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

The Reedley Exponent A4 Thursday, April 19, 2018 Editorial & Opinions
Serving “The World’s Fruit Basket” since 1891
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
Fred Hall — Publisher
In my OPINION
Reference to a “fourth estate” has been with us since medieval times although it is often viewed as a recent phenomenon. The original division of society was into what could be identi- fiedasestatesordivisions; theclergy,nobility and commoners. With the arrival of the print- ing press, printed publications became known as the fourth estate.
Jon Earnest — Editor
Chris Aguirre — Sports Editor Felicia Cousart Matlosz — Panorama Editor Budd Brockett — Editor Emeritus
QUOTE
“I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way.”
— Franklin P. Adams (1881-1960)
Fred Hall
Jon Earnest
With emergency shelter passed, it’s time to make project work
Many Americans believe that news report-
ing had become a fourth branch of government
but that is incorrect. Our job has always been to
keep an eye on those who have been assigned
the duty to oversee the governance of their given area. Sadly, in re- cent years the role of a free press has been abused and misused. Today, our business is rampant with political spin, oversimplifica- tion, exaggeration, dramatization and advocacy for personal agendas. None of these have any place in the “news hole” of any weekly or daily newspaper. I date myself by using the term when today’s youth- ful journalists provide “content.”I still firmly believe our mandate is to report the “news” and not provide content to fill pages.
Small town newspapers, in my opinion, contribute greatly to the quality of life in American cities which are still fortunate to have a professionally edited paper in their service. Where, for so little cost, can one turn to get all the school news, club news, community news, sports coverage as well as what’s going on at City Hall? It’s not just a matter of supporting your local paper — we feel that we are still the mostbelievable,trustworthy,efficient,enjoyable deliverysystemfor news and advertising and generally one of the best buys anywhere in spite of the decreasing number of newspapers in this country. Any loss of a local newspaper is a loss for the entire community.
That’s why it particularly distressing to me when an incident hap- pened this past week involving a merchant — incidentally one who, to my knowledge, has never spent a dime with us but loves the free publicity which we provide — asking one my people in front of oth- ers “areyougoingoutofbusiness?”Thewordforwhatafflictssuch people is “schadenfreude.” The term applies to folks who gain great pleasure at the difficulties or anticipated problems of others.
One can sink no lower than to enjoy the misfortune of others.
Our newspapers have all been here for over a century and ex- perienced the vagaries of the economy. There have been salad days and there have been difficult times. To those who are experiencing a bout with schadenfreude, I would say that Mid Valley newspapers will be here for a long time. We have diversified into other areas and now provide an electronic edition of your favorite paper as well as the old reliable printed version.
We continue to have hundreds of loyal advertisers and thousands of faithful subscribers. These wonderful people are the reason we get up and come to work every morning. They’re the reason we work nights to cover meetings and sporting events. To each and everyone of them I say “God bless you.” To our detractors, I say get a life and broaden your intellect so you have something else to talk about!
Newspaper people are a breed unto their own. The work is hard, one is often cursed for their reporting, hours are long and the pay is low — but we love what we do. It’s as if it is in the bloodstream. Your Mid Valley intends to be here to record the history and happenings in your community for a long time to come. Count on us to report accurately and unbiased on the subjects that impact your daily life.
And, oh yes, occasionally we will offer our opinion. That’s not an opinion — that’s a promise!
Letters from readers
On April 10, the four participating Reedley City Council members made it official with their vote: a temporary emergency shelter for qualifying fam- ilies will begin operations in the near future in southwest Reedley.
The Hope Now House of Faith — called Faith House in application paperwork — becomes reality with operator Ken Baker of Hope Now Ministries entering a license/lease agreement with the city. The plan is for Baker and the nonprofit to hire a house manager who will live on site at the 18-person facility. Forty percent of the $560,000 ignorant money from the California Department of Finance — $224,000 — will go to Hope Now Min- istries to operate the facility. Baker said he is not accepting any personal pay or salary for anything related to the house. He said that sufficient staff will be hired from that portion of the grant to provide 24-7 oversight.
However, it won’t be a case of qual- ifying families immediately moving in. Baker has said the house needs to be fixed up for occupancy, and a number of repairs are needed. Those now can proceed with the contract approval, but is expected to take 30 to 60 days before the first temporary tenants move in. The remaining 60 percent of grant funding — about $336,000 — is the money that will be used for fixes to the property. Work to be done in- cludes building up a stone-concrete wall in similar design to the frontage wall along Huntsman Avenue.
The fact that the state grant came through the department of finance’s Community-Based Transitional Hous- ing Program alarmed neighboring res- idents who have opposed the project. They have suspected that the wording of the grant funding program implied that the facility would have to be avail- able to house paroled prison or jail in-
mates. But Baker and City Manager Nicole Zieba assured council mem- bers that the city specifically received concessions from the state to prohibit parolees and strictly enforce eligibility standards for potential residents.
Proponents have emphasized that the shelter will not be a halfway house, drug rehabilitation facility, of- fender release facility or open home- less shelter. The facility will not serve sex offenders, active parolees, single males or any person not passing what Baker says is a strict vetting and ap- proval process. In the words of Hope Now’s brochure on the facility, it’s “for displaced families and victims of vio- lent crimes.” While that was the clien- tele that the former Marjaree Mason Center housed from 2003 to 2016, the current setup will be enforced and regulated by the city. Zieba said the city was allowed no access to the Ma- son center when it was in operation.
Hope Now Ministries’ brochure states that the mission statement for the facility is “to provide a positive and authentic atmosphere where families can grow toward a healthier, and safer tomorrow through a better today.” The goals and objectives for the facility are to make a commitment to each family to ensure their success and to develop a plan for success with one of the orga- nization’s volunteer life skills coaches.
The bottom line is, the shelter is a done deal. Just not an immediately done deal. The Reedley Beach Fami- lies group that opposed the project has accepted the outcome, according to resident Cliff Unruh. He stated that the group’s action in filing complaints with the California Fair Political Prac- tices Commission and the American institute of Certified Planners com- mission is not a complaint about the house itself.
However, Unruh said that the
complaints are about the city’s ac- tions and to get the outside agencies to investigate the pro- cess leading up to the City Council’s approval.
Looking ahead,
the main priority
should be looking
to the future and taking the steps to make sure this project works for all concerned — including the unhappy neighbors. It’s important that the op- erators follow through on the stated safeguards and strict enforcement planned for the shelter. The first goal is to get the house ready for occupan- cy with the repairs and thorough vet- ting process for tenants.
Baker has said Hope Now Minis- tries plans to schedule some volunteer works dates to help clean up and pre- pare the property for tenants. He plans to reach out to local churches and orga- nizations to sponsor a room to prepare to receive families. Anyone wishing to volunteer their services is encouraged to contact Baker at (559) 375-6783.
•••
It’s a little more than a week un-
til Immanuel Schools holds its annual Open House and Spring Celebration on Saturday, April 28. The school’s theme for this year is “Celebrate Milestones” and includes honoring the first Imman- uel graduating class, the Class of 1946.
Activities include a blood drive from 3 to 6 p.m. and a chapel program at 5 p.m. Beginning at 6 p.m. open house projects from kindergarten students through 12th grade will be on display throughout the school. The school also will serve a free dinner.
For more information on the open house, call 638-2529 or go online to im- manuelschools.com.
How Medicare plan covers kidney disease
Push to end
modern-day slavery Thursday, Feb. 22, was
“Shine a Light on Slavery Day.” Thiswasa daywherethousands of individuals, including me, put a red “X” on their hand to sup- port the End It Movement: a nonprofit organization that aims to shine a light on modern-day slavery. I believe that this is an organization that everybody in our community should support.
When people hear the word slavery, most of them think it was an issue we experienced in history and that is now over. What many people do not realize is that slavery is still something that we deal with in our world today. There are many forms of modern-day slavery including
sex trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, and human trafficking. In our country, there are [an] es- timated 57,000 people suffering from slavery today. In the city of Fresno, there are many women and children experiencing mod- ern-day slavery; a victim even could be someone you know.
These individuals that are en- slaved do not have liberty, hap- piness, nor do they have a voice. But I have one, and you do, too. Why don’t we raise our voices for people who can’t?
By supporting movements like the “End It Movement,” we fight against slavery and shine a light on modern-day slavery so we as a community, can come together and end it.
Keren Cabrera Clovis
By Greg Dill
Guest columnist
Did you know that one in three American adults is at risk for kidney disease? Major risk factors for kid- ney disease include diabe- tes, high blood pressure, a family history of kidney failure, and being age 60 or older.
The best way to fight kidney disease is to find it before trouble starts. But if you’ve already been diag- nosed, Medicare can help you make informed deci- sions about your care.
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs. Each kidney is about the size of a fist. Your kidneys filter ex- tra water and wastes out of your blood and make urine. Kidney disease means your kidneys are damaged and can’t filter blood the way they should.
If you experience kid- ney failure, treatments include dialysis or kidney transplant. Other kidney problems include acute kidney injury, kidney cysts, kidney stones, and kidney infections.
If you have Stage IV chronic kidney disease that will usually require dialysis or a kidney trans- plant, Medicare covers up to six kidney disease edu- cation sessions that teach you how to take the best
possible care of your or- gans. Topics include how to prevent complications of kidney disease, what to eat and drink, and what options you have if your kidneys get worse, like dialysis and kidney trans- plants.
Here’s more informa- tion about how Medicare covers dialysis and trans- plants: medicare.gov/Pubs/ pdf/10128-Medicare-Cover- age-ESRD.pdf.
If you or a loved one has advanced kidney prob- lems requiring dialysis, often known as End-stage Renal Disease (ESRD), finding the right care can be a challenge.
Dialysis centers can vary in the quality of care and services they provide, so it’s important to under- stand the differences in di- alysis centers in your area before you decide where to go for care. If you’re al- ready on dialysis, it’s also important to understand the quality of care that your dialysis center deliv-
ers.Medicare’s Dialysis Facility Compare website (https://www.medicare.gov/ dialysisfacilitycompare) lets you easily search for dialysis centers, compare them side by side, and find the right one for you. You also can see how dialysis
patients responded to sur- vey questions about their dialysis center, their kid- ney doctor, and the center’s staff.
Dialysis Facility Com- pare provides information on more than 6,500 cen- ters throughout the United States. The website assigns each facility from one to five stars, based on the quality of its patient care. Five stars is the highest rating.
Dialysis Facility Compare is one of many sources of information you can use when decid- ing where to get dialysis. When you’re looking for a dialysis center that’s right for you, talk to your doctor and dialysis center staff about what this informa- tion means and how you can use it to make health care decisions.
You can protect your kidneys by preventing or managing health conditions that cause kidney damage, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The steps described below may help keep your whole body healthy, including your kidneys.
During your next medi- cal visit, you may want to ask your health care pro- vider about your kidney health. Early kidney dis- ease may not have any
symptoms, so getting test- ed may be the only way to know your kidneys are healthy. Your health care provider will help decide how often you should be tested.
See a provider right away if you develop a uri- nary tract infection (UTI), which can cause kidney damage if left untreated.
Choose foods that are healthy for your heart and your entire body: fresh fruits, fresh or frozen veg- etables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Eat healthy meals, and cut back on salt and added sugars. Aim for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day. Try to have less than 10 percent of your daily calories come from added sugars.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases offers tips on making healthy food and lifestyle choices online at niddk.nih.gov/health-in- formation/kidney-disease/ chronic-kidney-disease- ckd/prevention.
Greg Dill is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Ha- waii, Nevada, and the Pa- cific Territories. You can get answers to your Medi- care questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800- 633-4227).
Letters Policy
THE REEDLEY EXPONENT 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 300 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed (jon@midvalleypublishing. com), submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.