LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sunbathers flocking to Southern California beaches are used to feeding the meter or paying a parking attendant. Not so along the less developed north coast where it's customary to ditch cars on the shoulder of Highway 1 to surf, swim or picnic.

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (AP) — The little dog left tied to the railroads tracks as a train approached is moving to a new home.

I worked as a volunteer on May 11 as a fellow University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener, emptying and refilling the Downtown flower pots.

Dan Crownover made a habit of feeding the cats that wandered around Epic Plastics on Turner Road — with his superiors' permission — before and after each eight-hour shift he worked. It's a 5-acre property, with lots of pipe storage and a car part junkyard next door. That makes for plenty of nooks and crannies for feral cats to find shelter.

A few years ago, disability rights advocate Sara Granda approached city officials in Davis with the idea of creating a grant program to help the town's disabled and elderly residents modify their houses to allow wheelchair accessibility.

Don’t let her size fool you. Miss TonkaBell is a sweet, sweet girl. She loves to play and has enjoyed a few meals. She needs a home where she can exercise and her diet monitored so she can lose those few extra pounds. If you would like more information about TonkaBell, please call PALS at (209) 224-0354. We have other cats and dogs available for adoption, so stop by the PALS Adoption Center located in Lodi at 1405 W. Kettleman Lane. Center hours are Monday and Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – closed Tuesday and Sunday. PALS is a Lodi-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the welfare of companion animals in Lodi by increasing the number of animals adopted, reducing animal suffering and providing the highest level of humane care, thus ultimately reducing the number of surplus companion animals euthanized in the city of Lodi. Visit our link at petfinder.com to view cats and dogs currently available for adoption or our Web site at www.palslodi.org and find out how you can volunteer and/or foster the many animals waiting for permanent homes.

Though her day job is in an office, Amy Blagg simply can’t get away from the farming life she grew up in. Her work for the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation, both locally and on a state level, was recognized by the California Farm Bureau Federation in March.

Mother’s Day — and HOT. This day should be gently spring-like: warm in the sun, cool in the shade, with a very soft breeze.

Had Galt Police Officers Mark Fewel and Jose Ramirez not performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on an elderly woman who had suffered a heart attack and driven into the Napa Auto Parts Store on North Lincoln Way, doctors said she would have probably died.

(BPT) - Let’s face it – moving is hard. Along with the stress of leaving a familiar place and adapting to new surroundings, moving means packing, loading, transporting, unloading and unpacking everything you own – as well as everything you forgot you owned.

Dressed in yellow vests, dozens of "Mormon Helping Hands" from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spread throughout Lodi and Galt on April 27, pruning trees and vines while cleaning playground equipment in parks.

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to open the 17-acre Woodbridge Wilderness Area every weekend during summer months, for the first time since a devastating fire in 2008.

Every spring during the 1950s, my Sicilian grandmother Nonna would host the entire California branch of the Guzzardi family to a home cooked Italian feast. More than a week in preparation, the meal included all the Italian favorites including pasta dishes, sausages, peppers and artichokes.

1. ‘Julia Child says, “Bon Appetit”!’

Say hello to Dottie. She is a one-year-old spayed white with black spotted WireHair Terrier mix, about 8 pounds. She came to us with a broken rear leg and had to have a cast put on, which will be removed this week. She is really sweet, friendly and enjoys other small dogs. If you would like more information about Dottie, please call PALS at (209) 224-0354. We have other dogs and cats available for adoption, so stop by the PALS Adoption Center located in Lodi at 1405 W. Kettleman Lane. Center hours are Tuesday to Friday rom 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. PALS is a Lodi-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the welfare of companion animals in Lodi by increasing the number of animals adopted, reducing animal suffering and providing the highest level of humane care, thus ultimately reducing the number of surplus companion animals euthanized in the city of Lodi. Visit our link at petfinder.com to view cats and dogs currently available for adoption or our Web site at www.palslodi.org and find out how you can volunteer and/or foster the many animals waiting for permanent homes.

Be on the lookout for miniature dog houses in the first “Stuff the Dog House” event starting Sunday, May 12. Volunteers throughout the city will be walking around collecting funds to help build a memorial park in honor of Officer Kevin Tonn.

The Mormon Helping Hands/Love Galt combined annual service project was held this last Saturday, April 27.

Former Micke Grove Zoo director Ken Nieland and Heritage Oak Winery in Acampo were honored for their contributions to the community at Tuesday’s tourism luncheon, sponsored by the Visit Lodi! Conference and Visitors Bureau.

Technology has been connecting families for generations. The invention of the phone let us hear voices of loved ones far away, and the creation of the Internet helped us to see them. Today, those same technologies that we’ve used to bring our families closer together are helping us to connect with and support families who are worlds apart. In doing so, the very concept and experience of “gifting” and philanthropy is being transformed.

Millie, a scruffy black terrier in need of a bath, let out a whine that could barely be heard over the roar of the propeller. Pilot Bill Stigile turned away from a panoramic view of the Central Valley to reassure the dog serving as his co-pilot on this critical journey.