4-23-20 MVT e-edition

Thursday, April 23, 2020
Vol. 1, No. 43
Central Valley stays ahead of the curve compared to statewide total
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
The number of positive novel coronavirus (COV- ID-19) cases in Fresno and Tulare counties that include Mid Valley Times region resi- dents continued to steadily climb last week, as California continues its effort to flatten the curve of the virus that has infected more than 2.5 million people worldwide including more than 177,000 deaths.
As of Tuesday evening, April 21, Fresno County had 371 total cases of COVID-19, with 139 cases a case of com- munity spread. There have been 77 people hospitalized
See COVID-19onpageA16
Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
On April 17, the lights above Claud Hebert Field at Dinuba High School were turned on in a sign of solidarity by the Dinuba Unified School District. The lights, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joe Hernandez said, represent a "message of hope in our community amidst the darkness of this time’." The lights at DHS will be turned on for the next several weeks and will also serve to honor the students within the district, especially this year’s graduating seniors.
The school district is currently working on a way to honor this year’s graduates and seniors this week began picking up their caps and gowns at Dinuba High School via drive up.
50 cents
Coronavirus Shelter in Place — Week 5
Case numbers continue slow climb
COVID-19 update
As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, there had been 371 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Fresno County, with seven deaths.
Sanger and Parlier have the most cases among Mid Valley Times cities with 17 each. Reedley has 12 cases while Orange Cove has six cases. Fowler has four or fewer cases. The county reported that 126 of the positive cases had recovered.
In Tulare County, there were 436 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 22 deaths through 10 a.m. on April 21. Of these positive cases, 45 are listed as having occurred in the region featuring the zip codes of Dinuba, Cutler-Orosi and the rural area south of Reedley and near Orange Cove.
The 436 positive COVID-19 cases in Tulare County include a total of 62 recovered cases.
Sanger, Fresno County to again partner for shot at CDBG grants
Two school districts keep tentative reopen dates
MVT Staff Report
For now, Sanger Unified remains the only area school district that has committed to closing to on-campus instruc- tion for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
Kings Canyon Unified School District has decided for now to remain closed to on-campus instruction only through Friday, May 1, but may take action at its Tuesday, April 28, meeting (see story on Page A7).
Dinuba Unified School Dis- trict will meet on Thursday, April 30, to decide if they will continue the on-campus clo- sure through the end of the school year.
Return to former process
comes after failed 2017
bid to fund through state
By Rick Curiel
Mid Valley Times
The city of Sanger will be entering once again with County of Fresno in the hopes of receiving Community Devel- opment Block Grants through the fed- eral government after the city council approved a resolution to enter into the agreement at their April 16 meeting.
The city has participated in the CD- BG program since 1975 and received over $10 million in grants over the past 45 years. Over the last 10 years, the city of Sanger has received an annual average of CDBG allocations of around $274,000, funds of which have gone to projects such as the installation of new
streetlights.
But much of
those funds came
through participa-
tion with the county
of Fresno. In 2017,
however, the city
council elected
to apply directly
through the state
after seeing the suc-
cess the neighbor-
ing city of Parlier had with the program.
Efforts to receive funding through the state proved unsuccessful as the scoring for their application fell more than 100 points below successful appli- cant scoring ranges.
According to Sanger City Manager Tim Chapa, the move toward the state program resulted in about $825,000 of grant funding lost over a three-year period.
“The city is now at the juncture where it would consider rejoining the county entitlement or continue with the state entitlement program,” Chapa said in a letter to Sanger’s mayor and council.
Of all the years the city has par- ticipated in the program, about 35 of those were through a joint effort with the county of Fresno and are typically done in three-year cycles.
Said Chapa about the recommenda- tion to enter again into an agreement with the county, “In these days of un- certainty we recommend securing the average $275,000 per year versus tak- ing the gamble, and the risk, of receiv- ing no funding for the upcoming three year period.”
Under the county program, the city of Sanger is guaranteed to receive a percentage of any approved CDBG funding over the next three years.
Orosi High School / Photo Contributed
Orosi High School Academy of Engineering and Green Tech- nology students studied around a laptop computer.
By George M. Villagrana
Mid Valley Times
Once again, Orosi High School’s Career Pathway Acad- emy of Engineering and Green Technology (AEGT) and Career Pathway Academy of Health Sciences (AOHS) have been rec- ognized as Distinguished Status programs under the National Academy Foundation.
This is the highest honor academies can receive as 135 academies in the NAF network have reached such accolades. It's the second consecutive year
Orosi High was recognized by the foundation.
“I believe the continued rec- ognition speaks upon the hard work of the teachers, students, and leaders who continue to grow the academies and add rigor, relevance and work-based learning to all the academies and pathways at Orosi High School,” stated Cutler Orosi Joint Unified School District Superintendent Yolanda Valdez.
Approximately 167 students in grades 9 through 12 are in the school’s AOHS program and ap- proximately 177 in the AEGT.
The amount of students makes up 33 percent of the student population at Orosi High. The projected enrollment with next year’s freshman cohort is more than 300 students.
NAF’s annual assessment measures and academy’s strengths and challenges in im- plementing NAF’s results-driven educational design that prepares students for success in colleges and careers.
The curricular coursework for both the career pathway academies are from Project Lead
See OROSI HIGH on page A6
Tim Chapa
Orosi High programs again receive national recognition
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