Mid Valley Times 1-27-22 E-Edition

Thursday, January 27, 2022
Vol. 3, No. 30
COVID numbers continue to soar
50 cents
Reedley council OKs changes to designation
of 3 sites
MVT Staff Report
The Reedley City Council voted on Jan. 11 to redesig- nate the southwest and north- west corners of North Sunset and East Manning avenues as well as a site northeast of the intersection of North Sun- set and East Springfield av- enues. The first two sites are changing zoning designation to neighborhood commercial.
By a 4-1 vote, the council approved resolutions rezoning the parcels, finalizing an envi- ronmental impact report and amending the city's zoning map. Anita Betancourt, Dis- trict 5 representative, voted no on all three resolutions.
During discussion and pub- lic comment, Betancourt stat- ed that she did not agree with the property selected at Sun- set and Springfield. She said her area is low income and feels that the area is select- ed for apartment complexes without taking into consider- ation how it will impact the al- ready overcrowded Jefferson School district.
CIty Manager Nicole Zie- ba said no development at this time is proposed at the 2.65-acre Sunset-Springfield site. Because of two state senate bills, traditional single family zoning has essential been eliminated. The resolu- tion changed that site's gen- eral plan designation from low density residential to high density residential, but no zon- ing change was proposed.
The council also held a closed session on Jan. 11, and had two action items sched- uled for votes at its Jan. 25 meeting at the Reedley Com- munity Center's Senior Room.
Sanger City Hall closed to visitors to after Feb. 15
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
The soaring COVID-19 case numbers continued to fill hospitals in the region, and last week caused the closure of Sanger City Hall to the residents and visitors from the general public.
The closure took effect at the end of the business day on Jan. 21, and is slated to last through 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15. The closure tp the gen- eral public will last as long as the city's declared emer- gency related to COVID-19 remains in effect.
The emergency order from City Manager Tim Chapa was announced a day after the Ci- oty Council's Jan. 20 regular meeting. The order states:
"To protect the health of the public and staff from the current COVID-19 surge due to the Omicron variant, the City is closing its City Hall
Photos by Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
LEFT: A letter announcing the Sanger City Hall closure was posted on the entrance door on Jan. 24.
ABOVE: Signs instructed people coming to the Reedley College COVID-19 testing site next to the cafeteria on Jan. 25.
Coronavirus Update
in English and Spanish were placed at the door sharing the order. The order also said that large events at the Sanger Community Cen- ter may continue, subject to compliance with the lat- est California Department of Public Health guidance on large events. Details on
See COVIDonpageA16
complex to residents and visitors until further notice Effective 5:00 PM on Friday, January 21, 2022 thru 5:00 P.M. February 15, 2022."
Chapa, who also is direc- tor of the city's emergency services, had warned at the council's Jan. 6 meeting that a closure to the public was
eminent, as a number of city employees had contracted the virus. The order said that the CIty Hall complex will remain staff and in operation during the closure period, but the visitors and the general public in the community can- not enter the building.
On Monday, Jan. 24, signs
Suspects sought in Centerville robbery
Strongarm holdup
at Circle C Market
occurred on Jan. 13
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Two weeks later, property crimes detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office are continuing to work to identify and capture two men and a woman responsible for a violent rob- bery in Centerville, east of Sanger.
The robbery took place at about 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 13 at the Circle C Market,
located at 16246 E. Kings Canyon Road. According to an FCSO news release, video surveillance cameras recorded a man and woman entering the store and immediately walking toward an employee of the market.
The female suspect, who was hold- ing a handgun, and her male partner then forced the employee to retreat behind the counter. The man ordered the female clerk to get down, than in- stantaneously struck her on the head, knocking her to the ground.
As the man stole cash from the reg- ister, a third suspect entered the store to act as a lookout. All three suspects,
who covered themselves with dark clothing, ran from the business and fled in an unknown vehicle in an unknown direction.
Suspect number one, as titled by the FCSO, is described as a 30-to-40 years old Hispanic, about 5-10 in height and weighing 290 pounds with black hair. He wore a black face mask with blue la- beling of the word "Cookies" along with red gloves and white Nike Air Force 1 shoes.
Suspect number two is a 30-to-40 years old Hispanic woman, 5-7 and
See ROBBERY on page A2
Dinuba top teen candidate owes success to her parents
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Yaritssa Araujo no longer lives in the Dinuba city lim- its, but that hasn’t stopped her love for the community and the high school she continues to attend.
The Dinuba High senior re- cently moved with her family to Orosi, but said in her es- say for the Dinuba Teenage Citizen of the Year that she continues to attend school in Dinuba “because I love the teachers, friends and pro- grams that our school has to offer.”
Yaritssa — who plans to major in medicine and wish- es to become a cardiothoracic
surgeon — is one of four can- didates in the running for Di- nuba Teenage Citizen of the Year. The winner will be an- nounced at the annual Dinuba Community Awards event on Friday, Feb 18.
Araujo hopes to win the Teen Citizen honors as a trib- ute to her parents, agricul- ture field workers who moved their family from Mexico to Dinuba.
"I am a daughter of im- migrant parents and I'm not afraid to say it, instead I am
extremely proud," Yaritssa said, adding her dream of be- coming a surgeon is driven "to thank them for coming here to the U.S. and giving me and my other siblings a chance to be someone in life."
Araujo's school activities at DHS include involvement in multiple clubs, including one that helps keep the com- munity clean and does cam- pus cleanups. She is part of MED and HOSA, and works with the Spirit Club to create posters for all the Emperors' sports team. She also com- petes athletically in track, cross country and tennis, and ranks 20th academically in
SeeTEENonpageA16
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Dinuba High senior Yaritssa Araujo said she has the goal to become a cardiothoracic surgeon as a way to thank her parents for their sac- rifices in coming to the United States to improve the families' way of life.Araujo isoneoffourfinalistsforthisyear'stopteenaward.
This is the first of four profiles on the finalists for Dinuba Teenage Citizen of the Year.
Classifieds - A10 Directory - A6 Legals - A11-15 Sports - A9, A16 Lifestyle - A7-8
Lights & Sirens - A3, A5 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4