Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 9-26-19 E-edition

The View From Here
Working and serving the people of Reedley
As I exit-
ed his patrol
car, Abraham
Ruiz, an offi-
cer with the
Sanger Po-
lice Depart-
ment looked
over at me
and said, Juanita
“Ok, well Adame hopefully
you have a good afternoon, try not to let this stuff bring you down, I know it can be depressing.”
“I’ll be ok, I replied. “I guess it was a real eye opener, I didn’t even know how much of this was here.”
I began to drive away and almost immediately my brain decided to fully pro- cess the events I'd just wit- nessed while on my police ride along the afternoon of Sept. 14.
The topic: homelessness. I’ve been working on a se- ries of stories on how police and cities are dealing with the homeless populations in their towns. Also to possibly find how they ended up on the streets.
I plan to visit Reedley and Dinuba as well.
I met up with Jason Boust, a sergeant with the Sanger Police Department, on the af- ternoon of my ride along.
“Sign this form,” he said. It was a waiver stating that basically if anything hap- pened to me, it was my de- cision to be there.
Boust showed me a number of locations where homeless have taken up residence. We began to talk about the drug issue that seems to be synonymous with those struggling with homelessness.
He reached into his front
See COLUMNonpageA10
Pet of the WEEK
Simba is not quite a year old, fixed, and is a very happy boy! Gets along with other dogs, kids and is great on a leash. Sits too!! Medium size, not too thick of a coat. Call volunteer coor- dinator Kim Reed at (559) 250- 5270 or animal control officer Mario Irazoqui at (559) 618- 9071 or message the Sanger Animal Shelter Facebook page and leave your email address to find out about the regular adoption process or to make an appointment to meet all the dogs who are ready to be your new best friend.
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
There are a list of values that Andrew Rios, an engi- neer with the Reedley Fire Department, said he lives by those are: career, family, and respect for others.
“Focus on your life and ca- reer,” Rios said on the after- noon of Sept. 13. “Family is also important.”
Someone who Rios said inspired him to become a bet- ter person is his mother, Rose- mary.
“My mom, she was a single mom,” he said. “I grew up ninety percent of my life with- out a dad."
“My brother is in the mili- tary,” he continued. “My sis- ter is the manager of a hotel on the coast, and I work in fire and corrections, so one can say she did a good job of rais- ing us.”
Rios is a native of Reedley and joined the department 10 years ago. “When we first start this job,” he said. “We want
See RIOS on page A10
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
ABOVE: Andrew Rios, engineer with the Reedley Fire Department posed for a photo next to the station's ladder truck.
Model A owners have picnic in Sanger
Boat Regalia held in Dinuba
Photos by Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
ABOVE: A shark boat, created and steered by Dinuba High School Band members, makes its way across the pool during lunch on Sept. 20.
BELOW: A Dinuba High senior reaches for the finish line as a class- mate paddles along.
By Dick Sheppard
Mid Valley Times
Stan Merk, who has lived on a farm near Sanger all his 79 years, thought Greenwood Park would be a nice place for a Saturday afternoon pic- nic. So on Sept. 14 he brought along more than a dozen friends in a half dozen shiny Model A Ford cars.
The vintage cars lined up on the Cottle Avenue side of the park drew a lot of atten- tion from passers by.
Several cars made at least a couple of trips by the vintage automobiles, drivers waving and giving thumbs up to the owners having lunch in the park and waving back.
"A Model A, for the young- sters, is a Ford car manu-
"The Model A, for the youngsters, is a Ford car made from 1927 -1932"
- Tom Dodd
factured from 1927-1932. When Ford stopped making them in March of 1932, al- most 5 million had been sold for between $400 and $500 each," said Merk's friend Tom Dodd who is editor of the award winning newslet- ter, TheFlying Quail, for the Sierra Chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America. "We like to get our cars out of the
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Successful 'Art of Hope' fundraiser helps homeless
By Dick Sheppard
Mid Valley Times
The Sanger Woman's Club (SWC), established in 1912, is one of the oldest clubs in Sanger.
"Our mantra has always been 'community service,'" club president Jeanne Adams told Julie Mendoza, CEO of
'Bullish' on Farmers Market
LEFT: Lillyanna Irean Gonzalez was first to ride the mechanical bull during the Sept. 21 "Taco Throwdown" Farmer's Market. Highlights also included Ebony Cardenas channeling the spirit of Selena, a singer, songwriter, spokes- person, model, actress, and fashion de- signer who was tragically murdered in 1995 and Andrew Cuevas successfully defending his title as Sanger's Taco Eat- ing Champion. Cuevas put away eight Taco Bell tacos in three minutes.
Dick Sheppard / Mid Valley Times
HOPE Sanger. The two were on stage at the opening of the Sept. 21 "Art of Hope" fund- raiser to benefit HOPE Sanger, which provides shelter and other resources for homeless families.
"It proved to be a very suc- cessful event in spite of every- thing else going on in town at the same time" said Toni Avila
Sanchez. who organized the show for the SWC.
More than 120 pieces of art were displayed in the club- houseon7thStreet. E m a i l Jeanne Adams at jzy401@ gmail.com for more informa- tion about the club.
The Sanger Woman's Club meets for lunch on the first Tuesday of each month.
Reedley's 4H sets up display
ABOVE: Display at Sam's Shoe Store. Reedley 4-H meets the first Mon- day of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Riverview school starting November 4th. Members created this display to celebrate Fresno County 4-H week. Clayton Pennebaker, Madison Martinez, Athena Pennebaker, Charlotte Burks, Kaycie Huffman, Catherine Tarin-Edwards, Abigail Tarin-Edwards, Summer Wiebe, Stone Hudgins and Jonathan Hofer not pictured