Mid Valley Times 8-20-20 E-edition

Thursday, August 20, 2020
Vol. 2, No. 8
Coronavirus Update — Dispute Over On-Campus Instruction
Immanuel, Fresno County at odds
50 cents
Contested city races set for November
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Sanger's mayor, along with a combined six contest- ed council seats in Dinuba, Reedley and Sanger as well as multiple school board races will be decided at the regional level in the this fall's general presidential election on Tues- day, Nov. 3.
The deadline for candi- dates to file was on Aug. 7, and the majority of those de- claring to run for offices in Fresno and Tulare counties have been listed as qualified.
Two seats on the Sanger council are up for grabs this fall, and a third member, Ar- ea 4 representative Eli Onti- veros, is challenging incum- bent Frank Gonzalez for the mayor's chair. Gonzalez was elected mayor in 2016, gar- nering nearly 59 percent of the vote against then-council member Raul Cantu. Ontive- ros has been on the council since 2010.
Esmeralda Hurtado was appointed to the City Council in 2018 replacing her sister, Melissa Hurtado, who was elected as California state senator for the 14 District. This fall, she's being chal- lenged for the Area 1 seat by two candidates – automotive service advisor Fernando Lo- pez Jr. and business owner Anthony Espitia. Incumbent Daniel Martinez and Kevin Thomas Carter (retired) are vying for the Area 3 seat.
In Reedley, there will be a new representative for the Ar- ea 1 council seat. Frank Pinon, elected in 2016 and Reedley's mayor the past two years, de-
SeeELECTIONSonpageA18
Reedley private school opens with on-campus instruction for students, court battle looms
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Immanuel Schools last week willingly defied a Cal- ifornia mandate from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state board of public health barring on-campus instruc- tion because of COVID-19, opening its school year on Aug. 13 with live instruc- tion on at the elementary, junior high and high school levels. The action sets up a legal showdown with Fres-
no County public health of- ficials and the state.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 18, on-campus was continuing at the campus in south Reed- ley. School officials were stationed at the main west entrance off Reed Avenue. After an initial statement on the first day of school Aug. 13, Immanuel Schools Superintendent Ryan Wood and school administrators have declined comment to
SeeIMMANUELonpage A18
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Vehicles were parked near the locked east entrance of the Immanuel Schools campus on Aug. 18, during the fourth day of on-campus instruc- tion. A court battle is likely to ensue because of the school's actions.
New Sanger police chief
Greg Garner, former Selma chief, began his new job on Aug. 17
MVT Staff Report
The city of Sanger announced on Aug. 13 it has hired Greg Garner as its new police chief.
Garner was hired after an extensive search and interview
process and began his
new position on Monday,
Aug. 17. Before starting on Monday, Garner was sworn in to his new posi- tion during a small cer- emony.
He worked for the
Fresno Police Depart-
ment for 34 years and most recently served as the police chief for the city of Selma, where he unexpectedly retired from back in August 2019.
Garner grew up in Madera and has
See GARNERonpageA2
New Sanger Police Chief Greg Garner, left, was sworn
in to his new position by city
of Sanger Clerk Becky Padron before starting his first day on the job on Aug. 17. Garner’s last posi- tion was Chief of Police for the city of Selma, where he retired from
in August of last year.
Sanger Police Department / Photo Contributed
Greg Garner
TC deputies, Explorers host food giveaway in London
George M. Villagrana / Mid Valley Times
Volunteers with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office, including deputies and Explorer volunteers, loaded up boxes of food and masks during a giveaway in the community of London on Aug. 13.
By George M. Villagrana
Mid Valley Times
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Explorer volunteers teamed up to hold a drive-thru food and mask give- away in the county community of London on Aug. 13.
More than 500 boxes of food and 300 masks were distributed to the community.
The food giveaways began in May and in July, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said. The sheriff's office launched the Mask Up campaign handing out free masks at the food giveaways to help the spread of COVID-19 in Tulare County. On Aug. 16, TC- SO was at the Orosi Flea Market handing out masks.
Eddie Valero, Tulare County Area 4 Supervisor, said the re- cent food distribution event in London provides a testament to the hard work of county ser- vices in places where the need is great.
“When I see families drive up to receive fresh food boxes and masks, it shows me that chil- dren are hurting, families are hurting, and communities are hurting tremendously," he said. "And, surprisingly, this affects every income bracket, from the well-off to the low-income who are trying to stay above in order to provide for their families.
“Now more than ever, we need to come together, press forward, and support each other through this difficult experience."
Classifieds - A9 Directory - A10 Legals - A13-16 Sports - A11 Lifestyle - A7-8
Lights & Sirens - A3 Obituaries - A2-3, A5 Opinion - A4