Mid Valley Times 1-6-22 E-Edition

Thursday, January 6, 2022
Vol. 3, No. 27
Coronavirus Update
Numbers
sharply
increase
in Valley
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Declining COVID-19 cases in the Central Valley finally did a sharp about-face this past week, rising sharply per- haps fueled by holiday gath- erings and the spread of the Omicron variant.
The Jan. 4 updates from both Fresno and Tulare coun- ties showed dramatic jumps in COVID numbers. Active 7-day cases in Fresno County for the week increased by more than 3,000; from 1,380 as of Dec. 28 to 4,390 active by Jan. 4. The new daily case rate per 100,000 jumped from 12.3 to 21.5, and the positive rate spiked from 7.3 to 15.9 percent in just seven days.
See VIRUS on page A18
Child dies in DUI crash
50 cents
Sanger to
discuss
district
reshuffle
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
The Sanger City Coun- cil this week will conduct a third public hearing to pres- ent draft map options which would rebalance the popula- tion of the current council districts.
The agenda for Thursday, Jan. 6, includes the public hearing and the council re- ceiving a presentation from the city's demographic con- sultant regarding draft map options. These options would rebalance the population of the current districts and could include potential revisions. The public is invited to attend the meeting and provide their input on the topic.
Other items on the agen- da include a department re- port recommending that the council approve a side letter agreement between the city and the IUOE Stationery Lo- cal 39 calling for a 1 percent salary increase backdated to July 1, 2021, a 3-5 percent in- crease effective July 1, 2022, and an additional 3.5 percent increase effective July 1, 2023.
The meeting is open to the public, and begins at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 1700 7th St. in Sanger.
Both the Reedley City Council and Dinuba City Council will have their first meetings of 2022 next week on Tuesday, Jan. 11. Dinuba's meeting begins at 6:390 pm. while the Reedley meeting starts at 7 p.m.
Check both cities' websites for agenda information.
Bicylist killed in hit and run near Reedley
Victim identified as Robert Holguin, 69, from Reedley
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
A Reedley man has died after police said he was hit and killed while riding his bicycle near the intersection of Alta and Manning avenues sometime around 7 p.m. on Jan. 3.
The man was identified as 69-year-old Robert Holguin. Ac-
cording to reports from the Cali- fornia Highway Patrol, Holguin was riding his bicycle southbound on Alta Avenue on the asphalt of the shoulder just north of Man- ning Avenue. Investigators be- lieve the bicycle was outside the lane of traffic.
For unknown reasons, a ve- hicle traveling in the same direc- tion as Holguin veered off into the shoulder where Holguin was rid- ing, and struck him from behind.
The driver of the vehicle fled
See HIT AND RUN on page A5
Photo Courtesy / YourCentralValley.com
The California Highway Patrol blocked off a part of Alta near Manning Avenue on the night of Jan. 3 following a fatal hit and run accident involvingng a bicycle.
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times photos
ABOVE AND LEFT: Decorations of tribute adorn the scene of a crash north of Dinuba that killed 8-year-old Jonathan Aparicio of Orange Cove.
Mother severely injured,
arrested after accident
north of Dinuba on Dec. 30
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
An early morning DUI crash on Dec. 30 northeast of Dinuba claimed the life of an 8-year-old Orange Cove boy and severely in-
See CRASH on page A18
Downtown Reedley parklets stay until spring at least
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Downtown parklets for outdoor dining are remaining in the city of Reedley at least through the re- mainder of winter and into spring.
Rob Terry, community develop- ment director for Reedley said in a Dec. 15 letter to business owners, operators and community mem- bers that a proposed public hear- ing — initially scheduled for the end of the year and scheduled to completed at the end of January 2022 — has postponed the time- frame for holding a public hearing until this spring.
Terry said the Reedley City Council directed staff to adjust the public hearing until the spring. "As such, the parklet program will remain in its current state at this
time, and the City will continue working with business owners and operators directly to ascertain the desired and appropriate future of the park let areas within the down- town..." Terry said in the letter.
In the letter, Terry said city of- ficials will work on additional spe- cifics related to the outdoor dining options, and prepare feedback and analysis for the springtime public meetings.
Wood-framed outdoor park- lets, featuring tables and seating for outdoor dining, were installed at a number of locations along G and 11th streets in mid-2020, and have become part of the downtown fabric during the COVID-19 pan- demic. The parklets were filled with diners during the return of
SeePARKLETSonpage A2
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Parklets in front of Valentino's (foreground) and Main Street Cafe (left) along G Street in downtown Reedley are pictured on Jan. 4. The city has postponed public discussion on the future of the parklets until spring 2022.
Classifieds - A9 Directory - A6 Legals - A13-15 Sports - A11-12 Lifestyle - A7-8 Lights & Sirens - A3, A5 Health & Fitness - A16-17 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4