IT’S A GIRL!
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ADVENTIST TULARE’S FIRST NEWBORN
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Valley Voice
Volume XXXIX No. 16 5 September, 2019 ourvalleyvoice.com
Tulare PD and councilman butt heads again
Hanford council votes for hemp moratorium
DAVE ADALIAN
CATHERINE DOE
dave@ourvalleyvoice.com
Tulare City Councilman Carlton Jones is at the center of yet another controversy involving the Tulare Police Department. In a statement issued to local media by Jones on August 25, Jones describes an alleged confrontation between himself and TPD officer Lt. Jarod Boatman. Boatman, according to Jones’ statement, later filed a “criminal police report” in which Boatman accused Jones of challenging the officer to a physical fight. “In this report Stg (sic) Jarod Boatman accused me of a crime, stating while walking to my car after a council meeting that I stopped, took an aggressive stance, removed my arm sling (less than 2 weeks after surgery) and challenging (sic) him to a fight,” Jones wrote.
Jones Claims Innocence
Jones also claims an investigation into the incident by Fresno attorney Dan Rowley cleared him of any wrongdoing. “I was lucky that my entire walk to my car was caught on surveillance video and showed that I did not do the things I was accused of in Boatman’s report,” Jones wrote. The altercation between Jones and Boatman began during a meeting of the Tulare City Council, and continued later in the parking lot after the meeting concluded, according to a source who spoke under condition of anonymity.
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catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com
Volunteers wait outside the museum for news on the lease. Catherine Doe/Valley Voice
Hanford’s Carnegie Museum wins fight to keep lease CATHERINE DOE
catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com
After a tense few weeks the Hanford Carnegie Museum succeeded in keeping its lease with the city at the former Carnegie Library. The Carnegie Museum has a long-term lease to rent the 115 year-old building in exchange for all maintenance including HVAC, roof and structural repairs. After a testy August 20 city council meeting the museum received a letter August 23 giving the private nonprofit 10 days to complete a list of 18 repairs or be evicted. On receiving the letter Museum Board President Sylvia Gonzales Scherer called an emergency board meeting to discuss what she explained was a “grim” situation. “I saw a grown man cry,” she said, referring
to an older gentlemen on the board. But another board member said let’s work together to get this done. “If the ship sinks we will go down together, but we will go down fighting.”
Maintenance Issues
Community Development Director Mata started the August 20 city council’s discussion concerning the museum’s maintenance with a power point presentation that showed minor and major problems, primarily on the exterior. Mata followed up a few days later by hand delivering a letter to the museum’s president containing a list of 18 repairs that had to be completed by September 3. During the meeting, Mata described problems such as most of CARNEGIE continued on 16 »
One of the most fertile valleys in the United States can’t seem to make up its mind about hemp. The federal government passed the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp and left the rule making up to the individual states. California’s regulations regarding hemp is addressed in AB228 but hasn’t made it out of committee. That means the cities and counties are on their own. Hanford and Tulare County voted that they need more time to develop ordinances to regulate the industry. Kings County gave approval with some restrictions to growing hemp. But one of the most conservative areas in California, Kern County, has given hemp the green light. Cerise Montanio, Deputy Director of Kern’s Agricultural Commissioner’s Office told the Bakersfield Californian. “We don’t have a moratorium. We don’t have ordinances,” she said. “We are allowing it.” During an August 20 Hanford public hearing to extend the emergency ordinance to restrict the production of hemp, the city council voted for a 10-month and 15-day extension. The vote for the moratorium came over the objections of Council Member John Draxler. Draxler, like Kern County, didn’t understand the need for regulating a legal crop. “I’m just a fan of private enterprise and don’t like cities to intervene.” He added that the city didn’t have to have a perfect ordinance right
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Community opens its arms to new Visalia Wellness Center MIKE SEIB Community leaders, Tulare County management and press gathered on a sunny morning for the long-awaited Open House and ribbon cutting at Visalia’s new state-of-theart Wellness Center Wednesday, August 21. The soft opening preceded a Grand Opening Friday, August 23, and a week of activities and welcoming for people finishing their recovery. “This hasn’t been the easiest of roads. Our phenomenal staff has stepped up,” said Tulare County Supervisor Kuyler Crocker. In February of 2017 about 50 residents attended two community listening sessions, most of whom were against the facility. Concerned resi-
dents thought the county was opening up a rehab center for drug addicts or the mentally ill. In fact the facility is drug and alcohol free and will serve individuals who are near the end of their recovery, and the new facility is outpatient only. To enter the facility it is required that you are 18 years old or older and stable with regard to your wellness journey. Assistant Director of the center, Artemisa Gonzalez, echoed statements by Crocker. “The biggest obstacle is the stigma against mental health issues. Once members are stabilized they can be socially accepted and relearn life skills. We will be partnering with
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