Modesto news roundup: Closures, Coffee Road crash, LDS temple

Stanislaus County residents processed some major news this week, from a string of deadly traffic collisions to business closures reshaping the local landscape. Here’s a quick look at the stories drawing attention across the Modesto area.

Here are key takeaways:

• Five Stanislaus County businesses are closing or seeking buyers, including the Scrubs & Beyond chain, Gold’n Fresh Bakery and Turlock’s Pizza Factory, while O’Brien’s Market on Roseburg Avenue is being taken over by Freshway Supermarkets, as detailed in the latest Biz Beat roundup by Bee reporter Dominique Williams. Downtown Modesto’s Food Fix Butcher & Baker, owned by Hank and Ashley Olson, is also up for sale.
• A 14-year-old boy riding an electric motorcycle was killed Saturday afternoon when he collided with a vehicle near Tokay Avenue and Old Vineyard Road in Turlock, marking Stanislaus County’s 10th major crash of the month, according to a report by Deke Farrow. The Turlock Police Department said drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors.
• The new Modesto Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will offer free public open house tours from Oct. 16-31, excluding Sundays, with no reservations required. Pat Clark’s story says the 30,000-square-foot temple on Dale Road is the 10th LDS temple in California, and photos, bags and service animals are prohibited inside.
• According to The Bee’s Dean J. Condoleo, residents and school officials packed Tuesday’s Modesto City Council meeting demanding better lighting and traffic enforcement after Camila Mendoza Magallon, 16, and Nicole Cotzojay, 15, were fatally struck in a Coffee Road crosswalk near Downey High School, prompting new scrutiny of the city’s $3.7 million Coffee Road rehabilitation project. The project, which includes new midblock crosswalks and pedestrian improvements, is scheduled for completion in December.
• Travis Air Force Base personnel took custody of an old 1975 60mm mortar shell discovered in the backyard shed of a north Modesto home on Rexford Court, after a reported gas leak led firefighters to the device. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad determined the shell was inert, and no criminal charges are being pursued.