Mid Valley Times 9-2-21 E-edition

Thursday, September 2, 2021
Vol. 3, No. 9
Sanger's
Thursday
football
game is
canceled
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
For the second straight week, Sanger High School's football schedule has been upended on short notice.
On Aug. 31, athletic direc- tor Brian Penner reported that the Apaches' scheduled game on Thursday, Sept. 2, against Clovis East High in Lamonica Stadium had been canceled. Penner said that the junior varsity game against Clovis East still was scheduled to be played at 3 p.m. Sept. 2 at Clo- vis East HS.
Unlike the cancellation of the Aug. 27 Fresno at Sanger game where the Warriors backed out (the Apaches re- placed FHS with Roosevelt for the game), this cancella- tion was brought on by SHS. Social and sports media re-
See CANCEL on page A2
Spirit battle at DHS
50 cents
Coronavirus Update
Cases continue to tick upward
Region would
be purple if tier
levels remained
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
The California Depart- ment of Public Health no lon- ger keeps colored tier levels to monitor COVID-19, but if itdiditwouldbeonehue– purple.
That means widespread, and the mere report of num- bers backs that ranking. In Fresno County, the number of total cases reported grew by more than 4,000 in a week, and as of Aug. 31 a 7-day test variant showed 2,825 new ac- tive cases.
Also, for the first time in nearly two months, county cit- ies updated their general posi- tive case numbers. Sanger's city numbers on the graph- ics by the county increased to 4,900 total cases (up 200) while Reedley was at 3,800 (up 200).
Although Parlier, Orange Cove and Fowler all remained the same in the latest report (done in multiples of 100), each region saw increased numbers.
The rise in COVID num- bers was just as drastic in Tulare County. Active cases grew by nearly 1,200 in just
See VIRUS on page A10
Water levels low along Kings River, but region parks open for business
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Expect another hot Labor Day holi- day weekend in Central California, and expect low water levels if you visit the region's rivers and mountain lakes.
While national forests in California are closed until mid-September (national parks are open, but heavily booked), re- gional and state parks are open for busi-
ness. That includes two popular recreation spots in Reedley along the Kings River — Cricket Hollow Park and Reedley Beach.
But water activities have dwin- dled because of the state's three-year drought and sparse water releases from Pine Flat Reservoir. The riverbed has a small flow of water once it passes the area east of Sanger, and is down to a mere trickle in Reedley before running dry just south of Kingsburg.
Still, Reedley Community Services staff said on Aug. 31 that the two parks by the river will be open through Mon- day, with entry fee for the day set at $6 per person. After Monday, Sept. 6, Reed-
ley Beach will close for the season. Because of California's multiple wildfires, the state's national forests (Including Sequoia National Forest and Sierra National Forest in the Sierra Ne- vada east of the region) is closed until Friday, Sept. 17. That closure could be extended further if the current wildfire
and smoke conditions continue.
The national forests closure in Cali- fornia covers approximately 20 million acres. National parks such as Yosemite and state parks are not affected by the closure. The Caldor Fire (near Lake Tahoe) and French Fire (Kern County)
continued this week on a large scale.
The student body sections at Dinuba and Reedley high schools put on a spirited performance cheering their respective teams on during a girls vol- leyball match at DHS gym on Aug. 24. Above, Dinuba High students broke out the black balloons and dressed appropriately for their "blackout" celebration. At right, Reedley High cheerleaders urged their team on. The Emperors defeated the Pirates in four sets. For a roundup of the week's volleyball and football, action, turn to Sports on page B1.
Danny Jimenez / Photos Contributed
Dry, smoky holiday weekend on tap
MVT offices will close Sept. 6 in observance of Labor Day
The Mid Valley Times' business offices in Reed- ley and Sanger will be closed on Monday, Sept. 6, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
There will be early deadlines this week be- cause of the office clo- sure. Classified liner ads and legal notices are due by noon on Thursday, Sept. 2. Regular and classified display ads also are due by noon on Thursday, Sept. 2.
The Times' two offices will reopen for business at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Dinuba librarian headed to Disney World
Classifieds - A7
Directory - B3
Legals - B4-10 Sports - B1-2 Lifestyle - A5-6 Lights & Sirens - A3, A8 Health & Fitness - B11-12
Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Stephanie Buckridge, librarian III for the Tulare County Library's Di- nuba branch, stood at part of the library's children's book selection on Aug. 26. Buckridge has been selected as one of Disney's 50 Magic Makers to commemorate Disney World's 50th anniversary.
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Stephanie Buckridge, Li- brarian III for the Tulare County Library's Dinuba branch, recently received an unexpected and happy bit of news — she's going to Disney World.
Buckridge learned in early August that she was selected as one of Disney's 50 Magic Makers, a contest held in con- junction with Disney World's 50th anniversary to honor those who have "gone above
and beyond to create magic" through their work. With the honor, she receives a trip for four to the Florida theme park plus a free one-year sub- scription to the Disney Plus streaming service.
"I was very surprised," she said. "It's very exciting, I've never been there."
When the contest first came up, Buckridge nominat- ed her son's fiancee, Bianca DeGiorgio, who happens to be a public health nurse for the
See LIBRARIAN on page A10
Stephanie Buckridge awarded
a trip after being named one
of Disney's 50 Magic Makers