Page 1 - Mid Valley Times 7-21-22 E-Edition

Thursday, July 21, 2022
Vol. 4, No. 3
Rash of
EBT fraud
cases are
reported
in Dinuba
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
A number of Dinuba resi- dents experienced the misfor- tune of being burned by scam- mers when making banking transactions on the heels of the Independence Day holi- day.
On July 5, there were six reports of electronic fraud coming from the Bank of America branch at 240 E. Tu- lare St. in downtown Dinuba. Sgt. Reynaldo Vela with the Dinuba Police Department said scammers apparently inserted a skimming device into the walkup ATM and one that's closest to the building.
"Some were from B of A. where the transactions trans- pired, and then a few of the others were on an app called 'Providers,'" he said. As of Ju- ly 15, a total of nine victims
See FRAUD on page A2
A busy fire week
50 cents
Sanger
still waits
on wells
update
City has another council meeting set for July 21
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Sanger residents continued the long wait this week for the installation of a new pump on the city's water well on the west side.
The good news? The city finally has received the new pump early this week and now is making plans for installa- tion.
City Manager Tim Chapa said in a July 19 email to The Times:
"Well 2A is down from a rehabilitation project and is awaiting the installation of a new pump. After a significant supply-chain delay, the pump has been received this week by the City’s Contractor.
City Staff and the Contrac- tor are coordinating pump installation, hopefully by the end of the week. Once installed, staff can provide further update on the neces- sary steps to bringing the well back on line."
The arrival of the new pump is the latest step in try- ing to get Well 2A back in ser- vice. The well, located at the edge of Greenwood Park off Greenwood Avenue in west Sanger, has been down for weeks after failing back in the spring. A long rehabilita- tion project finally was com- pleted earlier this month, but the new work necessitated the installation of a new pump to
See WELL on page A18
It was a busy week for firefighters in the Fresno County region last week, as structure and grass fires on various days along with multiple mountain fires kept crews hard at work.
ABOVE: An overnight fire on July 13 destroyed one home and damaged a second home in the 1400 block of 9th Street in Reedley. The fire started some- time before 2 a.m., the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
RIGHT: Firefighters worked to extinguish flames during a vegetation fire near American and Button- willow avenues north of Reedley on July 15. While land was burned, no structures were damaged from the wind-driven blaze. Cal Fire also assisted Orange Cove Fire with a residential structure fire on July 18.
Cal Fire / Photo Contributed
Catalytic converter thefts steady in region
Dinuba has highest incidence number
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
It is a crime that’s been reported throughout every type of neighborhood and at all hours of the day and night; theft of catalytic converters from vehi- cles that are parked on a street or even in a driveway.
“They’re not selling them to people who will use it as a catalytic converter,” said Reedley Police Sgt. Gary Kincaid.
“They’re using them to get the precious metals out of them.”
Kincaid said the car part is popular among thieves because they contain platinum, palladium, and rhodium.
“Those are very expensive metals,” he said. "They will sell them to a buyer for about $200, and that buyer will then recycle the part for its precious metals.”
According to Prince George Towing, scrap catalytic converters can be worth up to $1,500.
Two particular vehicle brands are the most popular with thieves.
“The Toyota Prius and Hondas are the most coveted ones. I really don’t
know why, maybe because they have more metals in them, we’re not sure or what the reason is, but those are the most coveted ones,” Kincaid said. “But no vehicle is out of question when it comes to stealing them.”
From May through July, the cities of Reedley, Sanger and Dinuba reported a total of 27 combined thefts of catalytic converters.
Sanger had the lowest number of thefts reported with four, while Reed- ley had 10.
According to police records, the city
See CATALYTIC on page A18
Wedding attire is Reedley Museum's latest attraction
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
A vintage chest filled with photos and the wedding gown of Hazel (Marlar) Eymann from her 1908 wedding to Ernest Eymann is one of the exhibit's attractions.
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Weddings are the rage at the Reedley Museum for the next four months.
A new exhibit — "Weddings of the 20th Century: Gowns & Portraits of Reedley Brides and Grooms" — opened last week at the museum, located at 1752 10th St. just east of the downtown water towers.
The exhibit, prepared by museum vol- unteers Dixie Akin and Vickie Trujillo including bridal flowers from Sherryn Scroggins, features donated wedding par- aphernalia from Reedley families dating back generations.
The oldest gowns on display are from the early 1900s, and there also are groom's wear, vintage photos and other memories.
The exhibit is on display through mid-November. Reedley Museum is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Wedding gowns from the early 1900s are part of the new exhibit.
Classifieds - A16 Directory - A6 Legals - A9-10, 13-16 Sports - A8
Lifestyle - A7, A17 Lights & Sirens - A3, A5
Obituaries - A2 Opinion - A4