Dinuba Serntinel 12-27-18 E-edition
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Established 1909, Dinuba, California Thursday, December 27, 2018 50 Cents
Culter-Orosi arts receives large gift from state
By George M. Villagrana
& program improvement.
District Superintendent Yolanda Valdez said in a
happy tone, “That was her parting gift, a million- dollar gift.”
“I’m just
really thrilled for
our community
for our
students that
wouldn’t get the
opportunities
that’s exciting, that’s exciting for them,” added Goosev, who will be retiring.
Eight years ago, the visual and performing arts suffered major cuts in the district in response to No Child Left Behind sanctions. With the focus on
raising test scores, many students were not afforded the opportunity to engage in the visual
and performing arts. Under the direction of Valdez, the district has been working diligently to create
a thriving visual and performing arts education program.
The Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant was provided by the California Department of Education and specifically prioritized awards to applications that enhanced visual and performing arts.
Goosev said the state had some federal funds available and decided to put out the competitive grant to support the broadening of course of study.
“They actually had an emphasis area if you want
See Gift, Page A7
Spike strips stop suspects in kidnapping, carjacking
Sentinel staff report
Two juveniles were arrested on Dec. 20 for allegedly kidnapping a man in Dinuba and carjacking his vehicle, says Dinuba Police.
According to the police, at approximately 12:44 a.m. Thursday morning the Dinuba Police Department was notified by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office that they responded to a residence in the county for a reported victim of a kidnapping and carjacking. Upon investigation it was determined that the crime occurred within the city limits of Dinuba.
Officers said the victim stated that he had gotten off work and got into his vehicle to leave when the two suspects got into the back seat of his vehicle. It was then, say police, that one of the suspects produced a knife and held it to the victim.
They reportedly made the victim drive towards Orosi and when they arrived at Monson-Sultana School on Avenue 416 they made the victim get out of his vehicle. The suspects then reportedly took the victim’s personal belongings and left in his vehicle.
While Dinuba Police Officers were enroute to the victim’s location, sheriffs reportedly became involved in a vehicle pursuit with the suspects in the victims vehicle. Police say the suspects led deputies on a high-speed pursuit through the county before going northbound on Road 80 towards Dinuba.
As the suspects went through the intersection of Alta and Kamm avenues, officers from the Dinuba Police Department were able to successfully deploy spike strips, flattening two of the vehicle’s tires. The vehicle became disabled and came to a stop shortly after and officers were able to initiate a felony stop.
The two suspects, a 17-year old male from Dinuba and a 15-year old from Orosi, were taken into custody without further incident. Both were booked and transported to the Tulare County Juvenile Hall.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact the Dinuba Police Department at 591-5911.
Sports@thedinubasentinel.com
Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District received some extra funding for their visual and performing arts programs that will kick in next year.
The district was notified as a recipient of a grant, totaling $1,030,038, earlier this month, meaning the district’s vision of having a premiere visual and performing arts program will soon become a reality.
The news is welcoming and exciting.
“We were really happy,” said Tanya Goosev, assistant superintendent, and head of curriculum
Giving back comes full circle
After 17 years, those who were once served are now serving
By Rick Curiel
Editor@thedinubasentinel.com
As Dr. Kuldip Thusu, now Dinuba City Mayor, was preparing to host the 17th Annual Community Christmas Party on Dec. 21 he began advising a Dinuba High School student as to the event’s setup.
To his surprise, the student already knew much of what he was explaining. She had been there before.
As a child, that student, Karen Ceballos, waited in line a number of times with hundreds of other children, all waiting for a chance to receive a gift, a free meal and possibly a new bike. To Ceballos, the event was a representation of an embracing community.
“I remember waiting in line, and all I remember was seeing Santa,” recalled Ceballos at Friday’s event. “We didn’t really have much gifts, so when they gave us a gift I felt, wow, the community does care. And it made me feel part of the family of the community.”
Ceballos found herself once again at the intersection of North Alta Avenue and Saginaw Way. This time she was the one doing the giving.
She was part of a large convoy of Dinuba High School HOSA students, all lending a hand at the event. From handing out bottles of water, to handing out free pizza, students learned the meaning of giving back. For Ceballos, she and fellow HOSA students Maria Gomez, Elilai Lara and Angelica Jacobo handed out free bags of oranges. The bags, 2500 in total, were all donated.
“Now it feels really great to give back to my community, as they did to me,” said Ceballos.
“This is why I do it,” said Thusu, unafraid to show his emotion.
And Ceballo is not the only return Thusu has seen.
Said Thusu of other helpers there, “Many of these kids have been recipients, over a period of time, and
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
Kaityln Mendoza meets Santa Claus for the first time as she sits on his lap at the 17th Annual Community Holiday Party, held at the park lot of the new Valley Health Team clinic on North Alta Avenue.
now they’re giving back.”
HOSA is an international student
organization for future health professionals. The student group is tied into Dinuba High School’s Medical Pathway Academy, of which Thusu is also the academy’s advisor.
Thusu had his first community Christmas party back in 2001, four years after relocating to Dinuba from Buffalo, New York. It started off simple, hot dogs in the parking lot of what was, until just recently, Alta Family Health Care. That first year they served about 800 people, says Thusu. The next year it went up to 1,200 and required a second trip to the store for more hot dogs.
After that it became an organized event and has continued to be a staple in the community for many years.
Though at the same location as in years past, this was the first year the event was held at the new Valley Health
See Full Circle, Page A6
Dr. Kuldip Thusu, right, now Dinuba City Mayor, shows his emotions after hearing how Karen Ceballos, left, went from receiving gifts at his community holiday party years ago to now giving them.
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
Paradise lost
Dinuba police of cer re ects on the Northern California town he once called home
Visalia and after choosing a career on first response, Wilder soon found himself as a volunteer firefighter in town of Paradise.
“It was beautiful,” said Wilder. “It was friendly, there was no crime (siting only one murder in the eleven years he lived there), there were no gangs, no graffiti and clean air.”
His job while working in Paradise was fire prevention. According to Wilder, those who lived there, and especially the firefighters who worked there, new the threat was high for disaster.
Wilder worked with a team of other volunteer firefighters to go around town educating the community on how to be fire conscience.
See Paradise, Page A5
Mark Wilder, center, stands with a group of volunteer firefighters from Paradise in what was once one of three fire stations in the town. All three fire stations closed in 2009 due to lack of city funding, leaving the town without a fire prevention division.
“That was her parting gift, a million-dollar gift.”
— COJUSD Superintendent Yolanda Valdez
Photo contributed
It was the perfect place to live, says Dinuba Police Officer Mark Wilder.
It sat just up the Sierra Nevada foothills, northeast of the Sacramento Valley. At an elevation of around 1,800 feet, the town would see snowfall a few times per year – enough to enjoy for a day or two. The weather was perfect – year round. On foggy days in the Valley the days would be clear there. The air was clean and freshened daily by the surrounding pine trees.
It was beautiful, it was quaint – it was Paradise.
For eleven years of his life, Officer Wilder called Paradise, Ca. his hometown. He had grown up in
By Rick Curiel
Editor@thedinubasentinel.com
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