CEMEX is fighting on two fronts to continue mining in Tulare County. The first front is defending itself against allegations that it violated its conditional use permit. If found guilty, the company could lose its permit to mine gravel at Stillwell Mine in Lemon Cove. On the second front, it is in danger of the […]
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, […]
A continuance of the September 8 special Visalia City Council meeting on the General Plan took place during the council’s regular meeting on October 6. Due to an emergency, Council Member Bob Link was unable to attend. Any decision on the General Plan was delayed until the following week, when Link would be available. According […]
The Thrill Is Gone This is the last issue before the November election, but no predictions will be made. Trying to predict who would come in second during the June Primary was fun. Of my 14 predictions, 12 were correct–pretty good for a novice prognosticator. But the fun is gone, and it’s pretty obvious who […]
From the Sierra Nevada Mountains flows the Kaweah River. This river can rage through the Valley creating floods, or more commonly, be reduced to a trickle in the summer months even before it was dammed in 1962. About a mile north of Sequoia Union Elementary School and 2.5 miles south of Woodlake is an isolated […]
Formal charges were filed on September 17 by Tulare County against the Service Employee International Union (SEIU). The California Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) will begin investigating allegations of unfair labor practices against SEIU Local 521. After a presentation by County Counsel Kathleen Bales-Lange and a public discussion, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors (BOS) […]
Locals lament lack of leadership from their supervisors It’s one step forward and two steps back for the residents who live next to the Stillwell mine in Lemon Cove. In January, several residents’ wells dried up when CEMEX stopped filling the recharge trench that maintained their water levels. The multi-national initially refused to fill the […]
Dysfunction Junction Former Woodlake City Administrator Bill Lewis has a bone to pick with State Assembly candidate and Woodlake Mayor Rudy Mendoza. At the September 16 Candidate’s Forum, Mr. Mendoza claimed that, while mayor of Woodlake, he converted a $1 million dollar deficit to a budget surplus and completely replaced the city’s dysfunctional staff. “As […]
Everyone knows that Mooney Grove has been looking a little tired lately, and the drought hasn’t exactly helped. Because of a Tulare County initiative to save water, Tulare County Parks and Recreation has severely cut back watering, turning the grounds brown and the lagoon bright green. One group hopes to turn that around. The Real […]
There was a great turnout for this year’s Candidates Forum at the Visalia Convention Center Tuesday night, September 16. About 150 people gathered to hear their national, state and county representatives spar with their challengers on the big issues, three of which dominated: the drought, immigration reform and the High-Speed Rail (HSR). Every candidate was […]