Graciela Martinez’ retirement home sits across a small dirt road from the never-ending stream of traffic that is Highway 99 cutting its way north and south along the backbone of California, eventually through Goshen, that fabled area to the east of Eden. It’s a dark sky-blue house, small, with a pair of arches that cover […]
At a low-key event last week, Tulare County District 3 Supervisor Phil Cox officially launched his campaign for a fourth term as Visalia’s primary representative, promising to continue his work for more streamlined, responsive government. “I’m not done,” Cox, who has served three, four-year terms on the Board of Supervisors, said. “We still have efficiencies […]
The Tule River Tribal Council gained two new members and lost two incumbents during voting held Saturday at the Tule River Indian Reservation. Joining the council from a slate of 26 candidates are Gary Santos and James Diaz. Departing after the weekend election was Joyce Carothers, who served as the council’s treasurer. Councilwoman Heather Turan […]
A dysfunctional, financially embarrassed Lindsay City Council is finally getting some therapy, or at least part of it is, and no one should envy Lindsay Interim City Manager Bill Zigler his job. If all went as planned, the majority of the Lindsay City Council sat down Tuesday morning with a facilitator, who also happens to […]
When the first of the US Navy’s new stealth destroyers put out to sea for its shakedown cruise last month, it was ironically fitting the warship bore the name of Tulare native son Elmo “Bud” Zumwalt Jr. Zumwalt and the class of guided missile destroyers named in his honor have much in common–each mark sea […]
A nationwide search is underway to find Proteus, Inc.’s new CEO following current CEO Mike McCann announcement he will retire next year after 15 years as head of the jobs, training and assistance center. Begun in Visalia in 1967 as an adult training center, Proteus has expanded its programs during the last 50 years to […]
The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 killed a lot of small hospitals. As its name implies, the law was intended to balance the federal budget by 2002, reducing spending by $160 billion in the process. To achieve its self-imposed fiscal goal, which was forgotten after 9/11, Congress cut $119 billion in health care spending over […]
Kings County Sheriff Dave Robinson believes building a bigger jail can lead to fewer people ending up behind bars, and the county and state are going to spend $21 million to find out if he’s right. When the US Supreme Court ruled in 2011, that intense overcrowding and a wide lack of health services in […]
McDermont Field House will stay open, furloughs for city employees will end on December 5, and the proposal to add a half-percent to Lindsay’s sales tax is dead for now–but the city is still operating in the red and no plan to make up the gap is yet in the works as strife continues among […]
With plans for a new acute-care hospital in downtown Visalia already underway, the Kaweah Delta Health Care District has approved $100 million in additional expansion and upgrades. Included in the long list of construction projects are a new urgent-care facility in northwest Visalia and a doubling of ER beds downtown. “The short of it is […]