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Dinuba Sentinel Serving the communities of Dinuba, Cutler-Orosi and Monson-Sultana
Orosi Scholarships
More than 150 scholarships awarded to Orosi grads
Community, Page A6
Pitching performance
Competition heats up with city baseball playoffs impending Sports, Page B1
Established 1909, Dinuba, California
Thursday, June 14, 2018
50 Cents
Bob Raison
honored
by city
commission
By Rick Curiel Sports@thedinubasentinel.com
Former editor and owner of the Dinuba Sentinel Bob Raison was honored Monday morning in a special meeting held by the Historic Preservation Commission at Dinuba City Hall.
Since retiring from the Dinuba Sentinel in 2010, a year after the Sentinel celebrated its 100th year in print, Raison has served as a commissioner and was credited for being a wealth of information in regards to the history of Dinuba.
In recognizing Raison, Commission Chair Jesus Pelayo said, “Through his work at the Dinuba Sentinel Bob was able to capture the special events and moments of Dinuba over the years. Through his service as part of Dinuba’s Historical Preservation Commission from 2011 to 2018, Bob Raison has been an unyielding advocate in support of the remembrance of those events and the preservation by way of tangible forms. Through his life, here as a resident of Dinuba, Mr. Bob Raison has been a great friend and a great mentor.”
Pelayo added, “Bob Raison has a knowledge of the community that few others have and the Historic Preservation Commission had benefited from it greatly from his contributions.”
After receiving a special certificate of appreciation from city of Dinuba Mayor Scott Harness, Raison heard from a number of citizens and fellow commissioners about how his service was appreciated.
Harness himself credited Raison for being open to teaching him about Dinuba when he was still young.
“I was 23-years old,” said Harness. “I decided I wanted to get involved with my community. And the Sentinel was the place to go find out what I needed to know. I also want to thank you on all the education you gave me on my own family, telling me about my great- grandparents and some of the things that they did that I hadn’t heard. So I truly appreciate all your knowledge of this great community that I love.”
Another Dinuba resident who shared their appreciation of Mr. Raison was Myles Chute, former Dinuba Fire Chief and current president of the Alta District Historical Society.
Said Chute of his experience with Raison, “Back in the 70’s, when I first got here, I was over at the fire department and I was trying to find out
See Raison, Page A3
Valero
"Dream big, work hard, give back"
preparing for
supervisor
role
By Jackson Moore News@thedinubasentinel.com
June 5 was an exciting evening for Eddie Valero and his supporters.
Valero was joined by friends and relatives, fittingly at his family’s Dinuba restaurant Me and
Martha’s. As the
results came in that
night, it became clear
that Valero had a lead
in the three-candidate
primary race for
Tulare County District
4 Supervisor. That
lead ultimately turned
into a majority result of more than 56 percent, which would elect him to the position and avoid a runoff in November.
“We were very overjoyed, elated, and blessed with a great turnout,” Valero said. “I worked very, very hard. I knocked on doors all over the district and did what I needed to, to get the job done. Also, it was the tremendous support of people who believed in my campaign - my voice and vision for the Valley. I’m ready and hungry to get the job going.”
Since election night, about 2,000 more votes were added to the previously counted 3,779 votes, but the outcome remained nearly identical. Valero’s lead dropped only slightly from 56 percent to 55.1 percent. Dinuba Vice Mayor Kuldip Thusu has 33.8 percent and community advocate Romelia Castillo has 10.6 percent in the updated figures. The final, official results are certified by July 5.
As to what he felt made him stand out, Valero said, “I think it’s being able to see the work I’ve already done, working together as a team on the school board with proven results. The leadership, tenacity and working hard together to find win-win solutions. I think that’s been proven in Cutler-Orosi.”
In the ensuing months, Valero will be preparing for his term, which will begin in January of 2019. The Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District will also be taking applications and conducting interviews for a replacement to serve out the remainder of Valero’s two years on the board.
Until then, Valero said, “My goal is that I’m going to absorb as much as I can and listen to people from various communities again. I will make sure that I absorb and am able to have these discussions across the board so I can be ready on day one in order to work on the issues of the district, but to also bring those issues to the table so I can really help the other supervisors understand my district as a whole.”
Eddie Valero
Orosi High hosts graduation without stadium
By Rick Curiel than 200 students from graduating community. You honored your families
Sports@thedinubasentinel.com
It’s a new ground for the 2018 Orosi High School graduates, a new journey and a new frontier. Last Thursday, their four-year journey as high school students came to a culmination, fittingly, on new ground.
Because the Cardinals’ brand new stadium is currently under construction, with light posts just installed last week, the traditional venue for Orosi’s annual graduation ceremony was not available for this year’s graduates.
However, that did not stop more
on school grounds, as the ceremony was held on an adjacent field on the northeast corner of the Orosi High School campus.
In her address to the roughly 245 graduates, a school record for Orosi High School, superintendent Yolanda Valdez congratulated the class for not only graduating but for choosing to graduate on their home campus.
“You all said, ‘No, we don’t want to graduate anywhere else, but our home town and in Orosi High School.’ Congratulations!” Valdez reminded them. “This decision showed maturity and pride for who you are and for your
here tonight.”
Just behind Valdez, the new light
posts to the new stadium could be seen standing proudly and shining in the distance. She told them that, though they did not have the opportunity to walk the stage on the same field as their predecessors, their class will be commemorated with a plaque on the new stadium.
To accommodate for the graduation, the district rented more than 3,000 chairs and set up a stage on the west side of the junior varsity field, with
See OHS, Page A7
Photos by Rick Curiel | The Sentinel ABOVE: Orosi High graduates take in the sights and look for family
as they take their seats. LEFT: Friends and family lined up to see the Orosi High graduates walk along an athletic field on the OHS campus. Because the school's stadium is being torn down and replaced, the district rented more than 3,000 chairs to meet the class of 2018's wish to graduate on campus.
Ed Dena displays his gifts in recognition of his years of organizing the Dinuba Car Show and Cruise Night.
Jackson Moore | The Sentinel
By Jackson Moore News@thedinubasentinel.com
Dinuba’s Car Show is going on 26 year strong, and it’s only natural that “the dealer in Dinuba that does” would be an integral part of it. But after about 15 years, Ed Dena will take a back seat in the annual event.
As he prepared to read the winner of “Best of Show” he was presented with a recliner chair and gifts from Dinuba Chamber of Commerce CEO Sandy Sills, signaling Dena’s “retirement” from the Car Show.
Dena, alongside with Charlie Simpson, have helped chair the event in recent years. Dena first got involved shortly after buying Ed Dena’s Auto Center in 2003. The new-car dealer said he actually likes older cars better, which inspired him to be a part of the Car Show. The Friday Night Cruise Night would soon be introduced with Dena’s help.
“The idea actually came from the Morro Bay Car Show,” Dena explained. “I was asked by a friend years ago to be the car sponsor for the Morro Bay Car Show. I thought it was a perfect fit because most of the people that go to Morro Bay are from here (the Central Valley). That’s a weekend-long event and I thought, ‘Why don’t we do that in Dinuba?’ We’re not
a vacation destination like Morro Bay, but the whole goal of cruise night was to get people to come to Dinuba. Get people to travel here, spend the night, eat at the restaurants. We pitched it to the city manager and he was all in - so we did it.
“We’ve had some amazing bands come through this town that are nationally recognized. We try to pick acts that don’t ever come to this town.”
This year’s entertainment was “Lakeside,” a funk band known for their 1980 chart-topping hit “Fantastic Voyage.”
“I was worried because it was bigger than we thought it would be,” Dena said. “We had no more room to park cars, the park was full. But everybody had a good time.”
While this year may have marked Dena’s last in organizing the Car Show, it was his first year actually entering a vehicle into the competition. Dena annually brings about a dozen cars, but they are only on display since he is a sponsor. This year, Dena presented a vehicle that is almost one-of-a-kind - only five were made.
“It’s a special interest vehicle, so I thought I’d just enter it so it gets a little more recognition,” Dena said.
The vehicle is a Coca-Cola themed 1977 GMC GadAbout
See Car Show, Page A8
Ed Dena recognized before taking back seat in Car Show
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