Page 1 - Reedley Exponent 4:19:18 E-edition

A big, zany ‘Noise’ opens April 27 at Opera House
Reedley High softball begins defense of NYL title
Vol. 129, No. 16 | Thursday, April 19, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents Shelter won’t open for 30 to 60 days
Repairs, upgrades
planned for facility
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
It may be the start of summer before the Hope Now House of Faith emergency shelter — approved on a 4-0 vote by the Reedley City Council on April 10 — will be able to open its doors.
The two-story structure, at 1697 W. Huntsman Ave., needs mainte- nance work. Ken Baker, pastor of
Heritage Church in Reedley and di- rector of operations for Hope Now Ministries, said rehabilitation will include refurbishing work on the interior and exterior and building a wall in place of a fence on the north side of the property.
“We will be scheduling some volunteer work days to help with cleanup, and will be looking for some local churches and organizations to sponsor a room to set up and receive families,” Baker said on April 17.
The shelter, to be underwrit- ten by $560,000 in grant funding from the California Department
of Finance, had been opposed by a group of Reedley residents living just north and east of the shelter property. Cliff Unruh, representing the Reedley Beach Families group, announced before the vote on April 10 that the group is filing two com- plaints against the City Council. The complaints were sent to the Califor- nia Fair Political Practices Commis- sion and to the American Institute of Certified Planners commission.
“It is important to understand that this is not a complaint about
See SHELTER on page A8
Ken Baker, pastor of the Reedley Heritage Church and director of operations for Hope Now Ministries, addressed the Reedley City Council during public comment before the council’s vote April 10 on the Hope Now House of Faith emergency shelter. The council voted to ap- prove a license agreement for the shelter.
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
KCUSD
expands
summer
programs
By Felicia Cousart Matlosz
felicia@midvalleypublishing.com
Summer school in the Kings Can- yon Unified School District is being reshaped this year, starting with this significant change: the plan is that every campus will have a summer program.
With the changes, district of- ficials expect to further boost aca- demic achievement.
KCUSD has had summer ses- sions but not at every school. The sessions have focused on specific areas, such as Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), “jump starting” kindergarten, and high school aca- demics.
But Superintendent John Camp- bell, who was deputy superinten- dent and now is in his first year as KCUSD schools chief, in February outlined to district trustees why dis- trict officials want to expand and unify the program.
“There are so many things we do very well in our district,” Campbell said. “The traditional year is packed with activities and programs and in- terventions and things that we do for our students.”
The summer sessions, however, have had what he called “pockets of excellence,” with a number of schools that had summer programs taking different approaches and schedules.
Now, Campbell said, the district wants to bring more of what it does during the regular school year into the summer program. And, that starts with making “sure every sin- gle school has a summer program.”
“It’s really doing something spe- cial this summer that I think will make a difference,” Campbell said.
See SUMMER on page A2
Relay remembrance
Luminaria lights up annual Relay for Life event By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Cancer survivors and volunteer speakers on April 14 showed why they “relay” when they released helium-filled balloons into the eve- ning sky at the end of a luminaria ceremony during the annual Reedley Relay for Life fundraiser at Reedley High School.
“Let it be a symbol of our com- mitment to keeping the light alive and helping it to make it shine bright until the day comes when we conquer cancer,” Amber Fowler, ceremony emcee, said as the bal- loons drifted skyward. A moment of silence followed as people remem- bered loved ones and friends who died from cancer in the past year.
One of those remembered was Denise Hamstrom, a leading volun- teer and fundraiser for the Relay who died last November after an eight-year battle with breast cancer and lymphoma. Her loss was shared by her friend and former co-worker Brandy McNelly, another volunteer leader who has been involved with the event for more than a decade.
“Denise had some very difficult days during her lymphoma treat- ments,” McNelly said. “Losing her hearing, having vision issues, losing her balance, walking on a frame. Not keeping down nutrition and so much more.
“But no matter how bad her day was, she never stopped smiling. She found joy and hope in even the worst moments. And by doing that, she brought joy and hope to the rest of us.”
McNelly said that while Ham- strom’s body finally wore out, her
See RELAY on page A2
TOP: Walkers took part in a tribute lap after the lumi- naria ceremony April 14 at the Reedley Relay for Life. The annual 24-hour event that raises money to fight cancer was held on April 14-15 at Reedley High School.
ABOVE: Raul Flores, left, and Raul Ramirez of the Redline Band performed for the attendees before the ceremony.
LEFT: Luminaria participants released balloons into the air at the end of the ceremony.
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
More than 1,200 participate in RC’s FFA Field Day
Reedley College hosted its 51st annual FFA Field Day on April 14 at the college. More than 1,200 students, parents and staff from 96 high schools throughout California participated in the daylong event. David Clark, dean of instruction at the college, said school teams came from as far south as San Diego County, Poway and Lakeside and as far north as Oroville. This year’s Sweepstakes Trophy was awarded to Minarets High School of Oakhurst in Madera County.
LEFT: Members of the Tulare FFA Program reviewed paperwork during a break in the competition. Reed- ley College Agricultural and Natural Resources faculty and students assisted in hosting a variety of orga- nized competitions.
RIGHT: Hana Unruh of Sweepstakes Trophy-winning Minarets High took notes while participating in the forestry competition.
Reedley College / Photos Contributed
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