Porterville Recorder (Newspaper) - April 18, 2007, Porterville, California COMING SPORTS Boys prep tennis Monache plays host to Tulare Western in an East Yosemite League INSIDE NEWS NATION aftermath The day after the worst campus shooting spree in U.S. President George W. Bush addresses mourners at a Virginia Tech memorial See PAGE 8A SOUND could benefit from what to do during a violent incident on To make your opinion known to all Recorder visit our Web site at and complete our Weekly Online The results from this week's poll will be posted in the Jan. 23 edition of The TODAY'S OBITUARIES Ruth Chadwell Gladys Patton Darren Guy Perkins Lorene Rader Ascencion G. Roman Tilda Elsie Wheeler WEATHER DRAWING BY LEO GARCIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL INSIDE FORECAST High 79, Low 52. High 60, Low 35. High 67, Low 43. See PAGE 5A CKS 7A OPINION 4A 6A~ COMMUNITY 2A COMICS & TV NATION OBITUARIES 5A VALLEY 1D SPORTS 1-4B 5D 8A CLASSIFIEDS MD 3A THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER TO CALL 784-5000 Health Care Dilemma RECORDER PHOTO BY JOHN TIPTON Tulare County Dist. 5 Supervisor Mike Ennis pleads for more time before the closing of the several health clinics targeted for closing by the The majority of the board rejected the request as Ennis cast the lone vote against the Supervisor Allen Ishida wasn't present for the County chops clinics Ennis dissents in decision to close health care By TOM PRICE JR. VISALIA - Despite opposition by a coalition of health care officials and city the Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to close health clinics in and are trying to do the right Dist. 4 Supervisor Steve Worthley said before the decision was challenge the status quo is never an easy The closures are expected to save the county and according to the director of the Health Services Department Ray signal the end of Please see PAGE 9A RECORDER PHOTO BY JOHN TIPTON Harry Chief Executive Officer of Family Healthcare speaks to the county supervisors Sheriff's receive from state RECORDER PHOTO BY JOHN TIPTON State Office of Emergency Services Director Henry presents an oversized check representing a grant to Tulare County Sheriff Wittman at the Board of Supervisors meeting in Visalia on By AARON BURGIN THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER A state department bolstered the Tulare County Sheriff's Department's efforts in tracking and prosecuting registered sex offenders with a award announced The Governor's Office of Emergency Services awarded the department the funds for its Sexual Assault Enforcement Team which has the two-fold mission of enforcing laws pertaining to registered sex offenders and educating the public on Megan's which provides the public with information on the whereabouts of sex The grant will help purchase equipment and staff the SAFE Team including personnel from the District Attorney's Probation and the Sheriff's responsible for the Significantly improving Penal Code 290 registration Establishing a full-time sex offender task force in the Please see PAGE 9A Council puts the light on pizzeria Eatery to open July 4. By AARON BURGIN THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER The City Council approved a compromise with a Porterville businessman that will allow him to begin work on his downtown pizzeria and Voting 5-0, the council will allow Pat Mena to construct Giovanni's Pizzeria and the with two lights as opposed to two traditional streetlights as originally recommended by the city Community Development The restaurant will open in the former Police Activities League building at 45 N. Second was the main hurdle we had to get Mena said after the glad that we will be able to Please see PAGE 9A Police get up Three are pastors at local Three local ministers have joined the Porterville Police Department as according to a department news Danny the Rev. Roman H. Hernandez and the Rev. Rudy who have served a combined 55 years in their respective will now provide mentoring and spiritual guidance to members of the their families or people who have been victims of They join a chaplain program that currently has four Rich Jim Don Roulston and Steve Choi currently is on staff at Trinity Lutheran Church and is now the youth pastor at Grand Avenue United Methodist He is married to Renee and has Please see PAGE 9A FD to the for MD son inspiration for local By AARON BURGIN THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER For firefighter Mitch Sandoval and wife Thursday's the fundraiser held by the fire which will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy is more than a MD became the focus of the family's life Memorial Day 2004, the day their 12-year-old son Vince could not get take the kids camping in their aunt's that has just been the tradition for a long Lucy now 15, continued the went to and I couldn't so I called my mom and told her that I couldn't get Vince could barely move his Lucy was trying to pull myself up with my Vince digging his elbows into the empty The episode lasted for six who was at thought maybe his son was bitten by a or wrong on a The next which occurred two weeks solidified in Mitch and Lucy's mind that something was terribly Mitch said he was leaving for work when his son called for thought he was going to tell me to have a good day or something like Mitch told me that he couldn't move at Mitch called the see PAGE 9A RECORDER PHOTO BY JOHN TIPTON Vince 15, son of firefighter Mitch suffers from hypokalemic periodic a condition that falls under the family of Muscular Dystrophy Firefighters will hold a the fundraiser Thursday to raise money for MD