Page 1 - Mid Valley Times 10-29-20 E-edition

Thursday, October 29, 2020
Vol. 2, No. 18
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Fresno County managed to stay in the red tier (sub- stantial) for the month of October when it comes to the number of positive CO- VID-19 cases, after briefly flirting last week with the possibility of falling back into the purple tier (wide- spread) category.
The county was able to
reduce its number of new COVID positive cases per day to 6.7 (down from 7.3) per 100,000 population, re- turning to substantial level. Even better, Fresno County reduced its overall positivity rate to 5.0, and has a chance to edge into the orange (mod- erate) category last attained the week of Sept. 29.
As of Oct. 27, Fresno
See COVID-19onpageA18
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Ryan Wood, Immanuel Schools superintendent, stood outside the school campus sign along Reed Avenue on Oct. 21.
50 cents
Coronavirus Update — In The Red: Attempts To Attain, Remain
The battle continues to lower numbers
Fresno County manages to retain its red tier status
Immanuel Schools looking forward after settlement with county, state
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
The mission is as normal for Immanuel Schools in southwest Reedley — live in-class instruc- tion of 700 students ranging from kindergarten up through 12th grade receiving a Christ- based education.
SeeIMMANUELonpage A18
Gonzalez, Ontiveros vie
for possible four-year
Sanger mayoral term
A brief look at the remaining California propositions
MVT Staff Report
Here is a brief overview of the remaining six of California's 12 ballot measures on the Nov. 3 ballot. The other six measures were profiled in the Oct. 22 issue of The Times:
Proposition 20: Criminal justice initiative
This proposition would reclas- sify certain non-violent offenses from misdemeanors only to mis- demeanor or felony and would restrict parole for other offenses, also currently considered non- violent.
The ballot initiative would al- so require certain offenders in such cases as grand theft, drug possession, domestic violence and prostitution, to submit DNA
SeePROPOSITIONSonpage A17
By Rick Curiel
Mid Valley Times
The cur- rent mayor was born and raised in the Sanger and graduated from Sanger High in 1984. After gradu- ating from high school, Gonzalez entered the United States Air Force.
Follow-
ing his ser-
vice in the
military, he
went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business Manage- ment and a Masters in Busi-
See MAYOR on page A17
The city of Sanger will be electing an at-large mayor on Tuesday, Nov. 3 and up for re- election is city Mayor Frank Gonzalez. This
will be Gonzalez’
second bid at re-
election, after
he secured an-
other two years
in office in 2018 when voters in Sanger re-elected him for a second term.
But, the two-year term for a Sanger mayor is also on the ballot. This year, voters will also chose whether to extend the mayor’s term from two years to four years, making for a more critical election.
Gonzalez says he’s up for the task.
Frank Gonzalez
Dinuba Council Races, Page A12
The countdown to Nov. 3
Eli Ontiveros
Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
Across the board, early voters have been casting their ballots in re- cordnumbersforthisyear’spresidentialelection.Ballotboxes,such as the one pictured here at the Dinuba City Hall, have made early voting both easy and accessible. Official ballot boxes can also be found in Reedley at Thomas Law Reed Elementary School at 1440 N. Frankwood Ave. In Sanger, an official ballot box can be found at the Sanger Depot Museum, located at 1770 7th St.
Dinuba council votes to annex more land on east side
Annex area is 8-plus acres along East El Monte Way
By George M. Villagrana
Mid Valley Times
The Dinuba City Council recently approved to annex property along the north side of East El Monte Way.
On Oct. 22, the council approved the an- nexation of 8 1⁄2 acres between the existing city limit boundary and Road 92, along with a plan to be designated Community Commercial to attract a mix of region-serving commercial uses such as stores, restaurants and offices.
The site is within Dinuba’s Sphere of In- fluence and adjacent to the city limits on two sides — west and the south. The Sphere of In- fluence denotes lands outside city limits that
may be considered for annexation.
Two years ago, the city prepared the “Land
use Strategic Plan for the East El Monte Eco- nomic Vitality and Community Sustainability” to help establish land use planning, circulation and related strategies to help revitalize the ar- ea east of Dinuba, centered on East El Monte Way. The plan was prepared in response to a decline of economic activity and develop- ment sector of the community, most notably exemplified by the increasing vacancies in the 20-acre Mercantile Row shopping center.
“East side development has been one of our major goals for years,” said Mayor Kul- dip Thusu. “We have been trying to get a few anchor businesses to get some activity going — so that further blight is prevented and citi- zens in the immediate neighborhood have ac-
See ANNEXATION on page A6
City of Dinuba
Classifieds - A9 Directory - A10 Legals - A13-16 Sports - A11 Lifestyle - A7-8
Lights & Sirens - A3
Obituaries - A2-3, A5
Opinion - A4