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CHECK OUT THE BUZZ AROUND TOWN

PHOTOS BY RON SUNDQUIST

Tim and Terry Window Graphics

Terry is paiting the windows for the upcoming Clovis Rodeo. Tim and Terry has serviced Old Town Clovis businesses since 1989.

“Jake” at Clovis Appliance store in Old Town Clovis is 8 years old and loves reading the Clovis Roundup Newspaper. When you are in Old Town be sure to stop by to say hello and get his autograph.

Gem and Mineral Show

The Gem and Mineral Show took place at the Rodeo Grounds where dozens of merchants and vendors showcase their wonderful items.

Vintage Market

The streets of OId Town Clovis was filled with hundreds of people and antique and collectible vendors on Sunday, March 27.

Antique of the Week: WHAT IS IT?

The History of the Twin Towers

MARC ANTHONY LOPEZ

@KaptainMarc

Near the intersection of Dakota and Peach Ave, the California sunset beams down and the U.S. flag drapes over the 1/100th scale Twin Tower sculpture at the California 9/11 memorial.

Names of the fallen surround the sculpture, allowing visitors to never forget the loved ones’ lost on the day America was attacked.

Yet, the twin towers themselves had a rich history before the Sept. 11 attacks. Its rich history also led to why it was one of the places targeted.

Construction on the twin towers began on August 5, 1966, and was completed in July 1971. It was conceived as “one of the most ambitious projects in size and scale”.

The original location for the twin towers was along the East River, between Old Slip and Fulton Street. However, the Port Authority, an agency that manages infrastructure in New Jersey and New York and was in charge of building the complex, moved the site to the lower west side of Manhattan.

This was done to “strengthen the ties” between New Jersey and New York. As time went on, the towers would become the most recognizable buildings in the most popular skyline in the world.

Spanning across a 16-acres complex, the original World Trade Center housed seven buildings and an additional 5-acre plaza. It was nearly 10 million square feet of rentable office space, equivalent to the size of three Disneyland parks.

The World Trade Center housed over

CR Photo

The twin towers monument at the California 9/11 Memorial is a 1/100th scale replica of the original towers and has the names of victims who’ve died during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

430 businesses from 28 different countries. The twin towers themselves had over 110 floors and stood roughly over 1,360 feet.

The World Trade Center welcomed its first tenants in 1970. From exporters and imports to the United States and foreign trade agencies.

Although there was enough presence from federal, state and city agencies in the World Trade Center, the number of leases for company office spaces remained low until New York City’s economy boomed in the 1990s.

During the 1990s, there was this new culture that was globally recognized by linking the economic fortunes of distant nations and prompting a new wave of immigration around the world.

Financial transactions were happening 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Tons of diverse workers were in and out of the building.

By this time, the globalization of trade and ideas had become the new normal. But in some parts of the Middle East, globalization was perceived as an incursion of Western influence, particularly American influence, in Muslim-majority countries.

For al-Qaeda, the extremist group asserted as the ones responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, America’s presence in the Middle East was perceived to be a threat to the religious beliefs and values of the Islamic world.

In 1996, Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda’s founder and leader, declared a religiously-sanctioned war against the United States.

He believed a combination of economic and military attacks would convince the U.S. to withdraw from the Middle East.

Leading al-Qaeda sending a message through the loss of thousands of lives at the World Trade Center, the ultimate symbol of American economic and global power.

For more information on the California 9/11 memorial, contact at (599) 375-3173 or visit www.california911memorial.com.

City Council Addresses Negligence of Village Square Shopping Center

J.T. GOMEZ

jt21gomez@gmail.com

A resolution for the City of Clovis was brought to the attention of the City Council in Monday’s meeting to confirm the assessment for costs of an abatement of a nuisance brought on by one of the city’s commercial business locations. 30 West Shaw, or better known as the Village Square shopping center off of Shaw and Minnewawa houses businesses like Old Town Donuts and VIP Nails and Spa. However, it also houses empty building after empty building.

These empty buildings have experienced break-ins, vandalism, and even a small fire. Over 67 code enforcement citations have been made on the vacant buildings without response from the property owner.

Assistant City Manager Andy Haussler stated that the city does have a potential buyer for the property and as a part of the resolution the city will be able to negotiate “specific terms” upon a potential deal with a new buyer.

Mayor Pro-Tem Lynne Ashbeck thought there were too many instances in which the city engaged in code enforcement without action. “Either our citation amounts are

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programs in the CUSD.

When she started, CUSD had only 13 programs. That number has now grown to 30 programs. Allowing all young children to have an even start on their education, despite their family’s financial status.

She has also worked with the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, a private foundation that provides grants to non-profits, and school districts across the state to develop and implement pre-school programs.

Hashimoto is also known for her presence with high school students. She is often known for helping students navigate the college application process.

She now is the Executive Director of CASA of Fresno and Madera Counties where she is dedicated to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the foster care system.

Hashimoto has taken in families and individuals in distress, women and their children who did not feel safe in their homes and needed a place to stay. She has helped those in distress to reflect and be reassured. Often she is providing those who drop in with a fridge full of food and help with purchasing clothing or other necessities.

Hashimoto, along with her fellow nominees, will be honored at the 78th annual Fresno County Mother of the Year luncheon on Friday, May 6. Community members are invited to join in the honoring of all mothers at the luncheon. not enough, or we give people too many”.

She then went on to say 67 times was “ridiculous”. Ashbeck was mostly concerned with the staff time it took for the Police Department to go to the property and cite the property for code enforcement.

City Attorney Scott Cross assured there is a certain amount of time the city has to allow for the opportunity of the property owner to dispute the code enforcement.

Coming before the City Council is the final step in retrieving “recompense” for the property according to Cross.

Overseer of the Code Enforcement Team of the Police Department, Corporal Jesus Santillan addressed the situation and stated his main concern were the complaints he receives from the other businesses in the area.

Cpl. Santillan says the businesses’ concerns made it a concern of the department to go on site and to formulate a plan for the safety of the public.

He mentioned the small fire that took place in the location and stated, “It was fortunate that the entire structure did not engulf in flames”.

Cpl. Santillan then went on, “Those business owners in that area deserve more to properly maintain a successful business. This is what customers have to stare at now because of an irresponsible owner.”

Councilmember Drew Bessinger asked if there were attempts to contact the owner and was told that there were letters sent to

JT Gomez/Clovis Roundup

30 West Shaw is the location of multiple empty buildings that have been a landing spot for vandalism, break-ins, and fires. All along the south side of the building is the continuation of empty buildings and businesses.

the original property owner to which the City never received a response. According to Andy Haussler, the only contact with the original owner was from a broker for the new deal with the new property owner. Mayor Flores thanked Cpl. Santillan for keeping the businesses together and the vote to confirm the assessment passed 5-0.

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March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day and is a relatively new law that was signed by former President Donald Trump in 2017, just five years after former President Barack Obama proclaimed the day a holiday.

March 29 was chosen as the date because, on the same day in 1973, the last of America’s troops left Vietnam and the Military Assistance Command.

More than 58,000 Americans were killed and thousands more wounded, injured or declared missing in the Vietnam war. Over 9 million Americans served in total.

Those who were active in the Vietnam war between Nov. 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975 were recognized with their name read aloud and a roar of applause.

The commemoration designed a Vietnam veteran lapel pin, with the intent of having commemorative partners publicly present one to each veteran who served during the Vietnam War period.

The design featured an eagle’s head that represented courage, honor and dedicated service stripes representing the U.S. flag. Six stars representing the allies who served sacrificed and fought alongside and the phrase “a grateful nation thinks and honors you.”

“Today what inspired me was seeing so many people coming together to say thank you to our Vietnam veterans, and our Vietnam veterans coming together to celebrate

Marc Anthony Lopez/Clovis Roundup

Ron Sundquist, a vietnam veteran, receives a certificate and pin from a Blue Star Moms representative, to honor his military service at the Vietnam War Comemmoration ceremony at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District on March 28, 2022.

our country,” Rios said.

Medal of Honor recipient Master Sergeant Leroy Arthur Petry was the keynote speaker for today’s ceremony. Petry is the second living recipient of the Medal of Honor for the war in Afghanistan in 2011. He remained on active duty in the U.S. army until he was medically retired as Master Sergeant on July 29, 2014.

Petry was in awe of the Memorial District when he first saw it, as this was his first time visiting the city of Clovis.

“I said, Why don’t I have something like this and why doesn’t every community across the country have this,” Petry said. “I think the more and more I see the more and more jealous I get, how well the community here in Clovis is supported in looking out for their veterans.”

After speaking with every single veteran in attendance, Petry noticed how much the Clovis community and veterans are all passionate about helping each other. He mentioned the pride Clovis has in everything they do for their veterans “stands out” and doesn’t need to be boasted because it shows no matter what.

“Even though this nation didn’t treat these veterans as well as they should have. These veterans still know how exceptional this nation is,” Rios said.

Rios added that Clovis knows how to live its values and honor service in a way that “he has never seen elsewhere.”

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City Staff Updates Council on Landmark Square

J.T. GOMEZ

jt21gomez@gmail.com

At the March 21st City Council meeting, representatives from the city staff spoke to the city council in order to give an update on the construction of Landmark Square. The site will hold the new location for the Clovis public library as well as a new senior center and a transit hub.

At the meeting, the details for both the senior center and the transit hub were extrapolated over the length of a 3 minute short video that can be found here. Construction has begun on Landmark Square and will be located off Clovis avenue on Third street.

After the video was played for the council, it was explained that the video’s primary use was for “fundraising and to provide the status of the project standing.” City staff then went on to explain that after breaking ground for the construction site in March of 2021, they found soil contamination under the surface of their grounds. In order to manage the soil contamination, the city has been working with the Department of Toxic Substance Control or DTSC since March of 2021 until the current day.

The city then went on to explain that in order to deal with the soil contamination they not only have hired the consultants in addition to the Fresno County Health Department and the County Public Works Department, but have also done extensive soil testing, installed vapor wells and have collected samples from the entire property.

Based on the sampling that the city has done, the city’s own toxicologist determined that there was a low health risk and that “additional building protections were not required.” This ruling from the city came in August of 2021, but a month later a report from the DTSC provided more comments on risk assessment of the site and asked for additional information from the city. In October of 2021 the city provided information to DTSC but as of the current day the city is still waiting for a “complete response” from the agency.

In November of 2021 city staff came to the council with more information and sought approval for a vapor barrier that according to city staff “should conform with DTSC’s requirements.” It is the city’s belief that this vapor barrier will meet the DTSC’s requirements for additional services upon the land. Instead of waiting for an answer from the DTSC, the city went ahead and installed the vapor barrier in order to “get the project moving”.

Fresno County District 5 Supervisor Nathan Magsig commented on the situation. “This has always been a dream to have the library, the senior center, and the transit center all located in one location and that’s been my dream as well.” Magsig went on to explain that the contamination slowed down the process at the county in addition to the city, however his biggest concern stems from the location of the library and his hope to “build on a clean site”. He suggests taking control of the library through Fresno County as he believes he has not seen a report suggesting the location of the library having any toxicity under its grounds.

Magsig maintains his commitment to building “a spectacular library in the city of Clovis” sooner rather than later. In calling the proposed library a “destination point” he believes the worst possible situation would be allegations and the “looming cloud” of legal action if someone were to get sick. “If someone got sick, you know, we could end up with some kind of a lawsuit.” Other than this, Magsig says he’s “not concerned in practical terms of any harm being done.”

The city council expressed their frustration with how long they have waited for the site to be completed as well as their exasperation in waiting for a response from the DTSC. Mayor Pro-Tem Lynne Ashbeck finished the conversation with her thoughts.

“Maybe doing a little bit more of active sampling on the site that is designated for the library. Reaching out to state assembly members or our state senator to see if we can spur on DTSC. And then finalizing a land transfer agreement with indemnity language at least being reviewed in anticipation of that moment [land being transferred from the City of Clovis to Fresno County] occurring.”

Ashbeck stated that the council as well as the city has “very specific tasks” and ended with saying that this was the best location for a “spectacular Clovis library” but remained “who would have thought 20 years later we were still talking about it.”

Ron Sundquist/Clovis Roundup

City staff was present at the March 21 city council meeting to update the councilmembers on the progress of Landmark Square.

Clovis Way of Life: Women of Clovis Pt. 2

MARC ANTHONY LOPEZ

@KaptainMarc

As we round out Women’s History Month, we would like to continue to honor outstanding women that have had pivotal roles in the city of Clovis. Let’s continue to shine the spotlight on these influential women.

May Case

During the 1920s and leading into the 1970s, if you saw a 4-foot-9 woman with square heeled shoes, a straw hat, a pencil and a small notebook, you’d meet May Case.

Case was one of the most informed and visible women in Clovis. Case reported on the news and the personal activities that Clovis had to offer.

Born in Comanche County, Texas on Oct. 6, 1873, Case would move to Clovis in 1919. Joined by her husband Spurgeon Case, they would found The Clovis Independent.

The Clovis independent ran for 20 years before it was sold in 1939. However, May would continue to hunt down stories and news in the Clovis community up until her death on Sept. 22, 1967.

In 1963, the Las Vegas Sun Newspaper published an article on May and wrote “Roughly, she is almost as big as a bar of soap after a hard day’s wash on the farm… but she is all woman!”

May would be nationally honored in 1964 as the oldest active newspaperwoman in the world at 75 years of age. Many described her as a “pint-sized, hell-on-wheels reporter.”

Photos contributed

Left to Right: Carmela Delores, Celia Flores, Seferina Herrera Franco, and May Case.

Carmela Delores Liberta

Born on Oct. 5 1938, Carmela Liberta was the matriach of Luna Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant in Old Town Clovis.

Carmela was an emigrate from Italy and fell in love with her husband Franco Liberta. At first, she and her family lived in New York but in 1969 moved to Clovis.

Camela’s impact has reached far beyond just feeding Clovis residents and visitors. Many residents learned life skills such as hospitality and service from Carmela through working at Luna’s.

On top of the life skills she taught, Carmela served on the Business Organization of Old Town (B.O.O.T) board. She often hosted the meetings at Luna’s and for 20 years was also in charge of the annual Christmas party at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.

When her husband Franco passed, Carmela and her friends started a women’s support group for widows and single women called New Beginnings. The group still meets today at Northpark Community Church. Sometimes, Carmela would even open her own doors to her home for women in need.

Today, the restaurant remains a local favorite and is still family-owned and operated by Carmela and Franco’s sons Bert and David Liberta.

Celia Flores

Current Clovis mayor Jose Flores has a humbling history that runs throughout Clovis. And it starts with his mother, Celia Flores.

Celia is from the Mexican state of San

See CLOVIS WAY OF LIFE, Pg. 15

CUSD

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the celebration last year due to Covid-19 concerns.

“This is one of my favorite things I do in the foundation.” Fennacy went on, “It’s wonderful. The thing I really look forward to is we try to honor fifteen to sixteen students a year and the students last year didn’t get celebrated, so we’re doing twice as many tonight.”

“These are kids who understand the value of education, they’re actually having to go through just horrific things in their life.” Fennacy finished, “They don’t have everything going for them, but they realize, the best thing to have in life is to get a good education.

In speaking with Chief Communications Officer Kelly Avants, she issued “Tonight is one of our favorite nights in Clovis Unified because it really is celebrating the very thing that we’re about, which is helping students unlock the potential that they have within them.” She then went on to illustrate “[A student may] have a health issue, family issue, a loss of a parent or both parents sometimes, yet they’re just persevering and quietly going to school and having such amazing promise which is where the name comes from.”

When asked about the work that Clovis Unified does with the Foundation for Clovis Schools, Avants voiced, “The volunteer directors who are themselves incredibly busy and very influential business people in their own right give up their free time to come alongside us as a school system, recognizing that Clovis Unified is actually one of the lowest funded unified school districts in Fresno County, and that creates funding gaps, that creates challenges of doing things in the classroom that we want to do. So our Foundation for Clovis Schools has been amazing in coming alongside and flipping both through scholarships like tonights and classroom grants for teachers who have an innovative idea but who’s budget just doesn’t quite meet that need, they’re able to step into that gap.”

One of the promising young students, Pratham Singh from Clovis High School, who was gracious enough to speak with reporters before the event and dinner, spoke about his challenges. “Feeling down because I wasn’t like the normal kids, I never let that stop me, and neither did my friends and neither did my family, and I really appreciate them for that.” He went on to praise Clovis High School, “From the first day I felt like I was wanted, or like they noticed me.” Singh still doesn’t believe that he was lucky enough to be mentioned with the other students as a Student of Promise and to be able to receive the $2000 scholarship that is awarded for their futures.

Singh, asked permission to do a quick shout out to a few of his fans. “I would like to shout out my mom and dad first of all. They’re my inspiration, they’re my idols. I wanna make them proud and I know with the Student of Promise I’m doing that. I’d also like to shout out Tyler, Aiden, Caleb and Chance. Those four guys made me feel normal, those guys took care of me when I was going through stuff or feeling down.”

The event wore on and the students like Pratham were celebrated for their accomplishments with speeches given by Mike Fennacy, Superintendent of Clovis Schools Dr. Eimear O’Brien, and 2005 Student of Promise recipient Coreen Campos. Each student from the 2021 and 2022 classes were called to the stage at the front of the room where they could be celebrated and commended for their accomplishments.