Reedley Exponent 1-3-19 E-edition

Recapping Reedley’s feature events from early 2018
RHS girls soccer pulls out non-league victory
Panorama
Sports
Vol. 130, No. 1 | Thursday, January 3, 2019
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Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents
Look back at 2018
Sheriff’s
detail runs
alcohol
operation
Contributed
Entering 2019, the Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office is doing its part to ensure safety for everyone in the community.
A Dec. 31 news release from the sheriff’s office said the Spe- cial Investigations Task Force (SITF) is partnering with the California Department of Alco- holic Beverage Control (ABC) to conduct undercover operations at bars, restaurants and liquor stores throughout the County of Fresno to help prevent minors from obtaining alcoholic bever- ages.
The news release said that recent operations in Reedley and Sanger resulted in two business- es and one person being cited for furnishing alcoholic beverages to a minor.
Tony Botti, public informa- tion officers with the sheriff’s of- fice, said businesses are remind- ed to have policies in place to ID their customers to verify they
See ALCOHOL on page A3
Pedestrian
killed in DUI
crash was
Reedley man
Staff Report
A Reedley man was struck and killed while walking along Manning Avenue in the early morning hours Dec. 30. The driver of the vehicle that struck him was arrested on the scene on suspicion of felony DUI vehicu- lar manslaughter.
The Fresno County Coroner’s Office on Dec. 31 identified the victim as Norberto Vidales, 27. According to a California High- way Patrol report, shortly after 3:30 a.m.a 2004 Honda Accord driven by Richard Flores, 30, of Selma struck Vidales walk- ing within the eastbound lane of Manning Avenue, west of Leon- ard Avenue. Flores was driving between 65 and 70 miles per hour when he struck Vidales and was unable to slow or stop in time to avoid the pedestrian.
CHP officers at the scene determined that alcohol was a factor in the crash and arrested Flores. According to the sheriff’s
See PEDESTRIAN on page A3
Controversy over Faith House and 2 notable passings among top stories
Staff Report
There were many newsworthy events in Reedley in 2018. Two of the biggest stories involved a shel- ter that stirred community activity for part of the year and the deaths of two longtime community icons.
In April, the Reedley City Coun- cil on a 4-0 vote (then-mayor pro tem Frank Pinon abstained because of his involvement with the project) approved placing the Faith House emergency shelter at 1697 W. Hunts- man Ave. in southwest Reedley. The facility, funded by grant money from the California Department of Finance, drew vocal opposition from a neighboring group of residents.
Another notable event was the deaths of Paul Mitchell in January and Pam Melville in June. Mitchell was a longtime beloved teacher and coach at Reedley High School and the “voice” of Reedley College basketball for more than six decades while Mel- ville was longtime downtown busi- ness owner and civic leader.
More photos and information on notable news stories in Reedley are on Page A2 and A6.
TOP PHOTO: Reedley Police Chief Joe Garza spoke to the Reedley City Council during an April 10 meeting when the council formally approved the Faith House emergency shelter (pictured in the inset photo in November) located on Huntsman Avenue in southwest Reedley. Opponents and supporters discussed the project with the council, and the council on a 4-0 vote approved funding and opening of the facility. Faith House, designed as emergency short-term housing for families in need, had its official grand opening on Nov. 8.
ABOVE LEFT AND RIGHT: Sadly, Reedley lost two big names in the community in 2018 — Pam Melville, left, and Paul Mitchell, pictured at right with his wife, Madelyn, in 2012. On Jan. 13, Mitchell died at age 87 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was a beloved longtime teacher and coach at Reedley High School. and was the voice of Reedley College basketball for an incredible 61 years. On June 23, Melville — a downtown business and civic leader who owned and operated David’s for 37 years, died at age 67 after a 12-year battle with cancer.
Exponent File Photos
Area’s citrus groves
not adversely affected
by brief cold snap
Citrus groves south of Orange Cove, left, and in other agriculture regions didn’t show any serious effects of a brief weekend freeze in overnight temperatures that hit Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley over the weekend and early in the week. Low temperatures plunged below 30 degrees and into the upper-to-mid-20s in rural locations in the Central Valley on Dec. 28-31. Ranchers and farmers used fans and other warming equipment to help prevent any prolonged freeze of citrus trees and other vulnerable winter crops. By midweek, low temperatures were predicted to increase back into the mid-to-upper 30s with low temperatures forecast to climb above 40 degrees by Saturday, Jan. 5, according to the National Weather Service.
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Classifieds - B5
Directory - A5
Legals - B6-7
Sports - B3-4
Lights & Sirens - A3 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4