Page 1 - Mid Valley Times 7-18-19 E-edition

Thursday, July 18, 2019
Vol. 1, No. 3
ning of July 10 and was initially reported as an ar- gument between two indi- viduals.
"There was a re- port of a domestic distur-
Demonstration held at summer day camp July 16
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
Leo, a K-9 officer with the Reed- ley Police Department, is an 8-year- old Belgian Malinois who is trained in apprehension and detection tactics.
But on the morning of July 16, Leo and his handler, Sgt. Jesus Rive- ra, were busy working with a group of children at the Reedley Commu- nity Center.
"Leo finds bad guys, yes, and what else does he find?" Rivera asked the group of children.
"Drugs!" the children responded.
Rivera said the department has several K-9 demonstrations to teach and connect with children and show them the importance of the dog's role in the department.
"What I show the kids, we show them that law enforcement is very friendly. We try and establish that connection with them," said Rivera. "Then I introduce Leo to them, I tell them Leo's age and make a connec- tion with them on that."
"I also show them some of the things Leo does," Rivera continued. "Some of the obedience training, the 'sit,' 'stay,' 'lay down,' and what we use his nose for."
Anna Haro, one of the children in the audience, said she learned a
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Reedley police Sgt. Jesus Rivera led K-9 Officer Leo past children as Leo received petting and affection during a July 16 ap- pearance at the Reedley Community Center.
Sandra Portillo de Sanchez
few things about police dogs that she didn't know before.
"I didn't know that when he plays hide and seek, he bites the person he finds," said Anna. "I also learned that when he walks in the room, he smells
something like a bad guy and he can find them."
The children were part of a sum- mer day camp at the center.
Rivera said he is often asked to bring Leo to demonstrations, and he's
always happy to do so because Leo is great with children.
"We do these often and upon re- quest," he said. "For the schools within
See K-9 on page A6
bance at this location," said Jose Sa- linas, a Lieutenant with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office on July 10. "Our deputies were dispatched to the location and while they were on the way here, they got an up- date that said there's been a female who's been shot."
Salinas said there were five people inside the home at the time of the shooting, each with a vary- ing account of what happened.
"As soon as we arrived every- body was separated and detained," he said. "We are still in the process of interviewing everyone at the home the time of the shooting to try and get an understanding of what happened inside the home."
Initial statements obtained by detectives determined that Portillo de Sanchez and another female were in an argument in- side the residence.
The argument escalated be- tween the two females and an- other male also inside the home.
A shot was fired by one of the occupants inside the home, striking
See HOMICIDE on page A6
Car-sharing progam launched in Dinuba, Orosi
50 cents
Sanger
woman
fatally
shot in
Parlier
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
A small memorial of flowers is now placed near a mailbox at the entrance to a property in the 14500 block of East Manning Avenue in Parlier. Just days earlier, a woman, now identified as Sandra Portillo de Sanchez, 45, of Sanger, was found dead from a gunshot wound.
It happened sometime in the early eve-
K-9 outreach with children
Photo contributed / Mid Valley Times
Electric vehicles, like the BMW i3 pictured above, are now available to be used through a new ridesharing service. The service, offered through Self Help Enter- prises, launched this week in Dinuba and Orosi.
Contributed
Dinuba and Orosi this week has a new innova- tive service called Miocar — a 100 percent electric vehicle car-sharing service providing rural San Joa- quin Valley residents affordable access to vehicles that can be rented on an hourly or daily basis online or via a smartphone mobile app.
Miocar gives licensed residents an easy and flexible transportation option for running er- rands, getting to medical appointments, job in- terviews or other daily needs.
Pre-launch celebrations were held in Orosi on July 15 and in Dinuba on July 17.
A significant portion of the San Joaquin Valley’s four million residents live in rural areas. Long-dis- tance travel is a constant challenge for many living in these communities. Miocar was created to bridge significant transportation access gaps, supplement the available transportation options in rural areas and offer residents easier mobility.
“I loved the convenience of using Miocar,” said Laura Aguilera from Dinuba. “It was fun to drive and very easy to get in and out of, even with car
seats for my kids, making emergency trips to the store easy and enjoyable.”
In addition to the convenience, Miocar uses 100 percent electric vehicles, which help reduce air pol- lution by emitting less greenhouse gases compared to conventional vehicles. Miocar is an affordable option for those affected by rising gas prices, mak- ing every-day trips less expensive. This service has rates of $4 per hour or $35 per day ($45 per day on weekends) generally with the insurance and car maintenance included in the rates.
Residents without a personal vehicle and who rely on public transportation services, could use Miocar as a supplement to get to destinations out- side of fixed transit routes.
“Whether you are a parent who uses the only car for work, leaving the rest of the family in need of a second vehicle during the day or if you don’t own a vehicle and need one for an out-of-town ap- pointment— this service can help,” said Abigail Solis, Senior Community Development Specialist for Self Help Enterprises (SHE). “We are excited
See CAR SHARE on page A6
Reedley votes to affirm county's homelessness plan
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
The Reedley City Council has joined its fellow Fresno County cit- ies in boosting the county's efforts in working with the homeless this year and beyond.
In a unanimous vote on June 25, the council passed a resolution af- firming the city's support for Fresno County's 2019 Homelessness Priori- ties. The vote came after the council heard an address from Sonia De La Rosa, the principal administrative analyst for the county.
Reedley became the seventh of 15 cities in the county to support the priorities agenda.
"We know that the majority of
the funding that came in the first round went to the metro areas," De La Rosa told the council. "This next round, we want to make sure that there is focus on the rural com- munities. Along with the homeless services, we also have behavioral health money that could assist with the services in your community."
City Manager Nicole Zieba praised De La Rosa's efforts, calling her "my hero" for her work in assist- ing Reedley's cleanup of homeless encampments along the Kings River in recent months.
"Were it not for her help, we would not have gotten Fish and Game's coordination in dealing with the homeless cleanup down by the river," Zieba said. "And all of those
needles and feces and you name it, would have gotten into our river. She was able to do what we could not do, which is get their attention on this issue."
The county's list of 14 priorities for helping the homeless include jurisdictional overlaps (local, state, federal and private), increasing transportation to outpatient pro- grams as well as regular prenatal/ medical for pregnant and parenting women and children, assistance to increase safe overnight housing, and additional "wet" shelters that do not require the person to participate in a program.
At the same time, the priorities
SeeHOMELESSonpage A5
Sonia De La Rosa, principal adminis- trative analyst for Fresno County, ad- dressed the Reedley City Council at its June 25 meeting. The council unanimously approved a resolu- tion supporting the county's priorities for working with the homeless in 2019.
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
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