Page 7 - Mid Valley Times 5-26-22 E-Edition

Thursday, May 26, 2022
The View From Here
AsI
write out my
thoughts for
this week, I
find myself
on a plane en
route to Las
Vegas, Ne-
vada. I fig-
ured I’d take
the time I have right now to go back and talk about the news stories that impacted the city of Reedley as well as the county of Fresno during this last week.
Before I arrived at my television job on Wednesday afternoon, I was given my as- signment.
“You’ll be covering the Central Vally Honor Flight,” I was told by our assignment editor.
I was familiar with the honor flight but never had the chance to actually cover the event before. I’m almost embarrassed to say, I wasn’t even sure of what it was.
My camera girl and I ar- rived at the Fresno Yosem- ite International Airport and bought ourselves some Star- bucks while we waited. We were scheduled to do multiple live hits and when we first ar- rived not many people were inside the terminal. I had the chance to talk to a couple of women who were there to show their support for the lo- cal vets who had gone on the honor flight.
I soon learned that the honor flight began in 2013. And nearly 1,400 veterans had been taken to the memo- rial walls in Washington D.C.
I learned so much about the Central Valley Honor Flight. What a great event for our local veterans.
On May 22, Officers in Reedley responded to reports of a burglary suspect who was evading police in Dinuba. According to police chief Joe Garza, the suspect tried to take several vehicles and be- gan shooting at officers. He was ultimately shot and killed (See page A1 for story).
SEE COLUMN on page A8
Mid Valley Times
A ribbon cutting ceremony for a new solar farm at the Pom Wonderful plant in Del Rey was held on the afternoon of May 19.
“We’re proud to gather here today as Pom Wonderful futhers its commitment to a sustainable future for the tran- sition to 100 percent recycled plastic and the completion of our solar farm,” said Derrick Miller, Pom Wonderful presi- dent.
“As an agriculture compa- ny at heart, we know that sus- tainability is critical to our fu- ture, that’s why we can serve natural resources to work hard to minimize our company’s im- pact on the environment.”
Miller said the solar farm was an investment that’s been in the works for years, and they are glad it finally became a reality.
“It’s nearly forty acres and there’s about 20,500 panels here,” Miller said. “A pretty sizable investment.”
“We’re expecting it will generate about 8.3 mega- watts,” he continued. “That’s the system size, and the output should be about 17.3 million kilowatt hours per year.”
Miller said the company is continuing to find ways to be a sustainable operation and to help the environment.
Juanita Adame
'Solar Farm' comes to Del Rey's Pom Wonderful By Juanita Adame
Summer concert series to be held in Dinuba
Staff Report
The Sierra Chapter Model A Ford Club of America will be hosting a “New Members meet and greet picnic” at Greenwood Park in Sanger on the morning of Saturday, June 11.
“The picnic is dedicated to recognize and honor the new members that joined our car club this year,” said Stan Mark, treasurer for the club.
For more information on the event, call (559) 875-5698, or email psmerk@verizon. net.
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
Derrick Miller, the president of Pom Wonderful spoke to a group of local dignitaries and employees during a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new solar farm on the afternoon of May 19.
“There are so many differ- ent components to sustainabil- ity that we can focus on,” he said. “Makes us feel good to know that ultimately we will be offsetting over 90 percent of our energy needs from this investment.”
The solar farm officially will begin operations in June.
Pom Wonderful has plants throughout the country and they are the largest producer of fresh pomegranates and pomegranate juice in the coun- try.
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
A group of representatives from local organizations and political of- fices posed for a photo shortly before the ribbon cutting.
Model A Ford club hosting picnic in Sanger
Contributed
The city of Dinuba will be hosting a series of Summer Concerts in the park starting on June 17 and continuing ev- ery Friday night until July 29.
The first concert will fea- ture “Three Fabulous En- chantments.” The group fea- tures a mix of oldies, cumbers and new modern day hits.
On June 24, Fire on the Mountain will be playing a mix of classic rock songs, country and pop.
Starting in July, Grupo Revoluzion will play songs from the tejano and norteno genre on July 8.
The Solis Project will be playing for the July 15 con- cert and they will have Latin Jazz and Rock music. On July 22, That Little Band will be playing a variety of cover music, different genres, and eclectic styles.
The final performance will take place on July 29 with Classic All Starts. They feature music from the r&b, cambia, Latin, and Motown genres. There will also be vendors. raffles, games and an entertainment plaza.
For more information on the Summer Concert in the Park series, visit dinuba.org, or contact (559) 591-5940.
Photo of the Week
G.A.T.E students create theme park model
Contributed
For several weeks, G.A.T.E. students at A.L. Con- noer School in Orange Cove have researched technol- ogy and utilized engineering skills to create a futuristic theme park.
The parks include a big attraction, eating venues and hover vehicles.
The students recently pre- sented their theme park, "In- to the Future" and displayed their 3D models during the school's G.A.T.E. Expo.
Contributed
Kings Canyon Unified School District / Photo Contributed
Students in the A.L. Conner G.A.T.E program in Orange Cove posed for a photo with their 3D model theme park.
This photo Kensley "Kiki" Lowery, 2, in downtown Reedley sport- ing her Disney outfit was sent in by Sarah Garza. Kensley is the granddaughter of Reedley Police Officer, Todd Lowery. Have a photo you'd like featured? Email juanita@midvalleypublishing. com.