A Stanislaus County Superior Court judge Thursday ruled there's sufficient evidence for a 19-year-old man to stand trial for premeditated murder in the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy with Down syndrome.

A swearing-in ceremony for Modesto's new mayor, and a send-off for the outgoing one, was set for Feb. 28, but there's been a change in plans. Mayor-elect Garrad Marsh will take the oath of office at the City Council meeting Tuesday.

Oakdale Councilman Jason Howard is spending more time in Grass Valley than the Stanislaus County city he was elected to represent. He recently took a job with a Grass Valley firm and stays with family there during the workweek. He returns to Oakdale on weekends and for council meetings.

The pedestrian bridge on Ninth Street in Modesto will be closed Monday through Wednesday so new lighting can be installed.

A 38-year-old man has been convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison for robbing six banks in Ceres and Turlock over a 16-month period.

In this tough economy, being unable to read or having no high school diploma makes getting a job that much harder. The ReadingWorks Adult Literacy program, provided by a partnership between the Stanislaus County Library and Stanislaus Literacy Center, helps adults achieve those goals.

A Los Banos man died when his motorcycle collided with a big rig driven by a Modesto man. The accident occurred on Highway 33 Thursday morning near Cottonwood Road.

Jim Sanders, a Modestan who helped liberate the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp after World War II, and Ephraim Hadjis, a Greek Holocaust survivor, moved Thursday's crowd at Vintage Faire Mall. Their remarks drew enthusiastic applause at the opening of the educational exhibit "The Courage to Remember."

An 18-month-old toddler is dead and her 31-year-old baby sitter has been arrested on suspicion of murder, authorities said Thursday. Many neighbors said they had heard from officers that a child had fallen down the stairs, but were surprised to learn the girl had died.

California State University, Stanislaus, will open its labs Saturday for its first Science Day.

Thursday's landmark $25 billion settlement of investigations of foreclosure abuses with the nation's top lenders comes not a moment too soon for the Northern San Joaquin Valley, which has been among the hardest-hit areas in the foreclosure crisis.

The city of Merced is almost $3 million richer today — at least until any appeals may be filed. A verdict was reached Thursday in a groundwater contamination lawsuit that Merced brought against several major oil companies.

Yesteryears (2/10/12)

Students, faculty and administrators raised concerns and offered assurances Wednesday night in the first Yosemite Community College District board of trustees meeting since Modesto Junior College learned its accreditation was on probation again.

Keyes to Learning charter school Robotics Team members practiced Wednesday for the Northern California competition happening Saturday in Rocklin, north of Sacramento. Students also showed off for Keyes Union School District board members Wednesday night.

The Salvation Army has quashed plans for a charter school at its Red Shield Center, citing financial concerns.

When you think of typical Stanislaus County Fair entertainment, Chinese acrobats maybe aren't the first thing that comes to mind. But this year's lineup will include the Peking Acrobats, a walking, trick-cycling, precision tumbling, somersaulting and gymnastics touring act.

Diamond Foods Inc. announced Wednesday that it has replaced two top executives after an internal probe into payments to Central Valley walnut growers.

Two suspects who were minors when they were arrested on suspicion of murder last year are now adults and are incarcerated in the Stanislaus County Jail.

Veteran prosecutor Michael Knowles was appointed Tuesday to serve as district attorney for Tuolumne County for the next three years.

In one key scene of the tension-filled play "Dinner," Paige serves live, wriggling lobsters to her guests. They are told to make a choice: Kill the creature by dropping it screaming into boiling water or save it by letting it go free in her pond. The scene, played with what looks like real lobsters in Prospect Theater Project in Modesto, underscores the whole tone of this very dark and deadly comedy. It's about making the guests — and the audience — feel as uncomfortable as possible and squirm in their seats.

With his strong views on preserving farmland and curbing sprawl, Tuesday's runoff victory for Mayor-elect Garrad Marsh would seem a pivotal event for growth politics in Modesto.

After an effort by city officials to fast-track a land annexation, legal questions raised by the Merced County Farm Bureau may have slowed the process aimed at industrial development.

A pregnant teenager suffered nine days of being beaten, choked and threatened by a boyfriend jealous over finding a message from another man on her cell phone, police said.

The Modesto Police Department traffic unit will conduct a driving-under-the-influence and driver’s license checkpoint Friday. The checkpoint will be within the city limit between 9:30 p.m. and 3:30 a.m., according to Sgt. Brian Findlen. He said checkpoints are in areas that present the greatest opportunity for deterring drunk and drugged driving while providing the greatest safety for officers and the public. Officers will contact drivers passing through the checkpoint and look for signs of alcohol and drug impairment. Officers also will check to ensure that drivers are properly licensed. DUI checkpoints, along with regularly scheduled high-visibility DUI enforcement, serve as a proven deterrent with the goal of removing impaired drivers, Findlen said. Officers also will be deployed on roving DUI saturation patrols Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Eighth-graders are invited to check out Davis High tonight. Students will meet in the Little Theater and parents will meet in the cafeteria at the school, 1200 W. Rumble Road. From 7 to 8 there will be a Course Fair and open house in the gym for current and future Davis families. The fair will highlight the school's Health Careers and Public Safety academies. For more information, call (209) 576-4500.

A Stanislaus County sheriff's detective on Wednesday testified in court that a grudge and a fight in an unincorporated neighborhood between Ceres and Modesto escalated to gunfire that killed an innocent bystander — a 16-year-old boy with Down syndrome.

After 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick received some money from an organization that sold bracelets with his name on them, his parents, Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, called Kimberlie Gamino, who runs summer camps for children with heart disease. She was happy to receive the donation, but she asked the Kaepernicks for more.

Modesto officials Saturday will hold “Council in the Park,” a chance to discuss neighborhood issues or other concerns with the city’s elected officials and administrators. Council members, City Manager Greg Nyhoff and public safety managers are expected to attend the gathering from 10 a.m. to noon at Beyer Park, next to Beyer High School. The park is on Beyer Park Drive, off Sylvan Avenue.

A man who led law officers on a high-speed chase from Modesto through Salida and rural western Stanislaus County ended up in a hospital, awaiting booking on several felony charges.

Modesto

50 YEARS AGO: The wettest storm of the season blustered through the valley, bringing gusts of wind that reached 46 mph at the Modesto City-County Airport and 1.51 inches of rain to Modesto.

About 7:50 Tuesday evening, Garrad Marsh made a toast to his supporters, saying his campaign for mayor of Modesto was the greatest trip of his life. About 15 minutes later, that trip reached its destination with a vote count showing a clear victory for Marsh in the runoff election.

A pregnant teenager suffered nine days of being beaten, choked and threatened by a boyfriend jealous over finding a message from another man on her cell phone, Ceres police said Wednesday. The victim, 18, is out of the hospital and recuperating. Her baby is said to be OK.

Giggling teens jockeying to sit by buddies filed into Modesto High's auditorium Tuesday morning. A slightly more somber group walked out, heading back to classes across the city. Only time will tell how many grasped the scope of what Black History Conference speakers tried to impart.

Turlock police today released surveillance photos from last November in an attempt to identify two burglary suspects. They are accused of burglarizing a woman's home, then using her ATM card in an auto parts store, which is where the photos were taken.

A man who led law officers on a high-speed chase from Modesto through Salida and rural western Stanislaus County ended up in a hospital, awaiting booking on several felony charges.

When Amgen Tour of California riders begin Stage 4 of the annual cycling race in Sonora, they'll be faced with the long, circuitous road ahead. But they won't have to deal with the treacherous incline of Old Priest Grade Road.

A 38-year-old man has been convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison for robbing six banks in Ceres and Turlock over a 16-month period.

A federal appeals court Tuesday struck down Proposition 8, finding California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional because it deprives gay and lesbian couples of the equal right to wed.

A Stanislaus County Superior Court judge on Tuesday ruled there's enough evidence for a former rural school district administrator to stand trial on charges of sexually abusing two children.

A Modesto thrift store has agreed to pay a former employee with epilepsy $50,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported Tuesday.

Rain, although light, finally returned to the Northern San Joaquin Valley this week. A storm brought just 0.15 inches to downtown as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the Modesto Irrigation District reported, leaving the season total at less than half of average. The National Weather Service forecasts mostly sunny days through Tuesday, with fog at times.

Like school districts throughout the state, Turlock Unified's budget outlook is murky. But at this point it seems there are two probable options: bad and worse.

Three Salida parks will get new irrigation-only wells, even though the price has nearly doubled since Stanislaus County officials first got the idea.

The parents of a 23-year-old inmate who died of a head injury last August have filed a claim against Stanislaus County.

It could be cheaper to build a home here after the City Council on Monday signaled its intent to cut developer fees.

Composer Marvin Hamlisch and comedian Jonathan Winters have canceled March shows at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto because of illness.

A Stanislaus County criminal grand jury has indicted three teenagers accused of murder in the shooting deaths of a Modesto couple and their adult daughter during an apparent robbery at their family's market last year.

For the second time in a row, Modesto Junior College has been placed on probation after its accreditation review. The review commission found the college did not meet standards in a wide range of categories, including failing to provide services, facilities and staffing across its two campuses.