Mid Valley Times 1-21-21 E-edition

Thursday, January 21, 2021
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Montelongo appointed to Sanger council seat
Vol. 2, No. 29
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The Sanger City Council ap- pointed Michael Montelongo to fill the District 4 vacancy dur- ing a special meeting the eve- ning of Jan. 19.
The vacancy was created
after current member Eli Onti- veros defeated Frank Gonzalez in the Nov. 5 election to become the city's new mayor.
“I am honored to be part of this council, and I am a team player,” Montelongo said fol- lowing the appointment. “For
those who are on the call for District 4, I truly want to let you know that I will try to be the best council member for District 4.”
The other candidates for the position included; Rogelio Gon-
See APPOINTonpageA6
Mike Montelongo, right, is sworn as the Sanger City Council's new District 4 repre- sentative at a Jan. 19 special meeting.
Image courtesy Zoom
Coronavirus Update — Still In Purple Tier
Numbers
remain
well above
threshold
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
While there are a couple of en- couraging signs, Fresno and Tulare Counties still remain well above any COVID-19 case thresholds that would take them out of the undesir- able Purple Tier (widespread sta- tus).
As of Jan. 19, Fresno County's overall positive cases climbed to 82,485, an alarming gain of near- ly 6,000 in one week. Deaths also spiked by 122 in that same time frame, up to 968.
The number of hospitalizations did dip slightly during the week, but the alarming amount of deaths played a role in that. Also, the coun- ty's new COVID-19 positive case per 100,000 decreased slightly to 75.2 from a peak of 76 last week.
Sanger had a jolting increase in positive cases for the week, rising by more than 700 to 3,453. Reedley's positive cases grew by 513, to 2,745, according to the Jan. 19 listing from the county.
Getting people vaccinated will be a key to reversing those num-
See VIRUS on page A15
Prep sports? 'Let them play'
Danny Jimenez / Photo Contributed
ABOVE: Reedley High School football play- ers held up signs at a "Let Them Play". rally held at Reedley's Pioneer Park on Jan. 15. It was one of a number of unofficial orga- nizaed orotests around the state.
RIGHT: A Sanger High School student-ath- lete held up a sign saying "Un-mask our future" during a Jan. 15 rally at the corner of Bethel and Annadale avenues.
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Reedley, Sanger
and Dinuba host rallies on Jan. 15 for student-athletes
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Student-athletes and their families from Reedley, Sanger and Dinuba high schools all held their own "Let Them Play" rallies on Jan. 15 as part of a statewide movement to get prep sports re- started as soon as possible this winter and spring in the wake of COVID-19.
A crowd of about 30 to 35 student-athletes and parents rep- resenting Reedley High School gathered in Pioneer Park in down- town Reedley at 4 p.m., the time set by organizers of the event that originated on Change.org. Similar rallies took place at the same time in Sanger (see related story, Page A7) and in Dinuba, where student
See LETTHEMPLAYonpageA16
Reedley considering police body cameras
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
The city of Reedley is considering the possibility of entering a contract to provide 20 body worn cameras (BWC) for officers in the Reedley Police Department.
At the Jan. 12 Reedley City Coun-
cil meeting, RPD officials conducted a 40-minute informational workshop to show the benefits of the Axon Body 3 cameras, which currently are being used by neighboring departments in Fresno, Clovis and Sanger as well as the California Highway Patrol. The council took no action at this meeting.
The cameras are manufactured
by Axon Enterprise. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company specializes in body cameras and other security electronics. and already provides the department's Taser non-lethal electro- shock weapons.
The cost of a 5-year contract for
See BODYCAMSonpageA6
Top Dinuba teen finalist sees success through service
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Arshpreet Pannu plans to major in molecular biology at the University of Cal- ifornia-Riverside after graduation. Her 700-plus hours of volunteer service includes Kaweah Delta hospital, Pro-PT in Dinuba and Big Brothers-Big Sisters.
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Arshpreet Pannu, a finalist for Dinuba Teenage Citizen of the Year, has a simple philosophy that drives her — "Helping one person may not change the world but it could change the world for one person."
Arshpreet is one of three Dinuba High seniors vying for the city's top teen citi- zen. The winner will be announced at the end of this month at the annual Dinuba Chamber of Commerce event. Because of COVID-19, the event will be held virtu- ally. Sometime late this week or early next week, the exact date of the ceremony will be determined.
The 18-year-old Pannu, a first genera- tion student, comes from a family of Pun- jabi immigrants. In her nomination es- say, she described growing up in a small house with 13 members, one restroom and two bedrooms for all to share. She wrote
that her family building a successful life "helped me realize that the impossible is possible."
Pannu has a current grade point aver- age of 4.3, and plans to attend the Univer- sity of California-Riverside where she'll major in molecular biology.
In her nomination essay, Pannu wrote that entering her freshman year of high school, "I would have never imagined my- self having the courage to step out of my comfort zone." She began serving her com- munity that year when she was introduced to HOSA (Future Health Professionals). This year, Pannu has ascended to the presidency
See TEEN on page A15
This is the third of three profiles on the finalists for Dinuba Teenage Citizen of the Year.
Classifieds - A11 Directory - A10 Legals - A12-14 Sports - A9
Lifestyle - A7-8 Lights & Sirens - A3, A5 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4