Page 12 - Mid Valley Times 1-30-20 E-edition

Thursday, January 30, 2020 | A12 | Mid Valley TiMes
Boeing officials visit Reedley Rotary, talk electric planes
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
From left, Boeing official Severin Wandji, Joseph Oldham with SJVCTC, Boeing's Doug Larson, Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba, Boeing's Will Kwok, Boeing's Erik Grotter and Reedley Rotary Club president Joe Garza.
erin Wanji, a principal strate- gic product manager; Doug Larson, education strategist; Will Kwok, data scientist and developer; and Erik Grotter, mechanical engineer. Wanji and Larson both gave brief addresses to the audience, sharing their background and experiences in aviation.
Wandji, born and raised in Cameroon, said his wish was to get young people of all social and economic back- grounds involved in flight and becoming pilots. His particu- lar specialty project is called HorizonX.
ACCIDENT Continued from page A1
machine while she cleared debris from it.
Shortly after hearing the women’s screams, Wil- son said he witnessed sev- eral patrol vehicles and fire personnel show up at the scene.
“I know there’s a de- hydrator back there,” he said. “And some process- ing equipment.”
According to reports from the Fresno County Sheriff ’s Office, it was shortly after 11 a.m. when deputies responded to the packing company, located in the 3600 block of South Indianola Avenue, just out- side of Sanger, for reports of an industrial accident.
When deputies arrived, they found the woman had been fatally injured and was beyond help, entangled in the piece of machinery.
“They were such aw- ful, awful screams,” said Wilson. “Now that I know what happened, I know the
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Reedley Rotary Club mem- bers and guests welcomed four visitors from the Boeing Company to the club's weekly luncheon on Jan. 23. The four were in the area to check up on the Sustainable Aviation Project, the agreement the city has with Mendota to pro- vide state-of-the-art electrical aircraft and develop a teach- ing program for young pilots.
On hand from Boeing at the luncheon in the Reedley Community Center were Sev-
"Just a few years ago, no- body could imagine that we could fly an electric aircraft," he said. "And this very city, in cooperation with Mendota and New Vision Aviation, is show- ing that it's possible. And the world is coming her to learn. That's why we're here."
Larson spoke of the desire to get more girls and women involved and interested in becoming pilots. He said less than 5 percent of the current working group of pilots is female. "How do we change and make it representative?" he said.
FOUR-WAY STOPS Continued from page A6
that we have a packing house nearby,” he said. “When people come out for lunch, there’s a lot of traffic.”
At night, he said conditions near the area become worse because the stop sign at South Avenue is not lit up and can be difficult for motorists to see.
“A four way stop sign needs to be put here,” he said. “May- be some better lighting or a blinking stop sign.”
Several rural intersections in eastern Fresno County have recently become all way in- tersections. Those include Manning Avenue at Crawford Avenue, and South Avenue at Buttonwillow.
“Park Avenue and Hills Val- ley Road now has a four way stop sign too,” said Angulo. “There haven’t been accidents there since that change happened.”
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors recently approved four way stops at two dead- ly intersections near Selma. Changes were made at Bethel and Rose Avenues and Bethel
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
LEFT: The intersection of Crawford and Manning Avenues is now the site of an all way blinking stop sign.
RIGHT: The stop sign at Hills Valley and South Avenues was illuminated by nearby police lights but is otherwise dark and locals said it can be hard to see at night.
witnesses saw the accident and were the ones scream- ing.”
A preliminary inves- tigation determined that Valladares became stuck in the processor as several of her coworkers immediate- ly powered down the piece of equipment and called for help.
It was Valladares' sec- ond year working at the facility.
The woman’s family set up a GoFund me page and described Valladares as a caring mother who loved her children.
“Our beloved Yaneth Valladares was involved in a accident that took her life away, she was a moth- er of three wonderful kids, who will no longer have the privilege to see her,” the information on the GoFund Me page stated. “She was a single mother trying to make a living for her kids.”
The Department of Occupational Health and Safety or DOSH has taken over the investigation.
and Nebraska Avenues.
It was back in February
2019 when 8-year-old Mav- erick Martzen was killed at Bethel and Rose Avenues af- ter a drunk driver ran the stop sign and slammed into the ve- hicle Maverick was riding in. The driver, 35-year-old Karmjit Singh, was arrested for DUI.
Months later, in October 2019, another child, 8-year-old
Eliseo Saldana, was killed on South Avenue near Alta Avenue when the driver in that case, 21-year-old, Daniel Lemus ran a stop sign there and slammed into the vehicle Saldana was riding in. That intersection has yet not been modified.
Local lawmakers said state laws require careful analysis of particular intersections before any changes can be made.
05677