Reedley Exponent 4-12-18 E-edition

A ‘Mermaid’ of a tale comes to Reedley High starting April 13
Local high schools participate in Kings River Games
Vol. 129, No. 15 | Thursday, April 12, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents Council approves controversial shelter
Faith House passed on 4-0 vote, 11 speakers comment
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
On a 4-0 vote, the Reedley City Council voted April 10 to approve and authorize a li- cense agreement between the city and Hope Now Ministries for use of a city-owned facility at 1697 W. Huntsman Ave. to serve as a tempo-
rary emergency housing facility.
Council members Ray Soleno, Mary Fast and
Bob Beck along with Mayor Anita Betancourt voted in favor of the Hope Now House of Faith – called Faith House in city paperwork. The two- story house was the former site of the Marjaree Mason facility for victims of domestic violence.
Frank Pinon, mayor pro tem, recused him- self from a vote on the issue. Pinon and Ken Baker, pastor of Heritage Church in Reedley and director of operations for Hope Now Min- istries, have been partnered in establishing the
nonprofit agency for the facility.
The 70-minute debate and discussion in-
cluded 11 speakers during the public comment period. Seven spoke out in favor of the facility while four speakers opposed the project.
Before the item was discussed, Cliff Unruh with the Reedley Beach Families opposition group announced during general public com- ment that the group was filing formal com- plaints against the city. with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Ameri- can Institute of Certified Planners commission.
Rob Terry, the city’s Community Devel- opment Director, gave a presentation on the shelter to the council. Terry emphasized that the facility is not a half-way house, drug re- hab or offender release residence or an open homeless shelter. The facility will not serve sex offenders, active parolees, single males or anyone not passing a vetting had approval pro- cess by Hope Now Ministries and the Reedley Police Department.
More details will be in The Exponent’s April 19 issue.
Council listens to workshop on retail
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Reedley City Council members last month received an education in today’s retail landscape from the Fresno County Economic Develop- ment Corporation.
Local events brave the rain
Amanda Bosland, retail busi- ness development specialist with the EDC, presented a workshop at the council’s
regular March 27
meeting. In her
presentation, she
said that mod-
ern downtowns
across the United
States are hubs
that are building
a reputation as
prime residential
areas.
Bosland stressed the impor- tance of a retail focus on a younger generation of shoppers.
“A downtown plan and vision that considers the habits of young- er consumers is important for the survival and attraction of retail,” she told the council. “It should in- corporate retail retention and at- traction plans that are creative or even hand-crafted so it fits your downtown vision.”
Bosland told the council that she believes Reedley has done an “excellent” job in maximizing its natural assets.
“You have a beautiful city and I enjoy coming here every single time,” she said. “I had friends from Canada come here and they saw Reedley Beach and they said ‘Wow. I would pay money to just come and visit this.’ So keep that in mind.”
Bosland’s presentation focused on what she called the industry’s “macro” and “micro” trends, then shifted to retail trends in Fresno County. The macro trends she de-
See RETAIL on page A8
Rummage Roundup forged ahead By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
A rainstorm swept through Reed- ley and eastern Fresno County on April 7, affecting a number of sched- uled outdoor events.
While the rain forced one can- cellation — the annual Orange Cove Blossom Festival and Parade in downtown Orange Cove — other out- door activities went ahead as sched- uled with participants adjusting to the conditions.
The annual Reedley Rummage Roundup was hampered by periods of steady rain, which meant a steep reduction in the event’s number of participating vendor booths. About 20 vendors were scattered along the two blocks of G Street between 10th and 12th streets.
“We stick with it, rain or shine,” said Pam Melville of the Reedley Downtown Association. “We lost quite a few with the rain. There are 80 spots when it’s at capacity. But people bring umbrellas, and we go on.”
Many of the vendors improvised to deal with the weather. Those who had tables with no covered shelter moved their items under awnings on the sidewalks along G Street.
Stanley Davis of Dinuba was one of those vendors. He moved his ta- bles under the covered area in front of Dopkins Funeral Chapel, which is closed on weekends.
“I understand that typically it’s pretty full,” Davis said during a brief lull in the rain. “Right now, the weather is nice. I hope more people will come out.”
Davis was in the process of sell- ing his late parents’ inventory of pos- sessions. He normally goes to two monthly sales in the Clovis area.
“This is the first time I’ve done this,” he said. “Because of the weath- er it’s not as good as a busy day, but
See RAIN on page A8
Young Reedley woman taking charge in her cancer fight
Amanda Bosland
Marissa Banda-Davis stands in front of her north Reedley home. The 24-year-old was diagnosed in January with endometrioid adenocarcinoma, a rare form of ovarian cancer that usually is diagnosed in women 45 years and older.
Classified - A6-7 Directory - A5 Legals - B5-6
Now — with one surgery and one of three chemo-
About 20 vendors participated in the annual Reedley Rummage Roundup on April 7 in downtown Reedley, despite a
steady rain that fell throughout the an- nual event. Many of the vendors moved from the street to under awnings of businesses not open that day.
ABOVE: Tatiana Projkovska checks out the selection of plants for sale at the Monte Vista School plant booth on G Street during the Reedley Rummage Roundup.
RIGHT: Josiah Gonzales of Sanger ties a purple ribbon to a tree along G Street, near the northwest intersection of 11th Street, as part of the Reedley Relay for Life ”Paint the Town Purple” activity in advance of the annual Relay for Life event on April 14 and 15. Reedley Relay for Life was operating a vendor booth at the Reedley Rummage Roundup.
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
therapy treatments behind her —Banda-Davis is com- ing to grips with her battle. She is using her youth to begin a determined fight against what she calls an ag- gressive cancer.
The initial outlook is positive.
“They did catch it early,” she said. “They took out the entire infected area. They did more tests, and it didn’t spread. They said it didn’t spread anywhere else in my body so it’s contained to one part. They got it all removed. I said ‘Thank you, God.’”
Banda-Davis underwent surgery on March 8, a week after seeing a specialist at Stanford University. Her
See RELAY on page A2 Sports - B3-4 Lights & Sirens - A3 Obituaries - A2 Opinion - A4
Reedley Relay for Life event
this weekend at Reedley High
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Marissa Banda-Davis couldn’t believe her internal specialist was serious.
A week after having a uterine cyst removed, the 24-year-old Reedley woman received a chilling diagno- sis on Jan. 23.
“They said that what I had wasn’t a regular cyst. The cyst was cancerous,” she said. “When they told me, I looked at the doctor and said ‘This is kind of an early April Fool’s joke, because this is January. This can’t be right.’
“But he said ‘No, you have cancer.’”
And not just any cancer. It was endometrioid adeno- carcinoma — a rare form of ovarian cancer that usually is diagnosed in women 45 years and older.
ANNUAL REEDLEY RELAY FOR LIFE
When: Saturday, April 14, 9 a.m. to Sunday, April 15 at 9 a.m., Luminaria ceremony after 7 p.m. on April 14 Where: Reedley High School athletic practice field, south of baseball diamond and northwest of stadium Admission: Free