Modesto Real Estate – Luz Martinez

Ceres Street Fair - Clear skies with high temperatures between the mid to upper 70s are expected for this weekend’s Ceres Street Faire. The weekend event will kick off at 10 a.m. with a Saturday car show on Fourth Street between Magnolia and North streets. The car show will be over by 4 p.m. The Faire resumes Sunday at 10 a.m. without the car show.

Spring Clean-Up Free Ewaste Event This Saturday. Saturday, May 1 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.  Drop Off All Your Unwanted Electronics & Computer Equipment Free Of Charge @ K & K Electronics This Saturday – We Accept All Types Of Electronics Computers TV’S Monitor Wire And Batteries Free This Saturday.  209-551-0500 Corner Of Oakdale & Briggsmore (Behind Carl’s Jr.)

The Hunt Family Fiddlers Saturday, May 1 7:30p What do you get when you cross fiery fiddling, fancy footwork, with a family of nine? Answer: Fantastic fun in the form of the Hunt Family Fiddlers. This high-powered, energetic, and refreshing group is presented by the Turlock Concert Association at its season concluding concert on Saturday, May 1, at 7:30

AIDSWalk San Joaquin Announces its 16th Annual Walk on May 1st. Saturday, May 1 9:00a at Banner Island Ballpark, Stockton, CA Join the fight to educate and end the local AIDS epidemic. AIDS Walk SJ is the premier annual community event to bring awareness and raise much needed funds for education, treatment, and care for those infected or affected by this disease. A community health and resource fair, raffle and lunch are all part of the festivities planned following the walk.

Molly’s Revenge Saturday, May 1 8:00p.m. at West Side Theatre, Newman, CA Born of the timeless tradition of the all-night music session, Molly’s Revenge is a dynamic, acoustic Celtic band known for its unique and infectious on-stage enthusiasm. The classic combination of bagpipes, whistle, fiddle, and song set against a backdrop of guitar, bouzouki, and mandola accompaniment guarantee an enjoyable experience for all fans of Scottish and Irish music.

Melissa Cid estimates she gets about $500 in freebies every month — including items at the grocery store, restaurant meals and product samples.

Cid, who launched a Web site called Saving Mom’s Money (www.savingmomsmoney.com) in July, said her passion for finding a good deal began when she was pregnant with her son, Manny, who is now about 1½ years old. But it wasn’t until after Manny was born, when Cid left her full-time job as a graphic designer to stay home with him, that finances made it a necessity.

“My husband, Manny, and I were trying to live on one income and trying to pay our bills with one paycheck,” Cid said.

Her grocery bill averaged $150 a week, a huge strain on the family’s budget. Cid started couponing feverishly, scouting out deals on the Internet and hoarding coupons from the Sunday newspaper. She contacted manufacturers directly through their Web sites, e-mailing them that she liked their products and would like to get coupons.

“I got a lot of high-value coupons that way,” Cid said. “Companies are dying to get their products into your hands.”

Read more: http://www.modbee.com/2010/01/08/1000811/hunting-for-deals-expert-has-some.html#ixzz0mQ7DBq44

Get ready to enjoy three days of fun and exciting entertainment at the Stockton Asparagus Festival!

Schedule:

Friday, April 23:

The Pete Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra, at 12:30 pm
Sha Na Na, at 4:00 pm

Saturday, April 24:

CoverGrrlz, at 1:30 pm
Blue Oyster Cult, at 4:30 pm

Sunday, April 25:

Tennessee River – A Tribute to Alabama , at 1:00 pm
Loverboy, at 4:30 pm

Also, Don’t miss the Velocity Circus at this year’s Stockton Asparagus Festival and This year the “Flamingo” and “Flower” will be here to wow us with their stilt-walking ability!

Earth Day — April 22 — each year marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

Among other things, 1970 in the United States brought with it the Kent State shootings, the advent of fiber optics, “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Apollo 13, the Beatles’ last album, the death of Jimi Hendrix, the birth of Mariah Carey, and the meltdown of fuel rods in the Savannah River nuclear plant near Aiken, South Carolina — an incident not acknowledged for 18 years.

It was into such a world that the very first Earth Day was born.

April 22^nd, 2010 marks the United States’ 40^th Earth Day. Today, Earth Day is celebrated in 175 countries around the globe. Around 500 million people celebrate! Earth Day first began in 1970, at the beginning of the environmental movement. Senator Gaylord Nelson announced his original idea for this day in September of 1969, which would be used to teach kids nationwide about the environment. It was propelled and supported at a grassroots level, and is now widely celebrated today.

Earth Day has been incredibly successful in raising awareness on environmental issues. It provides an outlet for various environmental groups, and is often a “pledge day” for living a greener lifestyle. Earth Day strives to promote involvement, educate people of all ages, support environmental quality, and encourages college students to become activists.

This year Earth Day coincides with the World People’s Conference on Climate Change (Bolivia) and the International Year of Biodiversity.

CLICK here for easy, everyday tips on living green-GO GREEN on Earth Day! http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978119948

Recent changes to the Obama administration’s mortgage assistance program may make it more vulnerable to fraud, a government watchdog says.

The changes, announced last month, are intended to make it easier for struggling homeowners to avoid foreclosure. But the administration hasn’t done enough to warn the public about fraud and hasn’t included sufficient safeguards to prevent abuse, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, said.

“Criminals feed on borrower confusion, and frequent changes to the programs provide opportunities for experienced criminal elements to prey on desperate homeowners,” inspector general Neil Barofsky wrote in a quarterly report issued Tuesday.

Last month, the Treasury Department revised the $75 billion mortgage assistance program it first rolled out last year. It is intended to prevent 3 million to 4 million home foreclosures by encouraging mortgage lenders to lower monthly payments.

So far only about 170,000 homeowners have qualified for mortgage modifications and critics charge the effort isn’t making much headway. In a report last month, Barofsky’s office said that a lack of planning and shifting rules on who qualifies has slowed the program’s progress.
Read more: http://www.modbee.com/2010/04/19/1134208/mortgage-aid-program-said-more.html#ixzz0lkoWqglz

Read more: http://www.modbee.com/2010/04/19/1134208/mortgage-aid-program-said-more.html#ixzz0lkoUgugn

Twelve local schools, including six in Stanislaus County, were among 484 California public elementary schools selected as 2010 California Distinguished Schools. The area campuses and their school districts are:

• Orchard Elementary, Sylvan Union

• Standiford Elementary, Sylvan Union

• Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary, Stanislaus Union

• Hart-Ransom Elementary, Hart-Ransom Union Elementary

• Stroud Elementary, Empire Union

• Westport Elementary, Ceres Unified

• Ripon Elementary, Ripon Unified

• Brock Elliott Elementary, Manteca Unified

• George McParland Elementary, Manteca Unified

• Stella Brockman Elementary, Manteca Unified

• Peggy Heller Elementary, Atwater Elementary

• Schendel Elementary, Delhi Unified

“It is an honor to recognize the schools, and the students, parents, teachers, and administrators who helped earn this most prestigious distinction,” said State Superintendent Jack O’Connell in a news release. “The 2010 California Distinguished Schools have been selected because of their academic excellence and for narrowing achievement gaps.

Read more: http://www.modbee.com/2010/04/19/1133580/12-area-elemenbary-schools-earn.html#ixzz0lZWhlQig
Read more: http://www.modbee.com/2010/04/19/1133580/12-area-elemenbary-schools-earn.html#ixzz0lZWdCQGa

STOCKTON – About 150 tea party protestors stood in front of the Weber Point Events Center on Thursday afternoon, among thousands who rallied throughout the nation on tax day to protest taxes they said are too high and an administration they said has allowed socialism to creep into American life.

“Honk if you want less taxes!” a girl yelled, and some passing motorists did.

Tess Hagen of Lodi, a retired teacher, said, “We just pay for everyone free-loading.” For example, the 62-year-old said, “The hospitals are filled with illegal immigrants.”

At a similar rally, more than 300 people filled Utica Park in Angels Camp. The mood was upbeat, with live music alternating with speakers who urged attendees to educate themselves on the Constitution and fight excessive government spending.   Read More @

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Real estate prices in Stanislaus County continued to hold steady last month at $140,000 for the median-priced home, industry research firm MDA DataQuick reported Thursday.

It’s the seventh time in the past nine months that prices have been stuck at that level. The lack of change may be disheartening to some, but others see it as a welcome sign of stability.

Although there was no change from February to March, the median price last month was up 3.7 percent from the previous year. While not a big jump, it’s an improvement over the steady and dramatic declines in home values since the market peaked in late 2005 at $396,000.
Read more: http://www.modbee.com/2010/04/16/1129927/valley-home-prices-stuck-in-neutral.html#ixzz0lHXT1OKC

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On April 14, 1910, President William Howard Taft became the first U.S. chief executive to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game as the Washington Senators opened their season with a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.

On this date:

In 1775, the first American society for the abolition of slavery was formed in Philadelphia.

In 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster’s “American Dictionary of the English Language” was published.

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater in Washington.

In 1902, James Cash Penney opened his first store, The Golden Rule, in Kemmerer, Wyo.

In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic and began sinking.

In 1939, the John Steinbeck novel “The Grapes of Wrath” was first published.

In 1949, at the conclusion of the so-called “Wilhelmstrasse Trial,” 19 former Nazi Foreign Office officials were sentenced by an American tribunal in Nuremberg to prison terms ranging from four to 25 years.

In 1956, Ampex Corp. demonstrated the first successful videotape recorder at the National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters Convention in Chicago.

In 1960, the musical “Bye Bye Birdie” opened on Broadway. Tamla Records and Motown Records, founded by Berry Gordy Jr., were incorporated as Motown Record Corp. The Montreal Canadiens won their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 in Game 4 of the finals.

In 1989, former winery worker Ramon Salcido went on a rampage in Sonoma County, Calif., killing seven people, including his wife and two daughters; he is currently on death row.

Ten years ago: On Wall Street, stocks plummeted in heavy trading, with the Dow industrials down 617 points and the Nasdaq composite index falling 355 points. In Washington, protesters dumped manure on Pennsylvania Avenue, seeking to disrupt meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Five years ago: The House passed and sent to President George W. Bush legislation making it tougher to erase obligations in bankruptcy. The Oregon Supreme Court nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year earlier by Portland’s Multnomah County. Yankees right fielder Gary Sheffield got into a brief scuffle with a fan at Fenway Park during New York’s 8-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

One year ago: Somali pirates seized four ships with 60 hostages. North Korea said it was restarting its rogue nuclear program, booting U.N. inspectors and pulling out of disarmament talks in an angry reaction to the U.N. Security Council’s condemnation of its April 5 rocket launch.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Bradford Dillman is 80. Actor Jay Robinson is 80. Country singer Loretta Lynn is 75. Actress Julie Christie is 70. Former MLB All-Star Pete Rose is 69. Rock musician Ritchie Blackmore is 65. Actor John Shea is 61. Actor-race car driver Brian Forster is 50. Actor Brad Garrett is 50. Actor Robert Carlyle is 49. Rock singer-musician John Bell (Widespread Panic) is 48. Actor Robert Clendenin is 46. Actor Lloyd Owen is 44. Former MLB All-Star Greg Maddux is 44. Rock musician Barrett Martin is 43. Actor Anthony Michael Hall is 42. Actor Adrien Brody is 37. Classical singer David Miller is 37. Rapper DaBrat is 36. Actor Antwon Tanner is 35. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar is 33. Actor-producer Rob McElhenney is 33. Actress Vivien Cardone is 17. Actress Abigail Breslin is 14.

Some residents who are about to lose their homes stop paying their mortgages while the bank moves to seize their homes, saving them thousands of dollars before getting kicked out for good.

Karin Hiolle showed CBS13 the stack of paperwork that has resulted from her repeated efforts at getting a loan modification for her $5,000 a month mortgage, but so far, the banks have not helped lower payments at all. After losing her job and her savings, Hiolle decided to stop paying altogether.

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Are you worried about foreclosure? Contact us and ask about Foreclosure Prevention! 209.571.1122

“I just ran out of money,” she said.