Reflecting on 2015’s top stories brought about revelations concerning small towns, the importance of the media and why some people hate Facebook. Our top three stories of the year came out of Tulare, Woodlake and Hanford, showing the pent up demand for small towns to get better media coverage. Hanford does have its own newspaper, […]
We Need To Talk About Trump My 21-year-old son sits in front of the TV while eating his lunch and frets over Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s polling numbers. One of the last polls before the New Year had Mr. Trump at 38%. After months of hearing the same numbers, it’s easy to believe that […]
At the January 4 Visalia City Council work session council members voted 5-0 awarding an $11 million-bid to build the Visalia Emergency Communication Center (VECC). The winning bid went to Oral E. Micham Inc., a construction firm out of Woodlake. Two construction firms’ bids came in lower than Oral E. Micham’s. Both firms ended up […]
On December 18, Sherrie Kuns-Fehlman filed a complaint against her former employer, The Grace Homes. The charges are discrimination, harassment and retaliation resulting in termination. Her suit claims that The Grace Homes, “Denied a work environment free of discrimination and/or retaliation” that ended in her losing her job. The complaint revolves around the actions of […]
At the December 21 Visalia City Council work session, a 5-0 vote was tallied by the council in favor of an incentive package to convince Nordstrom to locate an E-Center in Visalia’s Industrial Park. Visalia is competing with Fresno and another location out of state, possibly in Nevada. The E-Center, or fulfillment center, would service […]
In the Kings County Superior Court, the Hanford Environmental Awareness Team (HEAT) racked up another win against the city concerning the Bajun American Properties housing development. HEAT’s attorney, Richard Harriman, and HEAT member Robin Mattos were in attendance December 15 to hear Judge La Porte rule that City of Hanford was wrong when it did […]
Hair on Fire The Visalia Times-Delta printed an op-ed on December 10 written by Tulare County Supervisor Phil Cox that set Visalia’s staff and city council’s hair on fire. Mayor Steve Nelsen said, “I take exception to his op-ed,” which was one of the more tame comments. The lingering message Mr. Cox wanted the reader […]
The City of Hanford owns its municipal water delivery system. During its December 15 meeting, the Hanford city council voted 3-2 in favor of raising Hanford’s water rates over a period of four years. Mayor Justin Mendes and Councilmembers David Ayers and Russ Curry voted in favor, while Councilmembers Gary Pannett and Francisco Ramirez voted […]
After hearing from the US Department of Fish and Wildlife, Tulare County Animal Control (TCAC) and the Visalia Feral Cat Coalition, the Parks Advisory Committee (PAC) decided to support the Trap Neuter and Release (TNR) Program. The committee, which advises on all 10 Tulare County Parks, met December 8 at the Government Plaza building. Because […]
After a six-year process, the Visalia Walmart on Noble Avenue is only one step away from becoming a newsupercenter. The Visalia City Council voted December 6 to approve the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and the Conditional Use Permit(CUP)for the Walmart expansion.According to Andrew Chamberlain, Visalia city planner, this is the longest permitting process he […]