Page 1 - Reedley Exponent 10-25-18 E-edition

Reedley College football improves to perfect 7-0
Sports
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents Billion-plus Mega Millions fever spreads to Reedley
KCUSD Fair has another successful run
Panorama
Vol. 129, No. 43 | Thursday, October 25, 2018
www.reedleyexponent.com
Players flock for tickets
in an effort to win U.S.
record $1.6 billion prize
By Juanita Adame
juanita@midvalleypublishing.com
It’s a familiar sound: the “entry alert chime” that is activated when a customer enters a convenience store or gas station.
That familiar chime sound was heard almost non-stop at the California Market on Manning Avenue in Reedley on the af- ternoon of Oct. 19.
“There’s a lot of people who have come in here,” said Faisal Hamid of the Califor-
nia Market. “We’ve sold like almost 2,000 so far and $2,000 worth of tickets is a lot of people.”
Almost all the people who visited the California Market that day were there to buy a Mega Millions ticket for their chance at winning the enormous jackpot that was valued at $1 billion. When no ticket with all numbers was sold, the pot for the Oct. 22 drawing was estimated to exceed $1.6 bil- lion. That would establish a largest single lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
“We’ve seen people spending anywhere from 10 dollars, 20 dollars, 40 dollars, two dollars. It all depends on the person,” said Hamid. “I have also bought myself a tick- et, too. I don’t know who is going to be the lucky guy who will win this money.”
Mega Millions is a lottery draw game offered in 44 states, including California. Players pick 5 numbers between 1 and 70 as well as one mega number for $2 per play. Winning numbers must match in the order they are drawn, including the mega number, in order for player to win.
According to various reports, the odds of winning a Mega Millions grand prize used to be estimated to be 1 in 258,890,850. Players were able to pick five numbers from 1 through 75 as well as the mega number from 1 through 15.
However, the Mega Millions game for- mula was changed in October 2017 and players now have the option of picking
See MEGA on page A8
Juanita Adame / The Exponent
The Mega Millions sign at the California Market on Manning Avenue reached its limits in millions as the jackpot exceeded the $1 billion mark for the Oct. 19 drawing.
City Council
OKs pact for
economic
development
Staff Report
The Reedley City Council has unanimously approved a resolution entering the city into a services agreement with a Southern Cali- fornia company to provide specific economic development services for Reedley.
At its Oct. 23 regular meet- ing, the council voted to authorize City Manager Nicole Zieba to sign a contract with EconSolutions by HDL, Inc., a Brea-based municipal services provider that has served California cities and counties for more than 35 years. In addition, the council agreed to amend the 2018-19 budget to spend $48,000 of redevel- opment bond proceeds.
“We feel the time is right. We feel like the wave of change is hap- pening, and we want to be with that wave and in front of that wave rath- er than behind and being pulled,” Zieba told the council.
HDL, Inc. formed EconSolutions in 2014 to provide enhanced eco- nomic development services to cit- ies throughout the state. Zieba said the company has experience work- ing with rural cities such as Reed- ley, and has attracted many highly- respected brands to cities.
An internal study has shown that HDL has helped with more than 35 re- tail and restaurant placements, gener- ating more than $2 million in annual sales tax receipts for client cities.
In her presentation recommend- ing the contract, Zieba described how Reedley has built its annual sales tax revenue from just under $1.3 million in 2009-10 to nearly $1.7 million in fiscal year 2017-18.
Royal afternoon at RC
ABOVE: Patricia Padilla smiles at the crowd while Mark Gomez waves to friends moments after the representatives with the Reedley College Associated Student Government were selected Homecoming Queen and King, respectively, at halftime of the Oct. 20 homecoming football game between the Tigers and San Jose City College. Padilla, a liberal arts major from Selma, plans to transfer to Fresno Pacific University in January to pursue a career in social work and work in the substance abuse field. Gomez, a food science major from Dinuba, will attend Fresno State next year with plans of becoming a nutritionist. Padilla and Gomez were joined by 10 other candidates representing the college’s American Sign Language Club, Art Club, CEOClub,DanceClub, DIYClub,ResidenceHallClub,SafeSpaceClubandUltimate Frisbee Club.
RIGHT: All Homecoming Queen and King candidates posed for a group shot after Padilla and Gomez were named as Queen and King.
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Immanuel Schools FFA program ranked in state’s Top 10
Only 3 Central Valley programs ranked ahead of Reedley school
Contributed
The Immanuel High Schools FFA Chapter has been named as the number six top chapter in the state of California, based on the 2018 per- formance.
Immanuel is the smallest chap- ter in the region (37 members) to re- ceive such a high ranking, and is also the highest ranked single teacher de- partment in the state for the second year in a row.
The ranking is based on student performance and leadership involve- ment, including total number of American FFA Degrees, State FFA Degrees, State Proficiency Awards, State Championships and State FFA Executive Committee Members. Ni- pomo was ranked the top chapter this year, followed by Madera South, King City, Tulare, and Frontier in Ba- kersfield.
Immanuel FFA teacher Jean My- ers said “Although our ranking isn’t
an official award, it is an incredible honor for our young program to be ranked so high”, about being recog- nized in a high ranking position as such a small department.
Along with the small size of the Immanuel FFA chapter, it is also one of the youngest in the state, entering its 5th year since being established. Many of the other 334 chapters in California have been in existence for decades, some as long as 50-100 years.
“Three years ago when I first came to Immanuel, I had goals for our program to grow and achieve success,” Myers said. “Today I am overwhelmed at how far we have come. Without the dedication from our administration and students, and continued trust and support of par- ents and community members, we would not be the young, successful FFA chapter we are today.”
See IMMANUEL on page A8
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Members of the Immanuel Schools FFA program stood together during market lambs competition at the 2018 Big Fresno Fair. The school’s FFA program has been named the number six top chapter in California, based on 2018 performance.
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