Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 8-13-20 E-edition

Thursday, August 13, 2020
Police step in to help Reedley resident
The View From Here
I’ve heard it said so many times before, but again it’s interesting how, in just a matter of moments life can change.
Juanita Adame
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
A resident, who suffered a stroke and has limited mo- bility in her left arm was pleasantly surprised when the Reedley Police officers who showed up on an unre- lated issue ended up fixing her faulty front door.
“She’d made a call to po- lice about someone pouring salt onto her plants,” said Je- sus Rivera a sergeant with Reedley.
“So we came to take the report and while here we no- ticed she was having trouble opening her door.”
Rivera, along with his two officers, Michael Velasquez and Giovani Medina decided they would fix the resident’s door to help making it when she opened it.
The woman lives at the King’s River Mobile Home park did not want to be iden- tified, but said having the of- ficers fix her door was a huge help.
“It is a big deal, having to pull on the door and push on it, every day,” she said. “I’ve been struggling with the door for about six months, usually I would just muscle it, keep pushing on it and pushing on
It was
last week, on
Aug. 5 that I found myself along the shore at Reedley Beach. It was dusk so the mosquito repellent in my car was necessary. I stood by, like everyone else, waiting for a sign of from the water. [See A1 for story.]
Above me; the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Ea- gle 1 helicopter, in front of me, multiple first respond- ers, some on boats, others on jet skies.
Behind me police cars, lights flashing, sirens blar- ing. Next to me, bystanders whispering amongst them- selves about what had just taken place.
The call came in as “mul- tiple drownings.”
The water waved by qui- etly, not giving any indica- tion of where its victims were. I looked at the water, so inviting, yet so deceiving. The sun outside was so hot, a perfect day to relax and cool down.
I attended a memorial service in February 2018 for fallen Reedley Police Offi- cer Javier Bejar and Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy, Joel Wahlenmaier.
For those who remember, the two law enforcement of- ficers were killed in the 2010 Minkler shoot out. Sad day for law enforcement.
Sheriff Margaret Mims spoke during the ceremony in 2018. One thing I remem- ber her saying during the ceremony is that because of that day’s events, the names, Bejar and Wahlenmair, will be forever bonded together.
The same can be said for the Aug. 5 drowning victims, Manjeet Singh and Saman- tha Cruzpedro.
Two very different indi- viduals. Singh was 29 years old and from India. He came over to the U.S. two years ago and according to reports had just began truck driving school the day he died.
Samantha, 8, is from Mexico. A young girl ready to begin school in a few days, having a beach day with friends.
Those two names will also be forever bonded.
I talked to Joe Garza, Reedley's Police Chief on Aug. 11, he said they're look- ing into raising safety issues on the river.
Hopefully changes are made so no other names be- come bonded in tragedy.
Photo Contributed
From left, Reedley Police Officer Michael Velasquez and Sgt. Jesus Rivera took some time to fix a resident's faulty door frame on the morning of August 10.
the door until it opened.” The woman said it took the officers just minutes to fix it. “They took this screw out and added a washer to it,” she
said. “A little space added to the screw and somehow that lifted the door.”
The officers said the door may have become a hazard in
the event of a fire and they wanted to have the resident exit her home as fast as pos- sible if need be.
More photos on A8
Souza joins Immanuel Schools administration team
Photo Courtesy / Fresno County Food Bank
Andy Souza will join the Immanuel Schools administration this fall.
SUSD to hold immunization clinic for their students
Contributed
Andy Souza has been hired as the new chief ad- ministrative officer for Im- manuel Schools.
Souza has been in commu- nity leadership positions for much of his 38-year profes- sional career.
Prior to joining Immanuel Schools he served as CEO of Central California Food Bank (CCFB) for nearly ten years. He is a graduate of Califor- nia State University, Fresno with a BA in Business Ad- ministration.
“We are extremely ex- cited to have Andy on staff,"
said Ryan Wood, Immanuel superintendent.
"He is a man of integrity who will be bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help Immanuel con- tinue to grow.”
Andy has been married to his wife Marcia for 40 years, and they have three adult children Robyn, Kevin, and Trent. Robyn and her hus- band Bryan are the parents of Andy and Marcia’s grand- children Cole, Chase, and Reese, while Kevin and his wife Lyndi are the parents of Andy and Marcia’s grand- children, Brody and Ellie.
Photo of the week
Mid Valley Times
The Sanger Unified School District will be hosting an im- munization clinic on Aug. 13 for students in grades Tk, kindergarten and 7th grade.
The clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Washington Academic Mid- dle School East Gym. The immunizations that will be
offered include TDAP and TB skin tests.
Personnel recommends that appointments be made prior to event and attendees are required to bring a shot record and MediCal Card as well as a mask or facial cov- ering.
For more information or to schedule an appointment contact (559) 246-3898.
Contributed
A photo of Ashley Mejia enjoying some sun and a beautiful wa- terfall at the Lewis Creek Trail in Oakhurst was sent in by Carmen Camargo. Have a photo you'd like featured? Email juanita@mid- valleypublishing.com.