Mid Valley Times 1-7-21 E-edition

Thursday, January 7, 2021
Vol. 2, No. 28
Coronavirus Update — Purple Tier Continues
Numbers
still up,
vaccines
en route
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Overall COVID-19 cases and deaths continued a steady climb in Fresno and Tulare counties heading into the first week of 2021, although num- bers seemed to be fluctuating on both counties' websites.
Meanwhile, the two CO- VID vaccines that have taken a slow journey into Central California since first being made available, are arriving in the region and starting to be prepared for patients. So far, health care workers and first responders have been re- ceiving the vaccine.
As of a Jan. 5 report, Fres- no County's positive case numbers increased to 69,871, a jump of nearly 5,000 since the Dec. 29 report. Further cementing the county's purple tier (widespread) status for an indefinite period is the latest positive case level per day per 100,000 population — up to 61.6 percent as of Jan. 4, ac- cording to the county website.
The Health Equity Met- ric for test positivity did dip slightly, to 17.9 percent. Over- all, the positivity rate is at 17 percent, well above the 8 per- cent rate that must be reached for two weeks to avoid the purple tier.
While Fresno County's data and surveillance dashboard page that regularly updates individual cities remained
See COVID on page A16
50 cents
Tragedy touches Sanger HS
Dawn Pearson, Facebook / Contributed
Allison Chang, 17, a popular student-athlete at Sanger High School, was killed along with two of her cousins in a Dec. 26 crash in Fresno.
tions of Palm and Bullard avenues in Fresno.
The driver of the second vehicle, 18-year-old Irvin Villarreal, was
See CRASHonpageA16
Allison Chang, in the middle next to teacher Dawn Pearson, was accom- plished in the Sanger High journalism and photo program.
Dawn Pearson, Facebook / Contributed
Student Allison Chang is 1 of 4 killed in Fresno crash on Dec. 26
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
A Sanger High School senior student-athlete was remembered by her family and friends as a won- derful person, a best friend with an infectious smile and a team play- er whose life ended tragically in an accident that could have been avoided.
Allison Chang, 17, was killed along with her cousins Christopher Vang, 27, and Linda Chang, 21 the day after Christmas after the truck
Allison Chang
they were riding in was slammed into by a vehicle that ran a red light at more than 100 miles per hour. The ac- cident happened at the intersec-
A welcoming sight
When Reedley High students return to campus for on-site instruction sometime this school year, a new entrance pavilion will be among the additions awaiting them. Also, a newly-extended student dropoff access road will alleviate traffic concerns along North Avenue. When the spring session begins on Monday, Jan. 11, RHS students will continue with distance learning. Kings Canyon Unified students transitional kindergarten through eighth grade will return to the classroom from winter break, along with Reedley Middle college High School ninth- and 10th- graders. Sanger Unified's spring session also begins on Monday, Jan. 11. Immanu- el Schools began the 2021 portion of the school year on Jan. 4, while Dinuba Uni- fied students were scheduled to return to a distance learning schedule on Jan. 6.
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Finalist for top Dinuba teen holds herself accountable
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
Natalie Gonzalez is one of three finalists for Dinuba Teenage Citizen of the Year. Gonzalez has been involved in leadership, clubs and sports during her time at Dinuba High School, and has volunteered 800 hours to her community.
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
Natalie Gonzalez has compiled an im- pressive list of accomplishments lead- ing up through her days at Dinuba High School, but considers one of her strongest values to be integrity and holding herself accountable.
Natalie is one of three students final- ists for the Dinuba Teenage Citizen of the Year, which will be announced at the an- nual Dinuba Chamber of Commerce ban- quet at the end of this month. More details on the virtual event will be released in the near future.
The winner will receive a $1,000 schol- arship, with the other two finalists getting $500 scholarships. This year's finalists al- so include Jada Delgadillo and Arshpreet Pannu. Their stories and bios will be print- ed in upcoming editions of The Times.
It was a year of achievements in 2020 for Gonzalez, who has won numerous aca- demic awards including AP Scholar and Principal's List. She's also a reigning "Tri- ple Crown" winner after being crowned Miss Dinuba 2020 back in September. She previously had been selected Cinco de Mayo Queen in 2019 and Cindo de Mayo Princess in 2017.
But in her biographical essay for the Teenage Citizen of the Year, Gonzalez said she still reminds herself of the morals her parents taught her.
"I always set forth my best effort even when no one was watching, and that has
See TEEN on page A15
This is the first of three profiles on the finalists for Dinuba Teenage Citizen of the Year.
Classifieds - A6 Directory - A12 Legals - A13-14 Sports - A9 Lifestyle - A7-8 Lights & Sirens - A3, A5 Health & Fitness - A10-11 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4