Page 2 - Reedley Exponent 9-13-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent A2 Thursday, September 13, 2018
Gonzales is keynote speaker at RC Constitution Conference
Fifth annual event is Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 19-21 Staff Report
The man who served as attorney general under President George W. Bush will be the keynote speaker at Reedley College’s 5th annual Constitu- tion Week Conference next week.
Alberto R. Gonzales, currently dean for the Belmont University Col- lege of Law in Nashville, Tenn., will speak at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21,
in the RC cafeteria. The speech will cap off the three-day conference that begins on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
Admission to the conference is free, and the public is invited. There will be free parking for non-faculty attending Gonzales’ speech.
After attending the U.S. Air Force Academy, Gonzales graduated from Rice University and Harvard Uni- versity. He served under Bush as the 80th Attorney General of the United States from February 2005 to Septem- ber 2007. Gonzales deviously served as a partner at a major Houston law firm (Vinson & Elkins) and held posi- tions as Justice on the Supreme Court
of Texas, Secretary of State (Texas) and counsel to President Bush (2001-2005) in addition to his con- sulting and media- tion practice.
Bryan Tellalian, Reedley College political science
instructor and con- ference organizer, said the event has become the largest of its kind in Cali- fornia and one of the largest in the
United States.
“The purpose of the conference is
to deepen students’ understanding of
the Constitution and their rights and duties as citizens,” he said. “To this end, local elected officials, judges, and other stakeholders are invited to share their expertise on the Constitu- tion with students.”
The conference will feature politi- cal figures, law enforcement officials and judicial officials.
Here is the conference schedule: All sessions, except for Gonzales, will be held in the Reedley College Student Center next to the cafeteria.
Wednesday, Sept. 19
9 a.m. — Q&A with Crystal Ra- gan, field representative for 22nd Congressional district Rep. Devin
Nunes, R-Tulare.
10 a.m. — Q&A with John Gerar-
di with the Central California Right to Life. He will speak on “Supreme Court jurisprudence on abortion.”
Thursday, Sept. 20
9 a.m. — A law enforcement pan- el features Reedley Police Chief Joe Garza, Kings County Sheriff David Robinson, Tulare County Capt. Rob Schimpf and California Highway Pa-
trol Lt. Hector Madrigal.
10 a.m. — Featured speaker Cam-
eron Quinn, Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties with the U.S. De-
See CONFERENCE on page A3
Chamber to conduct survey of businesses
9/11 commemoration at RHS
Contributed
The Greater Reedley Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Fres- no County Economic Devel- opment Corporation, will conduct a survey of Reedley- based businesses next month to gain insight into the opin- ion of individuals operating a business in the Reedley community.
“This is a project I have wanted to undertake since I started working with the chamber one year ago,” said Erik Valencia, executive director for the chamber. “We have been working dili- gently over the past several months with the EDC to de- velop this survey and we are now ready to release it to the business community.”
The two organizations want to better understand the ease and/or challenges of doing business in Reedley as well as interest in programs that can assist local busi- ness. The survey will begin on Monday, Oct. 1
The information gath-
ered will help the organiza- tions develop strategies in support of increasing eco- nomic development in the Reedley community.
Local businesses should expect to receive a notice about the survey from the EDC prior to Oct. 1. The chamber will be contacting businesses via email with a link to access the survey on- line. The survey will also be made available in print for- mat at the Chamber office by request.
Survey responses will be accepted through Wednes- day, Oct. 31. Persons com- pleting the survey will have the option to be entered in a drawing for a $250 Visa gift card.
“I implore our business community to please com- plete this survey,” said Va- lencia. “For the chamber, the results will help us reevalu- ate our mission as an orga- nization and guide us when developing future plans to support the needs of our members and business com- munity.”
On Sept. 11, the Reedley High School Naval Junior ROTC color guard unit positioned the American flag to half-staff to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist at- tacks on New York City and Washington D.C. The ceremony took place during the school’s mid-morning break.
LEFT: Color guard commander Jamie Lynn Gon- zalez raised the flag to half-staff on the flagpole in front of the Reedley High School administra- tion building on campus.
TOP: Seniors Chris Lopez, left, and Reese Kubo, right play “Echo Taps” during the ceremony. Saluting next to Lopez is NJROTC Cmdr. Chris- topher Bodine.
ABOVE: From left, NJROTC cadets Natalie Can- tu, Elizabeth Mendez-Lazo, Daisy Bravo and Bertenice Camacho salute while the flag is be- ing raised to half-staff.
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Planning Commission OKs Dopkins revision
Staff Report
By a 3-0 vote, the Reed- ley Planning Commission has voted to approve a new conditional use permit and environmental assessment for a revised site plan for the proposed Dopkins Funeral Home across the street from Reedley Cemetery.
The approval took place at a special meeting of the commission on Sept. 6. There was just enough of a quorum to vote. Commissioner Albert Custodio was absent and Bri- an Bissett recently resigned from his commission seat because of a change in jobs.
A permit and environ-
mental assessment had been approved for the Dopkins project in 2015, but the site plan changed to the extent that owners opted to file for a new permit. The new proj- ect includes a 7,980 square foot funeral home, chapel, crematory, gathering/event center, pet crematory, ga- rage/maintenance building and landscaped gardens with ground niches to hold cremated remains.
The new Dopkins com- plex is at 2200 S. Reed Ave., southeast of the cemetery and directly across Reed Av- enue from a planned expan-
See DOPKINS on page A3
WALK
Continued from page A1
for the group shot in front of the main entrance.
Burns told the gathering that they — along with Jesus Christ — were part of the so- lution to the drug problem in society.
“At Teen Challenge, we believe in recovery and we believe that God gives us vic- tory over addiction and sin in our lives,” Burns said as the crowd applauded. “We be- lieve that no matter how bad the drug or alcohol problem is that God can set that person
free and they can live a life of victory.”
At the southwest portion of the walking course, teacher- adviser Alex Arvayo and resi- dent Richard Jeffcoats stood under a shaded booth area as they handed out water and sports drinks to passing walk- ers. Jeffcoats said he and Ar- vayo were “brothers in arms.”
“It’s growing and getting bigger each year,” Arvayo said of the walk. “It’s a won- derful event, and we have a lot of supporters.”
One of those supporters was Selma resident Don Self, who walked with a cane as he
continued rehabilitation from a recent stroke.
“I try walking every day. I live near the [Selma] cem- etery and try to walk it each day,” he said. Fellow walker Len Arbuckle of Fresno said in admiration, “If I was him I might have stayed home.”
In addition to the Walk for Recovery, Teen Challenge Central Valley is involved this fall in two other events. One is the Arise Fresno crusade on Sunday, Oct. 14, at the Big Fresno Fair that includes free admission to the fair. The oth- er event is Teen Challenge’s fall barbecue on Saturday, Oct. 20 at the lawn area north of the facility. Reserve tickets are on sale to enjoy a steak dinner.
For more information, contact Teen Challenge Cen- tral Valley at 387-5132.
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Jon Earnest / The Exponent
John Burns, director for Central Valley Teen Challenge, gave walk- ers instructions before the fifth annual Walk for Recovery event on Sept. 8.
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