2013 Opinion Archive Stories

Revelations that the Internal Revenue Service targeted certain groups for extra scrutiny is not surprising, but still should not be acceptable to the American public. This is not the first time the IRS has been used to crack down on certain groups an administration finds not to their liking. President Richard Nixon used the IRS to crack

This is a time of great joy and uncertainty for hundreds of high school students who will be saying goodbye to the close confines of high school for a much bigger and more challenging world, but they should be up for the challenges that lie ahead. Today’s graduates are pushed harder than those a few decades ago. The standards they

After more than two years of turmoil that nearly split the community of Lindsay in half, the city council seems to have found common ground and is moving forward in a positive manner. This week’s Lindsay City Council meeting was cordial, productive and more importantly, harmonious. A lot of work was accomplished on next year’

There are many reasons to offer up a cheer this week. Below are a few. heers go out to: onache High School, which won numerous honors this week and was rated among the nation’s best public high schools. onache FFA adviser and teacher Cindy Brown, who was named ag teacher of the year by the Tulare County Farm Bureau.

Despite promises to the contrary, Democrats who control the state Legislature are already eying ways to spend a spike in income the state is enjoying right now, instead of putting the money away for a rainy day. That rainy day fund is extremely important to give the state a reserve to help out should the state — and it will — ever fi

Even though Gov. Jerry Brown has all but killed redevelopment, the city of Porterville is still moving forward with the purchase and eventual demolition of the old Porterville Hotel. Since Porterville was selected as the site of a new courthouse, the city has been looking at the corner of Olive and Main for a major project to revitalize

While the first reaction is to save a tree from removal, sometimes that tree has got to be removed to save lives. That is the situation along North Main Street between North Grand Avenue and Linda Vista Avenue. A commercial solar project is going in along the west side of North Main Street, and in order for the necessary street, curb and

There are many reasons to offer up a cheer this week. Below are a few. Cheers go out to: The men who came to the aid of a Porterville woman whose arm became pinned under the back of a pickup in a traffic accident Wednesday. Porterville High School graduate Alex Gonzales who was named this week the Kern County Teacher of t

Over the next few days more than a million dollars in scholarships will be handed out to approximately 1,000 graduates from high school through Porterville College. Those scholarships will go to deserving students to continue their education and better position them for productive careers. Already, Porterville College handed out

If the past few afternoons are any indication, this is going to be a busy and long fire season. Rural residents need to take action now to protect their property. In just the past few days, firefighters have responded to no fewer than five fires in the Porterville area alone. One on Monday burned 125 acres and one of several fires on Thu

A lot of well-intended citizens put a lot of effort into Thursday’s community wide Step Up event, only to see fewer than 200 people turn out. Step Up is the name given the effort to steer youth away from gangs and trouble. It is a grass-roots effort and Thursday’s event was the result of more than 20 citizens hoping to better

There are many reasons to offer up a cheer this week. Below are a few. Cheers go out to: Vanessa Lopez, who will lead Saturday's annual Cinco de Mayo Parade downtown as the 2013 Cinco de Mayo queen. Porterville Chamber of Commerce that capitalized on near-perfect weather for the largest Iris Festival ever. The Lea

While two reports last week show the Valley still has a ways to go to declare its air clean, they also showed that much progress has been made to make the air cleaner. The annual State of the Air report by the American Lung Associated released last Wednesday still lists much of the Central Valley among the dirtiest areas for air quality

Some state lawmakers may be drooling over the extra revenue the state is reportedly collecting today, but hopefully there is enough collective memory in Sacramento to keep the Legislature from going on a spending binge. Last week, the legislative analyst office said the state is on track to collect $4 billion more in personal income taxe

There are many reasons to offer up a cheer this week. Below are a few. Cheers go out to: All of those recognized at this week’s Porterville Public Schools banquet. Brandi Borba, who won the Small Schools-Grade Power Ball title at the Tulare County Math Superbowl. She is a seventh-grade student at Rockford Elementary

Last week’s horrific act of terrorism in Boston certainly got into the psychic of the American public, and the eventual killing of one suspect and the manhunt and capture of the other suspect only added to the fear the initial bombing brought. We have reacted in the past to such acts with more laws and many of those laws have cut i

The award the city of Porterville was recently given shows that public-private partnerships do work. Two weeks ago, the city was presented with the award from the California Association of Economic Development for its partnership with developer David Paynter, who manages the Porterville Marketplace shopping center on West Henderson Avenu

A former resident now living in Texas is once again trying to get the cross removed at Murry Park. We strongly disagree. Patrick Greene, a self-proclaimed atheist, has written a letter to the city demanding the cross come down or be moved. He claims it is a symbol of “death and torture.” In an email to The Recorder F

It appears the financial difficulties the Woodville School District finds itself in is tearing that small community apart when people should be coming together to find solutions. Woodville School was poorly managed for a number of years. Former administrators collected far too much pay and spent far too much money. It is a surprise the d

There are many reasons to offer up a cheer this week. Below are a few. Cheers go out to: Richard Morris, a longtime member of the Porterville Unified School District board of trustees who was just honored to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the California Interscholastic Federation for 2012-13. He is one of only 16 st

It appears Democrats and Republicans have come to an agreement on an immigration reform package that will benefit agriculture and those seeking jobs here. Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein and Michael Bennet worked with Republican senators Marco Rubio and Orrin Hatch to come up with a plan that appears to be mostly accepted by all sid

It is encouraging to see that gradation rates at local schools have improved, but we also see there is still work to be done. Last week, the state Department of Education released its annual assessment of graduation rates throughout the state and for the most part, local graduation rates were better than the state average of 78.9 percent

If you haven’t filed your taxes, then you are running out of time. Today is the deadline to file your state and federal income taxes, and while we generally focus on those taxes, we hardly notice the taxes we pay every day. You’d be surprised what you pay. Often, someone will say they got money back from the government, hardl

There are many reasons to offer up a cheer this week. Below are a few. Cheers go out to: Ted Batkin for his 20 years of service on the California Citrus Research Board. All local high schools that showed improvements in their graduation rates. City of Lindsay and sister city Ono, Japan, which are marking 40 years

The danger of driving while distracted is well documented, but motorists continue to drive while combing their hair, eating, talking on cell phone or texting, each putting them and everyone on the roadway at risk. This month, the California Highway Patrol is being joined by local police and sheriff’s deputies to crack down on distr