Page 18 - Mid Valley Times 8-20-20 E-edition

IMMANUEL Continued from page A1
the media at this time. In the Aug 13 news statement, Wood and the school's board of trustees said that in the past sev- eral weeks "Immanuel Schools has prayerfully sought counsel from educational and medi- cal experts, our legal e=advisors, and mem- bers of our Immanuel community. Based on their counsel and our belief that this is what is best for students, we have opened for on-cam-
pus instruction..."
Wood said in the state-
ment that as a Christian school, "our mission is best achieved through in- person education. We feel strongly that parents are ultimately responsible for their child's schooling choice and if they desire an on-campus educa- tion, why should they be denied that right?" The statement also said that Immanuel families who have medical needs or are not yet comfortable to be on campus have the option of the school's home learning instruc- tion.
Before the first day of classes ended at im-
manuel on Aug. 13, the Fresno County Depart- ment of Public Health issued a Health Officer Order responded by issuing a Health Offi- cer Order calling for the school to close for in-person instruction. According to the state mandate, schools in Fresno County are not permitted to open for in- person instruction until the county has come off the state's County Mon- itoring List for 14 con- secutive days.
“Immanuel Schools and all Fresno County Schools have an obliga-
tion to protect the health and safety of allstudents and faculty,” said David Pomaville, FCDPH Di- rector. “We will continue to work with our schools to provide guidance and help ensure that any re- opening is done in ac- cordance with best prac- tices that protects the health and safety of our students and community, and is done in accordance with state requirements.”
The department said that violating the Health Officer Order can result in fines and penalties (other business violation have started at $1,000),
increased liability for the school and school board, and possible forced closure. The de- partment is considering filing a restraining order and injunction in Fresno County Superior Court, a process that would take a few days.
Immanuel Schools and Clovis Christian School are the only schools in Fresno Coun- ty to violate the state mandate against in- person instruction. Out- side Creek Elementary School in Tulare County also has had instruction on its campus.
George M. Villagrana / Mid Valley Times
Facility manager Sandra Hernandez is pictured in the new United Health Center facility while concluding a tour on Aug. 10.
New UHC facility in
Dinuba offers drive-up
COVID-19 testing
Thursday, August 20, 2020
| A18 |
Mid Valley TiMes
As of 11:59 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, there had been 21,044 confirmed cases (10,030 active) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) out of 151,188 tests (11.6 percent) in Fresno County, with 205 deaths and 273 hospitalized.
respectively. The county reported that 9,172 of the positive cases (43.6 percent) had recovered.
In Tulare County, there were 12,718 confirmed cases (1,309 active) of COVID-19 with 206 deaths and 68 hospitalized as of 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Breakdowns by cities/regions show 1,471 cases in Dinuba, 483 in Orosi, 261 in Cutler, 66 in Traver and less than 11 each in rural areas south of Reedley and east of Orange Cove.
Among Mid Valley Times cities, Reedley has surpassed Sanger with the most positive cases with 960 while Sanger is at 946 cases, Parlier climbed to 807 cases and Orange Cove had 467 cases. Del Rey was at 84 cases while Fowler had 172 cases. Squaw Valley and Dunlap have nine and six positive cases,
A total of 11,203 people had recovered from the virus in Tulare County.
COVID-19 update
Roadwork under way in sections of north Dinuba
By George M. Villagrana
Mid Valley Times
In lieu of National Health Center Week, Dinuba welcomed its newest health center as United Health Centers officially opened its doors on Aug. 10. The center is located at 300 Westgate Way.
That morning, a tour of the center was given by Sandra Hernandez, UHC health center manager, shortly be- fore the first patients were seen at 11 a.m.. In attendance for the tour was Tulare County Su- pervisor Eddie Valero, Dinuba Chamber of Commerce CEO Sandy Sills, and Jake Minzer, field representative for Rep. Devin Nunes.
The new health cen- ter will have drive up COVID-19 testing.
Community Devel- opment Officer, David
Phillips, stated individ- uals should make ap- pointments which helps to shorten the time for the test and assures someone is readily available to test them without waiting.
Appointments can be done through the UHC web page https://unit- edhealthcenters.org/ap- pointment or by calling 800-492-4227. Testing in Dinuba is performed weekdays starting at 10:30 a.m. and running to 5:30 p.m.
There is no out-of- pocket expenses. Those individuals with insur- ance will have their in- surance billed and those with no insurance or who are under-insured, are covered under the CARES Act allowing us to bill a federal subsid- iary who pays for the cost of the testing and lab work, according to Phillips.
MVT Staff Report
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. began removing utility poles at the start of the month along Ne- braska Avenue in Dinuba.
couple of months.
Dinuba Mayor Kuldip Thusu
said the city has been anxious for the work to begin.
“We have been waiting for this for the last eight months,”
to Euclid Avenue, south of Ne- braska, to Roosevelt Elementary School.
Thusu added, “we are redoing Nebraska, parts of Euclid. And finally, a beautiful intersection at Nebraska and Alta Avenue.”
Nebraska Avenue will be stated Thusu.
closed off to thru traffic for a
ELECTIONS Continued from page A1
cided to step down after one term and focus on his position as associate pastor at Full Gospel Tabernacle in Reedley. Ken Baker, Reedley police chaplain and pastor, filed to enter the race on July 30 and business owner Matthew Tuttle filed as a candidate on Aug. 7.
Reedley's other council members up for election this year — Bob Beck in Area 3 and Anita Betancourt in Ar- ea 5 — each will get another term as they have no challengers.
Dinuba will have two contested seats this fall for City Council. In- cumbent Linda Marie Launer takes on challengers Geno Gomez and An- drea McComb Sotelo for the Ward 5 seat, while Joshua Huerta and Rachel Nerio-Guerrero will vie for the Ward 1 seat currently held by Emilio Mo- rales.
Back in Fresno County, the small cities of Parlier and Orange Cove have contested City Council races. Nine candidates are attempting to win the two Parlier council seats va- cated by incumbents. In Area 1, four candidates are running: Sabina Ro- driguez, Roxanne Trujillo, Juan Mon- tano and Duby Trevino. The Area 3 race features five candidates: Kathy Solorio, Vickie Porter, Raul Villanue- va, Ramiro Trujillo and Noe Manuel
The improvements will be
Reclamation announces 30-day public comment for Friant-Kern Canal work
Contributed
The Bureau of Rec- lamation announced on Aug. 12 a 30-day public comment period for a 35-year contract renewal of the transfer of opera- tion, maintenance and replacement activities related to Friant-Kern Canal and other associ- ated works to the Friant Water Authority.
The Friant Water Au-
thority is the non-federal operating entity for the Friant-Kern Canal.
The canal runs 152 miles from the town of Friant to just north of Bakersfield (including past Orange Cove and eastern Fresno-Tulare counties) and provides water to more than one million acres of highly productive farmland.
The contract is avail- able at: usbr.gov/mp/sccao/
water-contracting.html. Comments must be received by close of business on Friday, Sept. 11, and sent to Travis Buttelman, Region 10 Office, Bureau of Rec- lamation, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825 or faxed to (916) 978-5242 or emailed to
jbuttelman@usbr.gov. For more informa- tion, contact Buttelman
(916) 978-5247.
Rodriguez.
Orange Cove's council race fea-
tures three candidates bidding for two spots. Two of them are incumbents; Josie Cervantes and Diana Guerra. Manuel Jaccinto Ferreira is challeng- ing for a spot on the council.
Among school boards, Sanger Uni- fied and Kings Canyon Unified each have two contested races. In Sanger, incumbent Tammy Wolfe is being challenged by Sebastian Ardemagni for the Area 1 seat, while incumbent Rick Duran is running against Va Pao Her in Area 4. Incumbent Brandon Vang is unopposed in Area 3.
On the KCUSD board, races are set in Area 5 (incumbent Manuel Ferreira and Nancy Hernandez) and in Area 7 (incumbent Clotilda Mora and George Moreno. Incumbent Craig Cooper is unopposed in Area 6.
Like its City Council counterpart, Parlier Unified School District also has a crowded field with seven can- didates for two available spots on the board.
In Tulare County, Dinuba Unified School District has three candidates running for the three Area 4 seat in- cluding incumbent Mary Helen Vil- larreal. Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified has three contested races — in Area 1 (two seats available with four candidates), Area 3 and Area 4 (two candidates each for each seat).
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