About 11 months ago, on February 11, 2013, College of the Sequoias was notified that it was being placed on “show cause,” the highest sanction from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, for being significantly noncompliant in key areas required for full accreditation. The ACCJC never questioned the quality of education, the rigor […]
When I took over as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in 2013, I wanted to address four broad areas that I believed would help improve life in Tulare County. Those areas included: Health & Wellness, Public Safety, Investing in Youth and Building Communities. Although I cannot say that all challenges were completely addressed over […]
College of the Sequoias is implementing a TNR Program that would solve the cat problem at Mooney Grove by the end of 2014. After listening to everyone involved, the solution to managing the cat population in Mooney Grove was there all the time – the Trap, Neuter and Release Program that was suggested in the […]
The normal quiet, steady flow of small town politics in the city of Dinuba, tucked away in the rural northeastern reaches of Tulare County, has taken on an ugly face that threatens to rip the fabric of the once-tranquil community. Many in this community of approximately 24,000 residents are shocked and angry over what they […]
The San Joaquin Valley has suffered for years from over-regulation and a resulting man-made drought. With the U.S. Senate having blocked a comprehensive water solution, the lack of surface water is creating excessive demand on the aquifer, threatening even worse water problems in the future. These policies – imposed by big-government adherents and environmental extremists […]
The Valley Voice asked local elected officials, public servants and others in the community to share their resolutions for 2014. As expected, we received a wide range of responses. “My New Year’s resolution is to try to remember every day how short and precious life is and to remember that God has a purpose for […]
This is the second part of a two-part series on saving Mooney’s Grove’s cats. The first part focused on a volunteer group implementing the Trap and Release Program. This part focuses on the county’s response and how it plans to move forward. In response to the Valley Voice’s article on the Trap, Neuter and Release […]
Ralph Kaelble, candidate for Tulare County District Attorney, has accused his opponent Tim Ward of “playing politics” after his wife Afreen Kaelble was recently fired from her position as a Supervising District Attorney. Ward, the current District Attorney, is running against Ralph Kaelble in the upcoming June elections. Kaelble has earned a number of endorsements […]
With slightly less than six months to go before the voters’ ballots for the 2014 election cycle begin to trickle in, already two candidates can be counted as in the race to replace Sheriff Bill Whitman. Whitman technically still holds the title of Tulare County Sheriff–and for the time being is collecting his full salary–while […]
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors is expected to leave the Sequoia Valley Economic Development Corporation as early as next month. The county has been providing about $80,000 annually to the EDC, which has served as the marketing and business recruitment organization for communities in the county since 1983. The EDC claims a significant role […]