Reedley Exponent 12-7-17 E-edition

RMBC prepares for its annual Christmas celebration
Panorama
Vol. 128, No. 49 | Thursday, December 7, 2017
Reedley High basketball picks up three tournament wins
Sports
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents Performing Arts fundraiser
www.reedleyexponent.com
Exponent’s e-edition set to launch on Dec. 14
The Exponent newspaper is going fully digital the week of Dec. 14.
We will be providing our read- ers and subscribers our digital version of the newspaper each week. Readers will be able to read the entire print version of the newspaper in an electronic for- mat. You’ll be able to turn pages with a swipe of a finger on your
smartphone and handheld devices and adjust the newsprint size.
There will be special subscrip- tion packages offered to provide readers online options. New sub- scribers will receive the e-edition for free during the month of De- cember.
For more information or to order, call The Exponent office at 638-2244.
Reedley College’s ‘Gatsby Gala’ on Dec. 9 to benefit center project Staff Report
It’s not too late to attend this weekend’s Reedley Col- lege fundraiser for its planned Center for Fine & Per- forming Arts.
A limited number of tickets will be available at the door for the “Great Gatsby” dinner on Saturday, Dec. 9, in the Student Center across from the cafeteria. The 1920s-themed event begins with a social hour at 6 p.m.
Activities planned for the estimated 100 attendees in- clude art, a silent auction, a fashion show, choreographed dance sets by Reedley College students, a photo booth, songs performed by the Reedley College choir and danc- ing with music provided by a DJ.
Dinner will be provided by the Wakehouse Woodfire Grill and Barrel in Reedley. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in their best 1920s attire, and the event is limited to people 21 and older.
The Center for Fine & Performing Arts will be a place where generations of students will be able to study,
See GALA on page A8
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
One of the Reedley Police Depart- ment drones is pictured during a pre- sentation to the Reedley City Council on Nov. 14.
Council
OKs use
of drone
by police
Staff Report
The Reedley City Council has approved the use of an unmanned aircraft system — commonly called a drone — by the city’s police department for “approved and legitimate government pur- poses.”
At its Nov. 14 meeting, the council unanimously passed a res- olution allowing operation of the unmanned aircraft for purposes of providing emergency manage- ment and fire or police protection in the event of a life-threatening emergency. During that state of emergency, the drone would be allowed to survey the condition of people or property involved.
Reedley police Lt. Marc Edi- ger showed the council a slide presentation. During the presen- tation, Ediger passed around a DJI Corporation-manufactured Mavich Pro drone that the de- partment purchased for $1,300 including accessories. Each coun- cil member had the opportunity to take a close look at the aircraft.
Ediger – currently the depart- ment’s lone trained pilot (control operator) – said police training of 24 hours is needed for an in- dividual to fly the aircraft. Op- erators then need to pass a flying test to become certified with the Federal Aviation Administration. A testing program is available at Reedley College.
“There will be a need for training, but I see it as a huge re- source for us and fire moving for- ward for public safety.” he said.
Ediger said the drone is com- pact and affordable, with an av- erage battery time of 23 to 28 minutes per charge. It can fly up to 1 1/2 miles from the opera- tor before losing video contact, although he doesn’t recommend that.
The police and fire depart- ments eventually hope to pur- chase a larger DJI Matrice 100, which is three feet in diameter and features 4K video capabili- ties and the ability to carry larger cameras and payload. It’s a more expensive model, costing about $14,000 and an additional $6,000 for the night vision clear camera.
Ediger said that FAA rules
Man behind the tree glitz
Sergey Yanovsky, electrician for city, has donated lights and new decorations
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
As an electrician, Sergey Ya- novsky has always had a soft spot in his heart for Christmas lights. That affinity only increased when he moved to Reedley.
“I’ve been pretty big with the Christmas. That’s the holiday I look forward to most,” he said.
Yanovsky, full-time electrician for the city, has taken on the task of purchasing lights and decorations for the city’s Christmas tree that’s displayed each year for a month at the intersection of G and 11th streets. He and his wife, Laura Yanovsky, have teamed with business partners Heather Ground and David Peters to upgrade the city’s 30-foot tree with new decorations and about 800 feet of new LED lighting. The new-look fir was officially lit on Nov. 25.
Yanovsky came to Reedley from Mark III Construction in Fresno. He has 14 years worth of experience in electrical work and has extensive ex- perience in lighting upgrades.
“One of the first things I men- tioned when I came here was deco- rating the tree,” he said. “I knew I was going to be involved somewhat with it, but I didn’t know how much.”
The Yanovskys are business partners with Ground and Peters at Hidden Hollow, a wedding venue north of Reedley that contracts out weddings and other special events. The four decided to donate to up- grade the tree’s decorations and im- prove the tree lighting system that was subject to power overloads.
“I only saw pictures of the previ- ous trees,” Yanovsky said. “I thought it would be kind of neat to get into put- ting a ton of lighting here without the problem of too much [power load].”
This year’s new decorations in- clude nutcracker figures and stars as well as hanging messages of “Merry Christmas.” There also are
See YANOVSKY on page A8
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Sergey Yanovsky, electrician for the city of Reedley, stands next to the city’s Christmas tree for 2017. Yanovsky; his wife, Laura Yanovsky; and Hidden Hollow business partners Heather Ground and David Peters have donated lights and decorations to the tree for the last two years.
Valencias to be honored at Electrical Parade
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Lillie and Harry Valencia have enjoyed the annual Electrical Farm Equipment Parade from many dif- ferent viewing sites, but this is the first time the Reedley couple will be watching the festivities while riding on a fire truck down G Street.
The Valencias were selected by the Reedley Downtown Association as the Family of the Year for the 2017 parade on Thursday, Dec. 9.
“We’ve always been sitting out on the street watching the parade,” Lil- lie said. “When they said we would be riding in it, I was flabbergasted.”
The Valencias have lived in Reedley since 1978 and raised their two children, daughter, Veronica, and son, Erik. Erik Valencia was hired in August as executive director for the Greater Reedley Chamber of Com- merce.
downtown association, said the Va- lencias were deserving of the Family of the Year honor.
“It’s a great selection because they take advantage in the proper way of all that Reedley offers as a community,” she said. “They are in- volved in so many things.”
The couple has a deep tie to the area. Lillie was born in Reedley and
Lillie and Harry Valencia are being honored as the Reedley area Family of the Year
at the annual Electrical Farm Equipment Parade on Thursday, Dec. 7, in downtown
Reedley. The Valencias will ride a Reedley Fire Department Truck in the parade. Pam Melville, president of the
See VALENCIAS on page A8
Classified - A6-7 Directory - A5 Legals - B9-10 Sports - B3-4 Health & Fitness - B6-8 Lights & Sirens - A3 Obituaries - A2-3
See DRONE on page A3 Opinion - A4
ELECTRICAL FARM EQUIPMENT PARADE
When and Where: Pre-parade activities begin at 5:30 p.m. along G Street, and floats gather along G Street north of Pioneer Park. The parade begins at 7:30 p.m.
2017 theme: “Super Heroes at Christmas (real or fictional)”