By Rick Elkins
Tulare County - A controversial ordinance that tries to regulate the development of home sites in rural areas will be going to the Tulare County Board of Supervisors Aug. 10.
The Homesite Parcel Division Requirements is an attempt to move forward proposals for homesites to be developed on rural ag lands – commonly called farm homes – without opening the door to housing developments such as Matheny Tract or New London tract that many agree are far too congested and poorly planned.
“We kind of ended up with an ordinance that nobody is happy with,” said county planner Ben Kimble. The ordinance was passed by the Tulare County Planning Commission June 6.
The county has struggled with the ordinance since it stopped granting variances for new homesites in rural ag areas a few months ago.
Patricia Stever, executive director of the Tulare County Farm Bureau, said while the ordinance is not “a win-win” for anyone, it is “a reasonable compromise.”
She said one concern farm bureau had and they are pleased that has been addressed, is the ordinance allows a farmer who owns land to develop a homesite, or more importantly, allows a farmer with an existing homesite to separate that from his farm.
“For a majority of individuals who want to carve out a homesite, even if it is existing, they can do that,” said Stever.
There are basically two key issues to the ordnance: 1, the ability of a farmer to develop a homesite on his land, and 2, trying to keep small residential developments from occurring in the county.
City of Visalia Community Development Director Paul Scheibel said Visalia and the rest of the eight incorporated cities are not pleased with how the ordinance ended up.
“We think this is poor legislation to solve an existing problem,” he said, adding the cities will oppose the measure when the supervisors discuss it in August.
During a recent Tulare County Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting it was apparent it would be nearly impossible to come up with an ordinance that would please everyone. That committee, and the Tulare County Farm Bureau, had a difficult time coming up with their recommendations. Stever said farm bureau is now satisfied.
According to the staff report at the Ag Advisory meeting, over the past 10 years the county had received 240 requests for variances to the ordinance to allow for the development of homesites in ag areas. Of those, all but five were approved.
However, new leadership in the county planning department placed a moratorium on the variances until the ordinance could be adjusted.
County Planner Nick Hahn said, “the purpose of the ordinance is to allow more flexibility.” He noted it would allow for larger homesite parcels, but also put some constraints on over-development in ag areas.
Scheibel said the cities' fear is that it will do just the opposite. “There is the potential that it will allow the carving up of 20 to 40 acre parcels for multiple home sites that won't be built to city standards,” he said.
He said the cities were very clear in that “we need to move away from individual homesites, but we understand individual rights of farmers to develop homesites on their property.”
However, Scheibel said what the planning commission passed does allow for “urbanization” of county ag land.
Ag Advisory Committee member Tony Souza summed it up best when he said “anything that can be done to help the farmer should be done,” but that he didn't want to see a lot of residential subdivisions pop up in ag areas. He also noted that the land a farmer owns is often their retirement.
Keith Watkins with the farm bureau said he liked some components of the ordinance – limiting development to land that has been owned for 10 years or more and not allowing more homes once a home is allowed - but “I'm not sure if all farmers agree.”
By Marina Gaytan
Visalia - Riding on the backs of Sorrel horses and Bay horses to the beat of music while trotting around rodeo grounds is what 16-year-old Lauryn Tanner, current president of the Visalia Rockettes, has been experiencing for years.
Tanner who has been competing with the Rockettes since 2002 and riding her whole life is one of 17 girls that is part of a highly intensified drill team that offers a place for horse-crazy teenage girls to learn teamwork and leadership as well as improving their horsemanship and husbandry skills.
“It's kind of like a family,” Tanner said about the team.
Each year the team competes and performs at various types of shows, including, parades, rodeos and competitions throughout the state of California and the entire Western United States. As many as 56 rodeo presentations are performed in the spring alone. The Rockettes travel to Reno, NV and Santa Rosa where they compete for the Western States Equestrian Drill Team Association Championship.
This year, the California State Drill Team Championship will be hosted by the Rockettes at the Tulare County Fairgrounds this Friday and Saturday.
“We are so excited to have the opportunity to bring back a little bit of the Old West to Tulare,” said KayCee Hilvers current treasurer for the Rockettes.
The Rockettes were formed in 1955 as part of a Girl Scout Troop. It was later separated into its own troop known as the Visalia Rockettes, a non-profit organization that is still performing today. As the team performs intricate high speed maneuvers on horseback at the highest skill level, it is ultimately up to the girls to know how to trust one another, said Alice Kampen, the team's Drillmaster. The team ranges in age from 7 to 18-years-old, however, only certain girls are a part of the competitive team depending on their skill level Kampen said.
Not only does being on the team provide a family structured atmosphere and involvement, but it also prepares them to be able to function very well in just about any situation and environment.
Kampen, who writes and teaches the drills, said a lot of management goes into being a Drillmaster. When she is not managing the girls and their horses, she is making sure everyone is getting along.
“I just like being with the kids,” she said.
Each member holds responsibilities greater than just belonging to the team. Not only are they responsible for training their own horse, but they are responsible for keeping their horse in good shape and clean before each show. On top of practicing three times a week for hours at a time, the girls are involved in many community and school activities and more than three quarters of the current membership are honor students.
“Even though we miss out on a lot and say 'sorry I can't, I have a horse show' more than anything else, we love what we do,” said Hilvers.
Fundraising for the team is what allows the girls to be able to participate in shows as far as Oklahoma, where the team brought home the Youth Championship Title in July of last year. This trip alone cost the team $25,000. The money that was raised by the girls only assisted in the cost of the trip. The other part of the money comes from their dues which is $25 per member and a $100 deposit.
In addition to the Youth Championship Title, previous years accomplishments include; winning 17 California State Jr. Drill Team Championships, 16 Reserve Championships and 12 Western States Drill Team Competition championships in Reno Nevada. The Junior Equestrian Drill Team is the only team to have ever won the overall Championship at the prestigious Reno Rodeo Drill Team Competition three times; 1999, 2004 and 2005.
The California State Drill Team Championship is free to the public. Nightly events start at 5 p.m. with division riders from rodeo, military, quad, junior, senior and mixed.
Visalia - Visalia Fire Chief Mark Nelson said he welcomes the new law that will require all new residential units to have home fire sprinklers beginning Jan. 1, 2011.
“Bottom line is they save lives and property,” said Nelson who worked previously in two cities that already required fire sprinklers in homes.
Visalia now only requires sprinklers in large apartment complexes and commercial and industrial buildings over a certain size. Visalia only has one housing development were fire sprinkler systems were installed in homes – Sierra Village off of Akers.
“There's lot of fires that happened and when you got there, the sprinkler had contained the fire or extinguished it,” said Nelson of Union City and American Canyon, two places he worked where sprinklers were required.
But, not everyone is pleased.
“It's going to be expensive,” said builder Paul Daley of Daley Homes in Tulare.
He does not feel the addition of sprinklers will add much value to a home and he questioned if there would be any insurance savings because of the threat of water damage that could be caused should the sprinklers go off inadvertently.
Visalia chief building officials Dennis Lehman said details are still being worked out on the new regulations, but estimates are it will ad about $2,200 to the cost of a 1,500 s.f. home.
The new state law will require at least one sprinkler per room (unless room is less than 55 s.f.), including the garage. “Generally, bedrooms will have one,” said Lehman.
According to the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home.
“The single most effective way to prevent fire-related deaths is the installation of residential fire sprinklers. Combined with smoke alarms, they cut the risk of dying in a home fire by 82 percent compared to having neither,” states the Coalition on its website.
Both Lehman and Nelson stressed each sprinkler head is controlled by its own sensor and unlike the movies where a person can set off all sprinklers by placing a match under one, only one sprinkler head is activated at a time, thus reducing the potential for water damage. Each sprinkler is individually activated by heat; smoke does not trigger sprinkler operation. The rest of the sprinklers in a house will not activate unless there is also a fire in that location.
“We had no calls for water damage,” said Nelson, adding he thought a sprinkler activating without a fire occurs less than 1 percent of the time.
Lehman said that the plumbing for a fire sprinkler system will be independent from the home's plumbing, except if a sprinkler is activated it will reduce the flow of water to the rest of the house to allow for maximum spray.
“That's still got to be worked out,” said Lehman of the system, who added it also creates another problem. “You could have water sitting there for 40 years.”
No matter whatever value the system may have, Lehman expects a building boom in December as builders try to avoid the added costs of what he expects to be $1.50 per square foot. Daley feels that cost will be closer to $2 per square foot.
“There's never a good time to increase fees and cost for builders,” admitted Lehman, but he added the new law has been talked about for three or four years.
According to the Scottsdale Report, a 15-year study of fire sprinkler effectiveness, found, on average, 341 gallons of water to control a fire. Firefighters, on average, use 2,935 gallons. Reduced water damage is a major source of savings for homeowners, noted the Coalition.
Nelson said in larger residential structures, such as apartments, the sprinkler systems will require metal pipes, but for homes a special plastic pipe that is more heat resistant is allowed.
Tulare County - Tulare County will continue its agreement with the City of Visalia for hazardous material response and funding for another six months while working on what officials hope will be an equitable and reasonable plan.
County supervisors Tuesday tackled the matter for the first time, signaling what they hope will extinguish what at times has been a volatile issue of sharing cost of the city's hazardous material unit of the Visalia Fire Department.
Visalia officials want the county and other cities to help pay the $120,000 annual cost of maintaining the unit. County officials have balked at that plan, instead considering a more regional haz-mat coverage proposal which they say would be less costly.
But a frank and issue-oriented dialogue Tuesday seemed to indicate a comprehensive solution can be ironed out by Jan. 1, 2011. A proposal to charge some businesses county-wide fees for inspection and haz-mat responses to offset the cost was endorsed by the Visalia Chamber of Commerce and a representative of the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation.
That was among the issues aired Tuesday when the haz-mat controversy came before elected officials for the first time, a move which some say has long been overdue and further strained relations between the county and Visalia officials. Since 1995 a haz-mat agreement between the county and Visalia designated the city as the service provider to the county. The agreement outlines the response level and billing process. But in 2002 a Department to Homeland Security allocation brought Visalia funds for its haz- mat team and equipment.
Visalia now is seeking an annual fee of $34,000 from the county with Visalia paying $29,000. Fees are based on population.
Supervisor Phil Cox, who represents the Visalia area on the county board, said it has been obvious that supervisors and other elected officials should be the ones directing and making decisions, a factor which others at the meeting echoed.
Tulare County Fire Chief Steve Sunderland, whose agenda item before the board offered several options including contracting with other government agencies, establishing a county haz-mat team and or contracting with a private provider, agreed.
Sunderland said he was “wiling to go whichever direction you want.”
Cox also referred to the strained relations between city and county fire officials saying there has been “a lot of tension” calling for elected officials, including board members, to take the reins and resolve the matter as soon as possible.
Visalia City Councilwoman Amy Shuklian's comments that, “We need to get those fire chiefs in line,” drew a chuckle from some, but reinforced Cox's stand that supervisors give county staff, including Sunderland, direction.
Supervisor Allen Ishida agreed and said the county and the cities all have a vested interest in providing for the safety of all residents. He initially questioned the inclusion of incentive pay for haz-mat team members but later withdrew those comments after a presentation by Visalia Fire Chief Mark Nelson and Visalia firemen.
Hanford - The city of Hanford is opposing any alignment of the proposed High Speed Rail that would take the fast moving trains through the heart of that city.
In a letter approved Tuesday night, the city council informed the High Speed Rail Authority that it opposes the Burlington Northern Santa Fe alignments through the densely urbanized portion of the city.
The action Tuesday night also designated a delegation of staff and council members to appear before the next Rail Authority meeting to give testimony why that alignment would be harmful to the city. Also, the city would take steps to deny access to the Authority to even study such an alignment.
The alignment taking the bullet train through the heart of the city surfaced in the past couple of months after the Kings County Farm Bureau raised concerns about a planned alignment that would take the tracks east of the city, but cut through miles of prime farm land. The farm bureau favors having the tracks follow the already existing right-of-way.
Hanford City Manager Hilary Straus said BNSF tracks would require taking out homes and businesses - especially north of Grangeville Boulevard - and would jeopardize a rail station in the city. He explained that there is not enough room downtown for the high speed station and most likely such a station would be moved south of the city, maybe several miles south.
Saying the SNSF alignment is of “grave concern” to the city, Straus said that besides the displacement of homes and businesses, it would create noise and “be a graffiti laden monument.”
The Authority is considering several options for the high speed train that is being touted as able to carry passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in about three hours. The city of Visalia favors the east side route and a passenger station at Highway 198 near Highway 43, but the city council has delayed a formal resolution that would state that support.
“That station would be regional for Tulare and Kings counties,” said Visalia Assistant City Manager Mike Olmos, adding that is where the city would prefer the station. That station, he pointed out, would be close to the Cross Valley Rail that serves only freight now, but could be a light rail passenger system in the future.
In its letter, the city of Hanford states:
“In summary, the accompanying resolution states that the City of Hanford strongly opposes the BNSF alignments for the following reasons: 1) the BNSF alignments will result in significant visual and noise impacts to city residents and businesses; 2) the BNSF alignments will result in substantial displacement of residences and businesses at significant cost; 3) the BNSF alignments will limit the potential for a station as it will have to be located in downtown Hanford, a location with many constraints.”
Straus stressed that while the city opposes the BNSF alignment, it has not indicated which route it does favor.
“The Council has not taken a policy position on any alignment,” he said, adding that would come after the Rail Authority concludes its study, and not until the downtown alignment is removed from consideration.
Also, he said, the city is “sensitive” to the concerns of the ag community and hopes to find a route that is least objectionable to all.
At one time the H.S. Rail considered several routes through the Valley, including along the Union Pacific tracks that basically parallel Highway 99, but that alignment has been scrapped in favor of the BNSF lines that run almost entirely through Kings County, skirting only a small portion of Tulare County.
Straus said even with the plan to follow the SNSF tracks, because of the speed of the bullet trains and the wider radius of curves needed, through parts of the city the tracks would require new right-of-way.
SECOND FRONT PAGE
What's New
Visalia may soon be getting its second Hookah Lounge. According to Wikipedia, a hookah lounge (also called a shisha bar or a hookah bar) is an establishment where patrons share shisha (flavored tobacco) from a communal hookah or nargile which is placed at each table. Patrick Fox recently had his proposal for a hookah lounge at 1328 South Mooney Blvd. approved by the city Site Plan Review committee. Peta Kabob already offers a hookah lounge outdoors after the restaurant has closed, said City of Visalia Chief Planning office Dennis Lehman.
RealtyTrac®, the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, reported that 340,740 California properties received a foreclosure filing in the first half of 2010, the nation's highest total but down 15 percent from the previous six months and down nearly 13 percent from the first six months of 2009.
CSET in Visalia has received $412,500 from the YouthBuild program to provide education and training to young people across the United States. The YouthBuild program assists out-of-school youth in obtaining their diplomas or GEDs while providing occupational training in the construction industry. While acquiring leadership skills and participating in community service, at-risk youth build and renovate affordable housing within their communities.
The number of people out of work and the percentage of those out of work in the region remained virtually the same for June compared to May, the state reported Friday. Tulare County had a jobless rate of 15.8 percent, up slightly from the 15.5 percent in May. Kings County had a jobless rate of 15.9, compared to 15.3 in May. Visalia's jobless rate rose to 9.9 percent from the 9.7 percent in May. Tulare's jobless rate was 13.5 percent. The state reported 178,300 people had jobs out of a labor force of 211,700 in Tulare County.
The California Cash for Appliances rebates program is adding more choices for Californians to save. The Energy Commission issued draft Guidelines that expands the Cash for Appliances rebate program to include high energy efficient dishwashers, freezers, water heaters, and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The expanded program is California Cash for Appliances PLUS. Consumers still have up to 120 days from the purchase date to submit their rebate application by mail. Choices for eligible models include 273 clothes washers, 139 refrigerators, and 314 room air conditioners.
Tulare County won a silver award for its exhibit at the State Fair in Sacramento.
The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center is reporting that La Niña conditions have begun to develop and will last through early 2011. Drier weather is normally associated with La Nina, compared to wetter weather with El Nino, however there have been years when the opposite was true.
The City of Hanford, in conjunction with Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), plans to construct a series of new railroad spurs from the existing BNSF Railway Company rail line onto the southwest part of Kings Industrial Park. Currently, the BNSF rail lines run through the center of the Industrial Park.
Target Corporation reported that its net retail sales for the five weeks ended July 3 were $5.9 million, an increase of 4 percent from $5.7 million for the five weeks ended July 4, 2009. On this same basis, June comparable-store sales increased 1.7 percent.
A 57-unit multi-family housing complex, Euclid Village, in Dinuba is scheduled for completion at the end of November. The project, being built by Pacific West Builders at 600 N. Euclid near the rail crossing on El Monte Way, will offer two, three and four bedrooms, and will include solar energy systems. Units will range in size from 800 to 1,400 s.f. and include amenities such granite counter tops, according to Lello Carnesecta, project superintendent, and Kevin Meier, assistant superintendent.
Plants for a proposed power plant near Coalinga that was to collect solar energy during the day and burn biomass at night, has reportedly fallen through, the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization reports.
Gloria Orozco has opened Taqueria Camelia in Searcy's at 1141 E. Houston Ave, just west of Ben Maddox Way. The restaurant, open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., features home–made Mexican food including hand-made tortillas. In addition to ala carte items, including $1 tacos, the restaurant offers combination plates. Menudo is offered both Saturday and Sunday.
Members of the San Joaquin Valley
Planning Council are discussing the value of
forming a
Valley-wide council of governments in order to better
compete with the four other major planning
groups for the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San
Diego regions, the Great Valley Center reported.
Saputo Inc., with four cheese facilities in Tulare, reported its net earnings for fiscal year 2010 which ended March 31 totaled $382.7 million or $1.85 per share, up 37.2% compared to $278.9 million or $1.35 per share in fiscal 2009.
Paying more at the pump. The Auto Club reported that motorists in Visalia are paying 28 cents a gallon more than they were a year ago for regular unleaded. Prices Tuesday were $3.171 a gallon, down a penny from a week ago, but up 7 cents from last month. A year ago the price at the pump was $2.898.
By Miles Shuper
Tulare County - Since the 211 free access information and referral system was launched in late March in Tulare County the number of calls has increased dramatically over the previous system.
Escarleth Barberena, program director for 211 Tulare County United Way, said 2,166 calls were handled in April through June, compared to the 2,877 calls received throughout all of 2009 when the county's First Call system was in place. At the first of this week more than 4,100 calls or website contacts had been received since the system was started.
Barberena said a concerted effort to increase awareness of the 211 system in smaller, unincorporated areas of the county such as London, Pixley and Terra Bella, Alpaugh and Teviston appears to be paying off.
Brandi Clark, director of financial development for Tulare County United Way, said staff members have been going to the most rural locations in the county in an effort to inform residents of how 211 works and the vast array of information it provides. Calls seeking information on rent and utility assistance have been the most frequent, Clark said.
She said the short three-digit number is easier to remember than the longer multi-number 800 system number of the First Call system.
Clark also said the information available through 211 is updated daily allowing callers to get vital information of what services are available, where to call or the status of what they need to know.
The system has been in operation for about five years in some states and continues to spread. When Tulare County joined the system, 35 California counties were connected. That number continues to grow, said Barberena.
The free system is available around the clock, seven days a week and is administered by the United Way which contracts with Interface which operated a central call center in Ventura County. Interface is the on-line server for most all 211 systems in California, Barberena explained. Calls made to the 211 line are connected to the Tulare County center in Tulare immediately.
Clark said the website is “very user friendly” providing much easier access than the previous system.
Callers can request referral for employment information, job training tips, substance abuse treatment, financial assistance, housing and shelter assistance and information dealing with a disaster or other emergencies.
When the 211 was launched inn Tulare County, Emy Blankenship of United Way said, “It's for just about everyone-from those looking for simple answers or services to more in-depth assistance, like getting help paying rent or assistance with an aging parent.”
By Marina Gaytan
Exeter - Through the passion and love of raising horses, owners of Plum Horse Crazy Ranch in Exeter wanted to provide a place where kids can not only learn horseback riding skills, but most importantly show them how to care for such a large affectionate animal.
Two years ago Amanda Cate, executive administrator, had an idea to start a three day long kid's camp on her five acre ranch. With the help of volunteers her idea became a reality when she opened the first Kid's Camp just last month. With such a successful run, Cate decided to hold another session of camp today through Saturday.
“When you work with a kid for one day on a horse, and get to see the twinkle in their eye, it's really an amazing thing,” she said.
Last month the ranch accepted 12 kids ranging in ages 5 to 15. Cate said the parents were the ones who really pushed for her to hold another session. The next session already has 70 percent of the kids returning with three new students signed up.
The ranch owns 10 horses, all of which were rescued from nearby communities. Seven of the 10 fully trained horses are used for the camp. Each day of camp lasts around five and a half hours and is dedicated to allowing the kids to be hands on she said. All of the activities the kids take part in involve teaching them about horses while providing a fun, safe environment.
At one station, the kids learned about the different parts of saddles and bridles she said. At another, they learned the proper way to groom a horse. The horseback riding activity turned out to be the kids' favorite she added.
A volunteer from the Fire Patrol for Sequoia National Forest-Hume Lake Ranger District made a presentation for the kids to learn the importance of fire safety. Firefighter Ignacio Garcia brought in a fire truck and fire hose to demonstrate how it all worked. Louise Culver, director of Critter Creek, a non-profit rehabilitation center for wildlife, brought in a barn owl and falcon for the kids to see.
“For five minutes in your life, you get to be a hero,” Cate said about being able to see the kids interacting during the camp.
Cate, who has a background in child psychology and nursing, teaches the kids about horses in a therapeutic way.
The next session of camp will offer a presentation from the ranches' farrier, Jonah Gilbert, who will teach the kids roping lessons. Gilbert was also present at last month's camp. Horse-related arts and craft activities will give the kids an additional way to express their creativity during their stay. Founder of Plum Horse Crazy Ranch Renee Cate, Amanda Cate's mother, is most excited about teaching the kids about the horses' anatomy and the different disciplines of riding.
“That's the great thing about horses, every time there is something new to learn,” Renee Cate said.
All of the money and donations that the camp receives goes right back into feeding the horses and maintaining the ranch. The Kid's Camp is a huge fundraiser to provide for the horses, the Cate family said.
Plum Horse Crazy Ranch is located at 30669 Hamilton Dr., Exeter, 93221. For information: 305-0239.
Tulare County - Wages in the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan area were 13 percent below the national average in May 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week.
According to the Bureau, local workers had an average hourly wage of $18.15 during May 2009, compared to the nationwide average of $20.90.
Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden noted that, after testing for statistical significance, wages in the local area were higher than the respective national averages in five of the 22 major occupational groups: healthcare practitioner and technical; and education, training, and library.
Fourteen groups had significantly lower wages than their respective national averages, including computer and mathematical science; architecture and engineering; and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media. Wages for architecture and engineering were $30.10 locally and $35.38 nationally.
Healthcare wages locally in 2009 averaged $42.34 an hour compared to $33.51 an hour nationally.
When compared to the rest of the nation, local jobs were more highly concentrated in three of 22 occupations tracked by the Labor Bureau, but significantly lower in 14 other areas. Where jobs were concentrated in were education, training, and library; transportation and material moving. Where jobs were lacking were in office and administrative support; business and financial operations and sales.
In the county, management jobs made up only 3.7 percent of the total, compared to 4.7 nationally. Business and financial jobs accounted for only 2.2 percent of the total, compared to 4.6 percent nationwide. The average hourly wage for those jobs was $28.47, compared to $31.68 nationally.
Education jobs accounted for 9.6 percent of the total, higher than the 6.5 percent national figure. Farm jobs made up 15 percent of the total countywide, compared to just .3 percent nationally. Average wage for those jobs was $9.68, compared to $11.53 nationally.
One occupational group, transportation and material moving, was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. With employment of 10,160, transportation and material moving occupations accounted for 7.7 percent of local area employment, significantly higher than the occupational group's 6.8 percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $13.52, compared to the national wage of $15.47.
The statistics are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey, a federal-state cooperative program between BLS and State Workforce Agencies, in this case, the California Employment Development Department.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
July 22, 2010
