Page 1 - Reedley Exponent 3-1-18 E-edition

Middle school grade students take part in Battle of the Books
Vol. 129, No. 9 | Thursday, March 1, 2018
www.reedleyexponent.com
Immanuel High basketball teams continue postseason march
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents
Reedley High
boys soccer
wins DII section
championship
The Reedley High Pirates boys soccer team pose for a picture after winning the CIF Central Section Division II Championship on Feb. 23 at the Mineral King Bowl in Visalia. The Pirates, the No. 5 seed, defeated the No. 2 seed Redwood High Rangers 5-4 in penalty kicks to claim the program’s third section title. The Pirates defeated No. 4 seed Dinuba High in the quarterfi- nals on Feb. 15 and No. 8 seed Tulare Western in the semifinals on Feb. 20 to reach the championship game.
Read more about the game in Sports on page B4.
Chris Aguirre / The Exponent
Chamber awards
Police
arrest 2 in
drug bust
Staff Report
The Fresno County Adult Com- pliance Team arrested two people — including a woman with ties to the Fresno-area
Bulldog gang
— on Feb. 22 af-
ter executing a
search warrant
at a central Reed-
ley residence and
finding drugs and
a handgun.
Jean Clemons, the late Paul Mitchell are top names honored for 2018 By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Recognition of two longtime community members and crowd- pleasing musical entertainment highlighted the Greater Reedley Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 an- nual awards dinner on Feb. 24.
More than 200 people attended the annual event to pay honor to nine award recipients, led by Citizen of the Year Jean Clemons and the late Paul Mitchell, this year’s Hall of Fame inductee. Mitchell died Jan. 13 after a long battle with cancer.
A new touch for 2018 was the addition of musical selections from performers with Reedley’s River City Theatre Company. They sang eight popular songs that drew loud applause and a standing ovation from the audience when they finished.
Another standing ovation came when Paul Mitchell’s widow, Mad- eleine, came up on the stage and accepted the Hall of Fame award. Paul Mitchell was a longtime Reed-
See AWARDS on page A8
Reedley po-
lice Lt. Hector
Aleman said that
Bonnie Elizabeth
Vasquez, 36, is a
longtime associ-
ate of the Bulldog
gang in the Or-
ange Cove area.
He said she has
had many allega-
tions of being a
street-level drug
dealer. She faces
five felony counts and one misde- meanor count, according to Fresno County jail records.
See DRUG BUST on page A3
Reedley police Det. Isaac Martinez, left, salutes as the Reedley Police Explorers honor unit of Capt. Victor Perez, Lt. Angel Mondragon, Sgt. Marc Rodriguez and Cpl. Adan Zamora finished lowering the American and California flags to half -staff at the ceremony to honor Officer Javier Bejar. Eight years ago, Bejar became the first Reedley police officer killed in the line of duty in the 100 year history of the Reedley Police Department when he died from gunshot wounds suffered during a Feb. 25, 2010 standoff in Minkler.
This year’s ceremony was held on Feb. 26 since Feb. 25 fell on a Sunday. The police depart- ment conducts the ceremony every year as part of a city resolution recognizing Bejar.
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Bonnie Vasquez
Jon Earnest/ The Exponent
Madeleine Mitchell, widow of 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Paul Mitchell, stands with 23rd District Assemblyman Jim Patter- son after receiving the award at the Greater Reedley Chamber of Commerce awards dinner on Feb. 24 at Reedley College.
Jose Sereno
Flag ceremony pays tribute to Javier Bejar
Annual event honors Officer who lost his life in 2010 shooting
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Eight years after his older brother’s tragic death, Omar Bejar expressed his family’s ap- preciation for the city of Reedley’s continued remembrance of Officer Javier Bejar.
“Don’t feel guilty for being OK,” Omar told the audience. “You’ll probably feel sorrow and sadness. But don’t feel sad that it’s not with the intensity that you felt in the first year or so.
“Rest assured that your pain has been tempered, but not your love. On the contrary, your love has always been an everyday kind of love.”
On Feb. 26, the Reedley Police Depart- ment held a flag-lowering ceremony to honor Javier Bejar, who died from gunshot wounds suffered during a Feb. 25, 2010 standoff out- side a residence in Minkler. He was the first Reedley Police officer killed in the line of duty in the 100-year anniversary of the de- partment.
The annual recognition is part of a city resolution to annually remember Bejar’s death. Chief Joe Garza said Bejar always will be part of the department’s memory
Classified - B6-7 Directory - A5
Javier Bejar
and tradition.
“Although the wounds
have been healed, the scar still remains,” Garza said. “And those scars tell the story of Javier Bejar. That’s a story that will live on for- ever. And that’s why we do this.”
The chief said that when a hero falls, an angel rises.
“That’s truly what has happened. When Javier fell, an angel rose in his place,” Garza said. “That angel constantly watches over law enforcement and watches over us.”
Omar Bejar recited a Bible verse from Isaiah 41:10 during his comments. “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you,” he read. “Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
The younger Bejar said the thought of his brother’s faith brings a fond smile to his face and strength when he is afraid.
“From the Bejar family to the Reedley Po- lice Department, the city of Reedley and the various agencies around the community, thank you for remembering,” he said.
This year, the Reedley Police Explorers
See BEJAR on page A2
Legals - B8-9 Sports - B4-5 Health & Fitness - A6-7
Lights & Sirens - A3
Obituaries - A2-3
Opinion - A4