Morgan Graham of Boy Scout Troop 13 in Modesto, sponsored by Kiwanis, has earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

Alex James Tregembo of Boy Scout Troop 85 in Los Banos has earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Scouting.

Michael Rudt of Turlock envisions cleaner valley air by turning the vehicles we drive into giant slot cars.

Stephen Thomas, Pianist, is the subject of The Bee's "Portrait of an Artist" feature for March 1, 2009.

Five local Cub Scouts have earned the Arrow of Light, Cub Scouting's highest honor. The Cub Scouts are members of Modesto's Pack 14. — Members of Troop 3349 from Modesto celebrated their final summer as Brownies on a wonderful trip to Santa Cruz. — Gustine Girl Scout Troops 3420, 3193 and 3773 were recently honored at a luncheon by the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.

Excerpt from the upcoming book, "No Room for Doubt: A True Story of the Reverberations of Murder," by Angela Dove.

Sandy Lynn

In celebration of Black History Month, three Modesto residents have collaborated to publish a book of bedtime stories and coloring pages.

TURLOCK -- The California State University, Stanislaus, office of alumni affairs is having a bus-trip ski outing to Dodge Ridge in Tuolumne County on Saturday for graduates and their families and friends.

Ana Rocha is on the frontline of this region's foreclosure battlefield.

The Stanislaus County Office of Education Child/Family Services Division's Child Care Resource and Referral Program has three child care workshops set for March: "Setting the Stage for Competence," "Traveling Tales" and "An Evening With Licensing."

Buying baby wipes is like tossing money in the garbage. An alternative is to make your own -- it's cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

In better days, diamonds may have been a girl's best friend.

Looking for that special someone can be a chore. Picking up a random mate at a bar can be frightening, being set up by friends can get tired and, let's face it, we're not all cut out to fight for the love of Bret Michaels or Tila Tequila on some dating reality show.

NEW YORK -- Is writing a book on your life list? Maybe you want to get your family history down, or create a collection of poems or recipes. Perhaps you'd like to write a manual or a how-to book for your clients. And while some folks dream of commercial success, others just want to express themselves.