According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, out of the 664 bridges in Tulare County, 55 are “structurally deficient” and 75 are “functionally obsolete.” In the aftermath of the bridge collapse on Interstate 5 north of Seattle in May, and the 2007 collapse of a bridge in Minnesota that killed 13 people, how safe […]
The Blue Ribbon Task Force Committee decided Tuesday, June 18th, not to recommend an increase in Visalia’s sales tax. The committee was appointed by the Visalia City Council to investigate the possibility of putting a sales tax measure on the November ballot. After seven weeks of presentations and in-depth discussions, they concluded that not only […]
Porterville’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community gathered Wednesday, June 26 to celebrate the day’s 5-4 Supreme Court rulings invalidating California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, fully aware that their battle wasn’t over – neither nationally nor locally. The court’s ruling on Proposition 8 came after a series of lawsuits beginning […]
“After consulting with my family and after much soul searching, I have now decided to run for a second term. Four years ago when I first ran, the local economy was in the dumps and Mooney Blvd. was half vacant. In 2013, the local economy is rebounding and Mooney Blvd. is roaring back. We have […]
The Porterville City Council voted — after a standing-room-only hour-long public comment session — to add agenda items to their next city council meeting that would allow a repeal of the city’s controversial LGBT Pride Month proclamation. A motion put forth by Vice-Mayor Pete McCracken, seconded by Mayor Virginia Gurrola, to not review the proclamation […]
The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), discussed at some length during Rep. Devin Nunes’ interview, is not your garden-variety disagreement between Republicans and Democrats. In fact, the issue does not cut through party lines, nor is it completely regional. For very different reasons, Rep. Nunes’ opposition to the BDCP has found him in league with […]
The Visalia Fox Theatre will soon greet downtown visitors with an animated electronic sign on its marquee – if the theater’s staff and key supporters have their way. The proposed sign would increase Fox ticket sales by advertising upcoming events. The use of LED lighting would dramatically lower the theater’s energy costs from its current […]
Tulare County Supervisors got an earful during their meeting on May 21. More than a dozen food vendors and community event planners expressed their frustration with the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), complaining about a new fee schedule put into effect January 1st. HHSA enacted a new schedule of fees for food vendors and […]
Construction has started on the Sequoia Medical Center, a 52,000-square-foot, two-story medical office building at the southeast corner of Cypress Avenue and Akers Street in Visalia. Completion is expected by July 1, 2014. The building will be home to a variety of specialty medical groups, including Orthopaedic Associates Medical Clinic, Inc., and South Valley Vascular […]
Because of increased sales tax revenue, the city will not only balance its budget for the first time in five years, but will have a surplus of $1.83 million. Sales tax revenues are ahead of projections by $2,315,500. The department of administrative services is forecasting a total of $24.1 million in tax revenues in the […]