By Steve Pastis
Visalia - College of the Sequoias, with its main campus in Visalia and future campuses in Hanford and Tulare, may someday open a branch campus in Shanghai.
“The research that I did on the possibility of it shows it's possible,” said Dr. Bill Scroggins, president of COS, who cautiously added, “but that doesn't mean it's going to happen.”
There are currently 1,400 branch campuses of U.S. and European colleges in Asia and South America. If COS ever opens a branch campus in China, the primary goal would be to attract students from all over the Western U.S. to attend nursing school in China.
“It potentially is a moneymaking venture because currently, the Shanghai Institute of Health Care charges $87 per unit for international students to attend the nursing school,” said Scroggins. “We turn away at least 100 nursing students every semester because there are not enough clinical placements in hospitals to do the on-the-job training. That is not a problem in China. There are seven English-speaking hospitals in Shanghai.”
If COS opens a branch campus in China, Scroggins made it clear that “it would meet the same accreditation standards as the main campus.”
Scroggins was part of a delegation of 12 community college presidents and vice presidents who visited China in October on the second trip sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). He said that those who participated in the first trip (in October 2007) spoke highly of the experience.
“They developed relations with institutions that produced benefits,” Scroggins said, adding that the benefits include exchange programs of students and faculty. The Chinese community colleges have already struck agreements to send their students to U.S. community colleges.
This year's U.S. community college delegation visited four Chinese community colleges. “Two were pretty aggressive,” he said. “They told us, 'Send me a proposal and we'll sign an agreement.'”
Shi Zhongjian, the president
of Qingdao Technical College, brought his full staff to
meet the U.S. delegation. “He wants to send teachers
here to learn how we teach vocational subjects,” he
said. “Our style of teaching is very interesting to
them.”
The Qingdao Technical College president wants to pay to
send his vocational faculty here for two to six weeks to
learn how to do things and improve the quality of his education,
according to Scroggins.
“If we were ready, he would have done the deal right on the spot,” he added. “They are obviously very motivated to work with us.”
In the meantime, COS
is benefiting in other ways from participating in the AARP's
initiative “to build bridges between U.S. and Chinese
vocational-technical colleges.”
“We're exploring possibilities and learning from other
community colleges that are much more advanced in their
programs,” said Scroggins, who said that COS still
needs to “put things in place” before it signs
agreements with Chinese colleges.
Scroggins described COS' current international program as “accidental.” He said that there are no dedicated programs for the 17 students currently at COS who entered the U.S. on student visas. Most of them come from Latin America and Asia and stay with relatives or close friends in the area.
A Chinese delegation is planning to visit several community colleges in the U.S. in April. COS plans to submit an application by the Dec. 19 deadline to become one of the host colleges. COS' application will be given priority status because of its participation in an AACC China trip.
In addition to developing relations with China, COS is exploring similar programs with Latin America and the Middle East.
“This isn't just a China-only initiative,” said Scroggins. “We're considering other parts of the world that have an interest in the U.S.”
Scroggins explained the benefits of working with China and other countries to develop an international students program. The 100-to-200 international students who would potentially enroll at COS would be “a great resource to our college,” helping local students develop a better understanding of other cultures, he said. They would also “add to the authenticity” of the ethnic and cultural celebrations held monthly on the COS campus.
“California is inextricably economically tied to other countries,” said Scroggins. “If the businesses in California are to thrive, they have to do so by understanding other countries and have a global perspective.”
He also said that working with China would have an economic benefit to COS because out-of-state students pay $220 per unit, compared to the $20 per unit that California students pay. “That's enough money to pay for staff and invest in the vision of a broader curriculum.” Another benefit to the college is that out-of-state enrollment at COS is “not limited by the growth caps the state imposes,” he added.
“The exchange of faculty and administrators would have an opportunity to invigorate the processes we use on campus,” Scroggins said. “By looking at how China, for example, teaches manufacturing, we can learn something. Maybe it's not better than what we do, but it can be invigorating for our administration and faculty. It can give you a new perspective on your work, and it can be done without an investment of tax dollars.
“One of the challenges that each of the (Chinese) college presidents described was the need to stay current with the skill set that we provide students,” he added. “They know the U.S. has many more years working with 'the capitalistic system,' but it is new to China. Over the last 10 to 15 years, they have emerged from a government mentality into a more 'serving business' mentality and they are still struggling with the transition.
“The Shanghai
Institute of Health Sciences has a strong international
component to their training,” said Scroggins. “They
attract students and faculty from across the globe –
by using the American model.”
Tough Times in the Fruit Patch
Tulare and Fresno counties - Tulare and Fresno counties may be the best places in the world to grow lip-smacking stone fruit – nectarines, peaches and plums and all the variants in between, but this winter it's ground zero for farmers yanking their orchards out, selling off land or simply calling it quits.
“What's different about this year is that longtime tree fruit farmers who have been doing this for generations, are now getting out of the business,” says Gary Kunkel, Tulare County Ag Commissioner. “Some of these guys had paid off their property years ago but now have had to borrow money to keep afloat,” at a time when the banks are already nervous about lending, says Kunkel.
“Orchard pullouts are definitely up this winter,” says Dale Janzen, director of industry relations for the industry-supported California Tree Fruit Agreement (CTFA). In past years, orchards were pulled for a variety of maintenance issues. But this year it's for “economic factors.” Others looking for loans may decide to pull more trees later this winter if they can't borrow money, suggests Janzen.
Paramount on the Prowl
The Dinuba/Reedley area is the heart of the tree fruit patch and it's here we find news and a slew of rumors of consolidation and sell-offs. Case in point is news from the Sultana-based George Brothers, first reported in the Valley Voice, that the well-known family farmer would sell 1,000 acres of tree fruit land to one of the state's larger players – Paramount Citrus.
The company will use the land to plant citrus clementines, the company confirmed. “We are a citrus company and will stay one,” says David Krause, president of Paramount. “Our Cuties product is what the market is demanding.”
Paramount is already negotiating for more tree fruit land and packing facilities in the area, according to reliable sources, including a possible deal with the 5,000-acre Ito Packing – a longtime, family-based operation in Reedley. “We are currently looking for other opportunities in the area,” said Krause, refusing any comment regarding a potential Ito Packing deal. Craig Ito did not return calls.
Other citrus farmers like Sun Pacific are also said to be looking for property in the Dinuba area – land considered to be good for both tree fruit and citrus growing.
Tree fruit farms and packing facilities for sale by ag brokers are more numerous this year, says Mike Schuil of Schuil and Associates, which has Reedley Farms' 500 acres and multiple packing and cold storage facilities owned by the company for sale. Reedley Farms has been in business for 30 years. “I know of five major packing facilities with tree fruit acreage for sale right now. That's unusual,” says Schuil.
Consolidation in the tree fruit industry is a fact of life with CTFA saying that in 1999 there were 278 packers in California, mostly in the Valley, compared to 144 in 2008.
Exeter stone fruit farmer Kerry Whitson says in his own family's case, they have reduced their tree fruit holdings by about 300 acres in the past year. “We're the fourth generation to be farming here and we wonder if there will be a fifth.”
Like the Dinuba area, stone fruit packing houses in the Exeter area over the past few years have closed, including Nash de Camp – a tree fruit firm based in Visalia that folded, and Mayflower that is now a citrus packing house.
Regarding the changes in the tree fruit business, Whitson says he knows that “there will be four or five packing houses that won't open for the new season.” He says large farm operators are simply “gobbling up” the small tree fruit farmers. “We've had enough years of low consumption, lack of support from retailers to market the fruit at a fair price and rising costs to stay in business. The industry spends 40 to 50 cents on the dollar on labor costs, he estimates.
Just how many trees local
growers end up pulling over the winter months won't be clear
until spring when CTFA has its annual grower survey. But last
year pullouts were up for nectarines and plums compared to
the five-year average (see chart).
By Steve Pastis
Tulare County - Tulare County has launched eMap, an interactive web site where visitors can click on a map and view 360-degree panoramas of various places in the county. Visitors can also get information about local travel destinations – from cities to national parks to museums – and learn what the county has to offer.
Eric Coyne, Tulare County tourism manager, announced the eMap in a presentation at the Tuesday meeting of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors. The eMap was officially launched Tuesday.
Board Chair Phil Cox praised the eMap as “thinking out of the box.” Supervisor Mike Ennis commended everyone in involved in the project and said that he would like to see the eMap included in the county exhibit at the California State Fair.
“The idea was that you go to the interactive map whether you're in Denmark or across the county,” said Coyne. “You click and get an idea of what Tulare County is.” He said that someone on the county staff found a web site with an eMap promoting Fairfax, Virginia, and local interest soon grew in creating something similar.
“The board said, 'Do something meaningful with tourism. Don't reinvent the wheel. Do something collaborative,'” said Coyne. The county worked with volunteers, federal and state agencies, and private and non-profit organizations on the project. It also partnered with a vendor to create high-resolution 360-degree panoramas.
“There is so much interactive marketing,” said Coyne. “How do you get people's attention?” He said that people respond to motion so the eMap was created “with as many interactive spots as possible and with as many panoramas as possible.”
Coyne estimated that total costs to create the eMap will be between $35,000 and $40,000, and that some of the cost will be recovered through partnerships. He described the eMap project as “collaboratively driven,” adding that he may eventually “propose another layer of the map” with categories that are yet to be determined.
“If cities, parks and whoever else want to enhance it beyond the county's initial startup, they can contribute to augment it at a later time,” he said. “Our goal was to get it launched and have the template as complete as possible on day one.”
The initial goals of the eMap were to increase tourism and recreational visits, to increase tourism revenue, to work collaboratively with local partners, to develop a tourism program identity and to create a positive awareness of Tulare County. As more people became aware of the eMap, the goals expanded.
“We quickly decided this could be used for more than tourism marketing,” said Coyne, who suggested that local businesses could use it for recruitment. “Why couldn't Kaweah Delta use it to attract doctors and nurses to the area?”
He said that the eMap could also prove valuable for local non-profit organizations. “While that wasn't the primary intention, it enhances the potential to get grants and enhances the potential to get recognition,” he said. “It enables organizations to further their own agendas.”
Coyne said that the site could be an important marketing tool for economic development, a way to attract large corporations to build large stores and industrial and distribution centers in the county. He also suggested that museums and parks “could take it to another level and make it a teaching aid.”
The Tulare County eMap
is at www.tularecountyemap.com/map.html. Additional interactive
hotspots, such as the Wuksachi Lodge and Springville hotspots,
and a few more pictures and videos will be added by mid-January.
By Julie Fernandez
Tulare - Crews from three city and county fire agencies helped fight a stubborn blaze at Land O'Lakes in Tulare Tuesday morning.
The cause of the fire and extent of damage had not been determined prior to the Valley Voice's press deadline. No one was injured. This was the second major fire at a Tulare County dairy plant in two months. An explosion and fire at California Dairies' plant in Visalia in October damaged one of that plant's towers. No one was injured in that fire.
The Tulare fire was a
particularly stinky one, with one resident reporting the air
smelled like tar. “It almost made your eyes burn,”
said Linda Crase, who said the odor was strong when she went
to the downtown post office at about 8:30 a.m. and was still
detectable when she returned to her office at Tulare District
Hospital.
A 9-1-1 call at 8:12 a.m. alerted the Tulare City Fire Department
to a blaze in a 90,000-square-foot storage building at the
downtown plant. The structure is about 20 feet in height.
Firefighters leaving the South Blackstone Street station could see black smoke as they left for the fire and the decision to ask Visalia City and Tulare County Fire Departments for help was made shortly after they arrived, Fire Chief Mike Threlkeld said.
Land O'Lakes has a “great system” for tracking employees and was able to account for everybody immediately, Threlkeld said. Company spokeswoman Lydia Botham reported fewer than 30 people work in what is called “Plant 2,” where finished goods, including butter and cheese, and packaging supplies are kept.
The fire did not affect operations at the other three plants, which also are downtown, Botham said.
Firefighters initially fought the fire from the roof of the 20-foot tall structure, but an hour into the fire they had not made progress, Threlkeld said. “We started pulling people off the roof, because it was starting to get spongy.”
A Visalia fire truck crew cut ventilation holes and firefighters attacked the fire from the interior. Thermal imaging equipment helped them find the “seat” of the fire and contain it, Threlkeld said.
“The building had a sprinkler system, but the fire started above that system,” he said, stressing the sprinklers did help keep the blaze in check.
About 50 fire personnel
from the three agencies worked either directly on the fire
or helped cover the Blackstone Street and E Street stations,
Threlkeld said.
The Land O' Lakes creamery in Tulare is the largest in the
world, processing more than 12 million pounds of milk a day.
By Miles Shuper
The coalition of eight San Joaquin Valley counties has accomplished quite a bit in its short tenure but its leaders say financial uncertainty weights heavily on its future plans and projects.
When the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley met in Stockton last week for its annual summit, leadership discussed its accomplishments but kept a weary eye on the organization's future after next June.
A previous executive order from Gov. Schwarzenegger provided $5 million, half of which is used to award grants to worthy projects set up by the partnership comprised of public and private individuals who seek to put Valley counties at least on par with other areas of the state. The partnership has 10 work groups formed by Valley power brokers, including politicians, business and community leaders to focus on a wide variety of issues and concerns.
Newly elected Assemblymember
Connie Conway of Tulare, who stepped down from the Partnership
chairmanship after her Assembly election, expressed optimism
that another governor's executive order to fund the organization
will come after funding runs out this summer, but admits state
funds surely will be scarce.
Visalian Mike Chrisman, California's Secretary for Resources,
has taken over the partnership's chairmanship, Conway said,
adding that she will continue to serve on the organization's
leadership board.
There is no way to know
what to expect from the state Legislature, she said, with
the state's financial status changing each day. Partnership
members indicated than even greater efforts will be needed
in seeking grants and donations from foundations and businesses
and others to fill the financial gap left by dwindling state
funds.
Ashley Swearengin, Fresno's mayor-elect and outgoing leader
of the partnership's Secretariat, the partnership's lead organizing
agency, told the Stockton gathering that the partnership is
off and running and “we certainly can't stop now.”
Conway, who has played a key role in the partnership, said she stepped down from the chairmanship after receiving two difference judicial rulings on whether she could serve the post while being a member of the state Assembly, but will continue to work in the organization.
Although the organization's future has dimmed, at least in financial prospects, those at the summit stressed how much has been accomplished since its formation three and one-half years ago, including:
- Pushing for high-speed rail, including legislation to include the Altamont Pass as a potential rail route
- Promotion of a regional water management plan
- Helped secure more than $205 million in Proposition 1B funds for five transportation projects
- Obtained $1 billion for Highway 99 improvements
- Began exploration of the Valley's potential for providing renewable energy
- Support of a controversial ruling requiring developers to pay to offset pollution from their projects
- Listing job opportunities throughout the Valley in a new web site
- Helped in securing $5 million for a medical school at the University of California Merced
- Helped secure $3.5 million
for workforce development.
What's New
COS spring semester enrollment is up 8 percent over last spring, COS President Dr. Bill Scroggins announced. The students are also signing up for more units, up 13 percent from last spring.
Pershing Square Capital Management has acquired a 20% stake in General Growth Properties – the owner of the Visalia Mall. General Growth is the number two mall owner in the U.S. The purchase is a good sign for the company that has been facing financial difficulty raising money to refinance some of their malls debt.
A memo to staff of all Pappas Telecasting studios involved in the bankruptcy proceedings from the court approved trustee, Roger Williams, says KMPH and KFRE-TV stations have been sold at auction to a new TV group with the approval of the lender, Fortress Capital. The new owner will be New World TV Group, LLC headed by executives Dan Sullivan and Bert Ellis. The bid is expected to be final December 22. It will take several months for the transfer of the license for the two local stations and the 11 others. Meanwhile, Pappas Telecasting has relocated their corporate office from the Chinowth building back to the 200 block of Main St. in Visalia.
Party's Over? Tulare County Planning Commission is proposing a moratorium on new “party barns” in the county, to be discussed this week by the panel. Privately owned party barns are allowed in ag zones in the county, but some feel they are a nuisance or lead to interfacing problems with local farms. There are 13 such facilities now. Even if the planning commission oks the idea, it must be approved by the board of supervisors.
Kohl's Corporation, in a joint bid with Forever 21, Inc., acquired 46 Mervyn's locations for $6.25 million. Kohl's will assume 31 of the locations while Forever 21, Inc. will assume 15, pending approval by the court overseeing Mervyn's bankruptcy proceedings. However, no stores in Tulare or Kings counties were listed by Kohl's as being acquired. Forever 21 did not comment.
Office Depot, Inc., a large chain of office product stores, announced last week its plans to close 112 underperforming retail stores in North America over the next three months, reducing its North American store count to 1,163. Brian Levine, vice president, corporate communications for Office Depot said the Visalia store is not among the 19 stores scheduled for closure.
Fred Ruiz of Ruiz Foods of Dinuba has been named the 2009 chairman of the board of directors of the California Chamber of Commerce. Ruiz, from Tulare, is co-founder along with his father, Louis Ruiz, of Ruiz Foods. The company employs 2,700 people in three manufacturing plants and two distribution centers. Ruiz's signature brand is El Monterey.
As expected, the Visalia City Council Monday awarded a $5.3 million contract to Agee Construction for the demolishing of the old Santa Fe railroad crossing over Highway 198 and the construction of a new vehicle traffic bridge over the freeway.
Top of the News
LOOP Bus Earns
City Recognition
The California Parks and Recreation Society has
honored the Visalia Parks and Recreation Department with an
Award of Excellence for its LOOP Bus Program.
The official awarding will take place at the 2009 California
and Pacific Southwest Recreation and Park Training Conference
in March.
The LOOP bus is a free service for boys and girls ages 6-17
to get safe transportation to community centers in the city
where they can participate in fun and safe programs and activities.
The bus service began as a response to gang violence and has
been expanded to other areas of the county.
“The CPRS awards program is the highest recognition our
agency can receive and this award is a credit to our city council
and all members of the city's Multi-Agency Gang Task Force,”
said Vincent Elizondo, director of Parks and Recreation.
Visalia Council to
Revisit General Plan Update
Just when the city of Visalia was ready to move
away with a narrower, focused general plan update, some council
members want to rethink that idea and again look at doing the
full-blown comprehensive general plan update.
The General Plan is the roadmap which the city uses to direct
growth in the future. It is updated every 20 to 30 years and
the last time the city did a comprehensive update was in the
late 1980s. Because of the time involved – three to five
years – and cost – $2 to $5 million – the
council had agreed on the focused update which will take a little
more than a year and cost about $1 million. However, that focused
update will not look at the city as a whole, mainly only at
housing growth.
Citing the planning commission's denial of a general plan amendment
to add more commercial zoning on North Dinuba Boulevard, Councilmember
Bob Link said he wanted to rethink the idea of a focused update.
Councilmember Amy Shuklian agreed, although Mayor Jesus Gamboa
voted against debating the issue again.
Local Developer Picked
for Office/Hotel Project
A Visalia-based development group, headed by Tom
Gaebe and Doug Lawrence, has been selected in a City of Visalia
RFP process to build a proposed new mixed-use development project
on city-owned property just west of city hall.
The company won out over an out-of-town developer and will move
forward in January if the city council approves the recommendation
from a city-appointed committee.
The project includes four-story medical office space as well
as a potential hotel that would be developed between Stevenson
and Conyer, a few blocks from Kaweah Delta Hospital. The proposal
is dependent on a parking plan to be negotiated. The hospital
is encouraging the development of more medical office space
to coincide with the new hospital north tower ready to open
in coming weeks.
The city pushed the request for proposals in August and in November
an 11-member review committee made its recommendation. The committee
included council members Bob Link and Greg Collins. A second
phase of development could move forward in several years on
the existing city hall property after the new Public Safety
building in East Visalia is built.
Realtors Told to Stay Positive
California - California Association of Realtors President Jim Liptak admitted these are challenging times for realtors, but stressed it is also a time of opportunity and a time to be positive.
Liptak was guest speaker at the annual Tulare
County Association of Realtors installation of officers last
week.
Installed as president by outgoing President Jahan Farhang
was Carlos Aleman of Coldwell Banker J. Heaton and Associates
in Exeter.
“It's a tough market out there, very tough,”
Liptak began, saying the state realty office is taking a lead
to assist realtors, especially in dealing with short sales
– those sales where banks are willing to sell a property
for less than is owed.
He said the association has proposed a standard package for
short sales and is trying to get that adopted by Fannie Mae.
“If it does well, it will be the standard for the nation,”
he said, adding that having one standard document will make
it easier for both sellers and buyers.
Not all is gloom and doom, both he and incoming president Aleman stressed. “The market is difficult out there, but at the same time, there is opportunity out there. I have seen down markets before, but I've never seen a market like this before. We all need to have a positive attitude.”
One of the positives, he said, is that because California was the first area where the bottom fell out of the real estate market, it will most likely be the first where the market rebounds. Aleman said there are already signs things are beginning to turn around.
“Together we'll get through this. It will
be difficult, but we will get through it,” he said.
Aleman said the code of ethics which those in real estate
follow sets them apart from many in the business world. “It
is through these rules that our professionalism shines,”
he said, congratulating the more than 400 people in attendance
on their dedication and skills.
He echoed what Liptak said. “No matter
what negative information you see or hear, stay positive.”
Other officers installed: Jeremy Garcia, president-elect;
Brian Icenhower, secretary-treasurer; and directors Mark Avedian,
Robert Casey, Manya Choboian, Jahan Farhang, Gerrie Giotta,
Tony Keller, Brad Maaske, Preston Miller, Nancy Riggs and
Crag Smith.
Awards:
Realtor of the Year: Barbara Summer of All States Realty.
Affiliate of the Year: Nancy Mota-Childres of Countrywide Home Loans.
President's Award: Ada Crow.
Hall of Famers: Joe Lopez, Mark Avedian, Ed Evans, Sherry Tietjens, Brian Icenhower and Teymour Farhang.
Sierra Ready for Holiday Snow Play
Sierra Nevada Mountains - This week's cold storms brought nearly two feet of snow to the Sierra and jumpstarted this year's ski season.
Nearby resorts opened for business including
Sierra Summit, Badger Pass in Yosemite, and Bear Valley on
Highway 4. Popular Sierra Summit is expected to be going full
bore this weekend and is offering half-day rates all day.
The low snow level, down to1,100 feet in some places, makes
it a great time to get away from the daily grind and the worlds'
problems.
At Montecito Sequoia, on the General Highway in Sequoia National Forest, there is a foot-and-a-half on the ground which isn't enough to begin trail grooming just yet. But more is expected this week and grooming of trails could start before Christmas.
Expected to open in a few days is Alta Sierra in the southern Sierra up Highway 155 from Delano, a downhill resort. In Sequoia at Wuksachi, they aren't renting cross country ski equipment and snow shoes after a foot of snow fell Monday, but they expect to this weekend.
Wolverton is open for family snow play including inner tubing and sledding but no facilities are open except for restrooms. At Grant Grove, they expect enough cold stuff for snow play by next week with rental of equipment available. Up Highway 190 at Ponderosa Lodge, there is a favorite snow play spot now that the highway is closed for the season. Be sure to carry chains (and ear muffs with 17 degree temps) on all your adventures.
On a sad note, founder of Mineral King web cam, Gordon Everett Wood, passed away last month after several years of battling cancer. Wood, who spent 32 years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, loved Mineral King and designed the web cam that is viewed by Mineral King enthusiasts across the globe. The web cam – updated several time a day – shows the new snowfall this week that blanketed all the Sierra. Of course, the road to Mineral King is closed until next spring. But the web cam lives on. Wood, who owned a cabin in the valley, was buried early this month in Three Rivers.
Bicycle Donations Bring Smiles to Everyone
By Rick Elkins
Smiles were plenty Dec. 10 when the Tulare County Sheriff's Office handed out 20 of the 345 new bicycles the department's Police Activities League gave to deserving children this holiday season.
Twenty children were invited to the TCSO headquarters to receive their bikes while the rest were distributed out of the department's three substations – Porterville, Pixley and Cutler-Orosi.
Each child received a new bicycle and a new bike helmet, noted Lt. Mike Watson as he helped a young girl out with her helmet and new bicycle. He said the ages of those receiving the bikes were 8 to 12 years old and the helmets were donated by John Billiou of Billiou's in Porterville.
Sheriff Bill Wittman was one of those smiling, getting to do something so positive in a line of work that deals with less than positive people on a daily basis.
“What's not to love about a child? We enjoy doing this. It's just a fun time for us,” he said.
On Dec. 6, the sheriff and many of his staff hosted 500 children at the annual PAL Christmas Party at the Tulare County Fairgrounds. There, the kids received toys and clothing.
“The department does a lot with kids throughout the year,” noted the sheriff, explaining there are campouts, trips and more for young kids sponsored by PAL.
“The deputies have gotten involved with kids to keep them out of gangs,” he said. He said those receiving bikes were identified by deputies throughout the year as deserving of receiving a bike.
Much of what PAL does is funded from proceeds from the organization's food booth at the World Ag Expo and donations.
“It's wonderful to see that we have good kids growing up in this county. Our job is to help them grow up,” he smiled.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
December 18, 2008
