Valley Voice Issue 145 (18 July, 2019)

DON’T MISS TCOE’S NEWSIES

New group helping vets

“..they didn’t go to war alone, they don’t have to heal alone.”

PAGE 5

“You knew Dana the way you did and that’s what you need to remember.”

read all about it

Crash coverage sensationalized, father says

VOICES PAGE 15

in Valley Scene

Valley Voice

Volume XXXIX No. 13 18 July, 2019 ourvalleyvoice.com

Blair arrested, back in jail, suspected of domestic violence

Hotel, bears, AirBNB on Three Rivers meeting agenda

CATHERINE DOE

DAVE ADALIAN

catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com

Lemoore City Council Woman Holly Blair was arrested for domestic violence by the Lemoore Police Department on July 6. This was approximately one month after her June 5 arrest for assault with a deadly weapon. Blair was out on bail at the time of the incident.

According to a Lemoore Police Department statement, “officers responded to a possible domestic violence incident that had just occurred at about 1:07 p.m. When officers arrived the victim contacted them in front of the residence. He told officers that his wife, Blair, had threatened to kill him. When the victim attempted to walk away and use his phone, Blair punched the victim once in the back of the head. Blair’s spouse explained to police that with the recent domestic violence, he felt the threat against him was credible, and he feared for his safety as well as his children’s safety. The victim did not have any visible injuries, but he did complain of minor pain and refused medical attention. Blair was contacted inside the house and taken into custody without incident.”

Blair was arraigned on Monday, July 8 on two felonies, two misdemeanors and one special allegation. She plead not guilty on all five counts. Blair informed the judge at her arraignment that she couldn’t afford a lawyer and the judge appointed attorney James Baron Oliver to represent her.

BLAIR continued on 16 »

dave@ourvalleyvoice.com

Vice-President Pence visits, speaks in Lemoore STAFF REPORTS Exeter resident Vicki Riddle was part of the Vice Presidential pool of reporters at his Kings County event on July 10.

Vice President Mike Pence stopped by a family farm on Highway 41 north of Lemoore on July 10 to advocate for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). It was estimated 800 were in attendance, mostly in the agriculture industry.

Riddle said, “I told VP Pence that he was doing a great job. He then shook my hand and I told him I wanted to be on his volunteer advance team. He told me what to do.”

“State Senator Shannon Grove also spoke and was warmly introduced by VP Pence,” said Riddle.

Pence arrived around 11:30am at

Locals protest detention of migrant children DAVE ADALIAN

dave@ourvalleyvoice.com

Singing songs and carrying signs, South Valley residents took to the streets last week to voice their concern over the treatment of children at the southern border with Mexico by agents of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The candlelight vigil and protest were held the evening of Friday, July 12, at Memorial Park in downtown Visalia. More than 100 people attended the event, which was held in conjunction with Lights for Liberty, a series of more than 800 similar events held around the globe.

The mass protests are a response to conditions at several detention centers ranging along the US border with

Mexico. More than 20,000 children-who have been separated from their families--are being held in crowded and unsanitary conditions, often without adequate hygiene and access to drinking water while being subject to abuse, according to independent observers and official reports from case workers for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

‘Racism and Hate’

Julia Jump Doyal, who organized the Visalia event, said the intent of the protest was “to close the camps, to shine a light on the concentration camps.” It was President Trump’s online remarks, however, that inspired her to take up the cause.

PROTEST continued on 12 »

A proposed 185-room hotel complex will be up for discussion when District 1 County Supervisor Kuyler Crocker hosts a town hall meeting Wednesday, July 24 in Three Rivers.

The meeting--which will also focus on short-term vacation rentals, public restrooms and bear-proof trash containers--is scheduled for 6pm in the Three Rivers Memorial Building, 43490 Sierra Drive.

“The Three Rivers hotel project will be one of the items we’ll be discussing,” Crocker said. “We’re also planning on discussing short-term vacation rentals and providing an update on where we’re at with county policy. It’s something the supervisors have looked at in the past, and I’m hoping to have some more concrete information the community can review and look at.”

However, the discussion will not be limited to those four subjects.

“It’s also kind of free-for-all,” Crocker said. “So, if there’s other items people want to hear about, want to know about, then they can discuss those.”

Lemoore Naval Air Station on Air Force 2 and started his visit to the Valley at Harris Ranch for a fundraiser. He then spoke to an enthusiastic crowd at Doug and Julie Freitas & Sons Farms in Lemoore.

“We’re not going to allow bad trade deals to hurt American farmers anymore,” Pence declared at the event sponsored by America First Policies.

Curtis Ellis was the moderator of a panel of guests including Julie Freitas.

Former Congressman David Valadao, a dairy farmer, was a guest but was also seen an hour before the event started, chatting with visitors in the audience.

This event was opened to the public at no charge.

The mood in the audience was halfChurch, half-4th of July with colors of red white and blue being seen every-

Yet the development of a complex of three hotels on a site east of Sierra Drive (Highway 198) on Old Three Rivers Road will likely be the main topic of conversation. The plan--put forward by Guatam and Hitesh Patel of the Pleasanton-based Patel Group--has become a point of contention among residents of the area.

PENCE continued on 14 »

THREE RIVERS continued on 12 »

Hotel to be Hot Topic

Exeter resident named CA Republican Woman of the Year CATHERINE DOE

catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com

Political activist, community organizer, and Exeter mom, Vicki Riddle, may not be a small town girl any more but she has the energy and enthusiasm of a teenager. When she isn’t covering the First Lady while embedded with the White House Travel Pool, she is organizing fundraisers, working with Exeter youth, and getting out the Republican vote.

Her dedication to the Republican Party has not gone unnoticed. Living in a town with only 10,000 souls, Riddle was named Woman of the Year by the California Federation Republican Women (CFRW). Adding to Riddle’s surprise, she was nominated without her knowledge by Exeter resident

Rosemary Hellwig, “I was pretty shocked. It really was unusual,” said Riddle. She explained that the Woman of the Year awards usually go to past presidents of the CFRW, current board members, or from large metropolitan areas.

The CFRW, organized in 1925, is a “diverse population of women dedicated to making our world better for all now and in the future through an active program of education, engagement and effective change,” according to the organization’s president.

California’s FRW is the largest Republican woman’s organization in the United States, which to some might seem surprising in a state dominated

by Democrats.

“People say this is a Democrat state

REPUBLICAN continued on 14 »

18 July, 2019 Valley Voice

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FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESK

Careless and unaware

The peace of our idyllic new neighborhood is pierced, quite literally--and often--by the shrieking of an impossibly shrill little girl. Closing the windows is no defense. Only when I’m in the shower is she drowned out.

Which gives me an idea--an awful idea…a wonderful, awful idea--as I can’t help but hear her enjoying their swimming pool at full volume. It’s far from endearing that she can’t yet properly pronounce her Rs. And God help us if she and her pals ever take up the game of Marco Polo.

“MAWKO?” “POLO!” All this at jet engine decibel levels.

Her parents are no better. They shout. They cajole and encourage her. Unless I’m mistaken, and they’re swimming instructors who make loud house calls.

Now, I’m not so curmudgeonly as to begrudge anyone their raucous joy, but it continues to amaze me how careless and unaware people can be.

Especially when they’re not particularly joyful, and are supposed to be concentrating on something.

Like driving a car.

People are all over the road. They go too slow in the fast lane. They pull out right in front of you while you’re at speed. When turning left, they don’t cheat over enough to let you pass.

When turning right, they’ll take up the whole lane until the turn finally arrives. They don’t use their blinkers-or they use them too early, confusing everyone behind them. They swerve and veer--sometimes appearing, in the opposite lane, to be steering toward a head-on collision with you. A stoplight turns green and they go nowhere--it’s as if they’re reading a magazine or something. Maybe their cell phone, which many are on while actually driving. Or they suddenly stop for no reason.

Oh--there’s so much more, and I haven’t even addressed the ballroom dance that is parking.

Here’s careless and unaware for you: People grocery shopping with a full cart, but without any spatial awareness. They do all the bad things bad drivers do. They leave their cart blocking a whole aisle, say, or else leave their cart in front of the very item you’re after--then some of them leave

the empty cart willy-nilly in the middle of the parking lot. Well, maybe not willy-nilly--but just enough, at least, to clear their car before motoring off.

Want more? Pedestrians and cyclists on a public pathway--it’s mayhem, with a seeming majority listening to headphones. All those people walking around deeply engaged in a cell phone conversation with someone else who’s not even present. People who don’t hold a door open for another--and those people, going through that door, who don’t thank the person who does hold it ajar. People with signs or big hats at sporting events.

Those who talk during a movie. Or forget to silence their cell phone. That loud table over there, on date night, at an otherwise romantically darkened restaurant. People who don’t appreciate waiters. People who litter. People who burn litter. Those who dispose of expired drugs down the toilet. People who don’t use biodegradable detergent. That person on a long overseas flight who encroaches upon the precious space the airline allotted you.

Republicans.

Well, maybe not all Republicans.

Certainly those who have been persuaded to vote Republican against their better economic interests. These people are the embodiment of careless and unaware, and, in their sarcastic intolerance of non-Republican positions, fully deserve the hardships their leaders will deliver them.

Enjoy your time in the service economy!

And in the seventh circle of careless and unaware hell we have those Republicans willing to give Trump a pass. Careless because doing so is politically expedient for them. But are they truly unaware that history will savage and devour them? I almost miss the old evangelical, “family values” wing of the party.

My prediction is, 20 years from now, Trump’s supporters will disavow him; not his base, mind you, but those going along to get along. Those who give him a pass. They’ll never admit to it, in the future--and these are the types who need to step forward if impeachment is ever going to succeed. Yet they won’t have done, and they’re why it’s a non-starter now. Twenty years hence,

CARELESS continued on 3 »

Valley Voice

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Valley Voice 18 July, 2019

POLITICAL FIX Does David Valadao want a rematch?

By the end of election night in June of 2018 it looked like District 21 Congress Member David Valadao had fought off challenger TJ Cox, and denied the Democrats their seventh and final flip in California. But a month later after all the ballots were counted Congress Member TJ Cox pulled ahead by 862 votes.

The loss was blamed on the fact that the Democrats had a better ground game and that Mr. Valadao’s last media push was a day late and dollar short.

Right after Mr. Cox was sworn into office, the National Republican Central Committee (NRCC) made his seat one of their primary targets for 2020.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in turn made the 21st District a priority to defend.

Could there be a rematch in 2020?

That’s the scuttlebutt. One ardent fan was sure Mr. Valadao had already announced that he was running. I confirmed with a member of the Kings County Republican Central Committee that no such announcement had been made.

Yet. Supporters have been encouraging Mr. Valadao to run, and one devotee said it was 90% sure he would.

By Mr. Valadao’s current activity that might be correct.

Mr. Valadao participated in the American First Event in Lemoore that discussed the United States -Mexico-Canada Agreement and hosted Vice President Mike Pence. He then spoke extensively to reporters and has been doing interviews.

According to the Fresno Bee, the NRCC “took a poll of about 400 likely voters in the district between June 30 and July 2. The Republican poll results say the question pitted Cox, D-Fresno, against a ‘potential Republican challenger,’ which showed 52% for the challenger, 36% for Cox and 11% undecided.”

The potential Republican challenger was allegedly stated in the poll as Mr. Valadao.

No other candidate has stepped forward to challenge Mr. Cox, but that might be because they are waiting for Mr. Valadao to decide. It would have to be a very likeable and moderate Republican to win the 21st District and the obvious choice would be Mr. Valadao.

So if he could somehow take back that vote he cast against the Affordable Care Act and ask President Trump to call off the ICE raids he might have a chance to win back his seat.

When GV Wire asked Mr. Valadao what he had been doing since leaving office in January, he said, “Milking cows.” Running in a district that is 71% Hispanic and whose constituents desperately need healthcare it’s fortunate he still owns some cows to milk.

A return to love

Who watched the four hours of Democratic Presidential Debates on June 26 and 27?

I did.

Don’t worry if you missed it be-

CARELESS continued from 2

they will find a way to deny their complicity. Or change the subject.

Still, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the Republican party--particularly when it sticks to its tradition-

3 a column by CATHERINE DOE — catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com

cause you have another chance on July 30 and 31. Then 10 more after that!

For many viewers, there were candidates on the stage that no one had heard of. The unknowns, it was assumed, were current or former political office holders or successful entrepreneurs.

But what about Marianne Williamson?

Contrary to the buzz, California Senator Kamala Harris was not the most Google searched candidate after the debates. It was Ms. Williamson.

Only 20 of the 24 official presidential candidates qualified to participate in the first debates. So how did a spiritual advisor bump off Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton from the debate stage?

There were two paths to qualify. A candidate had to register 1% or more voter support in three polls 14 days prior to the debate. Or they could qualify by demonstrating that their campaign had received donations from at least 65,000 unique donors and a minimum of 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 states.

Since the debate Ms. Williamson occasionally polls at 1% or more. But before the debate she polled at 0%.

Where Ms. Williamson excels are the donations. She is a four time, number 1, best –selling New York Times author and advisor to the stars. Quotes from her books are like anthems to seekers.

A quote from her fist best seller A Return to Love states, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…”

So it’s understandable from where the 65,000-plus unique donors came.

On top of that, it turns out there are donations and then there are donations. On Ms. Williamson’s campaign website next to her pink donate button is a link to her “store.”

Buying campaign booty counts the same as giving a donation. Go figure. The reasoning is that there’s no way on the Federal Election Committee to discern the difference between a cash donation or purchasing a bumper sticker.

As it turns out, all the candidates have a “store” button at the top of their campaign website So who has the coolest swag?

Ms. Harris has a pretty hip tote and iron-on patches. Bernie Sanders has a head-scratching t-shirt that says “Not me.” Joe Biden wins for best mug saying “Cup O’ Joe.” Pete Buttigieg comes in second for his “BOOT – EDGE – EDGE mug and “Chasten for First Gentleman” t- shirt.

And Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren? Her website doesn’t even have a store. I thought she was a candidate “for the people.” What’s up Liz? Ms. Williamson has conveniently just written a New York Times best seller “A Politics of Love, A Handbook for a new American Revolution.” Mr. Sanders’ three books are in his store so does buying her book count as a donation? I’m not sure but her hats are kind of cool.

The candidates who qualify for the next debate will be shuffled around to reflect new polling and fundraising numbers and it will not include all of the original 20. Ms. Williamson has already qualified.

Ms. Williamson may have qualified for the debates because of her donations. But she is rising in the polls because of her message in these contentious times and may be around a lot longer than people anticipate. In her closing statement in the debate she told President Trump, “You have harnessed fear for political purposes and only love can cast that out,…So I, sir, I have a feeling you know what you’re doing. I’m going to harness love for political purposes.

I will meet you on that field. And, sir, love will win.”

al self-ascribed responsibility on fiscal and foreign policy. But that party is in the rear-view mirror. At present, the Republicans can’t amass enough disgust for a sufficient number of their own to call the president out on his most recent racist tweet, let alone convict him in an impeachment proceeding.

The party we have now--that of

Trump and Mitch McConnell--is anything but careless and unaware. It knows exactly what it is doing, and why. Think Supreme Courts seats, gerrymandering and perceived regulatory relief. “Make America Great Again?”

Think “Make America Male Again.”

Only that acronym would spell MAMA. It would never do. How about “Make

Millennials Ruined Pot

Remember a joint?

Millennials don’t.

Joint, doobie, spliff, blunt, a bowl, have all gone the way of landlines and maps. Smoking a hand rolled joint used to be how most people consumed pot. Now it’s considered “artisanal.”

Looking back on it, there was a sort of ceremony around smoking pot, not that we saw it that way at the time.

There was the bag of bud, papers, roach clip, and most important, perfecting ones technique in rolling a joint.

When baby boomers and Gen Xers voted to legalize marijuana that’s how we envisioned it and thought it silly anyone would get arrested for selling or consuming pot. We had no idea that a bag of weed was going to give way to vape pens, cartridges and gummy bears that could land someone in the hospital.

The romance is definitely gone.

I never was a pot smoker but it was part of the fabric of our culture. It was a rite of passage for my husband.

At Berkeley, the smell of pot wafting from the windows of frat houses and co-ops was a party staple. It was how our neighbors in Cabo San Lucas paid us back for favors in the 1990’s. I can still see the glass jar of joints sitting on the kitchen counter and recall it was just a given that our neighbors would sit on their porch and get stoned on the weekends.

I remember Hawaii, 1978, sitting in a park with my girlfriend at Flemmings Beach where I perfected my skills at body surfing. Completely oblivious to how beautiful we were, because of course we were too fat, we attracted the attention of a group of similarly aged guys.

We sat and talked at a picnic bench while a joint being passed around burned to a roach. (Note to Millennials – a roach is not a gross bug but the end of a joint.) My friend and I looked on in shock as one of our more stoned bench mates took the burning end of the joint between his index finger and thumb and without flinching sucked hot embers down his lungs. The joint reached me and it was all I could do to be Miss Cool and pass it to the guy next to me without screaming.

That’s a scene that will never play

out again. Now someone who wants a hit just pulls a vape pen from their pocket. And it’s not happening at a picnic table or a park. It’s while driving, before walking into the gym, or going grocery shopping – all undetected because the pen leaves little smell.

Can you see “The Dude” from the Big Lebowski smoking a vape pen?

It’s with much irony that I point out that since legalization, Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke could not have been made.

I’m happy for Woodlake that they got their ducks in order and have the only pot dispensary in the Central Valley. Farmersville will be next. Small towns need an economic windfall and not many opportunities come around that bring in tax revenue.

So I hope Visalia leaves the dispensaries to the small towns. If people want to buy pot all power to them. Just go somewhere else. Visalia has the luxury now, unlike many midsize towns, to bill itself as a pot free tourist destination and family friendly location for businesses to open.

Case in point, Hanford just lost BarrelHouse Brewing, a family friendly business that has been hugely successful in Visalia. They were going to buy the Bastille but because of the city’s new ordinance allowing pot dispensaries they recently pulled out of the deal. According to The Sun, “the city’s plans for marijuana dispensaries differed from BarrelHouse’s vision, and ultimately the two sides couldn’t come together.”

My bikini-clad days hanging out on a beach and passing a joint are long gone. But some things don’t change in our new digital age. I read the paper every morning with a cup of coffee.

Joseph and I still watch TV. I still take pictures with a camera and then put the best ones in a photo album.

Am I irrationally clinging to my analogue life?

All the kids were here last summer so it’s our turn to visit them and their significant others in Oregon. Joseph, I and our two youngest decided to make it a road trip. Joseph and I still use maps. Our car does not have a “port” so we will listen to the radio and CDs. I’ve already packed Beatles1, ABBA Gold, The Beach Boys, and Buddy Holly and other family faves.

Will a vape pen make an appearance? Sure, maybe. Our kids are all adults now. But I’ve always been too Scottish to sign up for a data plan and never had the experience of young or adult kids’ noses in their phones.

So for our road trip we will be engaging in other disappearing analogue activities, car games, enjoying the view and the dying art of conversation.

We talk a lot as a family in general and discuss travel, our ancestors, childhood memories, politics and school among other things.

So maybe Millenials ruined pot but I could think of worse. Besides they can make up for it by cleaning our mess up and maybe even saving the world.

America White or Keenly Orange?”

MAWKO! So long as opportunistic Republicans are happy to swallow all this, the country will be in a rut.

Until, that is, the next election.

Joseph Oldenbourg

18 July, 2019 Valley Voice

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Visalia Public Cemetery urges no fresh flowers after mosquitoes found VISALIA PUBLIC CEMETERY DISTRICT The Delta Vector Control District has found evidence of the invasive mosquito Aedes Aegypti in the Visalia Public Cemetery.

All flower vases and containers

need to be turned over to eliminate standing water.

We ask the public’s assistance in our efforts by turning over the vases at your loved one’s grave sites and by not bringing fresh flowers until the mosquito has been eliminated from

this area.

Flower vases can be filled to the top with sand and plastic flowers can be placed in the sand. Nothing should be placed in the ground at gravesites.

The District is in the process turning over vases and cleaning the ceme-

Student event dates set for 2019-20 school year TULARE COUNTY OFFICE OF ED Information on the Tulare County Office of Education’s 2019-2020 student events is now available online.

Teachers and administrators are encouraged to visit tcoe.org/StudentEvents to see event dates, contact information and any available flyers.

This year, the long-running Arbor Day Celebration will be integrated

into the STEAM Expo on March 14 at the TCOE Planetarium & Science Center.

UC Master Gardeners will be on hand at the STEAM Expo to conduct some of the same hands-on lessons students have enjoyed at Arbor Day for decades.

The 20-year-old CyberQuest event has been replaced by the Tech Rodeo Student Showdown. Event organizer Katherine Goyette reports that students will come prepared with

research they have collected on a previously assigned topic. They will then use technology tools to create a demonstration of their research in real time. Educators attending the Tech Rodeo event, which is scheduled for Saturday, January 18, 2020 at the Porterville Military Academy, will have the opportunity to observe students at work, thereby building their own capacity to design similar learning

tery grounds in an effort to eliminate this pest.

The district is working closely with Delta Vector Control District and questions or concerns can be addressed by them (559-732-8606) or cemetery staff (559-734-6181).

experiences back in their classrooms.

The new event reflects the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) student standards.

The annual Tulare County Office of Education Calendar of Student Events brochure will be mailed to all school site principals and district superintendents later this month.

Tulare Public Cemetery settles with Gerardo Ramos CATHERINE DOE

catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com

“We have reached a mutual agreement between Gerardo Ramos and the Tulare Public Cemetery. Both parties are happy with the final result,” said board president Xavier Avila.

On the advice of County Council, Avila was not at liberty to give further details on the settlement. The Valley Voice tried to reach out to Ramos but his phone is disconnected.

Background

Before either quitting or being fired in September of 2017,Ramos was a 30-year employee of the Tulare Public Cemetery as the assistant groundskeeper. At the regular Tulare Cemetery Board meeting on May 29, Ramos aired his grievances during public comment. He requested an investigation into his last pay check and the lack of compensation for vacation, sick and overtime pay.

According to Ramos, Cemetery Board Director Vicki Gilson wrote him a final pay check for two cents and requested that he come by the office and pick it up.

He also asked the board to investigate why he was fired and why a med-

ical condition, of which not even his family knew, was made public.

After Ramos finished his statement during public comment at the May 29 meeting Avila responded, saying Ramos lied about living at the cemetery.

Avila said that Ramos “lived there for a very long time.” He said there were DirecTV bills, food in the fridge, furniture, trash, and witnesses dating back to 2009 who said Ramos lived at the cemetery.

“You unjustly enriched yourself at the cemetery’s expense,” said Avila.

Settlement

The Tulare Cemetery Board discussed Ramos’ case in closed session after the May 29 meeting but did not report out.

A closed session on the June 26 Tulare Cemetery agenda states, “​Conference with Legal Counsel – Anticipated Litigation. Significant Exposure to Litigation (Gov. Code, sec. 54956.9(d)(2)) Number of potential cases: 1, Issue with former employee Gerardo Ramos.”

Presumably an agreement was signed by both parties that put an end to a threatened suit by Ramos a week later..

There are several witnesses to the

Gerardo Ramos

fact that Ramos quit his job and that his medical condition had been discussed publicly, and allegedly by Ramos, as the reason he had mistakenly buried clients in the wrong grave.

Because of this it is assumed that the final settlement did not involve these issues but only concerned his final paycheck. .

Without using the usual legal jar-

gon of lawyers, Avila seemed sincere when he stated that both sides were happy with the agreement. Given that, a compromise was presumably struck between the fact that the cemetery board felt they owed him nothing and that Ramos believed he was owed sick, vacation and overtime pay.

The final amount of the settlement was confidential.

Students & Teachers grades 7 - 12 are invited to participate in the 2nd Annual Porterville Summer Writing Academy (PSWA) on the Porterville College campus A collaboration between Porterville College, the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project (Fresno State), and California Poets in the Schools.

Porterville Summer Writing Academy July 29, 2019 - August 1, 2019 • 9:00 am - 12:30 pm Intensive writing experience for students. The focus will be on argument writing, with opportunities for creative projects, including a day devoted to spoken word poetry. Decades of successful work by the National Writing Project and the California Writing Project provide the model for this program.

Professional Development Opportunity for teachers from all content areas July 22, 2019 - July 25, 2019 • 9:00 am - 4:00 pm July 29, 2019 - August 1 2019 • 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Teachers & students are invited to enroll free of charge at the following links: Students: https://tinyurl.com/PSWA2019Student Teachers: https://tinyurl.com/PSWA2019Teacher Please contact Dr. Juliet Wahleithner (jwahleithner@mail.fresnostate.edu) or Professor Catherine Hodges (chodges@portervillecollege.edu) with any questions.

Valley Voice 18 July, 2019

Local group aids fellow war vets Setton Pistachio offers to DAVE ADALIAN settle directly with employees A group dedicated to helping local combat veterans finally has a home of its own in downtown Visalia.

Since 2015, A Combat Veteran’s Hope (ACVH) has aided veterans who have experienced war firsthand, their volunteers meeting with them in whatever spaces they could find and organizing events from their homes.

“This is one of our goals that we wanted to reach,” said Norbie Lara, cofounder and the group’s executive director. “We’d been working out of houses for years. It wasn’t conducive to meeting with veterans. It wasn’t working for privacy.”

ACVH’s new office is located at 121 E. Main St, Suite 108.

Consistent Assistance

Lara, who lost an arm while serving in Iraq, says efforts to help local “warfighters” were born from a desire to make a greater impact locally.

“I’d just stopped working with Wounded Warrior, and I didn’t get a lot of chances to work with local warfighters,” he said.

While he appreciates their efforts, the problem with national veterans support groups, he says, is inconsistency.

“They were really not providing as much support as the local warfighters needed, although they were trying their best,” said Lara. “They’d come in and do an event and then leave once every couple of months. What we thought is, we’d do one or two events every couple of months, just to fill the gaps for them. That turned into having sports activities and everything we offer.”

In the last four years, ACVH has developed to the point it now offers at least 15 different events each month, mostly focused on bringing combat veterans together.

“We focus mostly on engagement,

getting them out of their houses and getting them in environments where they are surrounded by folks who have a like past,” said Lara.

‘Don’t Have to Heal Alone’

Sharing the burden is often helpful for those who have been deployed to active war zones.

“When warfighters come home, they feel like they’re the only ones,” said Lara. “What we do is we explain to them they didn’t go to war alone, they don’t have to heal alone.”

Giving combat vets a chance to be with others who’ve had similar experiences can help former military members work their way back into normal life, as well as taking the edge off the mental and physical damage war can inflict, he said.

“When we put them around one another, they immediately start bonding with one another because all of us have been to war and we all know what that means, and we all know what it feels like when we come home, and not being able to relate to our family members or friends,” Lara said. “But, we are able to relate to one another, and we all struggle with just about the same things, post-traumatic stress, self-medicating, depression.”

ACVH hosts a peer support therapy group at its Main Street office from 6 to 7:30pm on the second and fourth Thursdays each month. The peer support sessions are open to all veterans.

STAFF REPORTS Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc., the nation’s second-largest pistachio grower and processor, is pleased to announce that we are offering cash settlements to hourly employees who worked between April 27, 2012, and March 1, 2019. We are offering this settlement to address a recent lawsuit.

The company has been accused of failing to pay somewhere between 1 to 3 minutes of pay per workday as employees walked between the front-gate and the time-clocks, and while Setton denies these accusations and believes that we paid our employees fairly, we are offering direct cash settlements to ensure that we have no disputes with our esteemed employees.

Class action lawsuits of this type generally result in a limited payment to each employee, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to the aggressive plaintiffs’ attorneys who typically take a 40% legal fee from any settlement.

For this reason, we want to maximize funds to our employees by settling directly with them.

How much money is 1 to 3 minutes per day? It is worth about $0.50 per day (work shift) on average.

Setton is offering a settlement of $0.50 per shift worked between April 27, 2012, and March 1, 2019 for hourly employees. For some employees, this

payment will be as much as $1,000!

Everyone has the right to decline this offer and instead participate in the lawsuit if they want to.

No one knows how long the lawsuit will take (likely years), or what (if anything) employees will receive. You can settle now, or wait to see what happens later.

All former and current Setton Farms hourly employees who worked between April 27, 2012, and March 1, 2019 are encouraged to come directly to its Human Resources office located at 9370 Road 234, Terra Bella, CA 93270 to sign the settlement agreement and receive immediate cash payment.

For questions regarding cash payment or media inquiries, please contact us at 559-535-0592.

About Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc.

Since 1986, the Setton family has taken a hands-on approach to growing and processing America’s Best Tasting Pistachios in the Central Valley of California.

As the second largest pistachio processor in the United States, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. provides pistachios to more than 60 foreign markets. The Setton Farms brand offers the highest quality pistachios with a fresh from the orchard taste. For more information visit www.

SettonFarms.com.

Narrowed Focus

The decision to have their efforts target only combat veterans, Lara said, was an attempt to ensure ACVH didn’t see the same mission spread national charities often experience.

“What we realized was if we supported all veterans, we’d be doing just as much as the national organizations are doing and spreading ourselves too

VETERANS continued on 13 »

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18 July, 2019 Valley Voice

6

AGRICULTURE

SGMA sharpens focus on conjunctive use CHRISTINE SOUZA

Ag Alert/California Farm Bureau Federation

California Farm Bureau Federation President Jamie Johansson, left, speaks during a meeting with Gov. Gavin Newsom, second from right. Participants in the meeting with the CFBF Board of Directors included CFBF Administrator Jim Houston, center, state Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross, third from right, Agriculture Liaison Bill Lyons, right, and other gubernatorial aides. Photo/Ching Lee/CFBF

Newsom reiterates attention to rural issues DAVE KRANZ

Ag Alert/California Farm Bureau Federation

Renewing his pledge to focus on issues important to rural California, Gov. Gavin Newsom told California Farm Bureau Federation leaders he considers the success of the state’s farmers and ranchers “a point of pride,” and that he recognizes his “role and responsibility” in elevating issues that affect rural regions.

Newsom met with the CFBF Board of Directors in his state Capitol office, during a wide-ranging, hour-long meeting that featured discussion of water, environmental regulations and other topics that affect farmers’ and ranchers’ competitiveness.

CFBF President Jamie Johansson told Newsom that “farmers and ranchers want to be part of the solution” to problems in rural California, urging the governor to seek “farmer-led solutions and realistic expectations” in addressing those problems.

Accompanied by state Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross, Agriculture Liaison Bill Lyons and other aides, Newsom listened as CFBF leaders outlined a variety of issues affecting agriculture and rural California.

Johansson began by describing the impact of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014, which requires local agencies to develop sustainability plans for critically overdrafted basins by next year and

will likely reduce the availability of groundwater in key agricultural regions. At the same time, Johansson and other Farm Bureau leaders noted, the State Water Resources Control Board has adopted plans to redirect flows in Central Valley rivers, in an effort to boost fish populations.

“There’s the water we need to address the overdraft,” CFBF director Paul Sanguinetti of Stockton told the governor, noting that reductions in surface water availability limit opportunities to replenish aquifers.

Newsom’s administration has worked with water agencies and other interested parties on voluntary agreements intended to achieve the same goals as the water board’s flows plan, but using a wider-ranging set of strategies that include targeted river flows and habitat-enhancement projects including improvements to salmon spawning and rearing areas (see story).

“We know it isn’t just about how much water you can put down a river, but it’s the functional flows of when you (time) what is flowing through,” Johansson said, telling the governor, “You’ve given us time to work those voluntary agreements and we would encourage you, let’s have full discussion on those but also recognize there are some people who aren’t in a (water) district” and wouldn’t necessarily be covered by the agreements.

Newsom said he remains committed to seeking voluntary agreements.

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Requirements to balance supplies in California groundwater basins have refocused attention on how best to achieve recharge, and on what’s known as the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater supplies.

Some irrigation districts have been recharging groundwater in that manner for years or even decades.

In Fresno County, recharging the groundwater aquifer has long been a priority for the Selma-based Consolidated Irrigation District, which serves 5,000 farmers across 120,000 acres.

Consolidated General Manager Phil Desatoff said the district has actively recharged groundwater since the 1920s by diverting floodwater to recharge ponds, which are now spread across 1,400 acres.

“The old-timers started putting water in the underground when it was available. A lot of times it was unintentional, because the river was flooding, but they saw how it worked so they started putting water on the low spots,” Desatoff said, adding that the district uses Kings River water for irrigation and groundwater recharge.

“Our farmers have been paying for recharge for 100 years,” he said.

“But now, with SGMA (the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act), you’ve got other folks looking to capture floodwaters doing the exact same

thing we’re doing.”

Adopted in 2014, SGMA sets milestones that must be met to achieve groundwater sustainability. The law requires formation of local groundwater sustainability agencies—or GSAs— to guide groundwater management in basins and sub-basins classified by the state as medium or high priority.

The local agencies must work together and with groundwater users to develop sustainability plans that will guide decisions affecting groundwater use and fees.

In the Consolidated district, irrigators rely mostly on surface water and are able to meet their needs with supplemental groundwater through the conjunctive-use program. The success of the district’s ability to add to the groundwater aquifer, Desatoff said, is due to its coarse, sandy soils that offer an average percolation rate of 1.1 acrefeet per day, more in some areas.

Due to its long history with groundwater recharge, Desatoff said, Consolidated will be ready for SGMA and has the ability to sell water to nearby districts.

“We are going to be in balance— in fact, we’re almost in balance now,” he said. “We’re probably going to do deals with some of the folks around us, to help us do recharge and put in more recharge basins to help the entire basin.”

SGMA continued on 11 »

Farmers call for better broadband in rural California KEVIN HECTEMAN

Ag Alert/California Farm Bureau Federation

Having trouble reading this on your laptop or smartphone? You might be among the more than one-quarter of rural Americans with insufficient broadband service.

From equipment diagnostics to data transfers to irrigation control to simple text messaging, tech is becoming a way of life on the farm—but is only as good as the local internet connection.

“America’s farmers and ranchers embrace technology that allows their farming businesses to be more efficient, economical and environmentally responsible,” the American Farm Bureau Federation states in a policy paper on the topic, citing precision applications of water, fertilizer and crop-protection materials among the benefits of tech on the farm.

“These are only a few examples of how farmers use broadband connectivity to achieve optimal yield, lower environmental impact and maximize SALES, SERVICE, RENTAL AG EQUIPMENT & TRUCK REPAIR

profits,” AFBF stated.

Or, as Siskiyou County farmer Brandon Fawaz put it: “Having faster internet now is no longer a luxury.

It’s kind of just required in the normal transaction or running of the business.”

The trick, of course, is getting that service out to people who need it. Even California—home of Silicon Valley and its technical cornucopia—has issues with connectivity in rural regions, and Fawaz said it goes beyond broadband.

“We’re still hindered by the lack of good cell coverage,” said Fawaz, who grows hay and operates a fertilizer and crop-protection business. “I still rely a lot more on printing paper and taking that to someone driving a fertilizer spreader versus being able to send them certain types of data files straight from wherever I’m at to wherever they’re at. You’ve got a piece of equipment sitting there, and you know what needs to be given to the guy, but you’re having to take him a piece of paper or a USB stick for him to plug into

BROADBAND continued on 11 »

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18 July, 2019

VALLEYSCENE

ourvalleyvoice.com

TCOE Theatre Company’s production of Newsies opens this week TULARE COUNTY OFFICE OF ED. The Tulare County Office of Education Theatre Company’s summer production of Disney’s Newsies is based on the New York newsboys strike of 1899. Opening 120 years to the day of the famous strike that brought public awareness to the economic struggles faced by the boys who sold evening and weekend newspapers, Newsies is a rousing tale of the good young people can do when they work together.

During the 1890s, the most common job for city kids was selling newspapers.

Some newsies were boys with no families or homes who lived in tenement houses. Most newsies, however, had homes to return to at night. They attended school during the day and sold newspapers at night and on the weekends. Although some girls also sold newspapers, the newsies were primarily boys ranging in age from 8 to 15.

In 1899, Joseph Pulitzer of New York World and William Randolph Hearst of New York Morning Journal raised the cost of the papers charged to the newsies without increasing the price paid by the public, thus greatly reducing newsies’ profits. On July 19, newsies

gathered in New York’s City Hall Park where they announced their strike – electing officers, forming a committee on discipline, determining a strike strategy, and sending out delegates to spread the word to newsies in other parts of the city. With the help of Katherine, a young reporter who shared their story, the newsies’ cause received the attention of New York Governor Teddy Roosevelt.

“The newsies strike of 1899 shows the spirit, courage, and strength of young people who band together for a common cause,” said Bethany Rader, Theatre Company director. “I believe it is for those reasons that this story has always been so special to me. The idea of children coming together for a common goal is very close to my heart because it closely resembles my job guiding and directing students in theatre.”

Newsies features a Tony Award-winning score by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman and is based on a production script by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein.

Featuring the now classic songs Carrying the Banner, Seize the Day, and Santa Fe, Newsies is packed with high-energy dance numbers and

a timeless message, perfect for the whole family. Based on a 1992 movie of the same name, the musical version of Newsies premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in 2011 and made its Broadway debut in 2012, where it played for more than 1,000 performances before touring.

For more information on the Theatre Company’s production of Newsies, call (559) 651-1482.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

L.J. Williams Theater, 1001 W. Main St., Visalia Evening Shows (7:30 p.m.): July 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27 Matinee Shows (2:00 p.m.): July 20 and 27 Tickets are $15 for general admission and $25 for VIP. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by calling (559) 651-1482, ext. 3329, or at Visalia TCOE locations.

Young at Art exhibition opening at Tulare County Fair offering “jackpot savings” through July 31 Arts Visalia on July 31 STAFF REPORTS In August 2019, Arts Visalia presents the annual Young at Art exhibition. Young at Art is an exhibition featuring the artworks of participants in Arts Visalia’s summer children’s Young at Art classes. Each artist will have at least one piece in the exhibit for each class.

This summer’s series of classes focused on what makes everybody connected and the things students’ value. Students were challenged by a series of questions: “How do people label you? What is it that you love about yourself? How are you emotionally connected to art? What makes everybody a hero?” A reflection on positive affirmations art brings to each stu-

dent. Not only did each class support the emotional connection to art, but also incorporated the seven elements of art and principles of design and their connection to the histories of art and artists’ disciplines.

The Young at Art summer children’s classes lead students to learn different disciplines each week, for a total of 6 weeks of art: paper mache, ceramics and sculpture, painting, printmaking, collage, and drawing.

The wide variety of talent is remarkable. Don’t miss out on the most popular exhibit of the year.

The Young at Art exhibition will be displayed July 31st through August 30th, with an opening reception on First Friday, August 2nd, from 6:00

ARTS VISALIA continued on 8 »

Football tickets for Tulare Joint Union HSD on sale July 22 STAFF REPORTS Football season tickets for Tulare Union, Tulare Western, and Mission Oak High Schools will go on sale Monday, July 22, 2019, 8:00am, to previous Reserve Ticket Holders online at Gofan.com.

All tickets will be sold online and customers who do not have access to a computer or the internet may come in to the District Office for assistance in purchasing tickets.

Season ticket holders from 2018 may reserve the same seating for 2019 through Sunday, August 4, 2019. All open tickets will go on sale to the pub-

lic Thursday, August 8, 2019, at 8am.

Ticket prices for 2019 are $10.00 for single reserve, $7.00 for adult and college student general admission, $3.00 for high school students and elementary school students with I.D. Cards.

High School and elementary school students with no ID card will pay the adult general admission price.

Senior Citizen Lifetime passes for residents of the Tulare Joint Union High School District age 65 and over are good for all general admission home football games and may be obtained at the District Office. Senior passes exclude free admission to all playoffs and Fundraisers.

STAFF REPORTS

The centennial celebration at the Tulare County Fair this year will include July Jackpot discounts on admission and carnival wristbands.

The July Jackpot of Savings offers discounted admission (from $10 to $7 per person); discounted carnival wristbands (two for $40); and a Golden VIP front-of-the-line ride wristband for $50 (normally $65).

The July Jackpot online discounts are available through July 31 at www. tcfair.org.

The 100th anniversary of the Tulare County Fair will run Sept. 11-15, offering a week of entertainment for the fami-

ly, educational activities for children, the annual Junior Livestock Auction on Sunday, Sept. 15, fair food, fun rides and more. Fairgoers will have the opportunity to learn about the fair’s history through displays and events.

The ever-popular Demolition Derby and Monster Truck competitions are back, along with a series of free-with-admission concerts and activities for fair-goers of all ages. Applications for entertainers interested in performing at the fair (without compensation) are now available online. Applications are due by Aug. 3.

Visit www.tcfair.org for ongoing updates to the schedule of events, or call the fairgrounds office at 686-4707.

Go Over The Edge for The Source LGBT+ Center in November STAFF REPORTS On November 9, 2019 people from all over the Central Valley will take the leap and go Over The Edge to raise money to support The Source LGBT+ Center.

In just 3 short years, The Source LGBT+ Center has twice expanded it’s walk-in center, located in downtown Visalia’s Montgomery Square.

Last year’s Over The Edge helped fund the center’s rapid growth, with over $100,000 raised. Now, people across the Central Valley have the chance to go Over The Edge again this fall and help the center continue to serve our community.

This year’s goal is another $100,000.

There are 92 slots available, and each participant’s goal is to raise $1,000 or more to support the future

operations and continued growth of The Source LGBT+ Center. Employees can raise money to “toss the boss” Over the Edge for $1,000! If he or she matches that donation, they can select a team member to take their place.

This is a great team-building event that supports an important community non-profit organization.

Individuals will rappel from the 8th floor of the Marriott Hotel in downtown Visalia. Last year people from all walks of life, and all age groups, went Over The Edge, with two rappelers in their 70’s!

Persons or groups interested in signing up to go Over The Edge can register at www.visaliaovertheedge.com Like The Source LGBT+ Center on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/thesourcelgbt/ to keep up-to-date on all the excitement!

18 July, 2019 Valley Voice

8

Migrant education students immersed in engineering TULARE COUNTY OFFICE OF ED.

Migrant Education students Brianna and Ruby worked for several weeks this summer at Farmersville High School on a product that could potentially save lives by preventing brain injury. The young women were part of Migrant Education’s annual Summer STEM Program and they designed a helmet that would keep its wearer safe.

The students’ design featured two interlocking pieces that would move to absorb an impact. During several initial tests, a liquid-filled capsule placed inside the helmet leaked upon impact, indicating injury to the wearer. The students returned to their desk to fortify the helmet with additional padding.

On their final test, the young engineers strapped their helmet to a mannequin’s head and raised it on a pulley to over seven feet. They then released the mannequin, sending it plummeting to the sidewalk. The result? The capsule in the helmet remained intact, indicating no injury was sustained.

Each summer, Migrant Education students enter the world of engineering with projects that replicate work done by a variety of engineers. Beginning in June, the Migrant Education Program offered its three-week Summer STEM Program at 36 school sites throughout Kings and Tulare counties.

The program served nearly 550 students with grade-specific science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) lessons developed by Engineering is Elementary (EIE). Migrant teachers were trained in advance to guide students through real-world applications of engineering principles.

As packaging engineers, students in kindergarten, first and second grades utilized ordinary materials to design and build containers to ensure the health of plants for the consumer market. After addressing the plants’ needs for water, sun and air, the students included in their designs how the packages would be transported and displayed, along with instructions to consumers on how best to care for the plant.

Gloria Davalos, Migrant area administrator, taught the middle school curriculum in the past. “Students are learning that there is a vast number of jobs in the sciences,” she said. “Through the STEM Program, they now know that scientists and engineers were responsible for helping to design or develop nearly all products they can imagine.

And year to year, they’re retaining their knowledge of the engineering design process – to identify the need, research the problem, develop solutions, create a prototype, test it, and so on. The STEM Program is providing our students a unique learning experience that’s building their problem-solving skills.”

This year, students in grades 3-5 were introduced to the field of biomedical engineering. They explored how human feet vary in shape, weight and structure, then used this information to design and create shoes. They also measured the range of motion in knees and how knee joints work. After learning about the structures of the knee, they had to design and create a knee brace that would restore movement to a model with an injured knee.

ENGINEERING continued on 10 »

The Young at Art exhibition will feature art made by participants of Arts Visalia’s summer classes. The classes span multiple disciplines: paper mache, ceramics, sculpture, painting, printmaking, collage, and drawing. Courtesy/Arts Visalia

ARTS VISALIA continued from 7

p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The exhibition is sponsored in part by United Way of Tulare County, the City of Visalia Measure N, Carolyn Kruse Foundation, Bank of the Sierra, Breakfast Lions Club, Board of Supervisors Step-Up, Valley PBS, and the California Arts Council.

In September 2019, Arts Visalia will display the Embodying Hazel exhibition. The Embodying Hazel exhibition places a twist on the conventional artist exhibition where one artist shows work of multiple models or subjects.

This exhibition showcases artwork featuring the same model, but from various artists.

Hazel Vellichor was born and raised in Visalia. She has spent the last three years working with local photographers and artists to develop her skills as a model as well as theirs as artists. The exhibition is an opportuni-

ty to celebrate the talent she has been fortunate enough to collaborate with, as well as to showcase the very wide range of art a single model can inspire.

Hazel is also a part of Arts Visalia’s monthly figure drawing workshops.

Arts Visalia’s Young Imaginations Gallery will display the artworks of the Arts Visalia Young at Art classes, the Goshen Family Center Art Program, and the VUSD Crowley Summer Art Program.

Arts Visalia’s Fall class enrollment forms are available at Arts Visalia and online at artsvisalia.org.

Arts Visalia Visual Art Gallery and gift shop is open from noon to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and is located at 214 East Oak Avenue, Visalia, California 93291. For more information on all Arts Visalia events and available classes visit our website at artsvisalia.org or call the gallery at (559) 739-0905.

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Valley Voice 18 July, 2019

Calendar

Through July 19: Movies in the Park Films are shown on our giant inflatable movie screen at dusk. Free. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and sit back and enjoy the show! Guests are welcome to bring picnic dinner and snacks. Riverway Sports Park Special Event Promenade (3511 N. Dinuba Blvd.) June 14th – Smallfoot, June 21st - Lilo & Stitch, June 28th – Aquaman, July 5th - The Emperor’s New Groove, July 12th - Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse, July 19th - How to Train Your Dragon. Call (559) 713-4365 for more information.

Through July 19 Activities for Teens (ages 13-19) Visalia Library Teen Art Workshop “Express Yourself” Instructor: Lisa Alvarado, June 14th 3:00 - 4:30pm (Blue Room) Tween/Teen Poetry Writing Workshop, Instructor: Erin Elliott, June 15th 3:00 - 4:30pm (Purple Room) Teen Art Workshop “Let It Go” Instructor: Lisa Alvarado, June 21st 3:00 - 4:30pm (Blue Room) Art Workshop “The Power of You,” Instructor: Lisa Alvarado Saturday, July 13th 2:30 - 4:30pm (Blue Room) Teen Board & Video Games, July 19th 4:00 - 5:45pm (Blue Room) Through July 20: Summer Reading Program Visalia Library Stop by the library to register and get your reading log! As you meet your reading goals earn prizes. For children ages 1-18, we can feed their bodies as well with our Summer Lunch at the Library program. Free meals are served Tuesdays-Fridays at 12:30pm.

Through July 19: Summer Reading Programs and Entertainment Lindsay, Springville and Strathmore, Pixley, Alpaugh, Earlimart, Tipton Exeter, Farmersville, Three Rivers, Woodlake, Dinuba, Ivanhoe, London, and Orosi Libraries dishes up fun and excitement with the free programs at your local Tulare County Branch Library. Participants can sign up throughout the program to get their reading logs to earn prizes and be entered into drawings for more prizes.

The earlier you sign up, the greater the fun. Each of the branches has entertainers, events and special reading activities every Wednesday and Thursday June 12 – July 18. Three Rivers, Earlimart and Tipton Library events are on Fridays.

July 19-27:Read all about it! Paper Mill Playhouse presents Newsies L. J. Williams Theater, 1001 W. Main St. in Visalia. Tickets are $8-$20. For more information, visit tcoe.org.

July 19: Peña Planetarium CAPCOM GO! The Apollo Story, To celebrate the 50th anniversary of NASA putting a man on the moon at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. CAPCOM GO! is an immersive, historical documentary that showcases the achievements of the Apollo program and what it took to put the first human on the moon.

TCOE Planetarium & Science Center at 11535 Avenue 264 in Visalia. Tickets are only available for purchase on the day of the show through the box office, which opens at 5:00 pm. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for children 11 and under. For more information, call (559) 733-6433.

July 20: Tulare-Kings Writers Meeting at the library in Visalia (on Oak St.) in the Blue Room this coming Saturday at 10 AM. Tips for self-editing will be our subject. We’ll discuss the stumbling blocks and have a couple useful handouts to take home. Contact, Marilyn Meredith aka F.M. Meredith, http://fictionforyou.com/

9 July 20: The Real Mooney’s Grove Project meeting At the Mooney’s Grove Bridge on at 10:00 am. They encourage any community members to come and support the ongoing project.

July 21: The Elton John musical tribute The Rocket Man Show, will perform at 7 p.m. at the Fox Theatre in Visalia.

Tickets are $33 to $55 at foxvisalia.org.

July 25: Annual Mini Expo at the Tachi Palace Hosted by The Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, 5:30PM to 7:00PM. There will be informational booths, Hors D’oeuvres and refreshments, with great opportunity raffles and Tachi will be giving Tachi Cash. It is a Free event for the whole community. criselda@mytkhcc.org. 559 7346020 July 27: 3rd Annual Boots, Brews and Bacon Festival 3rd Annual Boots, Brews and Bacon Festival at the Visalia Convention Center.

The Boots Brews and Bacon Festival is a beer tasting festival designed to build the appreciation of craft brew all while listening to live music and enjoying BACON! The festival will feature over 75 craft beers. Local restaurants will be sampling their best bacon inspired tastes for you to savor. In addition to crafts, domestics, imports and specialty ciders, root beer provided by the A&W Root Beer Float Mobile will be available for sampling. Wine provided

by Cacciatore Fine Wines will also be available Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at the Visalia Convention Center Box Office, Monday through Friday, or online at www.visaliatix. com. For more information call the Visalia Convention Center Box Office at (559) 713-4040.

July 30: Take and Bake” Enchilada Fundraiser for Refugee Children The Visalia’s Hope organization will be sponsoring an Enchilida Fundraiser from 1:00 PM til 6:00 PM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Center and Hall in Visalia. Come buy homemade Beef, Chicken or Cheese Enchiladas per dozen and ready for cooking at home.

There will be Pre-Sales Only at $15.00 per dozen. Order forms are available by contacting the email below. All orders must be prepaid before picking up on July 30th. Checks and credit cards will be accepted. Delivery will be by drive thru only. contact, Jeanette Wullschleger, Chair person maestraguatemalteca@gmail.com August 1: Friends of the Yaudanchi Ecological Reserve public outreach meeting Monache High School, 960 N. Newcomb St. Porterville Room G-201 Chemistry/Biology Lab. Please enter though main office 3:00 to 5:00pm, Join local citizens to save the Yaudanchi Ecological Reserve. Contact richard.garcia@kernkaweah.sierraclub. org August 3: 1st Saturday in Three Rivers Arts Consortium presents event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Art studios, restaurants and merchants open their doors and invite all for a town-wide celebration. Go to the Three Rivers Historical Museum, 42268 Sierra Hwy. for a map of participating venues. Info, visit 1stsaturdaytr.com or call 559-561-3463.

Aug 22: The State of the County Luncheon Visalia Marriott at the Convention Center 300 S Court St, Visalia, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM. The State of the County Luncheon serves as a forum for the Tulare County

Board of Supervisors to highlight the county’s accomplishments, outline a foundation for the future and recognize an area.This year Tulare County Board of Supervisor Chairperson Kuyler Crocker will award California Citrus Mutual the Tulare County Outstanding Partner Award. Please contact the Visalia Chamber of Commerce with questions about tickets or sponsorships.

August 24: Shootout to support Larry Micari for Board of Supervisors Kingsburg Gun Club, 2246 Gilbert Drive, Check in and registration: 7:30 am-8:15 am, Shooting: 8:30 am Prizes, 1st Place Shooter Kimber Custom II, 1st Place team (each shooter receives a gun) Smith and Wesson M&P Shield, High Score Female Shooter, Tristar Sporting Arms Setter S/T 12 Breakfast Burrito’s, BBQ and More!Tickets includes: Prize drawing ticket, lunch and a fun morning of shooting. Register online at micari4supervisor.com/ shootout or contact: Beth Micari at bmicari@msn.com / (559) 280-7546 Bobby Rader (559) 799-5891 September 14: Pot Luck to contrast and compare the 1967 USS LIBERTY ATTACK to 9-11 5 pm at 1213 S. Fairway St. Visalia. Meet two survivors of the USS Liberty, one author, and maybe one ae911truth.org engineer to participate. RSVP 559-9011974 royjkendall@hotmail.com.

September 15: Boots and Brews Celebrate Flag Day the American way with the Exeter Republican Women Federated, 6:00 – 7:00,VIP reception, 7:00pm Program and Dinner at The Pine Residence, 1600 Palm Rd. Exeter.

Event sponsored by Tulare County Supervisor Kuyler Crocker and candidate for TCBOS District 1 Larry Micari, Distinguished speakers, Dinner and Raffle, Tickets $75, VIP $125. Info 280-3726 or 972-3707.

September 27: Oktoberfest This year’s event is on Friday, at Vossler Farms. With your ticket you’ll get food samplings, wine tastings, and of course, beer tastings from local breweries. We’ll also have some incredible live music. Our goal is to share the Central Valley’s best food, wine, beer, and entertainment with the community. Tickets are NOW available! A limited number of Early Bird tickets are available the month of July (or until they sell out) for $45. Starting August 1, tickets will go up to $50. The week of the event, tickets will go up one last time to $60 and we’ll likely sell out again this year, so don’t wait!

Tues-Wed: 3PM-7PM; Thu-Sat: 11AM2PM Tulare Public Library, Veterans Resource Center, Referral services to all veterans and their families.

Saturday 10:00 – Tuesday through Thursday: Homework Help Tulare Public Library Homework Help 4:00 - 7:00pm, grades K-12th in our Learning Center, Every other Wednesday: Knitting Club Tulare Public Library 5:30pm; September 26th in the Olympic Room. All ages welcome! To register for book clubs or computer classes call 559-685-4503 or stop by the research and information desk.

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: Visalia Duplicate Bridge Club 12 noon Tuesdays, 7pm Thursday, and 12 noon Fridays - $6 on Tuesdays and Friday and $7 on Fridays. Includes lunch. At First Christian Church, 1023 N. Chinowth St. Info Elaine Smith 559 734-4780 First Tuesdays of month: National Alliance on Mental Illness, 5:45pm

Education Meeting: 7pm Support Group St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Visalia, 120 N. Hall, Corner of Center and Hall. For more information call: (559) 627-1306 Mondays: Bridge Club, 9:30am-2pm 210 W Center Street Visalia. Admission is free. For additional information call: Joan Dinwiddie, (559) 732-0855 Mondays: Knitters, 10am-12:30pm 210 W Center Street Visalia. Everyone is welcome.

Mondays: Monday Karaoke at Barmageddon, 9pm-1am Karaoke Jockey Miss Sammi will be hosting from 9pm - 1am. No Cover.

Tuesdays: Barmageddon Trivia Thunderdome, 9pm-1am Challenge your friends to the ultimate trivia throwdown. Earn some bragging rights in categories ranging from Saturday morning cartoons, classic video games, and pop culture films.

Free sign ups at 9:30pm.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7am Healing Hearts Walks Walk a 1 mile loop on the paved roads inside the Visalia Cemetery, Free coffee. Meet at the Veterans’ Memorial Wall. For more information call 7346181.

2nd Tuesday, Monthly: Yappy Hour, 5-9pm Well-mannered, leashed pets are welcome at the Planing Mill Artisan Pizzeria, 514 East Main Street, Suite A, in Visalia. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the Valley Oak SPCA. (559) 651-1111.

Wednesdays: Barmageddon Game Night Come blow off some steam at our game night. Happy hour from 6-8pm.

1st Thursday, Monthly: Veterans Support Group, 5:30-7pm Free support group for global war on terrorism & post 9-11 (Veterans Only) at the Tulare Public Library, 475 North M Street in Tulare. Facilitated by: Dr. Lance Zimmerman, PhD of Veterans Counseling Clinic.

1st and 3rd Thursdays, Monthly: Central Valley Tea Party Meetings, 6pm 819 West Visalia Rd, Farmersville.

3rd Thursday, Monthly: Gathering At the Oval, 12:30-1pm Lifting up the needs and concerns of Visalia through individual prayer and meditation at Oval Park, 808 North Court Street in Visalia.(559) 967-4065.

3rd Thursday, Monthly: Board Game Night, 6-7:45pm Ages 10+ at the Visalia Library, 200 West Oak Street. Sign-ups are not required.

(559) 713-2703.

3rd Thursday, Monthly: Ladies’ Night, 6-10pm At the Clay Cafe in Visalia, 1018 E. Mineral King Ave. $10 studio fee with ceramic purchase. Includes complimentary margarita, dinner and dessert. Door prizes too! Reservations required: (559) 733-2022.

Fridays: Women’s Morning Bible Study, 9am-Noon 210 W Center Street Visalia.Information call: (559) 739-9010 1st Saturday, Monthly: AGLOW, Visalia Speaker Meeting at Christian Faith Fellowship Freedom Hall, 506 N. Court Street, Visalia. Live music and finger food.

Saturdays: Cup of Jazz, 10am-Noon At Cafe 210, Visalia. Free. Richard Garoogian. (559) 730-0910.

18 July, 2019 Valley Voice

10

“Artists of Whimsy” at Exeter Courthouse Gallery STAFF REPORTS

Please join the Exeter Courthouse Gallery in welcoming a whimsical, fun show in August-September featuring the art of Kathleen Mattox and Laura Fraedrich. “The Artists of Whimsy” opens August 3 through September 29. The opening reception is Sunday August 11, 2:00-4:00 pm. There will be refreshments and the reception is free to the public.

Kathleen Mattox is a local artist from Sanger, California. Kathleen begins her work with watercolors or, more recently acrylics, then she goes on to incorporate other media. Her subject matter tends to be impressionistic, expressionistic, and/or abstract rather than realistic.

Kathleen’s works can currently be seen at her gallery, “Mixed Messages” ART at 1310 8th Street in Sanger.

Laura Fraedrich is a ceramic and mixed media artist living in Fresno, California, where she resides with her menagerie of pets, which inspire much of her work. She loves making all different kinds of art; her favorites being art journaling, acrylic painting, printmaking, collage and ceramics.

She currently teaches over 30 paint-

ing and mixed media workshops at Allard’s Art in Fresno and also works as a Creative Partner Consultant for Mayco Ceramics, representing their brand of ceramic bisque and glazes. Laura is the founder of The Peculiar Palette, a blog and website about ceramics and mixed media art. She teaches workshops around the US. Please visit the gallery during gallery hours, Saturdays 10:00 am - 4:00 pm and Sundays 12-4. The Exeter Courthouse Gallery is located at 125 South “B” Street, Exeter.

For more information please call (559) 592-5900 or email at ExeterCourthouseCA@gmail.com.

Visit the gallery’s website at http:// exeterhistoricalmuseum.com On another note, the Exeter Historical Museum and Courthouse Gallery is looking for volunteer docents to sit the gallery on Saturdays and Sundays. Saturday shifts are 10-1 and 1-4, Sunday 12-4. If interested please call the number below and leave your name and contact information, letting them know you are interested in being a docent.

The gallery is also looking for new board members.

K-2 students in Migrant Education’s Summer STEM Program were involved in designing a plant packaging system that would protect and sustain plants during transportation. Courtesy/TCOE

ENGINEERING continued from 8

As biomechanical engineers, sixthand seventh-graders explored the brain and how a concussion can alter its structure. Students learned ways people can protect their heads by using a helmet. To illustrate the effects of concussion on the brain, students, wearing obscured goggles, were challenged to walk an obstacle course and write simple words.

For students unable to attend one of the school-based STEM Programs, Migrant staff members provided inhome math lessons this summer. This in-home program served 750 additional students in 41 districts. Teacher Todd Canterbury, who works in a Special Services Intervention Resource Classroom during the school year, shared that he was able to work with siblings on consumer math lessons prior to the family’s relocation to the Oregon area for work in the fields. “I was able to teach both the brother and the sister the concept of simple and compound interest,” he said, noting that they scored 90% on a post-test given at the

end of their lessons. “Before the family left, we were able to go to Bank of the Sierra and open a savings account for the brother and a checking account for the older sister. It felt fantastic to see that they understood the principles of saving and that we could do this for them.” While high school students in Migrant’s in-home program received lessons over three weeks in consumer mathematics, younger students were learning math through grade-appropriate games.

The Migrant Education Program has also been busy organizing Migrant Student Leadership Institutes for middle and high school students.

This summer, nearly 140 students will attend one- to two-week programs at CSU Channel Islands, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Santa Barbara, Fresno State, and West Hills College. While the programs vary from campus to campus, Migrant students enjoy instruction in math and language arts, robotics, and sports, while living and dining alongside college students.

For information on Migrant’s summer program, call Tony Velásquez at (559) 651-3035.

Enchilada fundraiser being held for refugee children STAFF REPORTS

Laura Fraedrich showcasing her work at the Clovis Book Barn. Courtesy photo

The Visalia’s Hope organization will be sponsoring an Enchilida Fundraiser, on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, from 1:00pm until 6:00pm.

The fundraiser will take at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Center and Hall.

Volunteers will be selling homemade fresh Beef, Chicken or Cheese Enchiladas per dozen and ready for cooking at home. There will be Pre-

CENTRAL COAST SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Summer Season 2019

Admission:

Twelfth Night AND Treasure Island by Phil Willmott

$20 General Admission $18 Student & Senior $12 Kids 12 & Under Prepaid groups of 10 or more, $15 each

July 11 – August 3, 2019 Enjoy live theatre outdoors on the beautiful Filipponi Ranch 1850 Calle Joaquin, San Luis Obispo

Tickets on sale Now centralcoastshakespeare.org

Pack a picnic meal, bring a lawn chair and blankets.

Filipponi Ranch Cellars wine sold by the glass or bottle.

Sales Only at $15.00 per dozen.

Order forms are available by contacting any of the volunteers listed below. All orders must be prepaid before picking up on July 30th. Checks and credit cards will be accepted. Delivery will be by drive thru only. Areas will be designated and identified. Drivers will know the pick up areas.

Visalia’s Hope – for Refugees, began as a small collection of local women, who , with a mother’s heart, expressed concerns about the refugee children at the border.

With eight women strong, this small compassionate group decided to do what they could to raise funds to hep these refugee children.

With the help of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church kitchen, these ladies will be preparing dozens of pre-ordered enchiladas for a “Take & Bake” Enchilada Fundraiser on Tuesday, July 30th.

“Angry Tias and Abuelas”, an award winning grassroots refugee support organization, will be sent the funds for assisting with the refugees, with a focus on the children.

For more information, please call or contact: Jeanette Wullschleger, Chairperson maestraguatemalteca@gmail.com Barbara, Communications Chair scanlonbj@hotmail.com Lali Moheno LMoheno@sbcglobal.net Bonnie Karlea 11@gmail.com

Valley Voice 18 July, 2019

11

AGRICULTURE

Proposed changes to agricultural visa program show promise, leader says KEVIN HECTEMAN

Ag Alert/California Farm Bureau Federation

As farmers in California and elsewhere around the country try to cope with chronic employee shortages, the president of the California Farm Bureau Federation said administrative changes to the current H-2A agricultural visa program could be one element of a solution, while Congress continues to work on broader legislation.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced plans to modernize and improve the existing H-2A agricultural visa program, which allows people from certain countries to en-

BROADBAND continued from 6

the computer on the machine.”

That extends to soil sensors Fawaz relies on to take moisture levels and send the data to phones and computers, accessing how-to videos and other troubleshooting information on equipment manufacturers’ websites and irrigating crops from remote locations.

“Our pivots—our irrigation systems—are controlled on service that’s basically just text-message-level service,” he said. “I’ve had to drive a 36mile round trip to go down and push a button, because the pivot wouldn’t receive the stop or start command.”

The issue, one of AFBF’s top priorities, is receiving attention at the federal level. On Capitol Hill, a House subcommittee held a hearing last week at which Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst drove home the need for broadband access.

“While most Americans take broadband for granted, 26.4% of rural Americans lack access to broadband,” Hurst told the hearing. “This is alarm-

SGMA

continued from 6 Districts lacking water want to buy it, Desatoff said, “so they will have to go to someone who has access to surface water, so districts like mine that either have a lot of surface water or groundwater or a combination are prime sources to meet demand.”

To the north, the Merced Irrigation District also operates as a conjunctive-use district, providing surface and groundwater supplies for about 100,000 acres.

Merced Irrigation District Deputy General Manager Bryan Kelly said the district has been focused on groundwater recharge for many years, operating two basins that receive stormwater captured in MID canals and waterways and 220 active groundwater wells.

“We deliver surface water and in times of drought, we sometimes supplement with groundwater, and we’ve operated that way for decades,” Kelly said. “On average, we replenish 140,000 acre-feet of recharge from all of our groundwater recharge activities.”

Through its conjunctive-use management activities “and just being a

ter the United States temporarily for on-farm jobs.

“We’re encouraged by the administration’s efforts to improve the H-2A system,” CFBF President Jamie Johansson said. “We continue to analyze the full proposal, but our initial reading shows that it would streamline certain aspects of the program and expand it to include additional forms of agriculture, such as reforestation work.”

More California farmers have begun using the H-2A program, he said, but added that it has generally not been flexible enough for many of the state’s crops and commodities.

“When we asked Farm Bureau

members earlier this year to tell us how they are addressing employee shortages, only 6% of the farmers who responded to our survey said they were using H-2A,” Johansson said.

“Changes proposed by the administration may increase that proportion, but farmers also need wider improvement to immigration laws that can only be addressed through congressional action.”

Farm Bureau and other organizations continue working with members of Congress on solutions that would provide legal status to current farm employees in the U.S. while further enhancing the agricultural visa program

to include a portability mechanism.

“Ultimately, immigration laws need to accommodate employees and their immediate family members who are in the country now, plus allow future employees to enter the U.S. and move from farm to farm for employment,” Johansson said. “We will continue to pursue that goal with Congress and the administration. H-2A reform is only one piece of the puzzle.”

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 36,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of nearly 5.6 million Farm Bureau members.

ing, particularly when compared to the only 1.7% of urban Americans who lack such access.”

Broadband connectivity allows equipment such as cloud-connected planters, irrigators, tractors and harvesters to automatically change application rates for seed, fertilizer and more, Hurst testified.

Connectivity also is key to running the most basic of services in rural areas, said Chester Robertson, chief administrative officer of Modoc County.

“It’s a public-safety issue,” Robertson said. “It’s an impediment to government and education. And it also impacts our private-sector businesses.”

Wildfires, car crashes into telephone poles and even squirrels gnawing on lines have all interrupted service and made it difficult, if not impossible, for residents and travelers to conduct business and for first responders to do their jobs, he added.

“The average citizen doesn’t realize the implications to them when we don’t have broadband,” Robertson said. “And it’s getting harder and harder for us in government to procure services when you’re not connected to the cloud.”

He’s seen the effects on farmers and ranchers in his county as well, and noted capacity is getting to be an issue.

“As more and more of the ag community and a lot of the kids and other people go to using their cellphone, they’re using the same broadband backbone that government and the rest of us are using,” Robertson said.

“There’s a nexus between cellphone usage, which more and more the ag community is dependent on, and having a strong backbone of broadband,” he added. “As time progresses, this becomes less of an equality issue and more of an issue of public safety, and compromises ability for businesses and public entities to provide core mandated services.”

A U.S. Department of Agriculture report, A Case for Rural Broadband, found that fully deployed rural broadband would lead to nearly $65 billion in economic benefits annually. The report, produced as part of the American Broadband Initiative, cites benefits to row crops, specialty crops and livestock management and states USDA’s intention to work with other federal agencies to remove barriers to broadband deployment and ag tech

innovation (See Comment.)

The 2018 Farm Bill included the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act, creating a task force to focus on connectivity and technology needs of precision agriculture. The Broadband Data Improvement Act, introduced

by Sen. Shelley Capito, R-W.V., seeks to improve the accuracy of broadband coverage maps and better direct federal funds for broadband installation where needed.

In the state Legislature, Assembly Bill 488 by Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, would add the secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture to the California Broadband Council, to give agriculture a voice in finding ways to expand broadband.

The bill is up for consideration on the state Senate floor.

“At this day and age, how do we not have better cell coverage?” Fawaz asked. “If you were to ask people here what’s most frustrating on this topic, it hands down would be cell coverage.”

(Kevin Hecteman is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at khecteman@cfbf.com.)

good steward,” he said, the district recharges the groundwater aquifer when it can through two basins: the Cressey-Winton Recharge Basin, which first received flows in 2011, and the El Nido Recharge Basin, constructed about 10 years ago. The Cressey-Winton basin spans 20 acres and can replenish about 50 acre-feet per day with surface water flows from Lake McClure. The El Nido basin, on about 18 acres, can replenish 18 acre-feet of groundwater per day, Kelly said, with flows from Mariposa Creek.

“The Cressey recharge basin is one way we help to replenish the groundwater and to conjunctively manage the surface water and groundwater resources,” Kelly said. “It is just one of many tools in the toolbox. Whenever there is available surface water supplies, we are recharging water to the basin. We use it as much as we possibly can.”

Farmer Gino Pedretti III, whose farm is near the El Nido recharge basin, said “groundwater recharge is going to be vital to keep production agriculture going in our area,” adding that this is especially true given requirements under SGMA plus State Water Resources Control Board approval of a

plan to require districts along the Merced, Stanislaus and Tuolumne rivers to leave 30 to 50% of “unimpaired flows” in the rivers to help fish.

Given that combination, Pedretti said, “I could easily see in dry years, 50% of our ground being fallowed in the Merced sub-basin.”

Pedretti, who serves as president of the Merced County Farm Bureau, said even though his irrigation district has its own recharge area, “recharge is also vital for the ‘white areas’ outside district boundaries. In years that the district has excess water, selling that water to neighboring farmers is what is going to keep agriculture in our area going.”

David Guy, president of the North-

ern California Water Association, likened balancing groundwater under SGMA to managing a bank account.

“Everybody’s going to provide their GSPs (groundwater sustainability plans) next year or in three years and then, like any bank account, when we see that we’re overdrafting, we try and earn more money or we cut our expenses,” Guy said. “We’re going to recharge groundwater every opportunity we have. I do think that SGMA’s going to bring groundwater recharge very much into focus over the next several years.”

(Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)

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18 July, 2019 Valley Voice

12

PROTEST continued from 1

“Every single day, I check my Twitter feed and there’s some insane tweet (from Trump),” she said. “The racism and hate have just been emboldened. Now, he wants to get rid of the brown people.”

Doyal, who describes herself as a recovering evangelical Christian, says she believes she was called to make the effort.

“I had a near-death experience nine months ago. I was in a coma for a week,” she said. “I recovered, and I feel like I have to pay back. I really feel I was spared.”

A Matter of Faith, Democracy

Reverend Suzy Ward of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, who spoke during the candlelight vigil portion of the event, said she was there both for herself and as a representative of the church. Ward expressed deep concern about the Trump administration’s policy of dividing families of undocumented immigrants who have entered the United States without permission.

“I’m speaking as a person of faith,” she said. “This policy doesn’t reflect our baptismal covenant that calls on us to respect every person.”

Ward’s sentiments are in line with her church’s official stance. In May, the Fresno-based Anglican Dio-

THREE RIVERS continued from 1

“Three Rivers is a very engaged community. It’s a community that likes to get involved in planning processes,” Crocker said. “With this particular developer, this is not the first time he has been interested in building in Three Rivers.”

The project, which would be completed over a three-year period, has been in the works for several years.

Originally, plans called for a much different development at a site along the Kaweah River adjacent to the Three Rivers Post Office.

“The community saw that that plan had some major challenges, one being that it was proposed in a flood plain, and the developer heard from that,” Crocker said.

The original site for the project flooded in 2017, causing Patel Group to reconsider.

“Ultimately, he went through a process to try and look for a different site. He knew that wasn’t going to work, and that’s where we’re at today is that he found a suitable site,” Crocker said. “Not exactly the same vision. It’s a different concept, but (Patel Group) still thought Three Rivers was a good spot to do work, to do business.”

Addressing Concerns

Crocker hopes the town hall meeting will provide residents who will have to live alongside the hotel complex a forum for discussing any possible issues surrounding the development.

cese of San Joaquin, sponsored the Pilgrimage of Hope. During that event, members of the church marched from Fresno to Sacramento to highlight the plight of those immigrants seeking refuge in the US. Treating migrants, especially children, humanely is part of the American ideal.

Ward cited the biblical story of the Good Samaritan--a parable told

by Jesus, who described a traveler using his own resources to aid another who had been attacked, robbed and injured--as a standard for behavior.

“I think our values--whether they’re small-D democratic--requires us to respect the Statue of Liberty,” she said. “But, my faith also calls me to be like the Good Samaritan.”

Shades of Nazi Germany

The signage on display at the rally called for keeping children with their families and condemned the behavior of ICE, as well as the unsanitary and crowded conditions at detention facilities. There were also many comparisons between ICE’s treatment of migrants and the concentration camps used by the Nazis during World War II. Inka Christansen, who migrated to the US from Germany in 1981, says the images she sees of the migrant detention centers are frighteningly reminiscent of events in her former country’s past.

“It really brings back the feelings of what happened during the Nazi

“As far as I’m concerned, I represent Three Rivers area,” he said. “This is something that’s of concern to them, and I want to make sure they have an opportunity to share their thoughts.

They can get informed about it, but if they have input or insight, then I want to hear from them.”

That said, the county has little discretion in how the land Patel Group has purchased for its project is developed, as long as its design plans meet long-established rules and guidelines.

“It is zoned properly,” said Crocker. “It has been zoned for decades for this purpose.”

How the future tax revenue generated by the hotel will be used, however, has not yet been decided.

“Theoretically, there could be some discretionary acts, the transitory occupancy rebates as far as some benefit,” Crocker said.

Patel Group On-Hand

Representatives of the Patel Group will attend the meeting to discuss their plans.

“After hearing public input, they (Patel Group) still have an opportunity that they can incorporate, perhaps, some of the design elements,” Crocker said. “In the past, that was one of the things that a previous iteration of this on a different site, that was something they were concerned with, as far as incorporating different design elements that would make more sense as far as what a group of community members thought would be good for Three Rivers.”

Crocker said that while the county can do little to change to Patel Group’s

era,” she said. “It’s just inhumane and unthinkable this can happen.”

Most of those passing by Memorial Park during the Lights for Liberty event honked and waved to show their support for the protesters.

While it wasn’t clearly an objection to the protest, only one motorist seemed upset by what he saw.

“Go Trump and God bless America,” the man screamed as he drove past.

‘Very Un-American’

Martha Widmann, a resident of Three Rivers, said compassion drove her to join the protest.

“I’m here because I have been heartsick with the whole fiasco at the border,” she said. “I recognize this is a complex issue, but it’s very un-American.”

She believes those who support the actions by ICE would feel differently if their own children were treated in a similar manner.

“I know there are people who have children that wouldn’t like it,” she said.

LIsa Alvarado, an activist with the Latino Community Fund, said she was concerned about the damaging impact on children who have been separated from their families and detained by ICE. “I was talking with the teachers about the long-term effects,” she said.

“It re-fired my commitment.”

Alvarado also wanted to set

an example.

“We embody the courage for others,” she said. “A lot of people feel helpless, and this is a good way to overcome apathy.”

‘Militarized Zone’

Among the speakers who addressed the vigil was Vera Castillo, a Visalia resident who recently visited the Migrant Resource Center in San Antonio, Texas. Busloads of recent migrants have been dropped off in that city’s downtown with little or no resources, she said.

“The border is a militarized zone,” Castillo said.

Much of the imagery currently in the media depicts Latinx immigrants from Mexico and Central American countries, but many of those she spoke to were refugees from Haiti and the Republic of the Congo.

Those depictions, she said, create unfounded fear.

“They’re (major media outlets) projecting brown Latin people,” Castillo said. “On the ground, it’s different. That was an experience that changed my life.”

Jovita Harrah, an immigrant who came to the US from Guyana, called for more than just thoughts and prayers to aid those languishing in ICE detention centers.

“We can’t just pray. We have to do something else,” she said. “We came here for a better life; they came here for a better life. We need to help them.”

plans, the developers themselves may be willing to alter them should valid concerns be raised.

“There’s not a whole lot (of control over the development) as far as the county’s concerned, but that doesn’t mean that the developer couldn’t do something voluntarily,” he said.

taste and there’s times they have to be put down because they continue to go after trash and become problem animals,” Crocker said. “So the idea is to avoid getting to that point, so that they don’t get into the trash and become that type of nuisance.”

County Staff Will Attend

Crocker will also be providing an update on plans to construct public restrooms at the Three Rivers Historical Museum.

“It’s been a year plus as far as when we got approval,” Crocker said. “I got approval from my fellow Board members to jumpstart the project with $250,000. The intent was we were supposed to open within a few months.

We hit some snags, and we’re still going through the RFP (request for proposals) process to get bidders.”

More than two million people visit Sequoia National Park each season, and the local infrastructure simply can’t handle the demand, according to Crocker.

“There’s many septic systems, and it’s something local businesses really can’t handle,” he said. “So having something that’s available, that’s tied in with the Sequoia Shuttle when folks are coming up after a stop in Visalia or coming down the hill after already being up in the park was something that was very important to the community and very important to me.”

For more information about the town hall meeting, email board_representatives@co.tulare.ca.us or call (559) 636-5000.

Staff from various county agencies will attend the town hall meeting, lending their expertise.

“On the different topics, I want to make sure we have people who can speak specifically to those particular areas,” Crocker said. “So we’ll have planning folks from our Planning Department, from Resource Management Agency, specifically to talk about if there’s any zoning questions, if there’s any questions as far as the actual buildings. Those staff can also talk about the short-term vacation rentals policy.”

Some property owners in Three Rivers have begun renting to vacationers for short periods, using companies such as AirBNB. The issue has apparently caused concern for those who live in the area year-round.

Staff from the county’s Solid Waste Department will also attend the town hall to answer questions about bearproof trash receptacles. The county hopes to avoid both short- and longterm problems with bears becoming regular dumpster divers.

“One, it’s a nuisance, but, two, once they get the taste for the trash and start getting into it, you can remove them, but ultimately there’s a long-term impact where they get that

Public Restroom Update

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Valley Voice 18 July, 2019

VETERANS continued from 5

thin,” he said. “What we want to do is be very specific in who we support and just focus on them.”

ACVH’s leadership also decided it needed to be cross-generational in its approach, lending support to veterans of all combat theaters.

“A lot of these organizations are only helping post-9/11 combat veterans, and we can’t just forget about the ones who served in Vietnam and all those folks,” Lara said. “We need to support those folks as well.”

The group also welcomes those who served at sea.

“They’re welcome to join,” Lara said. “This can be boots on the ground or on a ship, as long as the ship was actually engaged in battle, meaning that they’ve been on a ship while it was firing.”

Local combat veterans can join the ranks of ACVH by visiting its website-acvhope.org.

Many Ways to Heal

The first program put together by ACVH was a softball team, and while the team is still together--along with a couple of volleyball squads--outreach efforts have grown substantially in variety. ACVH sponsors a weekly breakfast at the Visalia Veterans Memorial Building, 609 W. Center Ave., from 7 to 9am on the first Wednesday of the month, and they’ve partnered with groups such as Happy Trails Riding Academy, Central California Adaptive Sports, the California Service Dog Academy, Vets With Wings, and Comrades and Canopies, all of which provide support and therapeutic services.

“We’ve kind of become a conduit to connect people to these organizations they wouldn’t even have heard of if we hadn’t been here,” Lara said.

Currently, ACVH volunteers work with just fewer than 150 combat veterans, but the extent of their reach goes far beyond that.

“I think we’re at about 145 (clients).

But, they average about three family

NEWSOM continued from 6

“I want to give it a shot,” he said.

“It’s better than 25 years of hell in litigation.”

The governor referred to plans for aboveground and underground water storage, and said he also wants to “turn the page” on delta issues; in May, his administration withdrew permits for the planned “twin tunnels” project in favor of a smaller, single tunnel.

“I’m trying to figure out a more comprehensive world view of water that moves beyond this scarcity paradigm,” Newsom said.

In response to a question from CFBF board member Ronnie Leimgruber of Holtville, Newsom said the state government would be “all in” on efforts to restore the Salton Sea—a key in addressing Colorado River water issues.

“We’re re-engaged” on Salton Sea restoration, the governor said. “We’re thinking outside the box.”

Farm Bureau leaders expressed concern about state action to phase

13 members each, so we’re supporting quite a lot of people,” said Lara. “It’s hard for us to say how many are out there. But, we allow anybody to apply.

There are very few instances where we say, ‘No, that doesn’t apply.’”

The variety of events and healing services ACVH provides and facilitates is wide intentionally. The aim is to find the right fit for each individual member.

“There are so many different opportunities to heal. For myself, I’ve tried medication, meditation, I’ve done all kinds of different therapy until I found the right mix for myself, and that’s what we try to provide,” said Lara. “Unfortunately, sometimes they try something and it doesn’t work, and they think that’s just going to be the way it is for the rest of their lives, and that’s not true. We believe in post-traumatic growth, and the struggle that you had and finding the growth there.”

Making Ends Meet

ACVH also offers financial assistance to its clientele.

“We don’t want them to struggle or to be in a mindset where they don’t know where to turn,” Lara said. “We definitely want them to come to us.”

The local agency can often provide monetary help far more quickly than national veterans groups, which is especially important considering how difficult it can be to seek assistance.

“It’s very difficult for veterans to ask for help. What we provide is a really quick turnaround. If they apply through a national organization, it can take up to three weeks to get assistance, and by that time, you know, it’s too late,” Lara said. “When they come to us, they get us the proper documents and we can get a bill paid that same day. We don’t want them to worry. They have other things to worry about, and finances should not be one of them.”

Veterans, especially those who have seen combat, commit suicide at much higher rates than the rest of the populace, so keeping their stressors to a minimum can be a matter of life

out registration of the insecticide chlorpyrifos, and about the time and difficulty of registering alternative pesticides in California.

When the state announced plans in May to cancel chlorpyrifos registrations, it also committed $5.7 million to fund research into alternatives and to assemble a working group to evaluate those alternatives.

CDFA Secretary Ross said the group will be formed now that the new state budget has been approved, and that the state would seek short-, intermediate- and long-term alternatives.

Several Farm Bureau leaders told Newsom their concerns about difficulty in complying with layers of government regulation.

“California is a great place to farm,” Johansson said, “but we are also reaching a point where ... simply the regulations are becoming more and more difficult to keep up with.”

CFBF director Blake Alexandre of Crescent City expressed frustration with bureaucracy and “old-school thinking that doesn’t change.”

“As farmers, we’ve had to change,”

and death.

“We’re well aware of what the suicide rate is for veterans every single day, and we want to make sure we get to them before those thoughts start entering their minds,” Lara said.

Family Support

Much of the work done by ACVH is focused not on the vets, but on their families. Recently, the group hosted a Spring Celebration in Tulare, and next month its hosting a water park event.

“Everything we provide them is absolutely free,” Lara said. “We don’t charge any fees or dues. We think they’ve sacrificed enough.”

Lara’s wife Pricilla oversees ACVH’s Family Support Program, which focuses on networking events that create opportunities for vets to spend more time with their loved ones.

“Sometimes they (family members) struggle too with supporting their warfighters,” Lara said. “We want to make sure they feel supported as well.”

They also try to foster compassion for those who have experienced war on the front lines.

“We also provide educational programs so their families can better understand what post-traumatic stress is, so they can support their veterans to do as much as possible,” Lara said.

“Post-traumatic stress, we know it’s never going to go away, but we can provide them opportunities to learn how to cope with it, identify the triggers and move forward as much as possible.”

ACVH is a nonprofit and gladly accepts donations to fund its efforts. Lara says support from local people and business has been very encouraging.

“The community has been amazing,” he said. “They used to go to national organizations, as soon as we set up A Combat Veteran’s Hope, they chose to come to us instead. We welcome them with open arms. We need the support. We can’t do what we do without the support of our local community.”

Volunteers are also welcome to join.

“There are lots of ways to volunteer,” Lara said. “We have lots of opportunities for our community to engage with our warfighters and help them.”

Volunteers and those who wish to donate can find more information at acvhope.org or on the group’s Facebook page. Details of the group’s fundraisers, such as an upcoming golf tourney this September, can also be found online.

Forward Operating Bases

A primary goal of all ACVH’s efforts is getting clients to the point they can help their fellow combat vets, Lara said.

“Once you get to that place, you can throw the ladder back over the fence for the next guy or girl. We want to empower them to heal and give them the opportunity to help their brother or sister heal as well,” he said.

“I love when they say, ‘I’m so grateful for what you did for me. What can I do for the other guys?’”

Opening an office was a major achievement for ACVH. While the Visalia office is its first outlet, it won’t be the last.

“This is going to be the first of many,” Lara said. “This was a huge step for us, to open this office.”

The Visalia office will likely remain focused on administrative work, but ACVH intends to expand into establishing locations where veterans can interact with each other on a daily basis.

“What we want to do is open what we call forward operating bases in like Fresno and here in Visalia and Porterville, centers where veterans can be with one another and just engage with one another,” Lara said. “We really want to grow. We want this organization to change and save as many lives as possible.”

The concept, he says, is one whose time has come.

“It’s definitely something that’s been needed in the Valley for a very long time,” Lara said. “We’re honored and grateful to be able to help these men and women.”

Alexandre said. “We’re hummingbirds, we’re not dinosaurs. I don’t farm the way my dad did.”

Noting that farmers “are experts at problem-solving,” he said, “We’re the solution, not the problem.”

Newsom noted that as a business owner himself, he’s aware of the layers of federal, state and local regulations.

“I deeply get it,” he said. “It’s not one policy, it’s just a stacking of so many things that have happened the last decade that have been tough.”

Johansson noted that the gover-

nor had promised during his inaugural address in January not to leave rural California behind, and Newsom returned to that theme in closing remarks to the Farm Bureau delegation.

“I actually truly do (care) about your future and the fate of rural California and our farmers,” he said.

“You’re top of mind,” Newsom said. “We’re trying to work through these issues. For me, you’re part of the DNA of this state.”

(Dave Kranz is editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at dkranz@cfbf.com.)

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18 July, 2019 Valley Voice

14

REPUBLICAN

Riddle, Jessica White and Paula Clark, all members of the Exeter Woman’s Club, started researching how to form their own town’s Republican women’s group in 2015. Up until then, Riddle said, Exeter women would attend the Visalia Republican Women’s Federation meetings but felt the needs of Exeter and Woodlake Republican women were not being represented.

The Visalia group also met at the Visalia Country Club for lunch when not everyone could attend.

The three women completed the paperwork and founded the Exeter RWF in 2016. They state on their website that their club is, “on mission to see more Republicans elected in 2016 and beyond…….At our very first meeting, we saw a young woman register to vote for the very first time, commit herself to the Republican Party and join our club as a Republican woman.

Our goal is for this to be repeated over and over as we reach out to women in our town and local communities.

continued from 1

but it really is a Republican state geographically.” Riddle said a huge area of California is Republican with only San Francisco, Los Angles and the coastal areas being Democratic.

Riddle pointed out that the local Exeter Republican Women Federation (ERWF) is one of the largest Republican women’s groups per capita in the state.

Why is the Exeter group so vibrant? Riddle says it’s because they are a younger group than the other local federations and that everyone is welcome. Men can be associate members and the Young Republicans, a group she founded, always participates in the meetings.

Riddle said the Exeter RWF has dinner meetings “with good food, great speakers, and is an all round great evening.

It’s like date night,” said Riddle.

Success at home and at work

Republican Roots

“I was born and raised in Berkeley and that is what made me a conservative because I was force fed progressive liberalism in the public school system.”

Riddle actually remembers the day she became a Republican.

“One night I asked my dad why he was a Democrat and he said that the Democrats were for the poor people.

So ever since I was eight years old I was a Republican because I did not want to be poor.”

Riddle believes that the Democrats could not survive without poor people, and that in turn makes poverty a self perpetuating condition.

Riddle was raised by a staunch Democrat father and a socially liberal and fiscally conservative Republican mother.

Both parents read the newspaper, listened to the radio, watched the news on TV and “came locked and loaded to the dinner table ready for a political debate,” she said.

Her father arrived in the United States from Italy when he was six years old and already a liberal.

“My dad instilled in me a sense of gratitude towards this country because of the opportunities given him with only a sixth grade education.”

Not going to college was not an option and Riddle’s parents encouraged her to pursue a university degree and a professional career.

“So of course I rebelled,” said Riddle.

She is a third generation graduate, on her mother’s side, of the University of Central Oklahoma, where she earned several BA’s and a Masters in Nursing. But what she loved more than her career was being a stay at home mom with her three boys.

PENCE

continued from 1 where. A country western band playing familiar tunes warmed up the already enthusiastic crowd. All stood to their feet when the lead vocalist sang “I’m Proud to be an American.”

Pence was introduced by Ted McKinney, under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs of the USDA. Pence began by asking people to

Vicki Riddle

And now that her boys have their own careers, she devotes her time to Exeter’s youth, women’s activism, and political arts, such as getting out the vote and having a response when someone challenges her beliefs.

“I want to have peaceful answers to the controversial questions,” said Riddle.

Republican Cred

Being the great, great niece of United States President James Buchanan, Riddle comes by her political activism honestly.

She has an impressive list of accomplishments that lead her to being named CFRW Woman of the Year.

Riddle was elected to the Tulare County Republican Central Committee in 2016, founded the Exeter High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes 17 years ago, and volunteers at the Pink Ladies Exeter thrift shop two days a week.

But what she is most passionate about is working with the Exeter High School Young Republicans Club, (YRs) a group she founded five years ago.

In Hellwig’s nomination letter to the CFRW she wrote, “It is so touching

join him in prayer and he concluded by thanking people for contributing to the economy, then he said, “But now I ask you to contribute your character and your faith to this country. I encourage you to have faith. Advance policies that make us more secure and prosperous. We are one nation under God with Liberty and Justice for all.”

The purpose of the gathering was to educate people regarding USMCA. This agreement was signed by President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime

to see the students and their gratitude, to the point of tears, for all she has poured into them, made them believe in themselves, giving their lives a bit more purpose, and educating them on what it means to be a Republican.”

Riddle organizes the YRs to volunteer at events and participate in phone banks.

She pays the cost for their dinner at the ERWF meetings and makes sure they always have a ride.

The YRs and Riddle started a new tradition in Exeter holding a 9/11 service at the Exeter Firehouse.

The event honors the dedication of our First Responders and has become a part of the community’s fabric.

When choosing Woman of the Year, the CFRW said, “….. there would be several who would meet the standards for which this award is given.

But we look for the one who stands out from the rest and goes that extra mile to achieve not only the objectives of the Federation but reaches out to the community in which she lives.”

Exeter Republican Women Federation

Minister Justin Trudeau and former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on November 30th, 2018.

USMCA would reverse the negative effects of NAFTA; all 50 states experienced a net loss of jobs under NAFTA, but California lost the most--82,354.

California would be affected by the passage of USMCA more than any other state, as it accounts for more than one tenth of the 4.9 million jobs that rely on trade with Mexico.

In order for this to take effect it

When asked who she would like to see win the Democratic Presidential nomination Riddle said, “any of them.”

“I’m so confident in Trump winning that it doesn’t matter who wins the Democratic nomination,” said Riddle.

She repeated the sentiment of an immigrant family who said they were voting for Trump “because he knows how hard we work.” Riddle feels that Trump appeals to the mass population and to Americans who work hard and reject accepting government assistance as a way of life.

“All three of my sons voted for Trump so I must be doing something right.”

Riddle may have earned three BAs, a Masters in Education, and taken her boards to be a registered nurse at Tulare Hospital and Lindsay Memorial, but her heart resides at home and perfecting her career as a domestic engineer.

This was evidenced by the spread awaiting me when I arrived for the interview.

Crackers and dip on antique pressed glass hors d’oeuvre plates and perfectly sweetened iced tea were served rounded off by a reproduction of Meghan Markle’s lemon elderflower wedding cake, offered to me with some cooking tips.

“Whip four egg whites with the batter for a full four minutes,” Riddle said as she wrapped up a few pieces for me to take home.

Riddle’s cooking prowess, like her other life pursuits--professional and political-- was more than impressive as my daughter would confirm, “It was the best thing I ever ate in my life.”

must be approved by the US Congress, but Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has refused to allow for a vote on the USMCA. According to a VP Pool report, “The vice president answered questions in front of a large tractor for about 15 minutes outside his USMCA speech.

He started the impromptu gaggle by calling for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to pass the USMCA trade bill by the end of 2019 and said he was ‘encouraged’ by discussions on Capitol Hill.”

Valley Voice 18 July, 2019

15

VOICES & OPINIONS

“Her smile and laugh was the most contagious of anyone who knew her.”

JASON KENNEDY FATHER OF DANA KENNEDY This letter is to inform those who stand in question with regards to the Visalia Times Delta article regarding my daughter Dana. What was reported is far from reporting facts and truth, so I want to set the record straight.

If you recall when reading the initial article, they quoted a Lieutenant of Visalia Police Department simply stating the accident is under investigation. Then it reads the Visalia Police are investigating the crash as a possible suicide. Not a quote from any officer in particular because there isn’t an officer that said any such thing. In fact, when I talked with the same lieutenant a day after the article came out, he assured me VPD was not investigating suicide as there was no evidence of any such thing. I also spoke with the two lead officers who also told me they were not investigating suicide and were actually upset with Visalia Times Delta and confronted them on their article. They were told by the

Visalia Times Delta editor they were not retracting the article even though the Times Delta had no true source or facts to report such a thing.

Facts according to the Visalia Police Department final police report simply state that it was a traffic accident caused by human error, in which no one will truly know what caused the accident. Rumors of excessive speed have surfaced and I will reassure everyone that there was no evidence or fact to this rumor. But what I do know is that it was not done intentionally, like Visalia Time Delta would like you to think. Why would they do this? I believe they did this so that you the reader will click on the story and stay tuned for any updates. That’s it.

What they need to know is my Dana was the happiest, strongest, free-spirited young woman that helped others anywhere and anytime. Her smile and laugh was the most contagious of anyone who knew her.

And then Visalia Times couldn’t stop there. Uninvited and not wel-

comed in any fashion, they showed up for my daughters service. They reported seeing Dana’s friends wearing yellow shirts, which they implicated was in support of suicide prevention. Are you serious? What’s wrong with them?

Fact: Beautiful young girls gathered and asked Dana’s closest friends what Dana’s favorite color is. Best friends answered correctly with yellow. Anyone close to Dana knew her favorite color was yellow. She has multiple shirts, tops, sweatshirts and dresses in yellow. Her artwork was full of yellow. So the young ladies made shirts to raise money in honor and memory of Dana’s favorite color. That’s it. Also, VTD interviewed a young man that told them when he asked Dana if she was OK, she would tell him to leave her alone. Sorry, but not unusual. I’m proud to say that when Dana was having a bad day or something upset her, she came to me, her mom, her brother or her best friend. Our family was the best at communication and kept no secrets.

Now my belief. My family are strong believers in Christ and having Jesus in your heart. When you have strong faith in the Lord, you face the devil. Because of this horrific accident and dealing with what I’ve been dealing with, I believe Visalia Times Delta became the devil in this scenario. Its hard enough dealing with the death of my Darlin Dana but to add Visalia Times’ horribly-crafty writing to obtain more hits on their link. Pure devil.

Please don’t allow Visalia Times Delta to put questions in your head. You knew Dana the way you did and that’s what you need to remember. Please don’t let the devil tell you otherwise.

The simple fact is that the Lord saw what Dana did for others here on Earth and He had big plans and assignments in Heaven for my Darlin Dana. Dana is an Angel of God and is with us all when we need her. She will and forever be my sunshine.

From Jason Kennedy, Father of Dana, as well as our entire family.

Looking forward TAMARA RAVALÍN, ED.D. INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT, VUSD As we prepare for the opening of the 2019-2020 school year, we look forward to fresh beginnings.

It is with a renewed spirit and energy that we look forward to providing the students and staff we serve with opportunities for growth and success. We look forward to the excitement of our students returning to school on August 15, 2019, so that we can build and nurture positive and productive relationships with them and their families.

The Visalia Unified School District Board of Education and our dedicated employees are committed to ensuring that each student graduates ready for college and career and to become a contributing member of society. In order to accomplish these goals, it is fundamental that we create a culture at all school sites where all students and staff feel a sense of belonging and achievement and where we take care of

each other.

Throughout summer break, we spend time preparing for the return of our students. During this time, we offer professional development and training opportunities to our staff so they will be ready to guide learning and support student growth. The week before students return to school, we provide intensive training for our new teachers and offer continued training for our clerical staff.

Our maintenance and custodial staff has been hard at work during the break to make sure that our sites are in top condition for the opening of the school year with deep cleaning, upgrades, and modernization projects, including upgrading heating and cooling systems.

Visalia Unified is looking forward to opening two new school sites this year. Denton Elementary School, which is located on the corner of North Denton and West Ferguson Avenue (across from Lion’s Park) will open with 450 students. The school has a capacity for 700 students and will address the continued growth of family homes in the Northwest part of Visalia. We are also looking forward to opening Creekside

Community Day School to serve special at-risk students in Grades 7-12 who have not been successful in a regular school setting. The school will provide intensive interventions so that students will be prepared to return to a regular school setting once they have demonstrated ongoing improvement.

As we continue to look forward and plan for the future, we are in the early planning stages of a new high school, which will be located adjacent to Ridgeview Middle School. We understand the importance of this project and the trust that has been extended to us by the community by the passage of Measure A. To monitor the ex-

penditures from construction activity associated with Measure A, the School Board has established the Measure A Bond Oversite Committee. The committee will be responsible for ensuring that bond revenues are used only as voters intended and for informing the public regarding bond expenditures.

Additionally, there will be opportunities for community members to provide input on the design of the school.

Caring, supportive relationships are the bedrock of the best classrooms, great schools, and building a successful school district. It is an honor to serve the 30,000 students, 3,100 employees, and the communities that comprise Visalia Unified.

Student and staff growth provides all of us the opportunity to look forward to the future with hope and a renewed sense of purpose.

mended that you call your doctor to get vaccinated.

At Kaweah Delta, we have spent time working with others in the Central Valley to prepare for a possible exposure or, worst-case scenario, an outbreak. Following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all of our Kaweah Delta locations now have signs outside of them with instructions for people who suspect they have measles, have recently been exposed to measles, have been out of the U.S., or have a rash.

The goal is to get care to those who need it immediately, yet in a responsible manner to prevent exposure to any of our patients and visitors. If this happens, it would not be uncommon for our staff to wear facemasks, as well as ask our patient to wear one. We would set up “measles stations” where patients could receive the care they

need in a safe, private, and comfortable place.

As a team, the staff and physicians at Kaweah Delta are always working to provide the highest level of patient care because it is the right thing to do for our community. Our team has been closely following the rise of measles cases, and working behind-the-scenes to put systems and processes in place to make sure we are ready when we need to be. We have been thoughtful in our plans to protect our patients, our visitors, and our community against measles. Now we encourage you to advocate for yourselves and for loved ones to make sure they are vaccinated and know what to do and what to expect if they think they may have been exposed.

Daniel Boken, M.D., FAAP, FACP, FSHEA, is Infectious Disease Medical Director at Kaweah Delta and Chair of the Infection Control Committee.

A plan in place for measles DANIEL BOKEN, M.D. We have heard a lot about measles lately as the number of measles cases in the U.S. continues to climb.

While at this time, there is no currently known risk to measles in Tulare County, we want you to know what you can do to protect yourself or your child.

We also want you to know what we are doing to keep you safe from a potential measles exposure while you are at a Kaweah Delta location.

Here’s what you should know: • Measles are highly contagious and spread through coughing, sneezing and contact with secretions from the nose, mouth

•

•

and throat of an infected person. In fact, the measles virus can stay in the air for up to two hours, so you can get infected by being in a room where an infected person recently visited.

Measles symptoms start with a fever of greater than 101 degrees, a cough, a runny nose and watery, red eyes. Three to five days after these symptoms, a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads over the entire body.

The best protection against measles is measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. This is given in two doses; the first when a person is 12 to 15 months old and the second when a person is 4-6 years old. If you do not have evidence that you have had MMR vaccine, it is recom-

16

Valley Voice

18 July, 2019

Asm. Devon Mathis & Optometrists partner for children’s vision, success STAFF REPORTS Vision disorders are among the most prevalent disabling childhood conditions, and one in four children and adolescents have a vision problem that can impede their learning.

That’s why on Saturday, Tulare County was the focus of a free mobile eye clinic to provide critical eye care to the community’s children.

Assemblymember Devon Mathis (R-Visalia) partnered with El Quinto Sol de America, VSP Global Eyes of Hope, Sunnyside Union Elementary School District and the California Optometric Association to help provide free eye care services to children in need in Tulare County.

“Eighty percent of learning happens through the eyes, so helping children see the blackboard, computer or textbooks clearly opens

BLAIR

continued from 1 According to the complaint filed

by Kings County District Attorney’s office, Blair’s new bail is set at $160,000.

Her bail for the June 5 incident was $185,000 and she had bailed out with a $19,000 nonrefundable bond.

Blair’s husband, Paul Blair, apparently is not going to bail her out this time and Holly Blair remains in the Kings County jail.

The complaint for the July 6 incident states that Blair threatened to kill her husband, a felony, and that Paul Blair feared for his safety and

opportunities for learning,” said Assemblymember Devon Mathis (R-Visalia). “I’m proud I could help bring this opportunity for my youngest constituents to succeed by helping connect them with the care they need to prevent or correct eye and vision problems.”

“It’s critical all children receive an annual comprehensive eye exam, not just to receive an updated prescription for school, but because an eye exam is often where diseases like diabetes or eye cancers are first found,” said Ronald G. Seger O.D., F.A.A.O, President, California Optometric Association. “Comprehensive eye exams performed by an optometrist help provide Californians who are underserved by our health system essential care that can detect significant underlying eye conditions and systemic diseases

that threaten our children’s vision and health.”

More than half of California’s population has diabetes or is at risk for developing the chronic, eye-sight robbing condition. The Sacramento Bee reported that the rate of diabetes deaths has grown “exponentially” in Californians under age 55.

The cost of treating diabetes in California was $27 billion in 2012 alone, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Studies show nearly one in 20 diabetes patients has advanced diabetic retinopathy and is at significant risk of blindness, making diabetes a chief concern for California’s eye doctors. Diabetes is also of particular concern in the Latino community. Compared with non-Hispanic Whites, Latinos have twice the prevalence of diabetes and are

twice as likely to die from their disease. Across the state, 36% of young adult Latinos are estimated to have prediabetes.

“El Quinto Sol de America believes access to a clear vision is a right for all children, no matter the background, race, or income,” said Irma Medellin, Organizer, El Quinto Sol de America. “We’re proud to partner with Assemblymember Mathis, COA, VSP Global Eyes of Hope and the Sunnyside Union Elementary School District to address the inequity that blurry vision can cause for Tulare County’s children.”

California’s insurance providers – Medi-Cal and private insurance providers – include coverage for annual, comprehensive eye exams and glasses for children.

that of their children. Count 2, of the complaint, also a felony, stated that Blair “attempted to dissuade a witness” when she called her husband from jail.

Paul Blair stated later about the phone call, “there was no real conversation. I just told her not to call me because it would violate the protection order and I hung up.”

Count 3, a misdemeanor, was when Blair hit the back of her husband’s head when he tried to call the police. Count 4, a misdemeanor, was a violation of the Emergency Protective Order that was automatically ordered by a judge to protect Paul Blair because of the death threat, Holly

Blair violated the protective order when she called him from jail.

Special Allegation 1 of the complaint, a felony, says she committed the alleged two felonies while already on bail for previous felonies committed on June 5 At Blair’s July 5 hearing her arraignment was delayed until July 25 at 8:15am in Kings County Superior Court, Department 9. The arraignment was delayed because she recently lost the representation of the Law Firm of Melo and Sarsfield and initially declined a court ordered attorney. Since her July 6 arrest has added more charges, increased bail, and because she has a new lawyer, Blair’s

pretrial conference and preliminary hearing has been reset for August 6.

Lemoore City Manager Nate Olson said Blair did not attend the July 2 city council meeting. The July 16 meeting was her fifth consecutive absence which means her seat is vacant.

The Lemoore City Council decided at its July 2 meeting to fill Chad Billingsley’s seat by appointment.

Billingsley is moving to Colorado for work. The council will now also have to decide how to fill Blair’s seat, which she has occupied since 2016.

Alexandra Feller contributed to this article.

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