Valley Voice Issue 113 (15 March, 2018)

RESCUE MISSION THRIFT

Less transparency means more problems for Tulare

inside VALLEY SCENE

BRANCHES OUT INTO CARS COS HAS A NEW PRESIDENT

PAGE 10

Tulare officials redacted 2,000 lines from invoices. A Tulare man is suing as a result.

Valley Voice

West Tulare to see new strip mall project nancy@ourvalleyvoice.com

DEVELOPMENT continued on 6 »

Volume XXXVIII No. 6 15 March, 2018 ourvalleyvoice.com

Hearing date set for controversial ARCO

NANCY VIGRAN

A Tulare development two decades in the planning is about to start.

“We’re trying our best to start construction as soon as possible,” said Ted Lim, a spokesman for The Orosco Group based in Monterey.

The project, a strip mall at the southwest corner of Cross Ave. and J St., has long been a dream for Chris Orosco. At the March 6 Tulare City Council meeting an agreement was made for the formerly city-owned property to be sold to Orosco Group.

“We’ve been working on this project, if you can believe this, for over 20 years,” Orosco said. “I, myself, personally have been working on this project for 17 years.

“This is a very small project in the grand scheme of things . . . the reason for the delay has been timing. This is an infill development in downtown Tulare, on the west side of Tulare, during the timeframe when all of the development was occurring on the northeast section of the city and Prosperity. And, for the tenants who we tried to attract to the site, really the focus was those other areas.

“Infill development on the west

page 11

DAVE ADALIAN

dave@ourvalleyvoice.com

Previously, political signs couldn’t go up before April 5th. Now, they crowd this corner of Akers and Highway 198. Catherine Doe/Valley Voice

City of Tulare won’t enforce sign ordinance, side-stepping lawsuit CATHERINE DOE

catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com

Some Tulare residents were afraid they would fall afoul of the city’s sign ordinance by placing political signs on their lawn — so a Visalia law firm sent a letter to the City of Tulare threatening to sue to overturn the policy, which the firm claims is unconstitutional.

In a letter to Tulare City Manager Joseph Carlini and the Tulare City Council, the Melo and Sarsfield law firm said that, “on behalf of our clients, we demand that the City of Tu-

The battle lines have been drawn, demands have been made and now a date is set for the next skirmish in a war to keep what could become Visalia’s largest gas station out of an upscale neighborhood at the southern end of town.

Another ARCO

lare take immediate steps to repeal these unconstitutional provisions and immediately cease any enforcement of same.”

The law firm included a draft of the lawsuit that it was going to file if the city did not respond.

It took one week for the City of Tulare to respond by saying it will not enforce its current outdated sign ordinance and will start revising it.

Josh McDonnell, Community and Economic Development Director for

Already operating a pair of ARCO filling stations in the city, Indio-based real estate developer the Chandi Group is eyeing an expansion. Its plans for a long vacant lot at the southeast corner of Caldwell Avenue and West Street include a 17,000-square-foot facility with more than a dozen pumping stations, a car wash, convenience store and drive-through restaurant.

The scheme has already had its first review by the Visalia Planning Commission, and a second public hearing is now on the calendar. Area residents dead set against the idea of such a behemoth as their new neighbor are ready for the fight.

The hearing will be held at 7pm Monday, April 9 at the Visalia

SIGNS continued on 6 »

ARCO continued on 9 »

Tulare Mayor’s hospital remarks causing controversy DAVE ADALIAN

dave@ourvalleyvoice.com

Tulare’s mayor has picked another fight--this time with the board of the Tulare Local Health Care District (TLCHD)--and his target isn’t taking it lying down.

Fighting Words

At some point in early February, Mayor Carlton Jones took to the internet to attack the TLCHD Board of Directors, accusing them of failing to reopen Tulare Regional Medical Center (TRMC) by a deadline Jones says TLCHD Board Member Stephen Harrell gave during a Tulare City Council meeting in December.

Two recordings of that meeting confirm Harrell did not give a date for TRMC to reopen.

“There was no comment by me,” Harrell said. “It was not a matter of the record.”

In his online comments, Jones also asked if Harrell had been told to lie to the Tulare City Council by Assemblyman Devon Mathis.

Jones’ remarks were later published by the Visalia Times-Delta and

Tulare Advance-Register as Jones’ response to accusations the TLHCD Board held a meeting in January without proper public notice. Hospital officials deny any misstep occurred.

Over the Line

Harrell, a former Tulare police officer, says Jones crossed a line when he attacked him personally and questioned his integrity. He denies having given any date for TRMC’s reopening.

“Being accused of being a liar does not sit well with me,” Harrell said when he confronted Jones at a February 20 meeting of the City Council.

Harrell originally intended to ignore the remarks but protecting his reputation forced him to respond in public.

“I was at the gym and people started coming up to me and asked was I going to stand for that,” he said. “The more I looked at, I thought no, I’m not going to let this go. There was nothing in the minutes. There was nothing in the audio.”

Jones Asked for Update

After addressing the council on an-

REMARKS continued on 9 »

Above: Tulare Mayor Carlton Jones.

Below: Tulare Local Healthcare District Board Member Steve Harrell. Tony Maldonado/Valley Voice

15 March, 2018 Valley Voice

2

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESK

When the Ritual Ended

When the Ritual ended, and all of our friends went home, all of our friends remained in the room.

We had some drinking to do while all of our friends came home from Korea.

We hoped they’d each complete their journey, and that a capricious writer wouldn’t somehow jettison one of them into the sea, say, or en route home bestow the discovery of some ghastly disease upon another.

We were full of hope in those days.

But I don’t recall anything after the Ritual, only the rite itself.

This is the power of re-runs over decades.

I told you–we had some drinking to accomplish while all of our friends, well, vanished. I can’t at this remove even remember if my girlfriend at the time, Lynn, was in attendance. All I can say with any accuracy is that I’m still amazed someone like her was once actually my girlfriend. She taught me how to cook.

Much like how the Chief is now actually my wife. She taught me how to argue: I lose.

The 22-minute Ritual was bittersweet, and then we collectively knew, on one level or another, that all too soon we’d each be facing the future individually.

Which is exactly what happened. I don’t really know what transpired with any of them, friends fictional and full-blooded alike.

People move on and things change–right?

Not entirely.

On March 9, on the Valley Voice’s Facebook page, I posted an informational flier regarding the Visalia Police Officer’s Foundation “30 Guns in 30 Days” gun raffle fundraiser.

Here’s the question I posed: In the aftermath of recent school shootings, what are your thoughts on this upcoming gun raffle?

And I asked it in this specific fashion because, if we’re ever going to finally have a tipping point when it comes to our unique gun culture, well, I’d like to know what it is.

Much in the way we once banned fully automatic rifles–machine guns–and, temporarily at least, assault rifles.

Nothing, it turns out, has changed–as the lengthy thread of opinion unspooled, only a handful seemed to agree with me that firearms might not be the ideal prize in a raffle hosted by a police officer’s foundation.

Imagine doctors raffling off cigarettes or whiskey. It’s baffling. It’s sickening.

In civilized places police forces have been known to institute what they call “gun buybacks.” Because they recognize it’s in the public interest to reduce the number of firearms available to that public.

Much like a doctor might lance a boil or employ trepanation to reduce dire swelling in a human brain. Maybe it’s not your inclination to do so–but do so you must.

As has widely been reported, there have been 186 school shootings since Sandy Hook, on December 14, 2012. That means, in the five and a third-year’s since, we’ve averaged just higher than 35 school shootings per year. That means nearly three per month, as a steady drumbeat.

It also means damned near weekly.

After the murder of 20 first-graders!

Let’s remember that the gun in question, in the Sandy Hook incident, was, if perhaps technically stolen by the shooter, legally owned by his mother–who used shooting firearms as a means to bond with her insane son.

USA!…USA!…USA! This used to be semi-particular to postal workers. Remember the old saying, “Going Postal?” Now it’s school shootings. Nobody ever accuses the shooter of “Going Scholastic.”

Because books don’t teach people. People teach people.

But why, then, do they call it book learnin’?

And why do them darn teachers assign so many books to read?

Ask Abe Lincoln. As a youth he famously read everything he could get his outsized mitts on. It’s how he educated himself. Wonder how that wound up?

What’s been made ritual–a necessary evil of our God-given Freedoms–is the notion of mass shooting itself; anywhere, at any time, whether in a movie theatre, from a highrise hotel room, at an employee party…you name it: The Second Amendment right you so rigorously defend can, at any time, get you killed.

Firearms, of course, connect all these disparities of motive and opportunity. They are the means.

I’m not so full of hope anymore, not when gun lobby money and sanctimonious Second Amendment rights season the stew. No amount of murdered first-graders will ever serve as the tipping point. No amount of murdered students of any age or type. No number of murdered Americans of any stripe.

So long as Americans perceive of the means of mass murder as a right, we must endure these episodic slaughters.

It’s past time this particular ritual ended.

Joseph Oldenbourg

Valley Voice

The Valley Voice is your newspaper, published by The Valley Voice, LLC.

The Voice strives for accuracy in reporting.

Commentary or corrections regarding errors of fact in our printed, online, or social media content can be sent to the email and mailing address listed below.

The first five copies of this newspaper are free. Subsequent copies are 25 cents per copy without prior arrangement. Please contact us for more information.

Use your voice: send letters, concerns, or corrections to editor@ourvalleyvoice.com PO Box 44064, Lemon Cove, CA 93244

Publisher/Editor:

Joseph Oldenbourg

joseph@ourvalleyvoice.com — 559-731-8687

Reporters:

Catherine Doe

catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com — 559-972-7778

Dave Adalian

dave@ourvalleyvoice.com

Special Sections Editor/Sales: Nancy Vigran

nancy@ourvalleyvoice.com — 559-623-5398

Production/Website: Tony Maldonado

tony@ourvalleyvoice.com — 559-799-4100

Valley Voice 15 March, 2018

POLITICAL FIX To Sue or Not Thusu, That’s the Question

Tulare County Supervisor Districts 4 and 5 are up for election this cycle and neither incumbent is defending his seat. Throw in the races for Tulare County District Attorney, Superintendent of Schools, and District 26 State Assembly, and this is turning out to be one of the more exciting primaries.

One of the lesser publicized races of the bunch is Tulare County Board of Supervisor District 4, where candidate Dr. Kuldip Thusu has made news recently in the Fresno Bee and Dinuba Sentinel concerning his many lawsuits and residency.

So he floated to the top of my list to check out before we got too close to the June 5 Primary.

The seat is currently held by Supervisor Steve Worthley, who is retiring after 20 years on the board.

Dr. Thusu is Dinuba’s Vice-Mayor and enjoys the highest name recognition out of the three candidates, the other two being Eddie Valero, president of the Cutler-Orosi School Board, and Romelia Castillo, a former Cutler-Orosi School Board Member and the driving force behind Dinuba’s Vietnam Wall.

Even Woodlake Mayor Rudy Mendoza, who was considering a run for supervisor, bowed out of the race out of deference to Dr. Thusu.

“He is a highly respected man in the Dinuba area,” said Mr. Mendoza.

As a long-time business owner and philanthropist, Dr. Thusu has earned the respect of the establishment, but he is not loved by all.

Questions about Dr. Thusu’s residency surfaced in 2014 when he ran against Maria McElroy for Dinuba City Council Ward 4. The Dinuba Sentinel reported in 2014 that “county officials had been flooded with inquiries from people questioning whether Kuldip Thusu …… actually lived in the district.”

Some of his constituents said he lived in Clovis. Dr. Thusu said he lived in Dinuba.

So my first stop was his home on Timothy Ave in Ward 4 of Dinuba.

With all the blinds drawn, the house was dark and locked up tight on a late Thursday afternoon. On the outside, the house had the appearance of not being lived in. Though I tried, there was a tall solid wood fence so I could not see into the small back yard.

After knocking on the door for several minutes with no response I ventured to his neighbor’s house, where I received a frosty reception.

I asked, “Does Dr. Thusu live in the house next door?”

Neighbor, “Yes, he owns the house.”

Me, “But does he live there?”

Neighbor, “I don’t live with him 24/7 so how do I know what he does with his time?”

Me, “You’re his neighbor, does he lives there?”

At this point the very defensive woman asked me, “well then how did he get elected to the city council?”

Very good question; a thought I decided to keep to myself.

When Dr. Thusu filled out his Declaration for Candidacy in July of 2014 he listed 901Timothy Ave as his resi-

dence. But the actual owners of the house were Amardeep Khushoo and Sonika Gupta, colleagues of Dr. Thusu. This would imply that the owners let Dr. Thusu use their address so he could run for city council.

This would also mean that Dr. Thusu committed perjury.

In late September, six weeks before the November 4 election, the title to 901 Timothy was transferred into Dr. Thusu and his wife’s name.

Was Dr. Thusu hedging his bets to first see if he had a good chance of winning the election before he invested in a house?

One lawyer gave me an investigation tip, “The parents live where the kids go to school.” Both his children attended Clovis North High School until leaving home in fall of 2016.

Technically, Dr. Thusu was a resident of Ward 4 when he took office, but had in fact perjured himself on his election paperwork. The Tulare County District Attorney, Tim Ward, was asked to investigate Dr. Thusu’s residency and perjury, but as one Dinuba local said, “You could drive a semi-truck through the loop holes in the residency laws.”

Besides, he added, “Thusu and Ward donate to each others’ campaigns and attend the same golf fundraisers.”

The current issue for the 2018 Board of Supervisor election is not just if he lives in Ward 4, but whether he even lives in Tulare County.

His home on Timothy Ave is a simple three bedroom, two bath 1,840 square-foot home with a one car garage worth $200,000.

His home in Clovis is a 7 bedroom 7 bath 7,713 square-foot home with a five car garage. It sits on 2.4 acres and is valued at over $1 million.

The two-story home has expansive balconies off the bedrooms, a pool with a waterfall, recording studio, game room, home office, and inhome theater.

In fact, the equipment in the movie theater alone costs more than his home in Dinuba.

So where does Dr. Thusu live?

During a phone interview with Dr Thusu he agreed with me about the Clovis home, but said that his children have since moved out and that it is too big for him and his wife.

He said that it has been on the market for two years and that when his wife, who is a neonatologist, is on call at Valley Children’s Hospital she has to stay in their Clovis home.

Otherwise, he said, they live fulltime in Dinuba.

Dr. Thusu added that he gives speeches and goes to meetings all over California and that his wife is also on-call in Los Angeles.

“I’m not a nine-to-five kind of guy and am always traveling,” he said.

Dr. Thusu does own a business in Dinuba, the Alta Family Health Care Clinic. For years newspapers have referred to Dr. Thusu as a general physician, or a practicing doctor at his clinic.

In a 2004 Valley Voice article Dr. Thusu said that he and his wife were assigned to Dinuba “because physicians getting their training are typically assigned to underserved areas like northern Tulare County where the poverty is high and the need is

3 a column by CATHERINE DOE — catherine@ourvalleyvoice.com great.” He said he came to the United States to practice medicine.

But he is not a practicing doctor and never has been.

Dr. Thusu was very forthright with me about the fact he is not a doctor, but it’s troubling that for the last 20 years he has given the impression to the Dinuba Sentinel, Valley Voice and Fresno Bee that he is a practicing physician.

Dr. Thusu explained that his title comes from the fact he received his PHD in India in Experimental Medicine.

My next step was the Tulare County Court House and an on-line search for lawsuits. In the last 15 years Dr. Thusu has been sued for breach of contract by collection agencies and was sued twice in Fresno for Unlawful Detainer, for a total of seven times.

The suits revolve around his leasing equipment and not making the payments.

OFC Capital successfully sued him for $82,500 and Lyon Financial, $122,300.There were four additional cases in Fresno County involving collection agencies.

The City of Dinuba recently won a case against him for $150,000 in back rent and legal fees. They said that Dr. Thusu reneged on a 10-year lease on their Vocational Center.

Dr. Thusu says that he was promised the Vocational Center but that two years later “they changed their mind about selling it to me.” He said that he subsidized the large building for 24 months doing all the maintenance, remodeling, and paying the electricity bill.

The question is, if Dr. Thusu can’t responsibly handle his own money, how is he going to handle the Tulare County taxpayers’ money? And if it is true he lives in Fresno County, how is he going to represent the citizens of Tulare County?

As far as the other eight suits? Dr. Thusu said that he was not aware of any other cases against him.

“They must have been filed against my several old business partners,” he said.

Is it Irony or Hypocrisy?

In order to be consistent with current Supreme Court rulings on the constitution, Visalia’s City Council finished updating its sign ordinance about two years ago.

Tulare? Hasn’t made it a priority.

Tulare residents wanting to display political yard signs thought twice before pushing the metal prongs into their grass because they didn’t want to chance a visit by the Tulare Police Department.

As a result, the Law Firm of Melo and Sarsfield wrote the Tulare City Council a letter saying its sign ordinance violates the constitution and it needs to stop enforcing it or they will be sued.

Tulare County District Attorney (TCDA) Tim Ward responded to the potential lawsuit saying, “My campaign has always maintained a philosophy of respecting the rules set forth by individual cities regarding signs,” according to the Visalia Times-Delta.

Tulare’s Josh McDonnell, Community and Economic Development Director, responded to the lawsuit

by saying that Melo and Sarsfield was right.

Awkward.

Soon after, Mr. Ward’s campaign signs for TCDA started popping up a month earlier than would have been possible without the threat of the lawsuit. So does that make Mr. Ward an astute politician or hypocrite?

Also, since Melo and Sarsfeild are mostly responsible for candidates’ new-found campaign freedom for the 2018 election, do you think Mr. Ward will send them a thank you card?

I’ll keep you posted if he does.

And Finally…

While immersed in reading a lawsuit against Tulare, an email popped up from a political pen pal with whom I share the latest gossip.

There was a picture attached to his email with a note that said, “Brought a tear to me. Beautiful.”

I clicked on the attachment and a picture of Alex’ headstone at Exeter Cemetery took over my screen.

Alex was my husband’s and my second oldest and he died a year ago on March 12.

I was a bit taken aback to see my son’s stone, but at the same time it made me smile because his engraved cartoon looked better than I had remembered.

My pen pal is either a first or second generation Mexican American, or close enough where he is still fluent in Spanish. I am a descendent from the Great Puritan Migration of 1646.

Needless to say, our cultures differ greatly when it comes to the departed.

While I dressed up as Penny Wise from “It” and scared all the little kids in our neighborhood this Halloween, the next day, Mexicans created alters to honor their ancestors and visited family members at the cemetery.

Having a replica of a loved one’s grave marker at their home is not uncommon for Hispanics.

So, I responded saying that the inscription was something Alex often said and the stone’s graphic was one of his cartoons “Very sweet.. special.. . Just no words.. .” He said.

The making of his headstone was a family effort. Amanda, his finance, lived with us for about three months to get her life together after Alex died.

She took one of Alex’ penguins with a red tie and redrew it onto the computer for the stone company. Joseph chose the font and did the layout, and all of us went down to Visalia Marble Works to choose the type of granite.

I was in charge of the inscription that the penguin would be depicted as saying.

Several dinners were spent discussing what Alex would want to say. Suggestions were tossed around such as “Hang in there” or “Voted least likely to leave Exeter” (that was Alex’ joke.) Then I remembered what Alex always told me before we would say goodbye after a long phone conversation.

So to all his friends, potential friends, aunts, uncles, grandparents, exes, siblings, and especially his dad Alex has a message.

“Tell everyone that I love them.”

15 March, 2018 Valley Voice

4

Legal problems pile up for Tulare officials and attorneys NANCY VIGRAN

nancy@ourvalleyvoice.com

Yet another law suit was filed Friday, March 2, against the City of Tulare for mounting problems with transparency and withholding records for its citizens.

In recent public record act (PRA) responses regarding the billable hours ensued by the city attorney, Heather Phillips, and fellow firm members, responses have been deemed slow with all issues of the city attorneys’ work being redacted.

It is this alleged lack of transparency or citing “privilege,” among other things, that have lead Tulare resident Ben Brubaker to file a second law suit against the city. His first suit, filed on January 31, 2018, asks the court “For a declaration that the City has not complied with the January 16, 2018, Public Records Act request, and that the requested documents should be produced forthwith.”

That request followed his PRA asking for a copy of the contract between the city and an unnamed investigator hired to investigate the city’s police chief, Wes Hensley, along with police Cpt. Fred Ynclan and Lt. Jerod Boatman, who were all placed on paid administrative leave last year. Tobias denied the request.

On March 2, a formal response to the first suit was filed with the court. Included in the affirmative defenses were: 3. As a third, separate and distinctive defense, Defendant alleges that Plaintiff lacks standing to bring the instant complaint.

Dare to compare: redactions made by the City of Visalia, evidenced by an invoice from its attorneys on the left, appear more judicious than redactions made by the City of Tulare, whose attorney invoices are on the right.

4. As a fourth, separate and distinctive defense, Defendant alleges that Plaintiff’s Complaint is moot.

“It’s what you would expect to see, said Michael Lampe, Brubaker’s attorney.

The Second Law Suit

The new complaint filed on March 2 by Brubaker’s attorney reveals more than 50 points within three causes of

LAW OFFICES OF

Houk & Hornburg, Inc. Thomas E. Hornburg C. Matthew Gaebe Philip T. Hornburg (Retired) Gareth W. Houk Jr. (1937-2009)

Paralegals: Susan Hoffman Janice Kunkel • Robert Nix Rachel Keener • Michelle Barnes

PROVIDING SERVICES IN: Business Law • Corporations • Partnerships • Family Law Real Estate • Landlord/Tenant • Wills and Trusts Probate • Farm and Ranch Law • Civil Litigation

action. The first two causes are in alignment with the first suit filed - a lack of transparency with numerous PRAs, and while addressed within the 10-day requirement period with notice of an extension in time needed, it questions the additional time being warranted.

The third cause specifies more than 2,000 entries on attorney billing statements, all of which were redacted.

Cause 48. Every attorney billing entry (over 2,000 entries) contained in Exhibits 6, 7, and 8 have been completely redacted in a manner to keep members of the public from discerning any unprivileged information related to the conduct of the City Attorney.

Cause 49. Although the City may redact attorney billing entries relating to pending litigation under Govt. Code 6254(b), and entries that are attorney-client privileged communications under the Evidence Code 954, Plaintiff alleges on information and belief that not all 2,000 of the redacted entries relate to pending liti-

your

gation or would disclosed attorney-client privileged communications. As such, the City’s overly broad redaction of these public records violates the Public Records Act. A case management conference for this new case has been assigned a hearing date of July 7, 2018 at 8:30am and is assigned to Judge David Mathias. Brubaker’s first suit filed is set up for a case management conference on June 12, 2018 at 8:30am, also with Judge Mathias.

The Valley Voice has received similar public record response for attorney billings from June 2017 to the date of the request, January 24, 2018 – the request was made for not only Goyette & Associates, the current city attorneys firm, but any other attorneys who had worked for city during that time. In an e-mail from Sarah Tobias, the city assistant attorney, to the Voice, she wrote: Please note that many of the responsive records have been redacted. These

LEGAL PROBLEMS continued on 12 »

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Valley Voice 15 March, 2018

Southern Inyo hospital claims HCCA “grossly deficient”

the District, hired improper personnel for various employee vacancies, and tony@ourvalleyvoice.com caused non-compliance with a numHealthcare Conglomerate Asso- ber of state regulatory requirements.” ciates’ (HCCA) management of the Marshall Grossman, an attorney Southern Inyo Healthcare District’s for HCCA, disputes those claims, and hospital was ineffective, hindered the others made by hospital’s regulaand the HCCA personnel were Hickman tory compliance, Inyo district. and was fiscally almost never on site, “She is free to irresponsible, a say anything to and the Administralegal filing by the the media, but just district claims. tor’s office was empty wait until she is The filing also put under oath,” 90% of the time. repeats claims that Grossman said. the Tulare-based Jaque Hickman, a member of the “Our comments hospital manage- Southern Inyo Healthcare District will be made at ment company board. that time.” shared money and supplies between the Southern Inyo Repeating Withdrawn district, which owns the Southern Inyo Hospital, and the Tulare Local Claims Healthcare District, which owns Tulare The Southern Inyo district preRegional Medical Center. viously agreed to withdraw declaraThe filing comes after HCCA re- tions by its bankruptcy attorney, Ashquested $1,184,730 in back manage- ley McDow, and Hickman, as part of a ment fees, a $1,201,474 termination fee, stipulation that allowed for the quick and $137,850 in fees for the company’s rejection of HCCA’s contract with chartered flights to Lone Pine, Califor- Southern Inyo. nia, to visit and work at the Southern Those declarations included Inyo Hospital. claims that HCCA failed to make inHCCA additionally requested the tergovernmental transfer payments, total of $2,524,054 be recognized as which earn the district money that an “administrative expense,” giving it can use towards its services, and HCCA priority in being repaid by the that HCCA transferred funds from Southern Inyo district.”

Southern Inyo to Tulare without the Attorneys for the district, which Southern Inyo district’s consent or owns the Southern Inyo Hospital, knowledge. claim that the the hospital manageThe claims resurfaced in Hickment company’s services weren’t ben- man’s declaration to the court. eficial to the district, cannot be given “The Board did not know monies “administrative priority,” and claim flowed back and forth between the that the company isn’t entitled to its District and Tulare except to be told termination fee. that the IGT money came from Tulare “The District believes that HCCA’s because it had to come from a govmismanagement ernment agency. has caused dam...just wait until she is Supplies came into ages to the District the District from put under oath. Our that exceed the Tulare,” Hickman’s amount claimed declaration reads, comments will be

by HCCA in the Mo“but there was made at that time. tion,” the district’s supposed to be an legal filing reads.

Marshall Grossman, an attorney accounting entry In a declara- for HCCA, in response to a recent that would reflect tion filed in the court filing by Jaque Hickman. them as a vendor.

United States This does not seem Bankruptcy Court, Jaque Hickman, a to be the case since no financials were member of the district’s board of di- ever presented.” rectors, expands on claims that HCCA’s The filing also claimed that there work was not to the district’s benefit. were other financial misdeeds com“Throughout the entire term of the mitted by HCCA. Management Agreement, HCCA failed “HCCA illegally transferred monto adequately perform its duties,” ies from the skilled nursing facility Hickman states. “In general, HCCA pro- resident fund on April 11, 2017. HCCA vided grossly deficient on-site man- transferred $11,000 from a patient agement, failed to manage and collect trust account to the general account, the accounts receivable, entered into then transferred $11,000 to the payroll non-beneficial contracts on behalf of account,” Hickman wrote. “HCCA did

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not return the funds to the patient trust account until August 31, 2017.”

Travel By Private Plane

5

“Because HCCA management was not on site at the Facilities, HCCA incurred significant expenses travelling to the Facilities. The Travel Expenses are even more unreasonable given the fact that HCCA always travelled to the Facilities using an expensive, private jet,” she added later in the declaration.

Records submitted by HCCA to the bankruptcy court show the company chartered at least 50 different flights to Southern Inyo, at an average cost of $2,500 per flight.

A short video produced by the Hamstrung IT Projects company detailing its work at the Hickman claims a contract that Southern Inyo Hospital shows Ben- HCCA arranged with Medsphere Syszeevi sitting in, and later stepping out tems Corporation “has never worked of, a Beechcraft 200 Super King Air. The to produce revenue,” despite costplane, tail number N437WF, was reg- ing $28,800 per month. Medsphere’s istered at the time to Shae-Ron LLC, a OpenVista product was purchased to Bakersfield corporation. provide an Electronic Medical Record The travel by plane and lack of for the hospital’s operations. dedicated, on-site “HCCA did not Supplies came into administration provide the percaused signifisonnel, financial the [Southern Inyo] cant problems for or District from Tulare, information, the district, Hicktraining to make but there was supman claims. the Medsphere “HCCA personcontract worthposed to be an acnel were almost while,” her declacounting entry that never on site, ration reads. and the AdminA 2017 press would reflect them as istrator’s office release from Meda vendor. This does was empty 90% of sphere lauded the not seem to be the the time. HCCA company’s “go brought over perlive” of the Opencase [...] sonnel from HCCA Vista product at h e a d q u a r t e r s , Jaque Hickman, a member of the Southern Inyo. whose services Southern Inyo Healthcare District “The go live were sporadic and board. of OpenVista ineffective,” HickCloud at Southern man writes.

Inyo is a highly significant event for Instead of staying behind and us because it manifests our broader working at the hospital, Hickman healthcare IT vision,” Dr. Benny Benclaims that HCCA’s personnel would zeevi, HCCA’s CEO, said in the release. “drop off suggestions at the Facilities “We appreciate the truly collaborative then leave,” and did not provide “team approach Medsphere took to the imbuilding, training, or follow-up” for plementation and the efforts the imthe hospital’s employees.

SOUTHERN INYO continued on 8 »

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15 March, 2018 Valley Voice

6

Lindsay cutting costs, adding soccer fields DAVE ADALIAN

dave@ourvalleyvoice.com

Lindsay City Hall is getting out of the golf and stadium business, putting its money into soccer fields in a major shift in municipal recreation for the Orange Belt town.

Citing the need to tighten its financial belt during the city’s ongoing economic crisis, the Lindsay City Council approved a pair of moves designed to eliminate what have been money-losing propositions. Staff will seek to sever its 20-year agreement with the Lindsay Unified School District (LUSD) for management of the town’s stadium, while at the same time redirecting $330,000 in grant money toward turning the city-owned, 9-hole public golf course into a five-field soccer and sports complex.

Subsidized Duffers

The city currently pays $21,600 annually for management of its golf course, along with $22,200 per year in labor to maintain the links.

On average, 268 rounds of golf are played on those greens each year.

“So, you’re paying the golfers $153 to go out there and golf,” City Manager Bill Zigler told the City Council at its February 27 meeting. “Considering the city’s current financial status, this is not sustainable.”

Zigler said his staff surveyed 25 9-hole golf courses maintained by oth-

SIGNS

continued from 1 the City of Tulare, responded in a letter sent March 5 to the Law Firm of Melo and Sarsfield, “Thank you for your correspondence dated Feb 26, 2018 regarding City Political Signage regulations. We have reviewed your concerns and agree that Section 10.188.050 requires revision.”

Section 10.188.050 of Tulare’s Municipal Code refers to the sign ordinance.

Tulare’s Sign Ordinance is “Unconstitutional,” Suit Claims

Melo and Sarsfield represent a group of Tulare residents who support Matt Darby, a candidate for the office of Tulare County District Attorney (TCDA.) The draft lawsuit states, ‘Plaintiffs have been chilled from displaying their political signs because of their reasonable fear of arrest and/or prosecution.”

Melo said the ordinance is in violation of First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution and limits residents their right to

DEVELOPMENT continued from 1

side of Tulare has, unfortunately, been overlooked. We have been champions of this project in trying to promote it and we have had at least a dozen tenants who have expressed interest in it and then, unfortunately, later passed on the site because of higher priorities. . . But, at this point in time I understand that we have gotten to a finish line, which is really just the starting point for the development phase.”

The closing of the sale of the property was to occur within days of the council meeting. The Orosco Group

er cities in California. None of them are profitable enterprises, he said.

The survey includes the city-owned course in Porterville, which will lose more than $128,000 in the current budget cycle.

‘Not for Driving’

In a compromise action, a portion of the course--a chipping and putting green near the No. 1 hole-will be preserved.

“If people wanted to bring their own balls and shag their own balls, that’s kind of good, because that’s what our course is for, chipping and putting,” said Mayor Pro Tem Danny Salinas. “It’s not for driving, for the most part.”

Councilman Esteban Valasquez cast the lone no vote on the conversion, citing concerns about diversity.

Golf, he said, is a sport enjoyed by all ages. Councilman Brian Watson countered, saying the course hosts “more squirrels than there are golfers.”

There is no lack of eager soccer players in Lindsay, however. The Lindsay Youth Soccer League, which began in 2013 with 260 players, now has more than 450 competing on 37 teams.

City Can’t Afford Stadium

In 2008, the city agreed, after installing artificial turf at the LUSD stadium, to share partial responsibility for its upkeep in exchange for use of the

fields. However, in the decade since then, the city has fallen on hard economic times, and it can no longer keep up its end of the bargain.

“In many cases, we’re not doing a good job out there,” Zigler said of the city’s efforts to hold up its end of the bargain.

The problem is City Hall has too much to do and too little to do it with.

“We have a very detailed agreement that puts a lot of responsibility on the city that, frankly, I can’t do, I don’t have the staff to do, we don’t have the financial to do,” Zigler said. “So, it’s time to time to take a hard look at this.”

Opting Out

With a clear picture of a failing agreement before them, the Council

free speech.

“The First amendment means what it says, ‘No infringement.’ I don’t know how much more clear it can be,” said Melo.

Ordinances such as Tulare’s have been ruled unconstitutional in two cases, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 135 S. Ct. 2218 (2015) and City of Ladue v. Gilleo, 512 U.S. 43 (1994), the Melo and Sarsfield letter states.

The firm’s suit claims that in light of those rulings, Tulare’s ordinance is too restrictive. It also prohibits lighting of any sign and puts limits on when residents can display political signs.

The ordinance also encourages arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement, which is considered a major problem for law abiding residents living in Tulare, the suit adds.

“Look at the city’s leadership,” Melo said.

The law firm and plaintiffs believe that, with Tulare Mayor Carlton Jones’ prior allegations and history of bullying and verbal abuse, he would do whatever is in his power to protect Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward.

Melo claimed that the way Ward turns a blind eye towards Mayor Jones’ behavior, and defends him in court, il-

lustrates their political connection.

has attracted Starbucks to express interest in the site, which is a “small tenant, and not really considered an anchor tenant at only 1,800 square feet,” Orosco said, “but, of course, everybody knows the name.”

The company feels that with the Starbucks name, it should be able to attract others to the new development.

Why there is now a hurry, after 20 years in the making, is that the deadline for completion for Starbucks is August, Orosco said.

Following the meeting, Councilman David Macedo commented that the ups and downs of the economy played a role in the delay of the development. Macedo has been on council

throughout the 20-year time period and has watched the potential project waiver.

“It came really close in 2008-2009 and they had a tenant at that time,” he said, but it was postponed. “They’ve kept it alive for all of these years.

“Starbucks will be a good edition to that side of town. Starbucks does their homework when they pick a spot,” he added, indicating that the company wouldn’t be interested if they didn’t feel it would be profitable.

The development could also aid in the attraction of other downtown offices and buildings available for lease.

The Orosco Group has already solicited bids and selected its lead con-

Supporting the First Amendment

McDonnell stated, “City staff will immediately begin preparing an amendment to Sign Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 10.188) to clearly incorporate the ‘content neutral’ provisions of Reed V Town of gilbert (2015).

Given that the revised language must be prepared, vetted, and considered

by Planning Commission and City Council the amendment will more likely require more than 60 days before it can be formally adopted. In the interim period, City enforcement staff has been instructed not to enforce Municipal Code section 10.188.050 (J) “Temporary Political Signs.”

Darby told the Visalia Times-Delta that “he doesn’t know the residents but supports them.”

“I won’t make any apologies for supporting the First Amendment,” he said. “The First Amendment trumps any city ordinance. I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, not a city ordinance,” Darby said.

District Attorney Tim Ward told the Visalia Times-Delta that the residents’ threat of a lawsuit was purely political and took advantage of

agreed to ask the school district for a reevaluation of the contract.

Zigler says the move will be no shock to Superintendent Thomas Rooney or the the LUSD Governing Board.

“Mr. Rooney is keenly aware of this,” Zigler said. “I’ve had this conversation with him many times.”

The city hopes to end its responsibility for installing and then maintaining turf and landscaping at Lindsay High School Stadium. It would allow staff to continue to lock and unlock the stadium for use during non-LUSD event, but not for free. City Hall plans to charge for the service.

Zigler will report back to the Council with any counter offer from the school district, he said. taxpayers, who would foot the bill for city lawyers to draft a new ordinance or fight the lawsuit. “‘My campaign has always maintained a philosophy of respecting the rules set forth by individual cities regarding signs…..I know my supporters in Tulare are ready to display signs, and April is right around the corner. As your district attorney, I know patience and cooperation will prevail,” Ward told the Visalia Times-Delta.

Melo was shocked that Ward came down on the side of the city.

She stated that Ward’s statements mirror the same arguments used to suppress the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement when Rosa Parks conducted her non-violent protest when she refused to sit at the back of the bus.

“Ward’s support for Tulare’s unconstitutional sign ordinance is justification not to return him to office,” said Melo.

Whether a voter supports Darby or Ward, Melo said that when an attorney sees something that is unconstitutional they should not sit idly by.

“When you hold the top legal office of the county you definitely do not support an unconstitutional ordinance. It shows contempt for the constitution,” said Melo.

struction company, Lim said.

“They’re ready to mobilize as soon as we pull the permits,” he added.

The Orosco Group is no stranger to Tulare County.

It is responsible for the Packwood Creek Shopping Center in South Visalia and is currently working on a project on the corner of Mooney Blvd. and Walnut Ave., having purchased the property and demolished the old Weatherby Furniture building.

It has hired BJ Perch Construction as the lead construction company for that development. That project is expected to be completely by late spring to early summer.

Valley Voice 15 March, 2018

7

AGRICULTURE

Golden West sophomore spreads Cows for Cures cause NANCY VIGRAN

nancy@ourvalleyvoice.com

Five years ago Kiersten Greeson was looking for a way to honor her hero, mentor and friend, dairyman Eddy Boertje.

Boertje had been diagnosed with blood cancer.

Struggling to find a way to help, Greeson, a young dairy exhibitor, started donating 10% of her 4-H heifer sales to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).

She subsequently started her project, Cows for Cures.

“He’s an inspiration to my campaign because he has never given up and he still goes out to the dairy every single day to work,” Greeson said.

Greeson has been showing dairy cattle for about eight of her 15 years.

Her family does not own a dairy, but she has a passion for cows and the dairy business.

At the recent Western Classic Dairy Show, Greeson not only had a couple

of her own Jersey heifers to show, but also a couple of Boertje’s Holsteins.

“Actually,” she said, “he gave them to me, but I show them in his name.”

Greeson has been nominated as a candidate for the LLS’s Student of the Year. With her Cows for Causes campaign she is in a seven-week competition to raise as much as she can for blood cancer research.

The competition with other high school students ends Friday, April 6.

She is the only South Valley student ever be nominated, she said.

The winner earns a scholarship toward college tuition.

“However, EVERYONE is a winner when cancer loses!” she states on her campaign flyer.

Greeson has set a rather lofty goal of $100,000.

She points out that 85% of funds raised goes toward research and affordable treatments, travel help, copay assistance and support services.

Greeson sees her future in the

Cows for Cures founder Kiersten Greeson, a sophomore at Golden West High School, promotes her cause everywhere she can. She is pictured here at the Western Classic Dairy Show seeking $1 donations. Nancy Vigran/Valley Voice

dairy business, “for sure.” She is happy to share that her friend, Boertje, is currently in remission.

To learn more about Cows for

Cures, visit the Cows for Cures Facebook page. To donate for Greeson’s campaign, go to www.events.lls.org/ cca/soyfresno2018/kgreeson

West Hills Coalinga Farm of the Future to host USDA Listening Session STAFF REPORTS West Hills Community College District will be hosting the only United States Department of Agriculture Listening Session west of the Mississippi River next week, March 20, at the West Hills College Coalinga Farm of the Future.

The event will be held on March 20 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the West Hills College Coalinga Farm of the Future, 31599 W. Gale Ave. in Coalinga,

CA. Registration is free and available at http://www.westhillscollege.com/ events/#!view/event/event_id/2354 The session will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education and rural broadband. The public is invited to participate in the Listening Session and express their views about the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education in Rural Communities and the role of broadband.

In 2017, Congress directed USDA Rural Development to develop an implementation plan for increasing rural access to education in STEM through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program, which is administered by the Rural Utilities Service Telecommunications Program.

USDA Rural Development is working to create a strategy for public-private partnerships to complete the connection of rural pre-K through grade 12, community/technical colleges, uni-

versities, and related organizations to high-speed, high capacity Internet to maximize the use of digital learning, especially in the deployment of curricula for STEM subjects most relevant to rural economies, such as agriculture, manufacturing, military, and business.

Each attendee will be given 5-7 minutes to discuss personal thoughts on STEM as it relates to this topic and present any proposals.

Nine California Farm Bureau members participate in leadership program STAFF REPORTS Intensive training on agricultural issues and leadership methods has begun for the nine members of the Leadership Farm Bureau Class of 2018.

The class was formally introduced during the annual California Farm Bureau Federation Leaders Conference in Sacramento last week.

Participants in the Leadership Farm Bureau program receive personal-development, teambuilding and communications training, and advocate on behalf of Farm Bureau in both Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Participants will learn about agricultural issues and make field-studies trips to both Northern and Southern California.

Sponsored by CFBF, the program includes seven sessions that involve more than 250 hours of training.

The LFB Class of 2018 includes: • Joseph Alexandre of Ferndale, a dairy farmer, CEO of the

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family dairy-products business and second vice president of the Humboldt County Farm Bureau; Brittney Blankenship of Visalia, program coordinator for the Tulare County Farm Bureau; Joe Ferrari of Linden, a walnut farmer and member of the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation board of directors; Rachael Fleming of Lodi, a program director for the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation; Brad Fowler of Penn Valley, a cattle rancher and president of the Nevada County Farm Bureau; Jason Gianelli of Bakersfield, a farm manager specializing in almonds and row crops, and a member of the Kern County Farm Bureau board of directors; Erin Johnson of Anderson, ex-

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ecutive director of the Shasta County Farm Bureau; Jessica Sweeten of Hilmar, a sales representative for an agricultural products company who is active in the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee; Taylor Zumstein of Fallbrook, owner of a breeding-sheep business and event and marketing coordinator for the San Diego County Farm Bureau.

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15 March, 2018 Valley Voice

8

District Attorney speaks regarding HCCA investigation TONY MALDONADO

tony@ourvalleyvoice.com

An investigation into Healthcare Conglomerate Associates’ (HCCA) conduct while managing Tulare Regional Medical Center (TRMC) continues, Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward told the public on March 6.

At a presentation before the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, Ward stated that his office’s involvement began in the summer of 2017, when the office attempted to force the Tulare Local Healthcare District board and the hospital’s former management company to recognize Senovia Gutierrez as a newly elected district board member.

It then served a search warrant on the Southern Inyo Hospital, also managed by HCCA, and has since expanded its work to include 15 search warrants served, with one served as far away as Michigan. “[This] will be the largest investigation ever undertaken by the district attorney’s office,” Ward told the board.

Ward made clear that his office’s investigation was not prompted by the Tower of Shame report released by the Tulare County Grand Jury in March, 2016.

The grand jurors in that case did not refer the case to his office, he said.

Four warrants were served at hospital locations — two at the Southern Inyo hospital, and two at TRMC. Nine have been served on financial institutions, including an accounting firm in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

“Travel so far — we’ve had three trips to Inyo County alone, Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Diego; working with our investigative partners from an outside agency, two trips to Orange County, for service of search warrants there,” Ward said.

The costs associated with travel and additional data storage needed during travel totaled, so far, nearly $15,000, he added.

“It’s a shame that the taxpayers are footing the bill here on charges in and out of court which lack foundation,” Marshall Grossman, an attorney for HCCA, told the Voice.

Outside Assistance

Two full-time forensic accountants from the California Department of Justice have contributed to the effort, and the FBI has assisted in “search warrant activities and investigation dealing with financial institutions,” Ward told the Voice.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has worked with the office from the outset of the investigation, Ward said, including in his office’s initial efforts to seat Gutierrez on the board.

“Mr. Becerra assigned us two full-

SOUTHERN INYO continued from 5

plementation team made to meet the specific needs of a rural, critical-access hospital. This will change for the better the way we provide care.”

“When [Electronic Health Record] projects are essentially driven by the vendor, they are less successful. Southern Inyo ensured their own success by engaging from start to finish,” Medsphere’s CEO, Irv Lichtenwald, said in the release.

Additionally, she claims HCCA

time accountants, and any investigative assistance that we’ve needed from his office, he’s been there,” Ward said.

“I cannot enfathom any situation where we’ve needed more from Mr. Becerra that he hasn’t provided us.”

Additionally, Ward stated that the United States Department of Justice is “monitoring” the process.

“Everything we’ve discovered appears to be a type of a crime that we would investigate, not the US Attorneys,” Ward added. “They’re really not involved.”

Investigative Resources

Nearly 2,400 hours Pete Vander Poel, Tulare County District 2 Supervisor, speaks to Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward during a March of staff time have been 6, 2018 Board of Supervisors meeting. Tony Maldonado/Valley Voice dedicated to the case, over 200,000 documents,” Ward said. Ms. Summers, that in no way will that and will likely end up 75-100% over the “From a budget aspect, this is going to case suffer from this,” Ward respondoffice’s budget in overtime costs. be very costly for us.” ed. “We have a full-time attorney as“One attorney has already spent That process is only the tip of the signed to that case, and a full-time inthe equivalent of 400 staff hours,” on iceberg — nearly 400 gigabytes of data vestigator as well.” the case, Ward said. was seized from computers and elecMany Tulare citizens spoke to the The evidence gathered, so far in- tronic devices in Tulare. supervisors, and Ward, as well. cludes, roughly 8 gigabytes of data “Experts estimate that it could be Dr. Patty Drilling-Phelps, a Tulare from the Southern Inyo Healthcare approximately 20 million pages of dentist, spoke regarding some of the District; thumbdrives, computers, cell information,” Ward said. “If we put a challenges surrounding reopening phones, hard drives, and “several box- person behind a desk and he or she the hospital. es of documents” in Tulare. Four box- reads two pages or two emails a minDrilling-Phelps is a member of Cites of documents were seized from the ute, that’s roughly 1,000 pages in an izens for Hospital Accountability, the Michigan accountant. eight hour day — that’s 20,000 eight- group which challenged HCCA’s manOne search conducted in Novem- hour days that would be needed to agement of the hospital. ber took “well over 33 hours straight,” complete, or one person working “The hospital board cannot speak a prior statement from the DA’s of- eight hours a day for 76 years.” to this, but as a concerned citizen and fice claimed.

“Now, remember that two teams healthcare provider, I can. Dr. BenAdditionally, 57 bags of shredded have to review the data to satisfy the zeevi could release the lien on Evoludocuments were also recovered — privacy requirements,” Ward said. tions any day, but the district needs each estimated to have 5,000 pages — Ward said that a significant capital to reopen through potential totalling an estimated 285,000 pages amount of data could be whittled loans, and collateral is not available at of documents. down electronically by using an in- this time,” she said.

Many of the seized documents dependent forensic analyst to search “Benzeevi filed a lien on Evolulikely contain doctor-patient and at- for, and automatically filter out, data tions gym right before the closure of torney-client privileged information, from the district and HCCA’s different the hospital. That’s going to take time Ward said, requiring a special proce- law firms. in court to resolve.” dure to ensure that those documents Even with the data narrowed, Dr. Benny Benzeevi is the are not used in the investigation.

Ward said several investigative inter- CEO of HCCA. Documents from the Tulare war- views would need to be conducted afDeanne Martin-Soares, a former rants were recently released to the ter data was analyzed.

Tulare Local Healthcare District board DA’s office, and an agreed-upon solu“Our office has every available re- member and member of Citizens for tion will be followed by the office: a source committed to see this to a con- Hospital Accountability, also spoke in separate team of investigators — one clusion,” Ward said. support of Ward’s investigation. supervising, and three additional “I can only imagine the cost of — will begin working independentthis investigation, because it’s long Public Reaction ly from the criminal investigation overdue, and I’m assuming that it’s exCindy Summers, the District Manteam to separate any attorney-client tremely complicated,” she said. “There or doctor-patient privileged informa- ager for the Visalia Public Cemetery has been corruption in this public ention from information seized at the District, asked the supervisors to in- tity for at least 10 years.” crease the District Attorney’s office hospitals.

“The importance of completing “At the hospital search warrant budget to ensure that any work relat- this process is essential. What will be down in Tulare, which are the doc- ing to investigating embezzlement discovered is going to be in the caliber uments only recently released to us from the cemetery continues unham- of what shows like ‘American Greed’ — that team spent, in one weekend, pered by Tulare.

“I assure this board and I assure are all about,” she added. over 13 hours of time reviewing well

failed to oversee the hospital’s transition from its former patient billing software, Healthland, to a new billing system, Medworxs.

“HCCA did not manage or oversee billing software conversion from Healthland to Medworxs; and, as a result, accurate accounts receivable information was not available, leading to overstated and inaccurate accounts receivable in the millions of dollars,” Hickman wrote.

Southern Inyo’s situation with accounts receivable mirrors the situation at Tulare.

Dan Heckathorne, the Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Tulare district, stated that the company discovered “millions of dollars’ worth” of payments that had been delivered to the hospital, but not accurately reflected on patients’ accounts.

“There were payments that came in previously — the cash had came into the bank, but the payments weren’t posted onto the patients’ bills,” Heckathorne said.

At a Southern Inyo board meeting in August, numerous issues were raised by staff members regarding the

status of the hospital’s IT projects.

“Mr. Burgess provided an update on MedWorxs implementation.

He emphasized that I.T. is currently working collaboratively with MedWorxs and the clinical team at SIHD to provide solutions to the issues that have been raised,” the August board minutes read.

Minutes from a September board meeting indicated that “107 issues” were found with the hospital’s implementation of the MedWorxs system, some of which related to billing, and others to training.

Valley Voice 15 March, 2018

ARCO

9

Out of Step

continued from 1 Convention Center. A capacity crowd is expected to attend.

Battle Plans

Not willing to wait, the anti-ARCO group has held weekly meetings for several months to plan its strategy, and in February they played host to Visalia Mayor Warren Gubler.

Gubler got a tour of the proposed construction site and surrounding neighborhood, as well as an earful of complaints.

“I came because I wanted to listen tonight. This has not reached the Council, so I have not studied this,” Gubler told the group. “At some point, I suspect it will come before the Council, so really I just want to hear what the neighborhood concerns are.”

The list of the group’s concerns is long and detailed.

Primary among them are the facility’s size, the traffic, noise and light pollution it will create.

Truck Stop?

Those opposing the ARCO also fear Chandi Group isn’t being entirely honest about how it will do business should the facility be built.

They say insiders have tipped them off the developers plan to use the site for fleet refueling and to service large semi-trailer trucks from nearby large businesses such as Walmart, Target and Costco.

“This will actually be the largest truck stop in Visalia,” said Robin Hernandez, a leader in the effort to stop the construction. “There is no other that is larger.”

The anti-ARCO group had attempted to negotiate directly with Chandi Group to address their concerns, but communications faltered when the developers learned they had consulted an attorney. Chandi Group has now resumed discussions.

An email from Chandi spokesman Tom Freeman sent to the group denies any plan to service semi-trailer trucks at the site.

“Additionally, we clarified for the city and public, this has never been a site proposed for a truck stop,” Freeman wrote.

REMARKS continued from 1

other matter, Harrell took a seat at the back of the auditorium, where he was sitting when Jones asked him to comment on the current state of TRMC. “I didn’t even realize he was talking to me until the person next to me said, ‘Hey, I think he’s talking to you,’” Harrell said.

Harrell responded, but was interrupted by Jones.

“I was cut off by the mayor, who asked, ‘Is there a projected date at all?’

My response was no,” Harrell said.

“Further on, when I was discussing it further I said, ‘We are that hoping that [reopening TRMC] tentatively maybe in January is what we’re shooting for,’ as far as opening the hospital.”

Harrell says Jones demanded a guess, then distorted the answer he was given.

“This was solicited by the mayor,” Harrell said. “I’ve been very cautious since I’ve been on the Board. I never give a definite date.”

‘Police Situation’

Harrell says he attended the De-

The size of the proposed ARCO isn’t the group’s only concern. The nature of the business, they say, goes against the grain, spoiling more than four decades of city planning.

The document submitted by Chandi Group is full of errors and pitfalls, the group contends.

“We have the entire 146-page document that has been submitted and we have gone through it ad nauseam,” Hernandez said.

The plan, the group contends, would fundamentally change the feel of their relatively quiet neighborhood. The gas station--which will be surrounded on three sides by newly-constructed, high-end homes-would become the 19th alcohol sales point within a mile of the intersection of West and Caldwell.

Demons in the Details

Mistakes and inaccuracies are rife in planning documents, according to the anti-ARCO faction, and Chandi Group misstates the impact its facility will have on the neighborhood.

Chandi Group’s original sound study was inaccurate, reporting the neighborhood was experiencing a higher level of background noise pollution than is actually present.

Chandi Group has submitted a new sound study for city review, but those opposed to the gas station say there is a similar problem with its light pollution study.

“The calculation by Chandi Group that has been submitted to the Planning Commission is actually inaccurate,” Hernandez said. “They have used the wrong measurements.”

The ARCO station’s future neighbors fear the excessive lighting used at fueling stations will create an invasive light dome over their homes, especially if the station is open around the clock.

They also say the presence of fuel storage tanks will prevent some residents in close proximity from getting FHA insurance for their mortgages.

And, the anti-ARCO group still believes refueling of fleet vehicles is planned for the site, as well as showers, a feature of many truck stops.

They also say the ARCO will increase crime in their neighborhood.

cember council meeting to address the “police situation,” referring to the suspension of three Tulare Police Department officers, including Chief Wes Hensley.

Previously, Jones had been accused of making inappropriate, perhaps illegal remarks about the officers and the investigation into the behavior that led to the suspensions, including remarks made during a local radio show.

Harrell, meanwhile, has been a very vocal supporter of Hensley. He also believes the suspensions are harming the TPD’s effectiveness.

Hensley is a former member of the department.

“I was involved in Wes’s hiring.

You couldn’t ask for a more straight up guy than Wes Hensley,” he said.

“My big thing is what this is doing to the department.”

Jones Hangs Up

Jones, who has frequently been outspoken, has taken another tack with the press this time. When reached by telephone for comment for this article by the Valley Voice, Jones hung up.

Chandi Group Responds

While Chandi Group wasn’t talking publicly about its intentions for several months, it kept abreast of the concerns the facility created, and has made several concessions and changes to the development.

“A noise study has been supplied to the city as well. This is a new study and is a credible account of that teams findings,” Chandi Group’s spokesman wrote in an email to the anti-ARCO group. “We have worked diligently to reduce our lighting footprint and fully comply with the cities lighting regulations.”

Significantly, the proposed fueling station will not operate on a 24-hour basis, Chandi Group says.

“We also reduced our hours of operation, restricted fuel delivery to the store, specified we use state of the art fuel vapor recovery systems for automobiles and light pick up trucks, and the same can be said for the fuel delivery vehicle,” according to Freeman’s email.

Chandi Group is also taking steps to minimize noise and crime.

“We added a sound wall to address your concerns and completely changed the direction of our proposed car wash,” the Chandi email states. “We have also pledged to work closely with the police department, county sheriff, and district attorney to ensure the safety of our community, customers, and public. Our building and grounds are designed with prevention in mind.”

Neighbors Not Satisfied

Hernandez believes the concessions from Chandi Group may only be a delaying tactic. She insists a plan is still in the works to bring commercial refueling to her neighborhood.

“We have been told--again by someone who is close to this information--one of the ways they plan to make money off of this in a residential area is by selling fleet accounts,” she said.

“That’s going to greatly increase what would already be a traffic problem.”

Hernandez’s tipster also says a set of showers is still in the works.

“They said if they don’t have the showers, and it passes through the Planning Commission and the City Council, in less than a year showers will be put in,” Hernandez said.

He has also refused to speak to other reporters from the Valley Voice.

He had previously agreed to make himself available at any time, and has repeatedly promised transparency at City Hall.

Chance to Make Amends

With a pair of recordings proving he never gave Jones a date for the reopening of TRMC, making it impossible for him to have lied about it to the City Council, Harrell would like an apology from Jones.

“If I misspeak, I will be the first one to stand here and apologize and offer my hand,” he told the council at the February 20 meeting. “I’ve been accused of lying. Am I going to be shown that same respect by the mayor?”

Harrell says his previous relationship with Jones was amicable, and he’s puzzled what motivated the mayor to make his remarks.

“If I see him at the gym, I shake his hand and say hi,” Harrell said. “I don’t know why he said the things he said.”

Jones and TRMC

Jones has a long history when it

A lack of details about the plumbing at the facility, she says, is a tip-off.

“We can see stall, stall, stall, where you might have the showers, but where’s the plumbing?” she asked.

Conditions and Restrictions Mayor Gubler said many of the group’s concerns--once presented to the Planning Commission at the April 9 hearing--could be addressed with conditional-use permits that limit how Chandi Group can operate.

“The Planning Commission they can probably put some restrictions on that if Chandi doesn’t like he can appeal, and if you don’t like you can appeal to the Council,” Gubler said. “The City Council, likewise, has the discretion to put on restrictions.”

An ARCO station constructed on Dinuba Boulevard and similar to the one proposed on Caldwell had negative impacts on the surrounding neighborhood, with the owners violating terms of their conditional operating permit. The City Council stepped in.

“After a certain hour, all they could have was the little AM/PM logo lit up.

It came before us because they didn’t meet that condition or criteria,” the mayor said. “They were leaving the lights on, so it came to us somehow.”

Project to Proceed

While Chandi Group is now talking again--and has agreed to make what appear to be substantive changes to their plans--they won’t consider moving their project to another location elsewhere in the city. “(Chandi Group’s owner) directed these changes, in good faith, to address concerns we learned of while reading newspaper reports,” the email from Chandi Group states. “While we made the above changes we will not be able to meet your demands to move the project.”

They are also asking their reluctant would-be neighbors to have faith in their good intentions.

“You have my word that we will be good neighbors and present the community with a project we can all be proud of provided we are approved to proceed,” Freeman wrote on behalf of Chandi Group. “We respect your right to share your concerns and hope that our efforts in this matter are appreciated.”

comes to the controversy surrounding TLHCD and TRMC. When the previous board replaced the hospital’s medical executive committee in a possibly illegal action, Jones added his signature to a letter defending the behavior. Jones has been accused of taking political donations from members of TRMC’s previous management team, and he refused to support a letter from the City Council calling for an audit of TLHCD. The mayor previously stated repeatedly that members of the City Council should not interfere in the business of other local boards, citing that reasoning for not requesting a state audit of TRMC. Harrell doesn’t believe Jones takes personal accountability now for his incorrect and inappropriate remarks, or issue an apology.

“I don’t believe he will,” he said.

Harrell, however, is sticking to his guns, remaining optimistic and elusive about when TRMC will reopen its doors to patients.

“If you ask me today when we’re going to open, I’d say next month,” he said. “If you asked me in December, I’d say January.”

15 March, 2018 Valley Voice

10

EDUCATION

New president/superintendent named at College of the Sequoias TONY MALDONADO

tony@ourvalleyvoice.com

Brent Calvin is College of the Sequoias’ new president, the college’s board announced March 6.

Calvin will take the official role of superintendent/president, overseeing the operations of the Sequoias Community College District and its campuses in Visalia, Hanford, and Tulare.

Calvin has worked at the College of the Sequoias for 16 years, and previously served as an interim superintendent/president in 2011, until the hiring of Stan Carrizosa, the college’s current leader. He currently serves as the COS’s Vice President of Student Services.

Board members praised Calvin after their pick was announced.

“I have spent a lot of time on this board, and have watched you move through the ranks. You have done so many great things at our college, so I know that will continue,” Lori Cardoza, a College of the Sequoias board member, said.

Calvin said that he believes his time at the college has afforded him a unique perspective.

“I think I do have a unique perspective at the College of the Sequoias -- first because I’ve worked here as long as I have. That is fairly unusual in our

system, for someone to work at an institution for 16 years, then serve as the superintendent/president,” Calvin said at the March 6 board meeting in which his appointment was announced.

According to a biography provided by the college, Calvin earned a Business Administration Bachelor of Arts degree from CSU Fullerton, a Master’s in Business Administration from CSU Dominguez Hills, and a Master’s in Education Leadership from Northcentral University.

During a forum held for the college’s presidential finalists, Calvin explained that he fell into his position after leaving private industry.

Calvin previously owned an engineering firm in Southern California which he sold to URS Corporation, a San Francisco-based engineering and construction firm. Part of the sale was a noncompete agreement which prevented him from working in any of the industries that URS participated in for five years.

After receiving an opportunity to work at College of the Sequoias, Calvin said that he promised to work for the college for five years -- but expected to return to private industry. It didn’t work out that way for him.

“I got out on this campus, I fell in

Brent Calvin is College of the Sequoias’ new President/Superintendent. Calvin has worked at the college for 16 years. Tony Maldonado/Valley Voice

love with our students, I fell in love with my coworkers -- I fell in love with the entire environment of the College of the Sequoias, and I knew within a month that I was going to be here longer than five years,” Calvin said.

“I want to be a leader that you’ll be proud to have represent you, the leader that you can count on to understand the topics that face our district and be able to take a lead in addressing them; and, third, and most importantly, a superintendent that always makes student success a priority,” Calvin said at

the forum.

Calvin’s contract, which was unanimously approved by the district’s board, calls for a three-year term.

During that term, Calvin would receive a $225,000 per year salary, according to the document.

The college was assisted in the search process by two outside contractors -- Community College Search Services and Dr. Eva Conrad -- in addition to faculty, staff, management, and community members that served on multiple interview panels.

Visalia students earn top honors in team Junior High Decathlon KELLI TOLEDO On March 3, students from Tulare and Kings Counties competed in the Diocese of Fresno’s 22nd Annual Catholic Schools Academic Junior High Decathlon. Students from the Catholic School of Visalia’s George McCann Memorial in Visalia, St. Anne Catholic School in Porterville, and Mary Immaculate Queen Catholic School in Lemoore were included.

The annual event, for students in grades 6-8, was held at Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield. Students from 10 additional schools located between Merced and Bakersfield also participated.

The competition involved 10 events for team and individual competitions. Two were collaborative team efforts – a logic quiz with 20 rigorous thinking problems and a super quiz with 50 multiple choice questions on five broad academic themes. The remaining eight events tested individual knowledge of the Roman Catholic

doctrine, English, literature, science, mathematics, current events, social studies and fine arts (art and music).

Teachers, parents and staff mentor students and work together for months to prepare for the contest.

This year, the group of 10 students representing the Catholic School of Visalia’s George McCann Memorial took top honors overall in the team competition for the first time. Records dating back to 1997 show that this win puts Visalia in an elite group with past local winners, including St. Aloysius Catholic School in Tulare (1998) and St. Anne Catholic School in Porterville (2000 and 2007). St. Francis Catholic School in Bakersfield, placed second overall in this year’s competition.

The winning team members from Visalia include: Tyler Barnes, Luke Boken, Eileen Fiss, Citlali Gomez, Ashlyn Medrano, Kari Pendegraft, Kate Richardson, Natalia Rodriguez, Holly Toomey and Tong Yi. Kayla Barnes served as the alternate. The team also placed 2nd

Members of Catholic School of Visalia’s George McCann Memorial in Visalia took the overall team academic decathlon competition during the junior high competition in Bakersfield. The team advances to the state finals to be held the end of April in San Diego. Courtesy/Kelli Toledo

in logic and 3rd in super quiz. Team members recognized in the individual competition were Eileen Fiss, who placed 1st in science, and Tong Yi, who placed 3rd in math.

The Visalia team advances to the state competition April 28 in San Diego

at Cathedral Catholic High School. The team will compete against winning teams from throughout California, including those from the Diocese of Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernadino, San Diego, Santa Rosa and San Francisco.

Science Olympiad finalists named for High/Jr. High; elementary to compete STAFF REPORTS Science Olympiad tournaments are rigorous academic competitions consisting of a series of individual and team events. These events encompass the science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics and technology. There is also a balance between science facts, processes, skills and applications. Locally, hundreds of students competed in the annual regional competitions. The Science Olympiad is divided into three divisions: Division A (grades 3 – 6); Division B (grades 6 – 9); and Division C (grades 9 – 12).

The Divisions B and C Competition (for middle and high school students) were held on the Mission Oak High School campus in Tulare on March 3.

More than 400 students competed on 19 middle and 16 high school teams. Stu-

dents from sixth through twelfth grades will be building bridges, launching rockets and gilders, piloting robotic vehicles, solving crimes, designing experiments and participating in a variety of engaging scientific explorations. Individual and team awards are presented, with the top four schools advancing to the NorCal State Science competition.

In the Division B Category, the winners advancing to the state Norcal Science Olympiad next month at CSU Stanislaus are teams from: • First Place - Jefferson Charter Academy, Hanford • Second Place - Ridgeview Middle School, Visalia • Third Place - Oak Grove Elementary, Visalia • Fourth Place - Sequoia Union School, Lemon Cove In the Division C Category (High

School), the winners advancing to the state Norcal Science Olympiad next month at CSU Stanislaus are teams from: • First Place - Tulare Union High School, Tulare • Second Place - Redwood High School, Visalia • Fourth Place - Exeter Union High School, Exeter • Fifth Place - Mission Oak High School, Tulare Note that Tulare Union also had the third-place team, but - per Science Olympiad rules - can only take one team to the state finals. Therefore, the fifth-place team from Mission Oak High School became eligible to attend the Norcal Science Olympiad.

Division A (for elementary school students) will be held at Mission Oak High School on Saturday, April 28. Students from third through sixth grades

will be building circuits, testing the elasticity of “gunk,” dropping eggs to see if they survive, launching catapults and participating in fun-filled science activities. The Division A event begins with individual competitions at 9am.

Individual and team awards will be presented at approximately 1:15pm in the gymnasium.

“Science Olympiad competitions demand a great deal of preparation,” said Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak. “We appreciate the coaches and parents who help prepare students for these events.”

Science Olympiad is an international non-profit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers.

Valley Voice 15 March, 2018

VOICES & OPINIONS Use your voice by commenting at ourvalleyvoice.com or email editor@ourvalleyvoice.com

Ward has experience, knowledge for DA job DAVE ALAVEZOS When looking at a candidate for a particular job it is always a good idea to consider his or her skill set, work product and experience. Tim Ward is up for re-election eighteen years after his first assignment as a Tulare County Deputy DA. During his career he was the rural crimes prosecutor, career criminal prosecutor, violent crimes prosecutor, gang task force coordinator, assistant district attorney, and current elected district attorney.

He comes with a track record and I have worked with him the entire time.

Mr. Ward was assigned a number of homicide cases while on the violent crimes team.

Mr. Ward tried three murder cases over a period of 14 months prior to becoming a supervisor, after his promotion he completed three more, all resulting in first degree murder verdicts; five resulted in life without the possibility of parole, the sixth was sentenced to life.

All of Mr. Ward’s cases have been upheld on appeal and were not with the assistance of co-counsel.

Mr. Ward supervised the Juvenile and Porterville teams prior to becoming the administration operations supervisor where he coordinated the move to the paperless filing system we use today.

As Assistant District Attorney, Mr. Ward was responsible for budget and personnel matters.

After accepting the appointment to District Attorney, Tim Ward started making improvements adding to our victim assistance staff for underserved, prioritizing the protection of our most vulnerable victims with the creation of a Crimes Against Children division and the creation of the Human Trafficking Task Force. This track record demonstrates that Tim Ward has the experience and management skills necessary to lead the office.

Briefly I wish to address the endorsements provided by Retired Judge Broadman and Former DA Richmond.

“

Neither has any actual knowledge of Darby’s work experience as both left office well before Darby even entered law school; Richmond in 1986 (Darby would have been in grade school) and Broadman in 1999. When Mr. Richmond left Tulare County there were just over 20 deputies; currently our office has 65 attorneys and a total staff of some 200 employees including investigators, IT specialists, victim advocates, witness coordinators, subpoena servers, paralegals, other support specialists, and a budget in the millions. Of particular interest is Mr. Richmond’s failure to mention his Alpine County experience started with an appointment, exactly what he criticized Ward over, as the sole attorney in the office.

I wrote a lengthy opinion piece which the Valley Voice posted February 13, 2018, that was too long for publication so here are some brief thoughts regarding Darby’s campaign platform: I He claims he will try cases as the elected: In response I ask, “would anyone expect a police chief to go out on patrol, Bill Gates to write code, or the Attorney General to grab an appellate file and start writing the response brief?”

II He claims he will insure large donors do not influence investigations: We know he accepts large money donations from his financial reporting, what we don’t know is how he will act if one of his donors find themselves afoul of the law. Mr. Ward has proven he will act, and has in the TRMC matter to the tune of 3,000 hours of investigator’s time so far and approaching $200,000 spent in salary, travel, material expenditures and overtime costs in response to actions that were clearly designed to invalidate a lawful election; and an investigation that started well before Darby threw his hat into the ring.

III He claims he will double the number of gang prosecutors using existing resources: I challenge him to let us know how many gang prosecutors there are in our office, the office he claims he can manage (hint: if consolidated in Visalia they would be the largest team in the office). So, where exactly

Blind faith like Pat’s is what got us into this mess in the first place. Asking the board questions is certainly not negativity, Pat! Wipli says they are not getting paid. The recent statements indicate significant payments to “consultants”. The numbers point to interim manager fees that approach the ridiculous fees granted by HCCA. Its true there is never much incentive for an interim manager to do much of anything let alone upset the applecart. Thats why there are still cronys around including employee cronys doing what, exactly? Calibrating equipment?

The board needs to explain this in the next meeting.

The board could hire their own experienced CEO for a fraction of the fees paid to wipli and that person could be incentivized to clean house and hire their own local manager team.

You people want to blame the old board till the cows come home. They did a horrible job and should be publicly shamed but whats done is done, you wont get money out of them to rebuild the hospital. And probably not Benny either for that matter. At the end of the day he will probably need to be paid off to go away too. Where is this cash gonna come from? This is not a good public asset and privatization should be front and center on the table.

— perpetualcrisis on DA provides update on HCCA

”

is Darby going to pull the additional deputies using “existing resources”?

Nothing is free, so in order to utilize existing resources he will have to take from other units. What positions will be lost to make this move; child abuse prosecutions, human trafficking, rape, white collar, welfare fraud, General felonies (we have only six deputies prosecuting general felonies in Visalia so they can’t all come from here). Also, we hear from county wide law enforcement officials that gang crimes dropped significantly following the 2015 arrest of 80 gang members in the largest gang sweep in the history of Tulare County which begs the question, “[D]oes he even have a grasp of where prosecutors are needed?”

IV He claims he will have a dedicated a major narcotic prosecutor stating that he was the last such prosecutor in that assignment in our county: First of all, in the two and a half years Mr. Darby held the assignment he only took one major narcotic case to trial (much better than the record of ZERO domestic violence homicide trials in the 16 months he was in that assignment).

Perhaps Darby is unaware of recent changes in the case law taking away almost all sentencing enhancements that were used to send major narcotic offenders to state prison instead of local jail. Also, it is very doubtful Darby is aware of the drug trafficking wiretaps Mr. Ward has authorized and signed which removed 213 pounds of methamphetamine, 19.4 pounds of cocaine and 12 pounds of heroin from our community from 2015 through 2017. Note: our office has a long history of working with drug court and other community programs for those who seek help with their drug additions.

Mr. Ward as a supervisor, gang coordinator, assistant district attorney and now Elected District Attorney has the experience and knowledge necessary for the job. Darby, without any management experience as a prosecutor, does not.

Dave Alavezos, Assistant District Attorney, County of Tulare

“

Voice article “mud-slinging” against Nunes, reader says CHRIS TELFER

I thoroughly enjoy reading the Valley Voice and have long held it as a valuable source of local news, despite its often left-leaning perspective in many columns and articles. It provides a refreshing look at local and state issues.

However, when I picked up the February 1st edition, I couldn’t help but sit in utter disbelief when reading Dave Adalian’s piece on Congressman Nunes’ purported “controversy over memo release.”

The hyperbolic rhetoric of the so-called “news article” was nothing more than a pathetic hit piece on our Congressman.

It was so blatantly slanted and offbase that it could have been written by Nunes’ opponent himself. The notion that Nunes’ actions somehow “derails congress, the press, and all of us as citizens from focusing on all that does need the country’s attention and solutions” sounds like a good talking point to the left, but it is nothing more than that.

The fact of the matter is that Russia likely engaged in electoral interference in the 2016 US Presidential Election.

Punitive economic sanctions were levied to punish them for this. Another fact is Congressman Nunes is working to expose folks in our own government that do not have our best interests as their motivation.

I applaud him for his bravery. Over the course of his Congressional career, Nunes has fought for the people of Tulare County and the central valley, recently playing an integral role in overhauling our antiquated tax code and lowering taxes for the vast majority of his constituents, something he has worked towards for a long time and will help the folks who need it most.

His record of undying support for San Joaquin Valley farmers and our local agricultural economy is a cornerstone of his career, and will not be tarnished by the mud-slinging of the Valley Voice.

It is my hope that in the future, Dave Adalian sticks to the facts when writing about our Congressman, and not on speculation, hyperbole, and poll numbers provided by his opponent.

Oh I love reading these posts. Mostly from Never Trumpers and democrats and Visalia dwellers, oops same thing. I will continue to support Devin with time and money. I agree with everything he’s done so far. He said in an interview last week that he’s learned to identify when he’s on target by the way the left turns into crazy pants. That is obvious on this site. I have not enjoyed politics so much in many a year, and I’m 72. Carry on Devin, when they all act like their hair is on fire…you are doing your job.

— Helen Souza on Nunes’ opposition gaining ground

“ “

11

Jones, Castellanoz and Carlini all have a connection to Benzeevi. He is a bad virus that won’t go away!

— grandma on Legal problems piling up for Tulare officials

” ”

EH, I find your negative comments very offensive! As a previous employee since 1986, I am so thankful for the new board who have gone “above & beyond” to work through all the mess the previous board created! I don’t think you have any idea of the scope of problems facing this board because of the old board & HCCA! I am so thankful they cared enough about the hospital & this community to disrupt their own lives & work as hard as they are to reopen our hospital! It will open again because of the hard work of these dedicated citizens!

— Pat Pierce on DA provides update on HCCA

”

12

BRIEFLY VALADAO INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO FORCE IMMIGRATION VOTE ON HOUSE FLOOR

U.S. Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-21) joined with Congressman Jeff Denham (CA-10) to introduce a resolution to force the House of Representatives to vote on critical immigration provisions.

The resolution, a Queen-of-the Hill rule, allows multiple debates and votes on different immigration proposals.

In this case, the resolution allows for four separate substitute amendments to H.R. 4760, the Securing America’s Future Act of 2018.

“For far too long, Congress has failed to act to provide DACA recipients with the certainty they deserve,”

LEGAL PROBLEMS continued from 4

redactions have been made pursuant to California Government Code Section 6254(k), which does not require the disclosure of records in the event that the disclosure of those records “is exempted or prohibited pursuant to federal or state law, including, but not limited to, provisions of the Evidence Code relating to privilege.”

In this case “many” actually meant “all.”

Everything was redacted from copies of all billings – all billings that had itemization that is.

According to California Legislative Information, exemptions may include references to litigation and personnel

15 March, 2018

stated Congressman Valadao. He continued, “This Queen-of-the-Hill rule allows Members to do what they were elected to do - vote on critical legislation that impacts each and every one of our constituents. I look forward to voting in support of DACA recipients who contribute so much to our communities.”

said Gubler. “Having the support law enforcement’s leadership throughout the entire county shows they have confidence in me to work with them in keeping our communities safe.”

The Association is comprised of police chiefs and the leadership of law enforcement departments throughout our entire county.

SEIU ENDORSES JANZ IN CA22

On March 8, Warren Gubler announced that he had received the endorsement of the Tulare County Chiefs Association for his election as State Assembly District 26.

“I am extremely pleased and honored to receive the endorsement by the Tulare County Chiefs Association,”

“I’m honored to have the support of SEIU California, an organization of 700,000 working people here in the Central Valley and across the state.

SEIU members share the goals that I’ve pledged to fight for in Washington: quality health care for all, protecting all Californians regardless of immigration status, and building a just society that stands against hate and intolerance,” Janz said.

matters, among other things. However, it does not imply everything.

In matters such as document review, public improvements, property accusation or disposal, and more performed by the city attorneys, much of these should be open to public records without call for redaction. Apparently, however, she citing “privilege.”

Section 6254(k) states - Records, the disclosure of which is exempted or prohibited pursuant to federal or state law, including, but not limited to, provisions of the Evidence Code relating to privilege.

Goyette & Associates, per its contract with the city, is paid a flat rate of $30,000 per month. The lead attorney is designated as Phillips, with Tobias designated as an assistant. The copies sent to the Voice in response to

its PRA request for copies of attorney billings, showed no itemization of work performed since the formal contract began.

A second request was made on February 8 asking for copies of itemized billings believed to be later received by the city, from the law firm. The revised documents were received by the Voice on March 6. While dates, amount of time worked and by whom were left intact, all subject matter was redacted.

A similar request was made by the Voice to the City of Visalia for billing by the firm Peltzer & Richardson, for the month of January. Peltzer & Richardson is also paid a flat monthy rate - $42,000/month. This PRA response showed few redactions – only those of occasional names or companies.

GUBLER RECIEVES ENDORSEMENT FROM CHIEFS

Valley Voice

KAWEAH DELTA AWARDED JOINT COMMISSION ADVANCED CERTIFICATION AS PRIMARY STROKE CENTER

The certification, which is The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers, was awarded after Kaweah Delta underwent a rigorous onsite review by The Joint Commission.

“Kaweah Delta has thoroughly demonstrated the greatest level of commitment to the care of stroke patients through its Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “We commend Kaweah Delta for becoming a leader in stroke care.”

According to Lampe, he has sent a copy of the paperwork of the second suit to city staff and city council, as council had complained learning of the first suit through the media.

In response to an interview request regarding the law suits, Lampe said he would make only one other statement.

“The level of transparency of the City of Tulare is pretty darn low.”

An attempt to reach Tulare city officials has gone unanswered. Mayor Carlton Jones once again hung up on this reporter. Vice Mayor Maritsa Catellanoz has not responded to phone calls. The assistant attorney, Tobias, said there was no comment at this time.

VALLEYSCENE 15 March, 2018

TULARE ATHLETES HONORED

page B7

ourvalleyvoice.com

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at Lindsay Theater STAFF REPORTS The Lindsay Community Theater proudly presents “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” based on the book by Ken Kesey. Show dates are March 16, 17, 23, and 24 at 7:30pm and March 18 at 2pm. Tickets are $10 for Adults and $5 for students. This play is for mature audiences and contains adult themes.

Get tickets at lindsaycommunitytheater.com. For more information call 284-2223. Lindsay Community Theater is located at 190 N. Elmwood in the heart of downtown Lindsay.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is the story of Randall P. McMurphy, a rambunctious character who gets himself committed to the hospital to get out of working on the County Work Farm. He was serving a short sentence in the county jail for fighting. Upon his arrival he meets the other patients on the ward, Harding (Mike Newman), Cheswick (Jim Keeton), Scanlon (Dennis Medders), Billy Bibbit (Jessie Dugan), and Martini (Pedro Nava). These men are the “acutes,” supposedly curable patients.

Also on the ward are the “chron-

ics,” supposedly incurable patients.

One is Ruckley (Steve Ross) who stands against a window with his arms outstretched most of the time, as if crucified. The other is Chief “Broom” Bromden (Jeremy Waterman), who pretends to be deaf and mute to escape the notice of the world. He is often harassed by the two ward Aides, Williams (Glen Lilly) and Warren (Mike Caskin), who keep him busy sweeping by giving him a broom.

McMurphy soon runs up against the Big Nurse Ratched (Nancy Wills), who runs the ward and keeps the patients on a tight leash. She is assisted in her tasks by Nurse Flinn (Jennifer Keeton), Nurse Jenkins (Elizabeth Johnson), and Dr. Spivey (Jim Kliegl).

During her daily group meetings Ratched “picks” at each man’s weakness, trying to get them to break down.

During his first meeting, McMurphy clashes with Ratched about what she is doing to the men. He describes her tactics to the other patients as a “pecking party” where each person in turn is picked on by the others.

LINDSAY continued on B6 »

Gabrielle Trapse, a freshman at Tulare Union High School, won the annual Poetry Out Loud competition. She will represent Tulare County at the state competition in Sacramento this month. Courtesy/TCOE

Poetry Out Loud champion heads to state STAFF REPORTS “When I am so small Da’s sock covers my arm, we cruise at twilight until we find the place the real men lean, bloodshot and translucent with cool,” begins Terrance Hayes’ 2010 poem The Golden Shovel. The image in this mysterious poem was made all the more intriguing by the young woman who recited it. Gabrielle Trapse, a freshman at Tulare Union High School, delivered it at the third annual Poetry Out Loud event like a seasoned jazz artist, pacing and coloring each verse with great affect.

“The power of Poetry Out Loud exists in its simplicity,” said Kate Stover, Poetry Out Loud (POL) project coordinator. “Unlike the other performing arts, Poetry Out Loud features no costumes, props, sets or instruments.

The magic lies in the students’ ability to interpret the meaning or convey the nuances of a poem using only

their voice.”

Garbrielle’s masterful interpretation of Terrance Hayes’ poem and two other pieces won her first place in the annual event and the opportunity to represent Tulare County at the California POL State Finals in Sacramento March 18 and 19. Rebecca Keele, a sophomore at Porterville High School and the 2017 Tulare County POL champion, was selected as this year’s runner-up.

Poetry Out Loud is open to high school students throughout the county. “The program is a natural extension of our Poetry & Prose oral interpretation event, which has been enjoyed by elementary and middle school students for over 30 years,” said Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak. This year, five Tulare County high schools participated in the competition. Approximately

POETRY continued on B6 »

Manager Henry Leon sits behind the wheel of one of the cars currently available at the Visalia Rescue Mission’s new thrift project, Mission Motors. Nancy Vigran/Valley Voice

Visalia Rescue Mission enhances thrift business by offering passenger vehicles NANCY VIGRAN Through the years, the Visalia Rescue Mission (VRM) has received a lot of thrift items for recycling, from clothes to kitchen items, furniture to toys, and even some cars. Wait – cars? Last year VRM received and sold some 20 automotive vehicles. This, with discussion through conferences with similar non-profits providing a thrift service to the community, got Henry Leon, and others thinking.

Why not promote vehicles on a regular basis? Mission Motors was born.

Its mission - Driving the ministry of Visalia Rescue Mission, while providing the community with reliable transportation at a great price.

“Several places that we’re acquainted with are selling vehicles,” Leon said. “The more we started to think about that, the more we started to realize that was a really good idea.”

After seeing a similar automotive operation at Union Gospel Mission in

Spokane, WA, Al Oliver, VRM executive director, was ready to make Mission Motors happen. “Mission Motors will fulfill a longtime goal of ours,” Oliver said, “to provide our residents and graduates with a whole new skillset that will allow them to provide for themselves and their families.”

“Spokane’s auto operation showed us a whole new side of a thrift enterprise and our Mission is ready for a new opportunity like this,” said Sherri White, VRM’s thrift director.

From office staff to Mission Motors manager

Leon has worked for the Rescue Mission for 6 1/2 years. Having gone through the VRM recovery program, he was offered a position within two weeks of graduation. He has worked in the office of the men’s shelter, once certified, he worked as a counselor, and most recently Leon was

MOTORS continued on B6 »

Chamber celebrates 10th annual golf tournament STAFF REPORTS On Thursday, March 22, 2018 the Visalia Chamber of Commerce and the Leadership Visalia Class of 2018 will co-host the 10th Annual Leadership Visalia Golf Tournament at Valley Oaks Golf Course. This annual event raises funds to support leadership education in Visalia.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Leadership Visalia Golf Tournament, the Visalia Chamber of Commerce and the Leadership Visalia Class of 2018 invite the public to spend a day at the golf course.

The most popular components of past tournaments will again be part of this fun event.

All golf registrations include: 2 drink tickets, golf cart, lunch, swag bag, putting challenge, closest to the hole challenge, hole in one competition and longest drive competition.

Amazing prizes such as a new car and a new Nike golf bag and more have been donated by local companies including: Giant Automotive, Patrick Salazar State Farm Agent, Central Valley Business Bank and Tucoemas Federal

Credit Union.

In addition to prizes for winning golf challenges, golfers will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to win donated prizes. All proceeds from the opportunity tickets will benefit the Leadership Visalia class project benefiting the Tulare County Library.

The tournament will be a “scramble” format. Registration will begin at 6:30am with a shotgun start at 8am.

Sponsorship and player registration information is available by calling the Visalia Chamber at 559-734-5876 or going to www.visaliachamber.org/golf.

Leadership Visalia is a 9-month program that explores community development, personal and professional leadership issues.

Over the past 31 years, more than 350 participants have graduated from the program. Graduates of the program have gone onto become city council members, school board members, planning commissioners, county supervisors, state legislators, members of Non-profit boards, officers of corporations and board members of the Visalia Chamber of Commerce.

15 March, 2018 Valley Voice

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Book Notes

Breathe Life into Your Life Story ation of one’s world” or larger context in which one’s life unfolded.

This involves carefully placing one’s life story within the framework of the contemporary environment, ie time and place. Equally important is contextualizing those individuals who materially affected one’s life—parents, important family members, friends, teachers, and others.

Also noteworthy is the impact of one’s “home town,” and other communities where one lived and worked.

Worthy of consideration is the role of critical institutions—schools, places of worship, workplaces, and other venues. Each chapter of Breathe Life into Your Life Story provides essential guidelines supported by apt examples illuminating the

NEWELL BRINGHURST newellgb@hotmail.com

For both active and aspiring writers who have considered tackling their own life story, two short, well-written books offer illuminating insights into the art of producing an effective memoir/ autobiography.

The first, Breathe Life into Your Life Story: How to Write a Story People Will Want to Read, by Dawn and Morris Thurston, as the subtitle suggests, is a valuable “how to” guide. The authors provide a laundry list of suggestions to facilitate the writing of a readable life story.

Most important is to paint “a vivid picture” enabling the reader “to see or hear, or even smell and feel” what is occurring. Essential in pushing the narrative forward is to focus on “key events” or “dramatic incidents” that acted as turning points in the course of one’s life. Relating such incidents at a “gut level” makes them both vivid and believable.

Further enhancing the story is the ability to paint a plausible picture of those individuals involved, revealing those “traits that make them human.”

The authors suggest other techniques to facilitate a well-written narrative. Among these is “the recre-

Coming to the $5 Movies The Big Lebowski Saturday Mar. 24 @ 7 pm

Saturday AM Experience Saturday, April 7 @ 10 am Friday the 13th Part 2 Friday, April 13 @ 7pm

Up In Smoke Friday, April 20 @ 7pm Purple Rain Saturday, April 21 @ 7 pm

La Bamba Saturday, May 12 @ 7 pm (559) 584-7823

www.foxhanford.com

art of crafting an engaging life story.

A prime example of an evocative memoir is Coming to Completion: Nine Essays on Personal Themes by Exeter-based writer Sylvia Ross, author of seven previously published books.

Eschewing a traditional chronological approach, Ross describes what she considers the defining events of her life through nine essays, each written in a witty self-deprecating style.

The first, “Unintended Lessons” describes how her personality was shaped by her childhood environment, contrasting it with that of her husband.

As “a suburban child” growing up in Los Angeles during the 1940s, she recalls enjoying “a great deal of physical freedom.” Whereas her

husband has less pleasant memories, “sequestered on a series of remote small farms in Oregon and California” wherein he endured a “a grim, cheerless” childhood. (12-15) In subsequent essays Ross relates other life altering experiences.

“On Being a Poet” she describes her love for poetry and writing in general as shaped by her education, most especially her inspiring teachers. In “Gravity: A Love Story” the author fondly recalls her courtship and marriage to her husband of sixty years.

And in “The God of Mathematics” Ross frankly details her difficult spiritual odyssey. Raised a devout Catholic, as an adolescent she harbored expectations of becoming a Nun. Ultimately, however, she rejected all organized religion, becoming a complete skeptic.

In other essays Ross relates the experiences of other noteworthy family members and how these impacted her life.

In general Ross’s Coming to Completion not only provides a model memoir but also acute insights into a life well-lived.

Newell G. Bringhurst, a retired COS Professor of History and Political Science welcomes responses and comments at newellgb@hotmail.com

Valley Voice 15 March, 2018

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Bands to be celebrated in Tulare museum exhibit STAFF REPORTS Mark your calendars and plan on visiting the Tulare Historical Museum between March 17 and April 7, for a special exhibition created exclusively for THM. In honor of ‘Music in Our Schools Month’ the museum presents, “Big Band Bash: Tulare School Band Retrospective” held in the Heritage Art Gallery at THM. The opening kick-off of the exhibition is on Saturday, March 17 at 2pm.

Personal band memorabilia, much of which has rarely been seen, will highlight Tulare high schools and middle schools throughout the years.

Special recognition will be given to the 1957 Tulare High School Redskin Band, who had the honor of performing at Dwight Eisenhower’s Presidential Inaugural Parade.

The idea for the exhibit came through members of the museum’s board of directors.

They coordinated with Tulare

schools’ band directors.

In conjunction with the exhibition, special live musical performances will be held in the Heritage Art Gallery on select days throughout the exhibition’s run. Performances are as follows: • Sat. Mar. 17, @ 2pm: Tulare Community Stage Band • Sun. Mar. 18, @ 2pm: Tulare Western High School Stage Band • Thurs. Mar. 22, @ 2pm: Live Oak & Cherry Avenue Jazz Bands • Fri. Mar. 23, @ 2pm: Los Tules & Mulcahy Jazz Bands • Sat. Mar. 31, @ 11am: Special Performance TBA • Thurs. Apr. 5, @ 2pm: Alpine Vista Jazz Band • Fri. Apr. 6, @ 2pm: Tulare Union High School Stage Band The special exhibition and musical performances are open to the public and free of charge.

Regular admission applies for

The 1957 Tulare High School Redskin Band, shown here, performed at Dwight Eisenhower’s Presidential Inaugural Parade. Courtesy Tulare Historical Museum

touring the Museum’s historical galleries: Adults -$6, Seniors/AAA Members -$4, Students -$3, Tulare City Historical Society Members and Children 5 and under - free. The museum is lo-

cated at 444 W. Tulare Ave. in Tulare.

For more information, visit www. tularehistoricalmuseum.org or call, (559) 686-2074

Kings Fair appoints new CEO, following in family footsteps STAFF REPORTS Under the leadership of a new CEO, the Kings Fair in Hanford is looking forward to the 2018 fair, which will take place from June 7-10.

Jerome Coelho, 22, is the youngest person to run the Kings Fair in recent memory, but he feels confident that his youthful energy will help infuse life into the local fair.

He is replacing Angie Avila, his grandmother, who worked for the fair in various capacities for 30 years.

Since childhood, Coelho spent time helping out at the fairgrounds under his grandmother’s watchful eye, performing tasks like weeding flowerbeds.

After graduating from Lemoore High School, he took on a paid position at the fair while attending Fresno State.

For the past two years, he’s been working for the fair full-time, while also taking full-time college classes.

He admits that the CEO position is one that he’s been working towards since his first volunteer position in

the Kings Fair’s livestock department in 2014. To increase his knowledge of the fair industry, he spent time working for the Tulare County Fair, and five summers working for the Napa Town and County Fair.

“I grew up at the fairgrounds,” Coelho said. “I’ve always loved the fair industry and the unique challenges and experiences that come with it.”

He graduated from Fresno State with a degree in ag business in December, just before assuming his role as the fair’s new CEO. Coelho has big dreams to make the Kings Fair an event the entire community will enjoy and support.Plans are in the works to implement some new year-round events that will bring people out to the fairgrounds, but for now, his focus in on the 2018 Kings Fair, which is only three months away.

“We’re working on some new ideas that should make this year’s fair one of the best ever,” Coelho said. “My goal is to maintain the traditions that fair-goers have come to know and love, while at the same time implementing

changes that will help successfully move this unique community event forward.”

For more information about Coel-

ho’s role or the 2018 Kings Fair, taking place June 7-10, please call the Kings Fair office at 559.584.3318, or email jerome@kingsfair.com.

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Calendar

15 March, 2018 Valley Voice

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Now - March 30: Silver Light: Fifty Photographs by Randall Ranger Solo Exhibition March 2, 6-8pm - Arts Visalia is pleased to exhibit Randall Ranger.

Ranger is a black and white film photographer. The opening reception will be held during First Friday. Arts Visalia will host an Artist Talk on Saturday, March 3 at 2pm.

For more information, visit artsvisalia.org, call (559) 739-0905 or visit us at the gallery at 214 East Oak Avenue in Visalia.

Now - March 31: We’re Excited About Spring Reading program and Easter Bunny photos at the Porterville City Library. The reading program is for all ages and runs March 1- 31.

When signing up, you will receive a reading log and bookmark. For every five hours of reading accomplished, you can redeem your reading log for an entry into their fabulous raffle.

March 20 11am-1pm; 4-5:30pm; March 22 3-5pm (by appointment for special needs children); March 24 10am-12pm; March 29 3-5pm The Easter Bunny will also be hopping over for single or group photo opportunities. A 4x6 photo print will be provided for free if you bring an unopened, unused school supply (one picture per family).

You may also use your own camera.

The donated items will be delivered to children in the community.

For more information on services and programs, visit the Porterville City Library at 41 W. Thurman Ave., call (559) 784-0177, or check out www.portervillelibrary.org Now - March 18: Too Soon for Daisies Fridays & Saturdays 7:30pm; Sundays 2pm - Kings Players presents this dark and poignant comedy about three somewhat eccentric but determined women who have been cast off by society but aren’t quite ready to be put out to pasture. Written by William Dinner and William Morum; directed by Cyndie Maxwell. The production takes place at the Temple Theatre, 514 E. Visalia St. in Hanford. For ticket and more information, visit www.kingsplayers.net or call (559) 584-7241.

Now - March 18: Mothers and Sons, a Drama by Terance McNally Fridays & Saturdays 7:30pm; Sundays 2pm - The talented cast includes Debra Hansen, Chris Volkerts, Travis Havert, and Luciano Noguero. The Ice House Theater is located at 410 E. Race Ave., at the corner of Santa Fe and Race, in Visalia. To redeem season tickets or purchase tickets, visit www.visaliaplayers.org or call (559) 734-3900.

March 15: Tulare Beer Bus Crawl 6pm - Kaweah Brewing, local craft brewer, along with the best-ofthe-best in craft brewers up and

School Redskin Band,who had the honor of performing at Dwight Eisenhower’s Presidential Inaugural Parade.

ing with discussion of the results and how emotion and information are conveyed visually. Limited to 15 students of any level.

down the Central Valley and from the coast, will be joining together to “help” you sample some of the great craft beers and ales this part of the country has to offer. But that’s not all! Absolute Comfort Limousine will help you travel in style aboard one of their buses as you sample brews in downtown, then take a ride out to Kaweah Brewing’s tasting room. $30/person. Tickets and more information www.tularedowntown.com.

The special exhibition and musical performances are open to the public and free of charge. Exhibit at the Tulare Historical Museum, 444 W. Tulare Ave. in Tulare. For more information, call (559) 686-2704.

This workshop is for all levels of photographers. Each student should bring their own DSLR camera, memory card, and fresh batteries to take pictures. All other materials needed will be provided. The student would also need to provide their own lunch, as the class extends through the lunch period.

Instructor: Ron Holman. Tuition: $65. For more information: visit www.artsvisalia.org or call (559) 739-0905.

March 15 - Clay Cafe Ladies’ Night 6-10pm - $10 studio fee plus ceramic purchase. Complimentary dinner, drink and dessert. Reservation requires $10 prepay; dial 733-2022.

March 20: League of Women Voters Meeting 11:30am - At Left of Center, 699 W. Center. The program will preview all the exciting projects in the works for the coming primary election. Open to the public. Lunch will be served for $15.00 including tax and tip. Reservations required by contacting phoebet8@att.net.

March 16-25 - Bullets Over Broadway Friday, Saturday & Thursday @ 7:30pm; Sundays @ 2pm - COS Spring Musical - Written by Woody Allen, based upon the screenplay of the film Bullets Over Broadway

by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath. Original Broadway Production directed and choreographed

by Susan Stroman. Directed by James McDonnell. Tickets are on sale now for this hilarious musical romp! Reserve your seats now at COStheatre.org/tickets March 16-18 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest March 16, 17, 23 & 24 @ 7:30pm, March 18 @ 1pm at the Lindsay Theater. Admission in $10 for adults and $5 for students. This play has adult themes, so parental discretion is advised. Get tickets at lindsaycommunitytheater.com.

March 17: Victorian Afternoon Tea 2pm - Tickets for the Children’s Storybook Garden & Museum Victorian Afternoon Tea are now on sale.

You may purchase them at the Garden, or by phone: Stephanie 559904-6795 or Judy 559-341-4845, or from Friends of the Garden. Tickets are $35.00 each. The Tea will be held at the Hanford Civic Auditorium.

March 17: Tulare-Kings Writers 10am - Tulare-Kings Writers will meet this coming Saturday at 10 AM in the blue room at the Visalia Public Library, 200 W. Oak St. Let’s talk books. Writers are supposed to be readers, we are told. So let’s have a show-and-tell. Bring a favorite book, fiction or nonfiction, one that inspired you to be a writer or helped you improve your writing.

We all have one, maybe something from childhood or maybe only last week. Let’s share a few of those gems.

March 17-April 7: Big Band Bash: Tulare School Band Retrospective March 17 2pm - opening kick-off of the exhibition. Personal band memorabilia, many rarely seen, will highlight Tulare high schools and middle schools throughout the years. Special recognition will be given to the 1957 Tulare High

March 18: Visalia Buddhist Church Spring Sukiyaki Dinner 12-5pm - Eat in or take out Items to be served: Chicken Teriyaki, Beef Sukiyaki, Fried Rice, Salad, Cookie at the Visalia Buddhist Church 514 E. Center Ave. in Visalia. Tickets $15.

March 20: Tulare County Healthcare Career Fair 9am-12pm - at the Tulare Veterans Memorial Building, 1771 E. Tulare Ave. in Tulare. For more information, contact Alberto Azarte (559) 713-5122.

March 20: Tulare Kiwanis to Honor Corky & Doug Anderson Farmer of the Year Award 12pm - The Kiwanis Club of Tulare will present its 58th Farmer of the Year award to Corky and Doug Anderson. The award luncheon will be held at the Heritage Complex in Tulare. Tickets are available for $25 in advance from Kiwanis Club members and various businesses in Tulare, tickets will be $30 at the door.

March 22: 10th Annual Leadership Visalia Golf Tournament 8am - Shotgun Start at Valley Oaks Golf Course. For more information, call (559) 734-5876.

March 24: 2nd Annual CASA Superhero Run 7am - 12pm - The event features a 5k and 1k Run/Walk (timed), raffle and a Superhero Costume Contest at Mooney Grove Park. You can create a Team when you register. Come with your very own Fantastic Four . . . or more! It’s your day to gather your very own League of Extraordinary Individuals -- family, co-workers and friends -- for a fun day in the park supporting foster youth in Tulare County. Included with your registration: One CASA Superhero Run T-Shirt, Commemorative Gear Bag and Water Battle (first 75 registrants only), Finisher’s Medal.

Register now and experience the best Superhero 5k and 1k Walk/Run around. Register online: https:// runsignup.com/Race/CA/Visalia/ SuperheroFunRun2018 March 24: Controlling the Image and its Meaning Photography Workshop 9am - 3pm - A brief discussion about manual settings and exposure control on DSLRs followed by a brief photo walk around Arts Visalia to experiment with these ideas end-

March 24: U Pick Oranges 10am - 2pm - McKellar Family Farms invites you to pick oranges and enjoy a wagon ride tour of our farm.

Orange Picking: $7/person. Includes orange picking experience and filling 8 lb. bag with oranges to take home. Wagon Rides: $3/ person. Wagon rides will run every hour starting at 10:30am. McKellar Farms, 32988 RD. 164 in Ivanhoe park in Event Parking.

March 25, 29, 30, and April 1 First Congregational Church Tulare Easter Services March 25, Palm Sunday service at 10:30 am. March 29, Maundy Thursday service at 6 pm. March 30, Good Friday service at 6 pm. April 1, Sunrise service at 6:15, in the church courtyard. Easter service at 10:30 March 26-30: Creative Creatures Art Camp 8:30am - 12:30pm - Let your children use their imagination in a fun and artistic way during our Creative Creatures Art Camp. Each day, students will attend three classes in which they will use a variety of artistic media and their imagination to create Creative Creatures.

They will also spend time outside engaging in creative activities, socializing, and having a snack.

Suitable for children ages 5-12.

Held at the Kings Art Center, 605 N. Douty in Hanford. $90/student. To sign up: Call 559-584-1065, visit our website at www.kingsartcenter. org, or stop by the office at 605 N. Douty. Seating is limited. Advance payment and registration are required. Members will receive 10% off entry fees. Ask us about the sibling discount.

April 4, 11, 18, 25: Arts Visalia Screen Printing Class 6:30-8:30pm - In these classes, you will be taught the printing technique of transferring ink from mesh onto a substrate, except in areas a stencil is used. Screen printing is considered a stencil method of printmaking and the focus will be on technique and history of this method. Instructor: Jim Johnson.

Tuition: $75. For more information: visit www.artsvisalia.org or call (559) 739-0905.

April 6: 13th Annual Birdhouse (and Toto Too) Auction 6pm - We encourage you to join Habitat as a sponsor or guest for the 13th Annual Birdhouse (and Toto Too) Auction. Enjoy wine-tasting and great food from dozens

Valley Voice 15 March, 2018 of local restaurants in an evening full of flavor, entertainment, and incredible artistic creations. There is another twist this year…we are adding dog houses to the auction! The funds from this fun and unique event support Habitat for Humanity’s programs throughout Tulare & Kings Counties.

Tickets are $100 each or a table of 8 for $800. Other sponsorship opportunities are available online at www.hfhtkc.org, or call Habitat for Humanity at (559) 734-4040 ext 106 for more information.

April 6-15: Harvey at the Barn Theater April 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 & 21 (Friday & Saturday evenings); April 8, & 15 (Sunday matinees) - Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta’s social gatherings. Trouble is, Harvey is an imaginary six-and-a-half-foot-tall

B5 rabbit. To avoid future embarrassment for her family - and especially for her daughter, Myrtle Mae - Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium. At the sanitarium, a frantic Veta explains to the staff that her years of living with Elwood’s hallucination have caused her to see Harvey also, and so the doctors mistakenly commit her instead of her mild-mannered brother. Written by Mary Chase; Directed

by Bob Merzoian. The Barn Theater is located at 42 S. Plano St. in Porterville. For more information, visit barntheater.porterville.com April 8 - First Congregational Church 12-3pm - You are cordially invited to help the First Congregational Church wish Natalie Chamberlain in the next chapter of her life. The church will celebrate her tenure after church. Come and enjoy finger foods and say goodbye to Natalie.

RSVP by dialing 559-686-5528 and ucctulare@yahoo.com April 12: Mensa Meeting Local members of Mensa, the international high IQ society, will meet at Panera Bread, 4103 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, on Thursday, April 12, at 5:30 p.m., for coffee, bagels, sandwiches and conversation.

Prospective members encouraged to attend. For more info, call (559) 280-9774.

April 13-15: Best of the Valley Quilt Show The Show is held at McDermont Field House 365 N. Sweet Briar in Lindsay. More than 200 quilts that will be shown, including a class for 18 and under, and one for 80 and over.

This show is supported by the different quilt guilds/clubs in the valley.

April 14: Tulare County Library Book Festival 10am - 3pm - Featuring author Tim Z Hernandez, All They Will Call You - Books, food trucks, live music, authors at 200 W. Oak St. in Visalia.

April 14: Valley Oak SPCA’s 27th Annual Walk a Dog a Thon 9am - 12pm - Registration is now open for the 27th Annual Walk A Dog A Thon at Mooney Grove Park.

This is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year and we hope to see you there to support our no-kill animal rescue mission!

Register online at https://www. eventbrite.com/e/valley-oak-spca27th-annual-walk-a-dog-a-thontickets-41876638152 (Kids 12 years and under are free). Registration fee includes participation in the walk for you and one leashed pet, an event tee-shirt, a hot dog, chips and a drink.

Senior Calendar

nior Recreation will help you organize your memories and write down stories about them.

You’ll be leaving a written legacy for your loved ones to cherish ing FREE Blood Pressure Screen- for many generations to come. ing! Sponsored by Tulare Adult $5 per month per student.

School and Tulare Nursing & 1 - 2pm — Tai Chi – for Health & Rehabilitation. Everyone is wel- Wellness come!

This special 6-week course offered by Tulare Senior Recre10:30 - 11:15am — Ex-Chair-Cise Everyone is welcome! This rec- ation will be held on Thursdays, reation activity is FREE. The next session is January 11-Febclassroom is set up with tables ruary 15, 2018. $25 for 6 week and chairs and exercise sup- course.

The Visalia Senior Center is located at 310 N Locust, Visalia, and available by telephone at 559-7134381. Lunch is served daily at 12pm; reservations are required by 11am the day before by dialing (559) 713-4481.

vices Volunteers at Tulare Senior Community Center. Must be 18 years and older to play. Cost: 1st Half of Bingo is $1.25 per card, 2nd Half of Bingo is $1 per card.

This program is led by a senior volunteers.

The Tulare Senior Center is located at 201 N F St, Tulare, and available by telephone at 559-685-2330.

Lunch is served daily at 11:30am; reservations MUST be made by 12:30 PM the business day before by calling (559) 685-2330. $3 donation is requested.

12:30pm — Card Games Various card games are played.

Everyone is welcome! FREE! Tables and chairs are provided in classroom or dining room. plies is provided.

Visalia Senior Center, Saturdays: March 17, 24, 31 12-4:15pm — Senior Pride Bingo Visalia Senior Center, Sundays: March 18, 25 1-4pm — Contract Bridge.

Visalia Senior Center, Mondays: March 19, 26 11am — Corn Hole 1-4pm — Pinochle 1-4pm — Tables Tennis Tulare Senior Center, Mondays: March 19, 26, 2018 8-11 AM — Abuse in Later Life Victim Advocate For an appointment, ask for Alberto Robles, Victim Advocate, 559-732-7371.

Visalia Senior Center, Tuesdays: March 20, 27 11am — Darts 1-4pm — Penny Bingo 10-1pm — HICAP (Open Enrollment), 20th only Tulare Senior Center, Tuesdays: March 20, 27, 2018 9-11:30am; 12:30-4pm — Open Paint Participants must bring own painting supplies. $2 per person.

1:30 - 4pm — Mah Jong Tiles Participants must bring own Tiles.

Visalia Senior Center, Wednesdays: March 21, 28 12-3:30pm — Poker 12:45-4pm — Contract Bridge

Tulare Senior Center, Wednesdays: March 21, 28, 2018 9:30-10:30 AM - Bible Study Everyone is welcome! This is a FREE recreational activity. The 10-11:30am — Live Music classroom is set up with tables Enjoy listening to or dancing to and chairs. This class is led by a great live County Western Mu- senior volunteer. sic by Ken Bridges, Senior Vol9:30 - 10:30am — Crocheting unteer.

The crochet is donated by the 12:30 – 3:30pm — Community Bin- hospital and others. go Provided by Tulare Senior Ser- 10-11am — Blood Pressure Screen9-11:30am — Open Paint Participants must bring own painting supplies. $2 per person.

2-3:30pm — Caregiver Support Group Session 12:30pm — Card Games Various card games are played. Group sessions are led by a ValEveryone is welcome! FREE! Ta- ley Caregiver Resource counselbles and chairs are provided in or. This activity is FREE. classroom or dining room.

Visalia Senior Center, Fridays: March 16, 23, 30 12:30 – 3:30pm — Community Bin- 10:30-11:15am — Fun Fitness (16th go only) Provided by Tulare Senior Ser1pm — Friday Movie vices Volunteers at Tulare Senior Community Center. Must be 18 1pm — Scrabble Club years and older to play. Cost: 1st 1:30pm — Garden Club Half of Bingo is $1.25 per card, 2nd Half of Bingo is $1 per card. 1-4pm — Table Tennis This programs is led by a senior Tulare Senior Center, Fridays: volunteers.

March 16, 23, 30, 2018 1 - 4pm — HICAP – Health Insur- 8:30 - 11am — Table Tennis ance & Counseling Advocacy Pro- This is a FREE Tulare Senior Recgram (third Wednesday only) reation activity!

Only by Appointment, MUST 9:30 – 11am — Wii Bowling call 559-623-0199.

It is FREE to participate! ExperiVisalia Senior Center, Thurs- ence is NOT REQUIRED! days: March 15, 22, 29 10:30 - 11:15am — Ex-Chair-Cise Everyone is welcome! This rec10am-12pm — Chess Club reation activity is FREE. 11am — Darts 12:30pm — Card Games 11am — Brain Teasers Various card games are played.

Everyone is welcome! FREE! Ta1-4pm — Penny Bingo bles and chairs are provided in 1-2pm — Typing Club classroom or dining room.

Tulare Senior Center, Thurs7-10pm — Senior Dance days: March 15, 22, 29, 2018 Anyone 18 years and older. Fee: 10am - 12pm — Down Memory $8 per person - Dance to Live Lane (Writing Class) Country Western music. Bring This class offered by Tulare Se- Potluck style foods to share.

15 March, 2018 Valley Voice

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Rawhide announces 2018 coaching staff 922 games.

Reigning California League Coach of the Year Jeff Bajenaru will serve as the Pitching Coach for the third straight season. Under Bajenaru’s tutelage, the Rawhide led the Cal League in ERA (3.79) and strikeouts (1,346) while holding opposing hitters to a leaguebest .247 average against and posting nine shutouts. This will be Bajenaru’s eighth year in the Diamondbacks organization.

He previously worked as the Pitching Coach in Missoula for two seasons, where he helped guide the Osprey to a Pioneer League championship in 2015. A native of Pomona, California, Bajenaru was a 36th round selection by the Chicago White Sox in the 1999 draft. He made Major League appearances with the White Sox in 2004 and 2005, and also came up briefly with the D-backs in 2006.

Another new face on the Rawhide coaching staff will be World Series Champion Franklin Stubbs, who will serve as Visalia’s new Hitting Coach.

Stubbs is in his third season as a coach

with the D-backs and his 22nd in a coaching capacity. Last year he was the Hitting Coach for Class Short-Season A Hillsboro, and has been a hitting coach in every season since 2005.

Stubbs played a 10-year Major League Career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he won a World Series championship in 1988, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, and Detroit Tigers. In 945 career games, Stubbs slugged 109 doubles, 104 homers, and drove in 248 runs.

Travis Denker joins the Rawhide staff as the Coach in his coaching debut. Denker played a 12-year Minor League career across six organizations, with a 24-game taste of the Major Leagues with San Francisco in 2008, and finished his playing career last year with the D-Backs and Double-A Jackson. Over 1,133 career Minor League Games, Denker accrued a .274 average as well as 136 home runs and 577 runs batted in. He previously made five appearances in the California League as a player with Inland Empire, San Jose, and Rancho Cucamonga be-

tween 2007 and 2011.

Chris Schepel and Derek Sommerville will round out the Rawhide Coaching Staff in 2018 as the Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach respectively. Both will be in their second year with Visalia.

The Rawhide will seek to return to the California League playoffs in 2018 after missing the postseason for the first time in five years in 2017.

“We look forward to welcoming Joe as the Manager of the Rawhide and to continuing the recent success we’ve seen on the field,” said Rawhide General Manager Jennifer (Pendergraft) Reynolds. “We’re excited for the rest of great staff that has been put together as well. We’re proud to be celebrating our 12th season with the Diamondbacks, who have been a great partner to both the Rawhide and to the Visalia Community.

2018 marks the 72nd year of professional baseball in Visalia at Rawhide Ballpark. The Rawhide will open their season on at home April 5th against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Lindsay

Participating students can choose from over 900 classic and modern pieces compiled by the national Poetry Out Loud organization. Nationally, the competition is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of students each year. Last year, the state finals featured winners from 40 California counties.

Locally, Poetry Out Loud was co-sponsored by the Arts Consortium, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Poetry Foundation, and the California Arts Council.

“My goal has never been to win this competition. Instead it was to

perform with all of the emotions and feelings I could muster,” said Gabrielle. “My goal was to get the audience captivated and hang on to every word I said, in hopes they too were immersed in the poems I previously found myself lost in. When I perform, I give it my all and then some so that I never leave the stage with feelings of regret or disappointment. The only thing I can ask is that other people feel the same aura of peacefulness I do when performing and that younger generations never let go of their power of imagination and sense of excitement through the love of poems.” Jill Coyle, Gabrielle’s coach at Tulare Union High School, shared that her students have participated in POL for two years, saying “It is a real thrill to see and hear students bring the written words of poets to life.”

For more information about upcoming Poetry Out Loud events, call Kate Stover at (559) 741-0809.

last fling planned, a party on the ward to which he is sneaking in two women, Candy Starr (Shawna Goodman) and Sandra (Aimee Caskin). McMurphy has specifically brought Candy to be with Billy Bibbit, to “cash in his virginity.”

The girls have brought liquor, and soon everyone is drunk.

Nurse Ratched breaks in on the party and discovers Billy with a “cheap, low, painted prostitute.”

When she threatens to tell Billy’s mother, he breaks down and blames McMurphy for “making me do it.”

She sends him to Dr. Spivey’s office to await “therapy,” but instead, Billy commits suicide. Ratched blames McMurphy for his death, and he attacks her, choking her badly. The aids finally pull him off before he can kill her.

Motors

“As of now, we are in the process of streamlining vehicles to get them prepared to sell them,” he said.

STAFF REPORTS A mixture of new and familiar faces will take over the Coaching Staff of the Rawhide in 2018, the Arizona Diamondbacks announced.

Joe Mather will take the reigns as Field Manager for the Rawhide. Mather is serving in his second managerial role with the D-backs and is in his fourth year as a coach in Arizona’s farm system.

Mather began his managerial career with a bang in 2015, when led the Rookie-Advanced Missoula Osprey to a 42-33 record, a Pioneer League North Division Title, and ultimately a Pioneer League Championship. He returned to manage Missoula in 2016 and served as the Coach for Class Double-A Jackson last year.

Mather, 35, was a third-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2001 draft and enjoyed a four-year Major League Career, playing stints with St. Louis, the Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago Cubs. He spent 12 years in the Minor Leagues, where he appeared in

Poetry

Continued from B1 1,100 students competed at the school site level, sending their top performers to the county competition.

Poetry Out Loud event

Continued from B1 warehouse manager for thrift services.

He is now manager of Mission Motors.

It’s not that he has a particular passion for cars.

While he has an interest in them, he doesn’t spend his evenings or weekends tinkering with them in the garage. It is more he has a passion for the Mission.

“I do love cars, but I am by no means a car guru,” he said.

“My motivation being part of this is, since I’ve been with the Rescue Mission, I’ve continually just had the opportunity to go into different positions and to be able to learn and grow and have an impact, to the best of my ability, to help those in need. So, for me this is just another opportunity – it looks a little different than in the past – but it’s another opportunity for me to go in there and to be able to help something grow and develop for the Rescue Mission, so that ultimately we can turn around and help those in need.”

Determining vehicle condition

The Auto Shop will serve as an advisor, said Ryan Stillwater, VRM director of development. “Depending upon the condition of the vehicle, we may have them take a look and make recommendations.

“Jim Barlogio, owner of The Auto Shop, has been a supporter in multiple ways [of the Mission] for years,” Stillwater said. “So, he was an obvious choice to approach and let him know what we were doing.”

“From there, we’ll decide what we’re going to do with the vehicle,” Leon continued.

Whether that vehicle is in condition to sell as a working automobile, or not, VRM welcomes all vehicles, running or not as they can also sell, or salvage, those not in operational condition. At this time, Rescue Mission staff is not able to make fixes to the vehicles that come in. However, if they are in

Continued from B1 McMurphy is a gambling man, and he soon has the patients in debt to him by running a black jack game. He then makes the biggest bet of all, saying he can get the “Big Nurse” to crack inside of a week. He sets out to do it by his constant annoying behavior. Just as he is about to win his bet, he finds out that Ratched has ultimate power over him.

He is committed to the institution, which means he can only be released if Ratched agrees. She can keep him there the rest of his life.

The other patients encourage him to run away, but McMurphy has one

operable and safe condition, cars will go through a smog check and the staff will detail them inside and out.

Potential donors should either call, or visit Mission Motors online, and indicate they have a vehicle to donate. Leon will get in touch with the donor and ask a few basic questions – “Do you have the title? Is the car running? Is registration up to date?

“Then we determine what we’re going to do with the vehicle.”

All vehicle donations are tax deductible and donors will receive a donation slip along with a release of liability, which needs to be filed with DMV. In the short term, this will also help offset the minimum wage increase expenses, Stillwater said.

“The minimum wage increase adds $300,000 to our operating expenses, as we employ nearly 100 individuals.”

This is just the beginning for Mission Motors.

Helping the local community and the Rescue Mission

“One thing that is so exciting, like

other missions who sell vehicles – it’s like a $2,000-$5,000 range, which is such a great niche for the community. For those, who need an A to B car – it doesn’t have to look perfect. I just need a car – I want to pay cash,” Stillwater said.

Vehicles are sold “as is.” Like a lot of other thrift items, Stillwater explained.

The long-term goal is for VRM grads, who are interested, to eventually learn vocational trades around cars, so that they can evaluate vehicles internally and be able to make repairs.

Currently, the Rescue Mission has four vehicles available – a 2001 Hyundai, a 1999 Buick Century with low mileage, a 1999 Mercedes and a 1996 Chrysler Town & Country van.

These are all operational and have, or will, receive smog certification and detailing.

Vehicles may be viewed during warehouse hours of 8:30am – 4:30pm.

Potential buyers may stop in or check out the inventory online.

For more information or to donate a car, visit: missionmotors.org or call (559) 740-4178 x502.

Valley Voice 15 March, 2018

Sports

B7

Tulare City Council honors top high school athletes NANCY VIGRAN Several Tulare high school athletes were recognized by the Tulare City Council on March 6 for their achievements on and off the field last fall and winter.

Tulare Union High football

A presentation was made to the Tulare Union High School Football team and coaches in recognition of their CIF Central Section Division II Valley Championship. The team went 13-1 during the 2017 season and 5-0 in their league.

Special recognition was given to Kazmeir Allen for securing the National Record for the Most Touchdowns in a single season. The wide receiver/ running back “had one of the best single-seasons in California history,” according to MaxPreps. “He broke the national single-season record scoring 72 total touchdowns in 2017 and he rushed for nearly 3,500 yards and had over 800 yards receiving during his senior season.”

“This season was probably one of the best seasons in Tulare Union history,” Allen said. “We grinded every day, worked hard, especially our captains.”

In January, Allen signed to the UCLA Bruins Football team.

“My name is Andrew Ruelas. I’m a middle linebacker and a four-year varsity player. Out of all the four years I had, this last one was the very special one,” Ruelas said. “Last year, my junior year, it didn’t feel like we were a team, it felt like we were individuals. But, we did still have a good team. This year was totally different, we were just like a unit. We were bonded with each other, hanging out with each other. It was a great run and I had fun.”

That evening. Allen was also awarded the first annual Kyan Wimbley Award. Wimbley, 13, was killed in a traffic accident in March of last year. The Corcoran High student was returning from his basketball practice in Fresno along with his parents when they were hit by an alleged drunk driver. His par-

The Tulare Union High School Cheer Team was honored by the Tulare City Council on March 6. Tony Maldonado/Valley Voice

ents also died from the incident.

Kyan Wimbley’s siblings, Marvin and Marina LeFridge, have started the Kyan Wimbley Award in honor of their little brother.

“This award is going to be presented annually to a kid within the City of Tulare who demonstrates excellence on the field, basketball court, softball field, soccer field, academically – whoever we feel is just demonstrating that excellence that my family instilled in my brother,” Marvin LeFridge said.

“This year, it’s Kazmeir Allen.”

Tulare Union Cheer team

A second presentation was made to the Tulare Union High School Cheer team and coaches in recognition of their 2018 ICU World Cheerleading Championship.

“The kids went to Florida and competed in the ICU World Cheerleading Championship, which is essentially the Super Bowl of cheerleading. They beat Belle Chasse High School [from Louisiana] which is essentially the team that has never been beaten before – which is pretty cool,” said Coach

Tulare Union Head Football Coach Darren Bennett speaks to the Tulare City Council on March 6. Tony Maldonado/Valley Voice

Britney Audino. “They are the world champions – they competed against teams from all over the world, beating out Canada, Jamaica – I mean literally all over the world.

“They also competed against teams across the nation – placed third, which

is confusing, it’s a different championship. They did really well and we’re really, really proud of them. They did qualify to go back next year, so we’re excited about that.

“They worked tirelessly,” she said.

“They are not only amazing athletes,

WHCC athlete honored with CCCAA Scholar-Athlete award STAFF REPORTS

Apefai Taifane. Courtesy/West Hills College Coalinga

Former West Hills College Coalinga Student Apefai “Junior” Taifane has been honored as the California Community College Athletic Association’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.

The award is the highest honor possible for any CCCAA student-athlete and is based on GPA: students must earn at least a 3.50 GPA. Apefai excelled that, earning a perfect 4.0 GPA over his first three semesters at WHCC. “Our CCCAA system includes 26,000 student-athletes each year, and for Apefai to be a selected winner representing West Hills College Coalinga is an extraordinary accomplishment,” said WHCC Associate Dean of Athletics Eric Mendoza. “Apefai is in elite company when it comes to academics, character, leadership, school pride, service to others, and athletic ability.

He succeeded with a great support system of WHCC coaches, faculty and staff members in his corner. We look forward to celebrating this great honor with Apefai and his family.”

During his time at WHCC, Apefai played on the WHCC football team, serving as a team captain.

He was also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honors society and served as a residential assistant and tutor at WHCC. He signed a National Letter of Intent in January to play at Cal Poly next season, after finishing his WHCC coursework last fall and earning his Liberal Arts AA degree, with an emphasis in social and behavioral science.

As a Falcon, Taifane helped the WHCC football team capture the 2016 Golden Coast League Championship.

He earned several honors, including being named All-Golden Coast, All-State Region II first team and was a first-team All American. At WHCC, he was also honored with the WHCC Commitment to Excellence Award by his teammates.

Taifane will be honored with the award at the CCCAA’s Celebration of Scholar Athletes Luncheon and Panel at their annual conference on March 28 in Concord.

15 March, 2018

B8

McKellar Family Farms holding community events STAFF REPORTS This spring, McKellar Family Farms—just east of Visalia—will be hosting a number of interactive community events on its ranch.

As a non-profit organization that seeks to engage and educate the community about citrus farming and agriculture, it is excited to offer these services to Tulare County.

School

Field Trips Farm Tours

and

McKellar Family Farms is about to begin its spring field trip and tour season as it will welcome students from around Tulare County to their farm.

During a field trip, students will experience a citrus farm through an interactive wagon ride, orange picking, and the viewing of a film about the citrus industry.

The farm is still accepting pre-scheduled tours and field trips for the months of April, May and early June.

Valley Voice

Teachers and parents can get more information and book a trip through mckellarfamilyfarms.com.

U-Pick Oranges! At McKellar Family Farms

Saturday, March 24, 2018, 10am– 2 pm.

McKellar Family Farms is excited to open up its farm to the community for a “U-Pick Oranges!” event. Families and individuals will have the opportunity to explore the farm, pick oranges straight from the tree, and fill up an 8 lb. bag to take home for $7 (bag provided by McKellar Family Farms).

It will also be offering a full wagon ride experience once per hour beginning at 10:30am. The wagon ride is $3 per person (children ages two and under are free).

Spring Break Farm Tours

Tuesday & Wednesday, March 27 & 28, 2018 (10am & 1pm slots available) During the week of Visalia Unified School District’s spring break, McKellar

Family Farms is setting aside specific times for families and small groups to schedule a wagon ride farm tour.

Because McKellar Family Farms can typically only schedule large groups, they are setting aside these times and dates so that families can enjoy the farm during spring break without needing to organize a large group.

Tours include wagon rides and orange picking.

To book one of the time slots, guests can visit mckellarfamilyfarms. com/events and click on the Sign Up Genius link.

Mountain Mike’s Group Raise Fundraiser for McKellar Family Farms

Thursday, March 29 (all day) Mountain Mike’s Pizza, off of Walnut and Akers in Visalia, is doing a Group Raise event for McKellar Family Farms by donating 25% of purchases to its non-profit.

For those who would like to help McKellar Family Farms continue and expand their ag educational services, visit Mountain Mike’s at any time on March 29 and mention McKellar Family Farms while making a purchase.

Everybody’s Irish in downtown Hanford on St. Patrick’s Day STAFF REPORTS Main Street Hanford and Borba’s Auto Body will present the seventh annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on Saturday, March 17th from 6pm until 9pm in downtown Hanford.

This premiere event will include a microbrew tasting at 24 downtown businesses, live music, food, shopping and tons of fun.

Ticket holders will be able to taste beers from Hanford’s own Hop Forged Brewing Company and Hanford Homebrew.

559 Local Brewery will be pouring their delicious beers as well as Kaweah Brewing Co. With over 35 different microbrews to choose from, you will have a hard time choosing what to taste next. Experience live music performed by JJ Brown and Tim Mattos.

Tickets are on sale for $20 in advance, $25 the day of the event. Ticket cost includes a tasting mini-pilsner, 10 tasting tickets and a map displaying downtown tasting locations and beer descriptions.

Only 1,000 tickets will be sold for this event and tickets will go fast. Tickets are available at; Main Street Hanford, Candice & Co., Hanford Antique Emporium, Rock N Roll Deli, Lush Fine

Wines, Castaways Consignments and Fatte Alberts Pizza Co. Tickets can also purchased online at www.mainstreethanford.com.

Stay downtown after the event and visit one of the many establishments that will continue the St. Patty’s Day festivities. The Chamber of Commerce will host the “After Party” in Civic Park beginning at 8pm.with a DJ and dancing. Remember to wear green!