Modesto police Chief Carroll honored by POST

Modesto police Chief Galen Carroll has received the highest certificate for California law enforcement officers. He was honored at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, where he was presented with the executive certificate from Bob Stresak, executive director of the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. POST sets the minimum qualifications and standards for law enforcement in the state. Stresak said he does not always make these presentations in person and applauded Carroll for his efforts and leadership.

UC Merced gets grant to reach Latinas about breast cancer

University of California, Merced, has been awarded a $639,000 grant over five years from the National Cancer Institute to improve communication of health information to bicultural Latinas ages 18 to 29. The project is designed to inform women of how obesity can increase the risk of developing and dying from breast cancer, reaching the part of the population that isn’t getting the message.

The project will be led by professor Susana Ramirez and will use the diverse Latino population of the San Joaquin Valley to test theories about the best methods of communicating healthy-eating messages to women with widely varying language skills, education levels and family structures.

“Almost 18 percent of the entire U.S. is Latino, and it’ll be over 25 percent by 2050,” Ramirez said. “That growth is not coming from immigrants – it’s coming from people who are already here. Their children will be raised in bicultural homes, meshing Mexican and American beliefs and traditions, along with English and Spanish languages. This makes it trickier to understand what kinds of messages will resonate with them.”

Latinos in the U.S., especially in younger age groups, also have higher rates of obesity than non-Latinos. With many Latino children developing unhealthy eating habits at an early age, the linguistic and cultural barriers to effective health communications become even more difficult to overcome.

50 Plus Club set to meet

The 50 Plus Club of Stanislaus County will have its annual dinner Oct. 24 at the SOS Club, 819 Sunset Ave., in Modesto. The 50 Plus Club formed in 1941 at the old Hotel Modesto, with early membership open to men who had lived in the county 50 years or longer; the club added female members in 1957. It now is open to all longtime county residents. This year’s event will honor Modesto Junior College, which began in 1921 with 61 students and has an enrollment of 18,000 today.

The event is open to all longtime residents who have lived in Stanislaus County, their spouses and their guests. The social will begin at 5 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7. The cost is $20. Arrangements for reservations can be made by calling Linda Pedego at 209-523-1420 or Alta Robbins at 209-578-1524.

New author

Sharon Kay Casey’s book titled “Clouds of Heaven, Beings of Light” will go on sale Oct. 30 on Amazon.com, costing $9.99 for Kindle and $14.95 for paperback. It is the first book by the Ceres resident, who previously has written poetry and short stories.

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Modesto police Chief Carroll honored by POST."