The Tulare County Board of Supervisors took the extraordinary move on July 1 to take over the Tulare Public Cemetery District, naming themselves as district trustees and terminating the existing cemetery trustees. Supervisor Pete Vander Poel said the board “had a gun to their head” to seat themselves because the cemetery district would lose its […]
According to the New York Times, the final vote for Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, 218 to 214, was mostly along party lines and came after Speaker Mike Johnson spent a frenzied day and night toiling to quell resistance in his own ranks that threatened until the very end to derail the president’s signature measure. With […]
The Tulare Public Cemetery District’s governance may soon be taken over by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors. The supervisors will vote at their regular meeting Tuesday, June 10 on a resolution to appoint themselves as Tulare Public Cemetery District trustees. Jennifer Fawkes, Public Information Officer for the TCBOS said, “On Tuesday, the Board of […]
Five days after a widely-viewed and contentious Tulare Public Cemetery District meeting on Thursday May 22, three district board trustees handed in their resignation. On Tuesday May 27, Vice Chairperson Charlie Ramos, Secretary Patricia Hitlin, and Treasurer Michelle Lima submitted notices of resignation. Only trustees Xavier Avila and Steve Present remain on the board. Ramos’ […]
Tulare Public Cemetery District Board Chair Steve Presant opened the board’s May 22 meeting at 5:33pm – and adjourned it in the same sentence, leaving the meeting room with vice-chair Charlie Ramos shortly thereafter. “It’s 5:33, and the meeting is called to order – and, I’m adjourning the meeting,” Presant said. The meeting-that-wasn’t came after […]
Dr. Yorai ‘Benny’ Benzeevi could face a suspension or revocation of his medical license in a case filed by the Medical Board of California in April. The case was filed after his no contest plea to multiple felonies related to his time managing the Tulare Regional Medical Center and the Southern Inyo Hospital. An “accusation” […]
Visalia Police Captain Luma Fahoum was recently arrested and charged with embezzlement from the department – but court records show she faced financial trouble for more than two decades. Court records show collections agencies and financial institutions filing collections suits against Fahoum since 2000, but she was placed in a position to allegedly steal almost […]
The Visalia Police Department has encrypted its transmissions as of March 20 – marking the end of real-time reporting for media outlets focusing on Visalia, including the city’s popular online outlets like Visalia Stringer and Visalia Watchdog. The encryption conversion also means that regular citizens with radio scanners or listening through online platforms like Broadcastify […]
The Porterville City Council could soon consider a “Protect Women’s Safe Spaces” ordinance proposed by Porterville Mayor Greg Meister. The proposal has drawn the attention of LGBT advocates in Porterville and Tulare County who say that it’s discriminatory. At the end of the council’s February 18 meeting, the council unanimously voted in favor of Meister’s […]
A raucous demonstration that started around noon today was still going strong at 5:00pm on the corner of Mooney and Caldwell. The demonstrators were protesting border patrol raids and the detention of immigrants up and down the Central Valley. About 200 demonstrators lined Mooney Boulevard in Visalia waving Mexican flags, holding signs condemning Elon Musk, […]