Top Stories

  • Jeff Jardine: Turlock man heading back to Malaysia for Toastmasters world tourney

    Colin McKechnie, 68-year-old Turlock resident, will be heading to Malaysia next month in an attempt to win the world Toastmasters public-speaking championship in Kuala Lumpur. 23 minutes ago

  • Election could reshape city government

    The November election in Turlock is one of the most interesting in recent years. The mayor’s seat will be open, two councilmen are being challenged, and voters will decide on district elections and a street repair tax.

  • Official: Air Algerie flight 'probably crashed'

    An Air Algerie flight carrying 116 people from Burkina Faso to Algeria's capital disappeared from radar early Thursday over northern Mali and "probably crashed," according to the plane's owner and government officials in France and Burkina Faso. 7 minutes ago

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Modesto Grand Prix coverage

The Modesto Grand Prix is coming to downtown Modesto Aug. 1-3.

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Like The Modesto Bee on Facebook and you could win an iPad Air! Click the logo.

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Local

At left, Maya Ramirez, age 15, from Turlock picks up a starter safety kit as others wait in line for theirs after a talk by David Becker, Stanislaus Safety Officer. Teens learned how to ready themselves for an emergency and learn valuable survival skills at Zombie Preparedness at the Turlock Library, July 23, 2014.

Zombies a no-show, but Turlock teens are ready for them

Zombie fears and fascination drew dozens of teens to the Turlock Library on Wednesday to learn how to be ready for a real disaster.

Sports

Frisco Roughriders relief pitcher Brodie Downs of Modesto feels like he might have had a shot at playing Major League Baseball earlier with a little guidance. At 35, Downs is trying to catch on in the Texas Rangers organization.

Hometown Report: Modesto’s Brodie Downs, 35, gets another shot at major league dream

Modesto’s Brodie Downs, who turned 35 years old on Saturday, is giving big-time baseball another shot. The right-hander and former Beyer and Modesto Junior College standout is playing for the Texas Rangers’ Double-A team in Frisco.

Opinion

Our View: Jerry Brown’s judicial nomination of Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar seems solid

Jerry Brown shapes the California Supreme Court with the nomination of Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar.

State

FILE - In this July 12, 2014 file photo, migrants walk in between parked trains after getting off one, during their journey toward the U.S.-Mexico border in Ixtepec, southern Mexico. Tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors, the vast majority from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, have been apprehended at the U.S. border from last October to June, according to the Border Patrol. That’s more than double the same period last year. Many of the immigrants recently flooding the nation’s southern border say they’re fleeing violent gangs in Central America. These gangs were a byproduct of U.S. immigration and Cold War policies, specifically growing from the increase in deportations in the 1990s. With weak dysfunctional governments at home, U.S. street gang culture easily took hold and flourished in these countries.

Gang violence, fears for children fuel rush to US

Many immigrants flooding across the southern border of the U.S. say they're fleeing violent gangs in Central America. 7 minutes ago

Living & Entertainment

Styx will perform at the Gallo Center for the Arts July 30, 2014. Styx band members, left to right, Ricky Phillips, James "J.Y." Young and Tommy Shaw.

Who says Styx’s heyday is over?

Arena rockers Styx bring their big sound to the Gallo Center for the Arts. Singer Lawrence Gowan speaks with The Bee about being the “new” guy in the band and their surge in pop culture popularity.

Business

This photo taken on Friday, May 16, 2014 shows an MD-83 aircraft in the livery of Swiftair landing at Zaventem Airport Brussels. An Air Algerie flight carrying over 100 people from Burkina Faso to Algeria's capital disappeared from radar early Thursday over northern Mali after heavy rains were reported, according to the plane's owner and government officials in France and Burkina Faso. Air navigation services lost track of the MD-83 about 50 minutes after takeoff from Ougadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, at 0155 GMT (9:55 p.m. EDT Wednesday), the official Algerian news agency APS said. Air Algerie Flight 5017 was being operated by Spanish airline Swiftair, the company said in a statement. The Spanish pilots' union said the plane belonged to Swiftair and it was operated by a Spanish crew.

Official: Air Algerie flight 'probably crashed'

An Air Algerie flight carrying 116 people from Burkina Faso to Algeria's capital disappeared from radar early Thursday over northern Mali and "probably crashed," according to the plane's owner and government officials in France and Burkina Faso. 7 minutes ago

Nation & World

This photo taken on Friday, May 16, 2014 shows an MD-83 aircraft in the livery of Swiftair landing at Zaventem Airport Brussels. An Air Algerie flight carrying over 100 people from Burkina Faso to Algeria's capital disappeared from radar early Thursday over northern Mali after heavy rains were reported, according to the plane's owner and government officials in France and Burkina Faso. Air navigation services lost track of the MD-83 about 50 minutes after takeoff from Ougadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, at 0155 GMT (9:55 p.m. EDT Wednesday), the official Algerian news agency APS said. Air Algerie Flight 5017 was being operated by Spanish airline Swiftair, the company said in a statement. The Spanish pilots' union said the plane belonged to Swiftair and it was operated by a Spanish crew.

Official: Air Algerie flight 'probably crashed'

An Air Algerie flight carrying 116 people from Burkina Faso to Algeria's capital disappeared from radar early Thursday over northern Mali, officials said. France's foreign minister said no wreckage had been found, but that the plane "probably crashed... 2 minutes ago