Mid Valley Times 3-18-21 E-edition

Thursday, March 18, 2021
Vol. 2, No. 37
Fresno County still in purple tier, but closer to moving out
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Tulare County residents on March 16 of- ficially got the word they've been waiting for months to hear — the county is out of the purple (widespread) tier for positive corona- virus cases.
Word had been out for days based on the recent weeks of number trending, but the lat- est statistics made it official: the county has improved to red (substantial) tier. The bene- fits are immediate, as restaurants can return to 25 percent capacity indoor dining and all retail businesses (including shopping malls) can increase their capacity from 25 to 50 per-
See REDTIERonpageA16
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
A sign at the Perko's Restaurant in Dinuba touted outdoor dining on March 16. Begin- ning on the 17th, the restaurant and other Tulare County eateries can begin offering 25 percent capacity indoor seating after the county improved to the red tier.
Sanger is latest vaccination site established for Fresno County
MVT Staff Report
A new site for COVID-19 vac- cinations has come to Sanger.
On March 16, Fresno County announced that the Sanger Com- munity Center at 730 Recreation Ave. is the home to the latest county clinic. The site is part of what the county calls its ongoing efforts to ensure that all residents have fair and equal access to CO- VID-19 vaccines.
The partnership between the
See VACCINE SITE on page A16
Dinuba
council
mulls
CDBG
funding
MVT Staff Report
The Dinuba City Coun- cil unanimously voted at its March 9 virtual meeting to provide direction to staff on programs and projects in- cluded in its 2021 Community Development Block Grant (CDGB) funds.
Ismael Hernandez, the city's public works director, gave a brief presentation by video to the council of a Jan. 29 release listing approxi- mately $30 million in federal funds that is available to Cali- fornia for its CDGB program.
The CDGB funds are pro- vided to cities for a wide range of programs or projects directed toward economic de- velopment, improvement of community facilities and in- frastructure, neighborhood revitalization and public ser- vices.
Hernandez said that the city is eligible to apply for up to $1.5 million in grant funds for housing and community development. He said the city is unable to apply for capital projects funding at this time, and as a result will focus on applying for housing funds.
Council members Kuldip
See COUNCIL on page A2
50 cents
Coronavirus Update — A Change In Status For Some
Tulare County improves to red tier
Stormy weather hits region
Ominous clouds passed over the Reedley Cemetery in southwest Reedley on March 10, the first of two days in the past week that featured thun- derstorms in portions of the Central Valley while bringing scattered rain and snow in the mountains. That first storm led to reports of flooding in portions of Dinuba. A second weather system hit the region on March 15, bringing brief downbursts of rain and hail to Fresno, Clovis and Sanger as well as rain to Reedley and Dinuba.
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Unique police training for area departments
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Jason Lehman, left, president/founder of WYSM (Why'd You Stop Me?) training program for police, speaks during a March 11 training session at the Kingsburg Police Department. Law enforcement from Sanger, Reedley, Parlier and Orange Cove were among the attendees at the three-day training program.
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Reedley, Sanger and other regional police departments participated in a cutting- edge Southern California training program in dealing and engaging with the com- munities they serve.
The program, called "Why'd You Stop Me?' (WYSM), took place March 9 through 11 at the Kings- burg Police Department. It involved all Reedley Po- lice Department personnel along with members of the Sanger, Kingsburg, Fowler,
Parlier and Orange Cove departments. Each attendee put in eight hours of training while learning how WYSM prepares personnel to best engage their respective com- munity.
The training was inspired by Reedley Police Chief Joe Garza, who attended a De- cember 2020 session of the same WYSM program that was hosted by the Madera County District Attorney's Office.
"They got me hooked as far as seeing the new way
See TRAINING on page A2
Classifieds - A5 Directory - A10 Legals - A11-14 Sports - A9, A15 Lifestyle - A7-8
Lights & Sirens - A3, A5
Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4
Reedley and Sanger, others take part in 'Why'd You Stop Me?' program