Page 1 - Mid Valley Times 1-30-20 E-edition

Thursday, January 30, 2020
Vol. 1, No. 31
Fatal industrial accident
50 cents
Dinuba
continues
work on
strategic
goals
By George M. Villagrana
Mid Valley Times
Back in 2015, the Dinuba City Council adopted three year strategic goals for the city before subsequently up- dating them last May.
In a meeting held on Jan. 14, City Manager Luis Patlan updated the council reaffirm- ing existing goals that were fiscal health of the com- munity, quality of life and neighborhood improvements, capital projects and delivery, maintaining organizational capacity, community engage- ment and economic develop- ment. The goals are aligned with the city's budgeting pro- cess ensuring Dinuba's bud- get reflects the council and the community priorities.
Patlan noted that the city was able to secure over $10 million dollars worth of grants. Those grants have helped the city with several projects that included the Roosevelt Paseo, the Kamm/Green bulb-out and the median landscaping for Alta/El Monte Way.
One of many highlights during the meeting was the Independence Celebration.
Patlan said the celebra- tion was moved from Centen- nial Park to Ridge Creek Golf Course.
"We wanted to increase the attendance and secondly we wanted the community to feel comfortable going to the golf course and realize that there is a restaurant there and there are things for you to do
See STRATEGIC on page A6
Woman dies after incident at Del Rey packing plant
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
What began as an ordinary and quiet morning for Mark Wilson was soon interrupted by what he
could only
describe as
“the worst screams”
he had ever
heard.
“I heard a
lot of scream-
ing,” said Wil-
son on the
morning of Jan. 24. “Blood curdling screams coming from about half a dozen women, all screaming, guttural screams, and it didn’t sound good.”
Wilson, who was working
Yaneth Lopez Valladares
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Yellow crime scene tape was visible at the Del Rey Packing Company south of Sanger on Jan. 24 after an accident at a raisin processing machine in the plant that morning killed 33-year-old Yaneth Lopez Valladares.
on a forklift near the location said the screams were coming from several female employ- ees at the Del Rey Packing
Company after one of their co workers, now identified as 33-year-old Yaneth Lopez Valladares was killed when
her hair and clothes became caught in a raisin processing
See ACCIDENT on page A12
Remembering Karamdeep
Photo Contributed
A donation to pay off school lunch debt for Sanger Uni- fied Schools students is in honor of Karamdeep Dhaliwal, the Sanger teacher who died in a 2019 traffic accident.
By Rick Curiel
Mid Valley Times
According to Gurinder Dhali- wal, her daughter Karamdeep’s fourth grade class at Madison El- ementary School in Sanger was everything to her.
“She would never bring a pay- check home,” said Dhaliwal of her daughter. “She would spend it all on the kids.”
Her daughter’s giving heart is the reason her family decided to continue to give back to the school district that gave her a greater
purpose in life. Karamdeep Dhali- wal died in a tragic traffic colli- sion just outside Sanger city lim- its last February. She was just 30 years old.
Now, a perpetual donation from her family in her memory will help ensure that no child goes hungry in the district.
“She was a very generous per- son,” said Karamdeep’s mother. “She always wanted to give to kids.”
As part of the Dhaliwal’s Sikh
See DONATION on page A6
Annual donation by family of late Sanger teacher will pay off SUSD students' lunch debts
Reedley church sends 300 to Walk for Life West event in SF
By Eddie Jimenez
Special to The Times
A woman’s emotional story about being raped and her de- cision to have her child was the perfect message for anti- abortion advocates at the Walk for Life West in San Francis- co, local residents said.
Kathy Folan’s account of her ordeal during a rally at the Civic Center Plaza clearly touched many parishioners from St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Reedley who traveled to the annual event on Jan. 25.
Folan shared her story about the rape while she was in college, the initial shame and not wanting to tell her parents. Uncertain of how
they would react, she found that her parents were under- standing and supportive. She spoke about giving birth to her child and then giving him up for adoption.
“Let me show you my de- cision,” Folan said as her now grown son, Nathan Sullivan, walked onto the podium. The young, successful man in his late 20s said he was grateful to his mom for showing “that his life mattered.”
“It was an impactful mo- ment,” St. Anthony’s parishio- ner Lidia Cervantes said.
“A lot of people say, 'well it’s rape,'” said Mary Sanchez, another St. Anthony’s parish- ioner, "but it’s not the baby’s fault.”
Michelle Montag said the
woman’s story was inspiring. The son is “living and breath- ing” because his mother “did the right thing.”
About 300 people jour- neyed from St. Anthony’s Church to participate in the walk. Most on the five buses were Reedley parishioners, though they were joined by residents from Dinuba, Sanger, Orange Cove, Parlier and Kingsburg.
Many people have taken part in the San Francisco walk several times, includ- ing 18-year-old Alfredo Cer- vantes.
“I believe we should spread the message of stopping abor- tions and pray for women who
See WALK on page A6
Representatives from
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Reed- ley stood together at the Walk for Life West event in San Francisco on Jan. 25. They were among about 300 people
from Reedley, Dinuba, Sanger, Orange Cove, Parlier and Kingsburg who participated in the walk and rally to speak out against abortion.
Michelle Montag / Photo Contributed
Classifieds - A11 Directory - B3 Legals - B4-5, B8-11 Sports - B1-2, B-12 Lifestyle - A7-10
Lights & Sirens - A3
Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4