Mid Valley Times 5-27-21 E-edition

Thursday, May 27, 2021
Vol. 2, No. 47
Coronavirus Update — Cases Leveling Off
Region
remains
orange
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
The drop has all but halted when it comes to positive CO- VID-19 cases in Fresno Coun- ty, but there have been no un- pleasant spikes in cases and, more important, no increasing hospitalizations and deaths.
The Central Valley remains in the orange (moderate) tier for the week of May 25-June 1, and likely will continue that way until California "reopens" businesses and other indoor venues to full indoor capacity the middle of June. Fresno County was at 3.3 new cases per 100,000 people, a continue drop from 4.1 but well able the 1 number needed to move
See VIRUS on page A16
50 cents
Graduation season under way
Victim ID'd as 27-year-old Andres Sanchez
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
A candlelight vigil was held on the evening of May 23 to remember a Sanger man who just hours earlier was one of two victims shot and killed at a bar in Old Town Clovis.
Andres Sanchez, 27, died from the shooting at the Palace Bar on Clovis Avenue in the downtown area. The sec- ond victim was identified as Merehildo Luna, 21 of Fresno.
According to information from the Clovis Police Department, officers re- sponded to several calls about a shoot-
ing inside the bar sometime after 2 a.m.
“Officers arrived
within just moments
of the 911 call and
located three peo-
ple inside the bar
that had been shot.
Unfortunately, one
of the subjects was
pronounced de-
ceased inside the bar,” said Jim Koch, a sergeant with the Clovis Police Depart-
See SHOOTING on page A5
A candlelight vigil was held in Sanger on the evening of May 23 to remember Andres San- chez, 27. Sanchez was one of two victims who was shot and killed during a bar shooting in downtown Clovis in the early morning hours of May 23.
Contributed Photo
Andres Sanchez
ABOVE: Reedley College president Jerry Buckley applauded on stage in the cafete- ria as a graduate walked off after receiving her diploma on May 21. The college held individual school commencements on May 19-21, and a general one for graduates on May 22.
LEFT: A Reedley College business school graduate celebrated on May 21 by holding up her diploma in front of the Clyde tiger statue.
Reedley College / Photos Contributed
Reedley College walk-through the first of many live commencements in coming weeks
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Commencements and graduations in the age of CO- VID-19 still will have some changes, but are returning more to the traditional cer- emonies of years past.
Live graduations returned last week to Reedley College; albeit in a somewhat new for- mat. Eligible graduates for 2021 were presented their associate's degrees and cer- tificates of achievement once again in a live ceremony for the first time since 2019. This time, however, the ceremony took place over the span of four days on campus, rather than a single outdoors event on the lawn next to the caf- eteria.
Instead, graduates with the
See GRADSonpageA16
Candlelight vigil for Sanger man killed in shooting
MVT offices will close on May 31 in observance of Memorial Day
The Mid Valley Times' business offices in Reed- ley and Sanger will be closed on Monday, May 31, in observance of the Me- morial Day holiday.
There will be early deadlines this week be- cause of the office clo- sure. Classified liner ads and legal notices are due by noon on Thursday, May 27. Regular and clas- sified display ads also are due by noon on Thursday, May 27.
The Times' two offices will reopen for business at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1.
Memorial Day full ceremonies return
Members of the Vietnam Veterans of America Post 643 in Dinuba installed American flags for the 2020 ceremony at Smith Mountain Cemetery in Di- nuba. Once again, there will be no live ceremony at the cemetery, but flags will be on display on Me- morial Day until 2:30 p.m. Also, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall at the Dinuba Veterans Memorial Building will be reopend during an open house ceremony from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is invited.
Mid Valley Times File
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
For the most part, live commemoration ceremonies will be returning at regional cemeteries for Memorial Day after a year's absence because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Reedley and Sanger will return to more extensive live events, with attendees again gathering while practicing physical distancing while participating in a formal pro- gram. Dinuba's Avenue of the Flags event will not have a live ceremony, but a virtu- ally recorded one that can be watched online. Attendees also can attend an open house gathering in front of the new-
ly-reopened Dinuba Vietnam Veterans Wall.
Reedley Cemetery's live ceremony featuring the walk- in of branches of the mili- tary, the ceremonial laying of wreaths and a guest speaker. The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, May 31 in front of the Veteran's Circle toward the back (west) end of Reed- ley Cemetery (2185 S. Reed Ave.).
This year's special speaker is Melissa Lynn (Muzzy) Bau- tista, retired bio-tech sergeant for the 144th Fighter Wing of the Fresno Air National guard. Bautista and her hus- band, Sean, own and operate
SeeMEMORIALDAYonpage A2
Classifieds - A15
Directory - A6 Legals - A10-14
Sports - A9
Lifestyle - A7-8
Lights & Sirens - A3, A5 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4