Page 1 - Dinuba Sentinel 2-28-19 E-edition
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Dinuba Sentinel Serving the communities of Dinuba, Cutler-Orosi and Monson-Sultana
Established 1909, Dinuba, California
50 Cents
GAC hears
Mr. Emperor crowned
Dinuba's Joshua Gracia beats out six other contestants for the title
Back Page, A8
Thursday, February 28, 2019
A walk in the park
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
If you haven't noticed, there's something new at Rose Ann Vuich Park. The city of Dinuba has been busy over the past couple of weeks pouring a new walking path at the park. Last week, public works poured over 600 feet of sidewalk to the north end of the park. And this week crews have been busy pouring cement on the south end. The new sidewalks were made possible by CSET funding through the act of transportation program. The project will also include a walkway on the west side of the park, seating, landscaping and solar lighting. It is expected to be completed by April.
'A whole life in ten months'
Exchange Students re ect on time in the States, Dinuba
some 50,000 other students for a spot to come to the United States,” said World Link Foreign Exchange Student Coordinator Michelle Pattillo. “These are the cream of the crop from their countries.”
The five students are Zhasurbek Kadyrov from Kyrgyzstan, Adama Ouattara from Mali, Ketevani Razmadze from Georgia, Jeren Tolegova from Turkmenistan and Tetyana Zhurman from Ukraine.
Zhasurbek goes by Jasur, but he says his friends just call him “Jay.” He says his home county of Kyrgyzstan is in Central Asia, between China and Kazakstan. His hometown, Osh, is the
See Students, Page A6
crime report,
concerns from
local merchants
Committee holds rst meeting at Dinuba City Hall council chambers
years. He added that because of the increased threat, he is forced to pack up his merchandise and take it home to avoid losing thousands of dollars in merchandise.
Robert Trevino, who owns Orbit Lanes, which will be opening up soon, also attended the meeting and voiced his concerns. He mentioned that on multiple occasions the front door to the bowling alley has been broken and he has also been having trouble with people dumping trash in the alley behind the building.
Trevino said he’s taken proactive measures by installing cameras, and has gone as far as to provide photos to city workers. However, he says the issue continues.
GAC Chair Reda Bennani was appreciative of the concerns voiced at the meeting. “We serve as a liaison between the business community and our government agencies and different departments,” said Bennani. “We are here to try to find solutions together. Sometimes concerns are not shared on a public level. And so we encourage more businesses to come out and share their concerns with us."
Assistant Tulare County Sheriff Cheri Lehner was at the meeting to offer the sheriff’s crime report. She indicated that, because of Tulare County’s vast agriculture industry, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux has made the Agriculture Crimes Unit one of his top priorities.
One thing implemented to help prevent agriculture crimes is the use of Smart Water. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office was one of the first to use the liquid in the use of crime prevention. The Smart Water can be applied to any item and is invisible to the naked eye but can show fingerprints in fluorescent light.
See GAC, Page A3
By Rick Curiel
Editor@thedinubasentinel.com
As the Government Affairs Committee in Dinuba has grown over the last year, so has the need for a larger location to hold its monthly meetings. Once held at the White House of the Alta District Historical Society, this month’s meeting, held on Feb. 13, was held at the Dinuba City Hall council chambers.
This was made possible by former Dinuba City Mayor, and now GAC board member, Scott Harness.
Said Harness, “My goal is to increase membership and also do my best to get local business owners to attend our meetings so that they get a chance to meetourlegislatorsandrespectivefield representatives.”
He added that the original idea was to move the meetings to the newly re-opened Vocational Center. However, because the building has strict guidelines as to the use of the building, the committee needed to look elsewhere for their meetings.
“The city has been gracious enough to allow us to use the City Hall,” said Harness.
This month’s topic for the GAC was crime in the area. Committee members and attendees had the opportunity to hear from the Dinuba Police Department as well as the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office on issues surrounding local crime.
Locally, though as a whole the numbers reflect that most crime is down, property crime seems to be surging. And the numbers reflected are not an isolated issue, as both agencies indicated recent legislation has lead to increase on a statewide level.
The owner of Z’s Communications in downtown Dinuba can attest to the rise in property crime. He stated he’s had two break-ins in just the past two
Foreign exchange students (left to right) Keta Razmadze, Jeren Tolegova, Jasur Kadyrov, Tetyana Zhurman and Adama Ouattara have all come a long way to spend a school year in Dinuba. The five students competed among thousands of other foreign students for a chance to come to America through World Link Inc.
Dinuba High School has hosted foreign exchange students for several years now.
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
They’re thousands of miles away from home. For all accept one, this is their first time in the United States. For many of them, it’s their first time overseas, and for some, their first time out of their respective countries. But for five foreign exchange students, home is being redefined here in Dinuba.
The five students are from various countries across the sea and have come to the United States by way of World Link Inc. The organization has placed foreign exchange students here in Dinuba, and across the nation, for many years.
“These students compete against
thedinubasentinel.com Inside | Lights and SirensA2 | ObituariesA2 | OpinionA4 | SportsB1 | Classi edsB6
From Valley to State
After falling in Valley title game, Emps move on to State Sports, Page B1
By Rick Curiel
Editor@thedinubasentinel.com
