help the Salvation Army feed evacuees.

As the MOC Fire burns in Tuolumne County, evacuees settled into Mariposa hotels in recent days and anxiously awaited news on their homes. They didn’t have to worry about where their next meal would come from, however, as Turlock/Modesto Salvation Army Volunteer Coordinator Megan Patterson took to social media in search of businesses that were willing to donate food.

After posting a plea on the popular Facebook page Turlock To Go, the donations began pouring in. Restaurants and businesses that have helped so far include: Vito’s Ristorante & Pizzeria, Olde Tyme Pastries, MOD Pizza, Chong’s Cuisine, Willie’s Pizza and Wings, Village Fresh Market, Savor Charcuterie, Crumbl Cookies and Kraving Kebab Pizza. Local church group Hilmar Helping Hands has also contributed, as have local residents Chelsi Knowles of Cost Less Market, Lori Crivelli and Lana Casey.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

Here’s what will be required of Stanislaus County schools in order to re-open campuses

in Education

School districts in Stanislaus County have a lot of work to do before any reopen elementary schools for classroom instruction during the coronavirus pandemic.

First, an adjusted rate of infection in the county has to fall to a level where districts are eligible for waivers to reopen elementary schools for kindergarten to sixth grade students while the county remains on the state’s COVID-19 watch list.

And the numbers have not reached that level yet. Though they are falling.

The county’s rate dropped from 272 per 100,000 population to 244.5 per 100,000, as of Monday. The California Department of Public Health says the waivers to reopen elementary schools can be considered when the infection rate is 200 per 100,000 or lower.

Continue Reading on The Modesto Bee

At least 8 released inmates were held at Turlock hotel for California’s Project Hope

in People

TURLOCK, Calif. — Stanislaus County officials confirmed at least eight inmates were held at the Candlewood Suites in Turlock as part of California's "Project Hope."

Project Hope is a state-funded program for inmates being released from prison during the coronavirus pandemic. It allows both state parolees and those released on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) to quarantine or isolate in a hotel upon their release from prison.

Mark Ferriera, chief probation officer for Stanislaus County, told ABC10 that the Turlock hotel was the only Project Hope location in the county. It has seen eight inmates on PRCS held there from April to August 21, all of whom Ferriera said had their last residence in Stanislaus County.

Ferriera said inmates on PRCS are supervised by the county while, generally, those who committed serious or violent offenses are overseen by State Parole. The type of supervision the released inmate gets is based on the offense that put them in prison.

Continue Reading on ABC 10

Lower Positivity Rate, Other Factors Gets Orange County Removed From California’s Coronavirus Watch List

in Around California

FULLERTON (CBSLA) — Orange County was removed on Sunday from the state watch list about areas of concern in California during the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials reported 153 new coronavirus cases and one additional death on Sunday, bringing the countywide total to 45,954 cumulative cases and 897 deaths.

Orange County’s positivity rate is 5.4%, below the state’s desired threshold of 8%, which contributed to the county being removed from monitoring.

The number of people hospitalized in the county has also been dropping leading to more availability of intensive care unit beds and ventilators.

Orange County is currently at 380 coronavirus-related hospitalizations as of Sunday, with 111 of those patients being treated in the ICU.

Continue Reading on Los Angeles CBS Local

Weather conditions could give break to crews at SCU Lightning Complex

in Weather

UPDATE, 7:45 A.M.: CREWS AT SCU LIGHTNING COMPLEX COULD GET BREAK

Unlike Sunday, More moderate weather conditions this afternoon – more humidity and cooler temperatures – could give those fighting the SCU Lightning Complex, which includes the Canyon Zone Fire in and around Stanislaus County’s Del Puerto Canyon, the break they need.

The fire grew overnight a little, to 347,196 acres, and CalFire was able to assess more of the damage as containment remained at 10%.

The agency announced Monday morning that 12 structures had been destroyed and 12 “minor structures” also were destroyed. More than 20,000 structures remained threatened.

Continue Reading on The Modesto Bee

Mexican National Charged with Marijuana Cultivation Operation in Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County, Department of Justice Reports

in Around California

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment on Thursday against Eleno Fernandez-Garcia, 36, a native and citizen of Mexico, charging him with conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, and damaging public lands and natural resources, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, the cultivation operation consisted of over 1,000 marijuana plants and was located in the Basin Creek drainage in the Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County. Fernandez was found at the grow site in possession of pruning shears and two cellphones covered with marijuana debris. The cultivation operation is alleged to have caused significant damage to the environment. The area is near recreational activities and a natural spring used for bottled water.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) of the California Department of Justice. Integral Ecology Research Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of wildlife and their ecosystems, analyzed and documented the environmental damage. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Continue Reading on Sierra Sun Times

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