Hanford’s Public Works Director resigns; experienced planner oversees community development

Major leadership changes occurred recently in two of the city’s most important departments. Long-time public works director and engineer John Doyel resigned effective August 26. Workload and the lack of staffing in the department played a role in his resignation, the Visalia-Hanford-Lemoore Future has learned. Doyel is on vacation and could not be reached for […]

Lessons learned: Visalia amends municipal code to save historic district

Demolition last year of Visalia’s first apartment building, the Odell-Mor, kicked off efforts to change the city’s municipal code so Visalia won’t lose even more parts of its history. The Visalia City Council directed the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee to revise the Historic Preservation District Ordinance to protect historic structures and sites from future destruction […]

Area hospitals face massive budget woes

Hospitals in Kings and Tulare counties are bleeding money in the wake of the COVID pandemic, with the area’s major healthcare providers – Adventist Health, Kaweah Health and Sierra View Medical Center – all operating well into the red in 2023, according to publicly available budget data. The local trend is very much in line […]

Homeless in Visalia: A personal view, Part III

Author’s note: The following story is based in part on my recent experience helping a close friend attempt to navigate her way through suddenly finding herself homeless in the midst of a severe mental-health crisis. The names of key individuals described and quoted in the story have been changed to protect their privacy. The events […]

Vicki Riddle announces candidacy for Exeter City Council

Longtime Exeter resident and community organizer Vicki Riddle has announced her candidacy for Exeter City Council District D. She has received the endorsements of State Senator Shannon Grove, Assemblyman Devon Mathis, Assemblyman Vince Fong, District Attorney Tim Ward, and Supervisor Larry Micari. “I have seen Vicki’s lifelong dedication to Tulare County and developing leadership skills […]