Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 8-5-21 E-edition

Thursday, August 5, 2021 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
Serving the Readers of the Reedley Exponent, Dimuba Sentinel and Sanger Herald.
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
In my OPINION A practical solution to
state's garbage problem
We love letters which are submit- ted by our readers! When we speak of community journalism, there is no purer form than reader participation.
The heat of summer remains as schools ready to begin 2021-22 year
Fred Hall — Publisher
Jon Earnest — Editor
Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
A recent letter from Wilfred Laem-
mlen — obviously a very thoughtful
man from Sanger — concerning abate-
ment of California's garbage, trash
and litter especially piqued our inter-
est when it landed on our desk. There
can be little doubt about there being an
ample supply of government employees to devise and implement solutions to our messy roadsides and the fouling of our cities. I've learned that he who expects nothing isn't going to be disappointed. As near as we can tell, man is the only species in nature who foul their own nests.
His excellent contribution was formatted more like a “white paper,” packed with information but making it impossible to produce in letter format. His message was completely apolitical. My presentation of his information will not be free of politics wherever I deem helpful in seeking a solution.
California, undoubtedly, is one of the most beautiful states in the union and yet we have politicians ruining the state to a point where no one can afford to live here and unthinking, uncaring people making our environment ugly.
With the exception of, perhaps Hawaii, we are the most expensive state in which to live. At least partially, the cost of housing and utilities exacerbate the problem of the homeless and the squalor in which they live. Big cities believe that really expensive tents or hotels and motels are the solution, but all are non-starters.
Mr. Laemmlen — correctly, we believe — begins his call for action by advocating education. He believes that cleanliness should be made a part of State Educational curriculum, starting with kindergarten and continuing through grade 12. Emphasis should be placed on placing papers, waste, and debris in a trash receptacle. Used chewing gum should be wrapped in paper before being discarded in the trash. Secondly, students should tidy up the classroom and their desks before end of school day. This costs nothing.
The school is a child's home for a good part of the day, and they must be taught to do their part in maintaining cleanliness and order. As it is at school, so should it be at home. Habits formed when we are young tend to last a lifetime.
A good beginning on roadside cleanup would be to eliminate homeless camping on public or private prop- erty without permission of the owner. Roadsides are a literal embarrassment. They tend to be overgrown with weeds and strewn with litter. One tractor with a mower or weed shredder is capable of covering 20 to 30 miles a day. That should be a no-brainer for a state which is running a huge surplus. That would be good for all of us. That would be good for tourism.
Implementation of free dump stations would go a long way toward eliminating the dumping of tires, trash, mattresses and furniture along our rural roadways, farm properties and railroad tracks.
Although this is an encapsulated view of Mr. Laem- mien's suggestion, he does leave us with a succinct ques- tion; We all pay dearly for unorganized dumping and littering. Why have we not figured this out years ago?
Although we've only been able to print a small portion of the submitted material, the rest was packed full of suggestions to deal with this ugly phenomenon. All are easy to implement; all encompass small, common sense actions and the onus falls on the citizenry and not some huge governmental program which always defaults to waste and mismanagement.
Education of the children is the ideal starting point, with parents and teachers assuming responsibility. Since we now arepaying the highest gas tax in the land, there should be plenty of money to maintain the roadsides of California.
The lingering triple digit temperatures may give an in- dication that it's still the thick of summer, but the calendar doesn't lie. In a matter of days — just four if you're a Dinuba Unified student — it's time for children and teens to go back to class for the 2021-2022 school year.
And unlike the 2020-2021 school year that was plagued by the shroud of COVID-19 from the start, this year means that for the most part students will be returning to live instruc- tion on campus and in the class- room. There remain options for blended education (on campus and demote) for those fami- lies who want it, but students in general will be returning to what was considered normal before a near-unprecedented 2020 — back in the classroom.
Naturally, there's an air of concern with a good number of students and families. An up- tick in new COVID cases, like- ly driven by the Delta variant
and other potential new strains, appears to be targeting young people and those who haven't been vaccinated. From what I've seen of the school districts in the region, that risk is being targeted with continued safety standards and precautions. That includes at Reedley College, where the Fall 2021 semester begins on Monday, Aug. 9.
While we have the new concerns about handling daily classes under what remains a COVID-19 cloud, there's the annual safety concern all resi- dents should heed and practice beginning next week — traf- fic safety. Starting on Monday, Aug. 9 in Dinuba, residents should keep the speed down and drive safely when near cam- pus. That behavior is expected to spread into Reedley and Or- ange Cove beginning Wednes- day, Aug. 11, when the first day of school takes place at Kings Canyon Unified campuses and at Immanuel Schools.
people heading off to school will come the following week in Sanger, when Sanger Unified begins the 2021- 22 school year on Wednesday, April 18.
Jon Earnest
Fred Hall
What will be welcome is the return to a relatively "nor- mal" tradition of interacting of students with live instruction, and — more important — the return of traditional in-person extracurricular activities — clubs, groups, marching bands, and athletics. Once again, foot- ball, cross country, water polo and volleyball will return to their normal August-November calendar of schedules.
Welcome back to staff, fac- ulty and — next week — stu- dents! Let's all share the hope for a safe, educational and memorable school year.
The final rush of young Letters from readers
Jon Earnest is news-sports editor for The Times.
But, as always, that's only one man's opinion.
Another Sanger icon gone
I was born and raised in Sanger during a gentler time in history. Saturdays were ex- citing because my sisters and I and half of our neighborhood pals could go to the Sanger Movie Theater and for less than 50 cents watch Bugs Bun- ny and Woody Woodpecker car- toons; followed by a double-fea- ture movie followed by a trip to The Dog House for a hot dog that filled you up until dinner.
When it came time for a spe- cial occasion, my Mom would drive me downtown to Ina Rose or Federated for the perfect dress or pair of pants...easy peasy. Right here in Sanger.
The Sanger Branch Library was on the corner of 7th and "O" Streets in a beautiful Carn- egie building that smelled like old books and waxed wooden floors. Some of us studied there or went to meet up with friends, and if you were too loud Miss Warner, the sweet old-maid head librarian, would seek you out and ask you to leave!
All old icons of bygone days that were very special to me because they were a big part of
Sanger and my childhood mem- ories during a gentler time...all razed.
And now Sanger has lost another very old icon that was a landmark of sorts...it was so loved that the city of Sanger built the road around it so cars could pass by it to be admired and photographed and talked about. The majestic old oak tree that sat in the middle of 8th Street — GONE.
I am saddened by its death and will miss its presence ev- ery time I pass that way.
Sharri Gumber-Carter Sanger
Community garden update
As this hot summer pro- gresses, we are pleased to share that the Community Life Garden is thriving. We just recently harvested several pounds of zucchini and squash. Most went to our local food banks, as the vegetables were huge and plentiful. Our com- munity gardeners were also pleased to be able to share with their friends and neighbors.
Our April 10 planting day was a great success. A big thank you
to our volunteers from the Social Work Student Association from Fresno State, our new Garden members, and new visitors. We accomplished a lot together that morning. We were able to plant various vegetables and clean out the Herb Garden areas.
We also are very pleased to share that we have recently been awarded a community grant from Adventist Health. This grant will enable us to continue providing our garden programs for the community and our garden members. We are very grateful for this won- derful health organization that invests in their local commu- nity nonprofits. Their mission is living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope.
Our first Adventist Health- sponsored program is our Open Garden Day on Saturday, Aug. 28. Join us in our end-of-season harvest for local food banks. The event runs from 7:30 a.m. to noon at 22899 E. Manning Ave. in Reedley.
Keep gardening for our fu-
ture!
Letters Policy
MID VALLEY TIMES invites letters from the public on any topic of local relevance. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or brevity, and we reserve the right to NOT publish them if they could be deemed libelous or profane. Letters should be 350 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed, submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
QUOTE
“The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”
— Dorothy Nevill (1826-1913)
David Gonzalez Executive Director, Community Life Garden
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