Page 5 - Mid Valley Times 4-2-20 E-edition

The View From Here
I sat at my mom’s kitchen ta- ble on the evening of March 29 when sud- denly the doorbell rang.
It was
my cousin. She was there to have some birthday cake. This was by no means a “party.” I happened to be at my moms when she showed up.
As she walked in, her smile gave off that famil- iar vibe we’ve all seen late- ly. One of fear, uncertainty and anxiety. “Hi,” she said. “Well, since we can’t hug, here’s an air hug.” I laughed and could tell she was half joking but a little sad that we are all still in this pre- dicament.
The “shelter in place” orders began in San Fran- cisco. Slowly however, the orders trickled down until the entire state of Califor- nia was on lock down.
The streets are empty. Restaurants are empty. Shopping centers are emp- ty. The world as we knew it had drastically changed. The scary part is how quickly it happened. Just days.
One certainty about COVID-19 however is how quickly it transformed our “norm.” Prior to March 19, and even prior to March 13, I didn’t think I would be celebrating my birthday like this.
Just one month ago, my boyfriend Albert and I planned a wine tasting trip to celebrate the day. We were looking around at local wineries and had no idea that instead we'd be sitting in my mom’s kitchen making sure we practiced health precautions to keep everyone safe.
I read an article that mentioned how the COV- ID-19 pandemic that led to social distancing and shel- tering in place is kind of like Sept. 11, but in many ways it’s worse.
According to the Wash- ington Post, the death toll from COVID-19 has sur- passed the death toll from Sept. 11.
The article also added that the virus could kill as many as 200,000 even if "things were done almost perfectly."
Only problem though is with Sept. 11, the awful event happened, shook our core and what was left was, years of cleanup and recov- ery.
With this virus, we are
SEE COLUMN on page A6
Juanita Adame
Sanger families show support during shutdown
Photo Courtesy Reagan Elementary Facebook Page
Families in the Reagan Elementary school district waved at parade goers during the school's shutdown.
Photo Courtesy Reagan Elementary Facebook Page
ABOVE: Signs with messages for teachers were on display during the Reagan Elementary parade.
MVT Staff Report
Several schools in the Sanger Unified School District including, Reagan Elemen- tary and Lincoln Elementary School held "drive through" parades to show their support for the families affected by the recent school shutdowns due to the COVID-19 concerns.
In a Facebook message to their students, teachers and staff reminded them to take care during this time.
"Reagan staff decided to SOAR through the neighbor- hood today," the message read in part. "We miss our little Red
hawks so much. Together we will get through this; by stay- ing home and staying safe. Redhawk Strong!"
Staff from Lincoln Elemen- tary also paraded through parts of downtown Sanger on March 30 to show their soli- darity.
Jefferson Elementary School in Sanger paraded through town in similar fash- ion on Tuesday, March 31, and more schools are expected to do likewise.
In an emergency board meeting on Monday, March 30, trustees voted to extend school closures through May 1.
Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
ABOVE: With students, and many school employees, sheltered in place at home during the current COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, faculty at Lincoln Elementary took to the streets just to show they are thinking of, and miss, their students.
'Cat House on the Kings' cancels all upcoming events
Tim Daw / Photo Contributed
Cats practice "social distancing" at the Cat House on the Kings shelter along the Kings River near Parlier.
National Ag Week Art Calendar Contest Winners Announced
MVT Staff Report
The Cat House on the Kings near Parlier has taken precautions to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in conjunction with mandates from state and local health authorities.
Those actions include canceling events — includ- ing the no-kill shelter's an- nual Spring Open House on Saturday, April 18 — and not scheduling visits until travel restrictions have been lifted and conditions are safe to again receive visitors.
Lynea Lattanzio, owner of the shelter founded in 1992, praised the dedication of her staff and its daily care of the
cats on the property. She said the shelter is doing its best of accommodate the needs of workers' families and the cats themselves.
"Our staff veterinarian continues to visit weekly to oversee the care of the cats in our ICU," Lattanzio said in an email to The Times. "We are very fortunate that some volunteer veterinarians have also stepped up to help."
The shelter will continue to do adoptions by appoint- ment only, and will observe all recommended safety pro- tocols. Lattanzio also said that surrenders and other ad- dition of new cats to the shel-
SEE CATS on page A6
KCUSD calls on local businesses for help
Mid Valley Times
Washington Intermedi- ate School eighth grader, Catricia Alvarez of Dinuba is one of several student art- ists from throughout Tulare County whose artwork will be highlighted in the Tulare County Farm Bureau Na- tional Ag Week Art Calendar.
Each year TCFB hosts an art contest for local K-12 students in partnership with the Tulare County Office of
Education.
National Agriculture
Week is celebrated March 22-28.
It is the perfect time to celebrate all things Ag, as the top 14 winning entries will be recognized in a spe- cial ceremony slated in June.
Cash prizes and calen- dars will be awarded to the student artists, and copies of the calendars will be printed by TCOE and distributed lat- er this year.
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The Kings Canyon Uni- fied District is calling on lo- cal businesses to assist with WiFi for students who do not have access to the service.
“The District's current in- ternet capabilities offer lim- ited access in school parking lots, said Renee Delport, the district's public information officer.
“To observe social dis- tancing guidelines, the WiFi access would need to be available through a drive-up
format. A family could park near the business location and access WiFi to complete a homework assignment.”
Delport also said that stu- dents would need the access to connect with teachers.
“We are hoping to have a list of locations completed by April 2," Delport added.
If you are a business owner in town and are inter- ested in helping students in the district, you are asked to contact Renee at (559) 305- 7193 or email at delport-r@ kcusd.com