Mid Valley Times 2-18-21 E-edition

Thursday, February 18, 2021
50 cents
Vol. 2, No. 33
Dick Sheppard — 1936-2021
Remembering a Sanger newspaper icon
Retired longtime Herald editor died Feb. 12 at age 84
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Dick Sheppard, who capped off a long and illustrious broadcasting and journalism career with an award-win- ning decade-and-a-half stint as editor of The Sanger Herald, has died at age 84.
Mr. Sheppard passed away the evening of Feb. 12 after battling for more than a year with what his family called "relentless medical challenges." He took ill just days after serving as
grand marshal for the annual Sanger Veterans Parade in November 2019, and was unable to serve as grand marshal for the city's annual Toyland Christmas parade. After a lengthy hospitalization, he lived his remaining months at Dycora Transitional Health
Dick Sheppard waved to spectators while riding in the parade route while serving as grand marshal for the Sanger Veterans Parade on Nov. 2, 2019. Sheppard, editor for The Sanger Herald and Mid Valley Times for nearly 15 years before retiring in 2019, died atage 84 on Feb. 12 after battling multiple medical issues for more than a year. Sheppard's distinguished career included many years in radio
and television before what he called his favorite job with The Herald.
Mid Valley Times file photo
in Reedley.
During 15 years as editor, reporter,
photographer, columnist and Page 1 paginator for The Herald, Sheppard established himself as the city's watch- dog and news conscience. He was one of the biggest boosters of the Sanger
Unified School District schools and ac- tivities (particular his beloved Sanger High Apaches football program), and often leveled justified criticism of city government.
In his farewell column upon retir- ing from The Times on Sept. 26, 2019, Sheppard shared about how he planned just a short stint with The Herald, and how the job quickly became not what he signed up for. His investigative re- porting made him the target of an at- tempted homicide, assaults, threats, and other forms of vitriol.
"I promised [publisher Fred Hall] I would stick around until things got back to normal and 15 years, many investigative journalism awards — including a national one — and
See SHEPPARD on page A16
Coronavirus Update
Vaccines
increase,
numbers
on decline
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
It's beginning to look like a trip back to the red tier status is in the not-too-distant future for Fresno and Tulare coun- ties and the Central Valley when it comes to COVID-19.
As vaccinations continue their slow increase in the re- gion — Tulare County added 6,000 shots last week, for in- stance — the numbers of ac- tive positive cases and case rates are maintaining a steady decline.
See COVID on page A16
A plea to come forward
Family grieves Reedley woman struck, killed in Highway 99 hit and run By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The night of Feb. 12 was suppose to be a birthday celebration for Julie Ramos of Reedley. Instead, family and friends of the 27-year-old mother of three gathered together in Dinuba to mourn her sudden death just two days earlier.
“She would have been happy right now, she would have been drinking at least one or two beers,” said Claudia Sanchez, Julie’s younger sister. “She would have been the party one here, would have been making everyone laugh, she would have been dancing. Now, she’s dancing up in heaven.”
Ramos was killed just after midnight on Feb. 10 after she tried to assist an injured driver on a busy Valley freeway.
The California Highway Patrol ini- tially reported an accident on Highway 99 just north of Manning Avenue. The accident involved a Hyundai Elantra
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Flowers and candles surrounded a photo of Reedley's Julie Ramos, who was struck and killed by a hit and run driver on Highway 99 in the early morning hours on Feb. 10.
and a Volvo Tractor trailer pulling a semi-trailer.
The driver of the Hyundai suffered major injuries in the crash, and their car became disabled on the highway as
a result of the collision.
Following that crash, a separate car
carrying Ramos stopped at the scene.
See JULIE on page A2
Police arrest two men after fatal Dinuba hit and run
Victim was struck by 2 vehicles, with both leaving scene
MVT Staff Report
Dinuba police arrested two men in connection with the Feb. 9 late night hit-and- run death of a Dinuba man along West El Monte Way near Euclid Avenue.
In custody are 32-year- old Gabriel Sanchez Garcia and 25-year-old Isaac Her- nandez. The Tulare County Coroner's Office identified the victim as 32-year-old Timothy Lewis, a transient staying in Dinuba.
Dinuba police said Garcia drove the gray Ford F-150 truck that struck on West El Monte Way sometime
around
10:30 p.m.
Witness
state-
ments and
video sur-
veillance
showed
Garcia at-
tempting
to move
the injured
Lewis out of the road be- fore leaving the scene west- bound on El Monte Way.
The police news report said that witnesses then crossed the street to ren- der aid to Lewis.While one of the witnesses attempted
Isaac Hernandez
to slow down traf- fic a sec- ond vehicle driven by Hernan- dez struck Lewis, who later was pronounced dead at the scene.
Classifieds - A6 Directory - A10 Legals - A11-14
Sports - A9 Lifestyle - A7-8
Lights & Sirens - A3, A5 Obituaries - A2-3, A5 Opinion - A4
Gabriel Sanchez Garcia
Hernandez also led the accident scene, but turned himself in to Dinuba po- lice a short time later. He was booked into the Tulare County Jail on vehicular
SeeHITANDRUNonpage A2
Screen grab courtesy ABC30 Action News
This screen grab from ABC30 Action News showed the portion of a truck part from the first of two vehicles that struck a male pedestrian in a fatal hit and run on West El Monte Way in Dinuba the evening of Feb. 9. Two men later were arrested in the incident that killed 32-year-old Timothy Lewis.