Council Unanimous On New Budget

The City of Oakdale will enter the 2011-2012 fiscal year with a balanced budget, approved unanimously by council members at the Monday, June 20 city council meeting.

OID To Fence Out Unwelcome Cars

A new fence and locked walk-through gate will be erected at the Oakdale Irrigation District offices. In an action at the OID Board of Directors regular meeting on June 21, the board voted 4-0, with director Frank Clark absent, to install a 350 linear feet, six-foot high chain link fence on the east side of the OID property bordering the Live Oak Plaza. OID has a satellite office space in the Live Oak Plaza, those employees will have a key for the walk-through gate.

Park Host Volunteers Serve As Army Corps ‘Eyes’ And ‘Ears’

Sometimes the most important job or person is overlooked until you realize without them - you'd be in hot water, or as in the case of the Stanislaus River: frigid, rushing, and dangerous water.

OID Fills Operations Manager Vacancy

The Oakdale Irrigation District recently announced the promotion of Eric Thorburn to Water Operations Manager. Because of Thorburn's dedication to his job and his knowledge of modern irrigation practices and system controls he was promoted to the position.

Oakdale Police History On Display

Retired Oakdale Police Lieutenant Vern Gladney acquired a vast assortment of duty gear over his 30 years of service with the city's police department, a career that spanned parts of four decades.

Expo Boosts City Image, Coffers

A three-day tradeshow hosted by a local distribution company brought in much needed revenue to bolster local businesses.

Blueberry Thrills - Murphy Road U-Pick Farm Lures Families

Jeremiah Hinkle clutched his bucket tight as he maneuvered between the rows of blueberries, picking the biggest ones he could find.

Valley Home Dedicates New Community Park

Nearly five years in the making, Valley Home's Community Center Park was dedicated on Saturday, June 18 with a few dozen residents who turned out for the event. The new park replaces the old Valley Home Clubhouse, which was razed approximately four years ago due to the inability to bring the dilapidated building up to code. A new covered structure with lighting and a concrete floor called the "pavilion" is the focal point of the park. New picnic tables, park benches, new chain link fencing, grass, shrubs and trees, boulders, a flagpole, dedication plaque, an irrigation system, and more ...

Bypass Overview Draws 100 Plus To Meeting

Planning for the "bypass" - otherwise known as the North County Corridor project - hasn't gone away. While planning began in 2008 and the first phase of construction is not slated to begin until 2018, the public interest continues to run high. Area residents just haven't had a recent meeting.

Cautions Abound For River Safety

Leaders in Oakdale's fire and police departments, as well as the irrigation district are cautioning people about recreation activities on the Stanislaus River.

Oakdale Irrigation District General Manager Steve Knell said very high river flows are expected as of July 1 because water must be released from New Melones Reservoir due to the Federal Bureau of Reclamation's operating permit that states it cannot store water behind the dam after June 30.

Rural Fire Talks Continue

Action was tabled but discussions are ongoing with the Oakdale Rural Fire Protection District Board (ORFD) in regards to the current brown out schedule affecting the outlying posts of Valley Home and Knights Ferry with differing opinions on which station should receive the lion's share of summer staffing.

Criticism Follows Lengthy Meetings

After a series marathon council meetings, some of which contained hot topic items lasting nearly until midnight, the common question heard within the audience before the start of many Oakdale council meetings nowadays is not about posted agenda items, but, "How long will this one last?"

Sidewalk Project Riddled With Bureaucracy

The mayor, public works personnel, and the senior citizen advisory commission all want to put in a reasonably priced sidewalk at the northwest corner of A Street and Yosemite Avenue. The only hold-up seems to be what is described as "bureaucratic red tape" if the city is involved.

All Church Picnic And Concert

The Oakdale Family Church of the Nazarene will hold a fundraiser picnic and concert Sunday, June 12 to raise funds to send 12 Oakdale youths to the Nazarene Youth Conference in Louisville, Kentucky from July 5-10 for fellowship and to learn of the transformational power of God. Thousands of students from all over the United States and Canada will be attending.

Joplin Journey - Group Lends Helping Hand

A contingent of Oakdale citizens has been in Joplin, Missouri for the past week, helping the town recover from a devastating tornado that happened just over two weeks ago.

Mother, Daughter Duo Prepare For Gallo Stage

Oakdale High School sophomore Darby Schmidt is preparing for an experience she didn't fathom three short years ago. Later this month Darby, along with ...

Cowgirl Luncheon Once Again Packs Bianchi Center

Forty cowboys left rodeo week with memories which will sustain them a lifetime and it didn't come by way of accomplishment at the Oakdale ...

April Observed As Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Law Enforcement agencies throughout the state are stepping up enforcement along with awareness efforts by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to discourage distracted ...

Oakdale Area Homes Improved Using HERO Financing

Over 340 homes in Oakdale and Riverbank have been made more energy-efficient, or have had renewable energy systems installed since HERO Property Assessed Clean Energy ...

Varsity, JV Baseball Squads Split With Manteca

Manteca week is always a big one for the Mustangs and this week featured a couple of battles on the ball diamond. Entering the week ...

Rodeo Parade Winds Way Through Oakdale In Style

Rain or shine – and this year, happily, shine – the Oakdale Rodeo Parade goes on each year. The number of participants continues to grow, with local ...

Community Briefs

Weekend Art Show

California Focuses On Mosquito Awareness

There are two different invasive Aedes mosquito species moving their way through California. Aedes aegypti commonly called the yellow fever mosquito and Aedes albopictus, commonly ...

Police Plan Distracted Driving Crackdown

Oakdale Police will take part in a special effort to crack down on distracted drivers on Friday, April 13.

Burglar Caught In Tuesday Night Break-In

Oakdale Police caught a would-be burglar in the act on Tuesday evening, April 10.

DUI Saturation Patrols For Rodeo Weekend

As the 67th Annual Rodeo competition begins, Oakdale Police Department alongside allied agencies will be out this weekend looking for impaired drivers.

Cancer Survivors Celebrated At Special Saturday Brunch

Firefighters did the cooking and moved their trucks out of the fire department bay to set up tables and chairs.

SUN AND SHINE

After a washout on Friday and lingering showers on Saturday morning, the clouds cleared and the sun broke through to shine down on the classic ...

OHS Interact Club Has International Plans

Four students of Oakdale High School Interact Club are up to something big. The student affiliate of the Oakdale Rotary Club has taken on a ...

Volunteers Still Sought For Love Oakdale Event

Love Oakdale is fast approaching and this year is part of a volunteer movement initiated in the Central Valley known as Love Our Cities. The ...