Page 1 - Mid Valley Times 3-19-20 E-edition

Thursday, March 19, 2020
50 cents
Region responds to COVID-19
Vol. 1, No. 38
Third confirmed case of virus in Tulare County has Dinuba connection
By Rick Curiel
Mid Valley Times
In a startling revelation that has made the current coronavirus pandemic ever- more real, officials have con- firmed that the third case of COVID-19 in Tulare County has a direct connection to the city of Dinuba.
“All I can say is that she is the mother of a person who works in the city of Dinuba,” said Mayor Kuldip Thusu, who spoke with the Times on the morning of March 17.
He could also only say that he was advised that there was a “connection” to Dinuba and could not confirm whether the person infected is a resident.
Thusu, along with city
See VIRUS on page A9
Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
Medical staff members from United Health Centers in Sanger were screening patients this week in front of their office on 7th Street prior to allowing them to enter the facility. The screening precautions, which are taking place at various health clinics, will continue as health professionals tackle the ongoing crisis due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.
Some of the closures from the COVID-19 virus
Reedley City Council declares a local emergency
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Preparing for any unex- pected developments in the growing COVID-19 (corona- virus) situation, the Reedley City Council on March 17 unanimously voted to declare a local emergency during a special afternoon council meeting.
Nicole Zieba, city manag- er and also director of emer- gency services according to the city charter, asked for the declaration and said now was the time to make the decision.
See EMERGENCY on page A2
SCHOOL DISTRICTS Kings Canyon Unified Sanger Unified
Dinuba Unified Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified
Monson Sultana School District HIGHER EDUCATION Reedley College (live instruction) Fresno Pacific (live instruction)
Fresno State (live instruction)
EVENT CANCELLATIONS Numerous events have been postponed or canceled. See the Lifestyle Community Calendar on Page A7 for more information
School districts suspend on-campus classes
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Some Reedley High School students gathered on the lawn area in front the school's administration building during a rainy lunch hour on the final day of classes at the school on March 16. More on the Reedley closings on Page A9.
By George M. Villagrana
Mid Valley Times
As a response to the corona- virus concerns, Dinuba Unified along with Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified and Monson Sultana School District announced clo- sures of their schools on March 15.
The closures come after ma- ny districts throughout the state and nation have temporarily closed because of the disease.
In a letter to parents of the district, DUSD Superintendent Dr. Joe Hernandez wrote the safety and well-being of our stu- dents, staff members and com- munity are at the forefront of
Major accident leaves large mess in roadway outside Orange Cove
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
Onlookers near the inter- sections of South Avenue and Hills Valley Road just outside of Orange Cove were stunned by the mess of oranges and pulp left behind following a multi casualty traffic accident on the afternoon of March 14.
Hundreds and maybe even thousands of oranges had fall- en from the truck following the impact creating a large
mess and stopping traffic for several hours.
“It looks like the Dodge pickup apparently ran the stop sign and hit a north bound 18-wheeler loaded with oranges, head on,” said Tom Greenwood, fire chief for the Orange Cove Fire Depart- ment.
“There were no fatalities, we had one person who was flown out in Skylife 3 and we had five minor to moderate injuries that went with the
ground units.”
Greenwood said it would
take cleanup crews nearly five to six hours to clear the roadway and wash down the area.
“This was a set of doubles fully loaded with oranges,” he said. “So probably 48 bins.”
The accident was consid- ered to be a multi-casualty incident, that prompted more than four ambulances to re-
See ACCIDENTonpageA10
Sanger Unified closed schools starting March 16
By Rick Curiel
Mid Valley Times
First having taken measure to cancel all sporting and extracurricular events, after grow- ing concerns from health officials regarding the COVID-19 virus, the Sanger Unified School Dis- trict made the decision on March 12 to close all schools in the district until April 13, beginning on March 16.
“The public health crisis created by the corona-
Dinuba, Cutler-Orosi and MSSD closed on March 15
KCUSD, Immanuel shut down March 17 Page A9
virus is not something any of us could reasonably have expected to happen,” said Sanger Unified School District’s Superintendent Adela Jones in a letter sent out to the district community. “We are in uncharted waters as we work to prevent the spread of the illness. We have been following the guidance
all of our efforts. Dr. Hernandez went on to say the district took steps to move forward with a plant to address the health con- cerns related to COVID-19.
All three districts in conjunc- tion with Tulare County Health Department, and County Office
See DUSD on page A9
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Hundreds of oranges littered Hills Valley Road near South Avenue on March 14 following a major traffic accident at the intersection that left one person with major injuries.
See SUSD on page A9
Classifieds - B4 Directory - B2 Legals - B5-9 Sports - B1, B10 Lifestyle - A5-7
Lights & Sirens - A3 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4