Every fall, thousands of sandhill cranes, along with other migratory birds, return to the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge to spend the winter. The refuge, located in the southern part of Tulare County and maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), provides a warm safe-haven, wetland habitat for the birds through the winter months. […]
Ebola is a rare and deadly disease first reported in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its symptoms, which include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising, may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to the virus. The disease is often fatal, […]
Through the week of November 3, the Tulare County Office of Emergency Services (OES) reported the failure of 784 private wells, most located in and around east Porterville. The Tulare County Board of Supervisors heard a presentation by OES Manager Andrew Lockman during their regular meeting on October 21. The presentation was focused on steps […]
Three recently launched state programs offer new opportunities for the College of the Sequoias – a financial literacy program, a program for those displaced by the drought, and most intriguing, the possibility of a four-year degree program. In late September, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that initially allows 15 California community colleges to award bachelor’s […]
After four years of hard work, the Visalia City Council adopted their General Plan. After a three-and-a-half hour final meeting on October 14, the vote was 5-0 to adopt the Climate Action Plan, the General Plan Update and the associated Environmental Impact Report. “This truly is the community’s plan–the community was engaged throughout the process, […]
Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company (Panasonic) and Coronal Group LLC (Coronal) announced the completion last month of their ninth solar project in Tulare and Kings Counties. The projects provide 16.2 megawatts (MW) of energy to Southern California Edison’s grid to power approximately 14,500 homes annually. The solar projects include two in Tulare, three in Farmersville, two […]
On October 28, the Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) Board of Trustees voted 4-1 to move to even-year elections, a change which will bring VUSD into alignment with 39 of the 45 school districts in Tulare County. The dissenting vote was cast by Trustee Charles Ulmschneider. The move had been discussed publicly and by the […]
Community Services Employment Training (CSET) is offering free residential water bill assistance to low-income households with their residential water utility bill to prevent disruption in vital water services and to promote water conservation. The residential water bill assistance is made possible by a grant from the State of California’s Drought Water Assistance Program (DWAP). CSET […]
The City of Visalia announced yesterday that its general plan update was adopted: At a special meeting on Oct. 14, the Visalia City Council approved the adoption of the Climate Action Plan, the General Plan Update and the associated Environmental Impact Report. “This truly is the community’s plan – the community was engaged throughout the […]
The Porterville City Council found itself embroiled in another proclamation-related controversy when LGBT rights advocates protested in front of City Hall during its Oct. 7 meeting. Coming Out Proclamation Shot Down The protest was aimed at the council’s new proclamation rules and the failure of a recently-submitted request for a Coming Out Day proclamation to […]