Reedley Exponent 1-18-18 E-editon

Meet community center’s new preschool teacher
Panorama
Vol. 129, No. 3 | Thursday, January 18, 2018
www.reedleyexponent.com
Immanuel boys battle Selma in regional rivalry
Sports
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents
Group seeks to recall Soleno
Parlier Post will cease publication on Jan. 24
Citing excessive production costs and lack of supporting rev- enue, Mid Valley Publishing has announced that The Parlier Post will cease publication later this month.
“It is our sad duty to announce that the economic viability of The Parlier Post could no longer main- tain pace with ever-increasing costs of producing and distribut- ing a newspaper,” said Fred Hall, publisher of Mid Valley Publish- ing, in a Jan. 15 statement. “The Post will pass into history on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018.”
Hall said that newspaper pub- lishing is “an odd combination in- volving the dedication to serving
the informational needs of small communities with the need for sufficient community support to make it economically feasible. The excellent, in-depth coverage by The Post of wide-ranging events — from government to schools and citizens — marked the very epitome of community journal- ism.”
The Post began as a weekly publication in 1983. It has been free to readers.
After publication of The Post ceases, information on future Parlier community events and happenings can be sent to The Exponent by email to jon@midval- leypublishing.com.
Residents unhappy with lack of communication about transitional house in his council district
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
A group of residents in south- west Reedley have served a notice of intent to recall Reedley City Council Member Ray Soleno.
Three residents, all in Soleno’s council District 4, spoke at the Jan. 9 council meeting during a tense pub- lic comment session that featured two verbal confrontations. On Jan. 12, residents Robert Miller and Cliff
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Ray Soleno, council member for District 4, listens to River Bottom residents op- posing a proposed transitional home during public comment at the Jan. 9 Reedley City Council meeting.
Unruh served City Clerk Sylvia Plata with the notification of intent to re- call papers at City Hall.
A recall petition would mean that Soleno — whose term is up for election in November 2018 — eventu- ally could face a recall election this spring or summer if all parameters of the recall effort are met.
Residents are saying that Soleno and other council members have not met with them to address their
See RECALL on page A6
The Reedley Planning Commission will consider a vote on a conditional use permit for a proposed transitional house at its Thursday, Jan. 18 meeting. The meeting starts at 5 p.m. in the City Council chambers.
Flu cases hit region
hard
Paul
Mitchell
dies at 87
Was longtime coach, educator at RHS
By Chris Aguirre
chris@midvalleypublishing.com
Paul Mitchell, the much be- loved and respected Reedley High School teacher and coach, died Jan. 13. He was 87.
Mitchell also was the public address announcer for Reedley College foot-
ball and men’s
basketball for 61 years, from 1953 to 2014.
He was in- ducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.
Mitchell
began teach-
ing at Reedley Joint Union High School in 1953 as a history teach- er. He started coaching sports at RHS in 1963 and retired in 1986. Most notably, he coached varsity baseball. He retired as a teacher in 1992.
Word of his passing quickly reached friends and associates, who fondly remembered Mitchell through social media sites.
Danny Jimenez, who worked in the Kings Canyon Unified School District for 34 years, in- cluding time at Reedley High, before retiring in 2017, remem- bered Mitchell on his Facebook page. He wrote “R.I.P. Coach Mitchell who put Reedley Pirate baseball on the map. Reedley has lost a jewel. There will never be another like him.”
Paul Preheim, who attended Reedley High in the 1980s and is the current head football coach at Golden West High School in Visa- lia, said “I would do anything for Coach Mitchell. He was a great man.”
See MITCHELL on page A6
Officials say get vaccinated and wash hands often By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Reedley has not been immune to the many cases of influenza sweep- ing through the Central Valley, Cali- fornia and the United States.
In a 24-hour period on New Year’s weekend, more than 160 pa- tients packed Adventist Medical Center-Reedley’s emergency room and related clinics with flu-like symptoms. Those
figures mirror the
state and national
spread during an
unusually cold
winter in much of
the country.
Susan Chap-
man, administra-
tor for patient
care services at
AMC Reedley,
said that hospitals and medical facili- ties around the Central Valley have reported full waiting rooms in deal- ing with the flu. She mentioned two cities in particular — Hanford and Selma — that have had ERs filled to capacity.
Every flu season — no matter how severe — Chapman said the usual precautions continue to be the best methods to prevent or fight off the flu.
“Like everybody is saying — get a flu shot,” she said. “Practice good hand hygiene, wash your hands. Drink lots of fluids, get rest. The typical things that you would do if you do feel ill.”
Chapman said those are just some of the preventive steps to take. She stressed the importance of get- ting enough rest and drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
“You have to take care of your- self,” she said. “And really, around here, hand washing is important.”
The Reedley hospital also pro- vides medical masks for anyone who comes to the facility with a
Paul Mitchell
Susan Chapman
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
ABOVE: Kings Canyon Unified School District nurse Laura Kanawyer gives a flu shot to a Washington Elementary School student during a visit in October. Susan Chapman, administrator at Adventist Medical Center, Reedley, said vaccinations and washing your hands often are the best methods to prevent catching and spreading influenza.
and fending off the flu. She said it is the best deterrent even with some reports of low levels of effectiveness in the 2017 vaccine.
“There are hundreds of differ- ent viruses out there, so they don’t get everything,” Chapman said, “But what we’ve noticed is, with the flu vaccine, you won’t get hit with the
deadly bug. You will still get ill, but you won’t hit that critically ill stage.” In 2016-17, flu activity was termed moderate by the Centers for Disease Control. Flu cases increased in December 2016 and spiked in Feb-
ruary.
See FLU on page A6
Police describe rash of broken windows in vehicle burglaries
persistent cough.
“Anybody here that has any kind
of cough, we will immediately offer to give them a mask. Cough equals mask,” she said.
Although many people balk at the idea of getting a flu shot, Chapman said it remains the most sensible step in helping build an immunity
This map shows some of the locations of vehicle burglaries and break-ins that have occurred in the downtown area dating back to early November. Incidents include smashed windows of vehicles dur- ing forced entry.
Reedley Police Department, / Map Contributed
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Reedley Police Department offi- cials are asking for help from the pub- lic — through information or possible video images — regarding vehicle break-ins that have occurred in the city during the past two months.
The police department posted on its social media page on Jan. 11 that there have been 10 vehicle burglar- ies involving smashed windows since Nov. 2. The incidents have occurred at businesses, in parking lots and at locations that business employees commonly park.
thing in there,” Reedley police Lt. Marc Ediger said on Jan. 16. “There were no window smashes where noth- ing was taken. They were basically vehicle burglaries.”
Many of the break-ins have oc- curred in the downtown area, includ- ing two within the busy G Street cor- ridor.
The first came more than a week before Christmas about 6:30 p.m. in the area in front of the Reedley Po- lice Department. The window of a city employee’s vehicle had been smashed in when the employee returned to the vehicle.
hicle’s passenger window was broken and a purse and other items were taken.
Ediger said there was a vehicle break-in over the weekend in the 1200 block of West Flora Avenue. Some tools were taken, but Ediger said it was uncertain if that ties in to bur- glaries in the downtown area.
Ediger asks residents to be vigi- lant about suspicious activity.
“If anyone in the public sees peo- ple trying to sell items on the street or on Craigslist, let us know,” he said. “It’s always good to report it if any- thing seems fishy.”
Ediger cautioned people to keep valuable items inside a vehicle out
“We don’t think that it’s vandal- ism. We think they’re breaking the windows to try to see if there is any-
The most recent came in the park- ing lot of Bank of America on Jan. 4 in the middle of the afternoon. A ve-
Classified - B6-7
See BREAK-INS on page A2 Directory - A5 Legals - B7-8 Sports - B3-4 Lights & Sirens - A3 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4