We take this opportunity to update you on all of the latest Hanford City Council News including the swearing in of new Chief of Police Stephanie Huddleston, Water Rate Increases, and a Downtown Revitalization Project update.
There's a lot of road construction going on right now. Rob will update us on some of the large projects taking place soon that will affect your travels to the coast or to Tulare County.
This episode isn't just about the physical infrastructure of our town, but also the social fabric that binds us. We're building community through conversation. With Julie Martella's "Navigating Widowhood" podcast serving as a beacon for many, we examine the full spectrum of grief and growth
Julie's narrative provides a poignant reminder of the personal journeys that unfold in life. Her experiences open up a compassionate dialogue for those affected by widowhood, offering a space for connection and shared understanding. Navigating the complexities of loss, Julie joins us to share her heartfelt story and the profound work she's doing to support widows in our community.
You can find the Hanford Insider at www.hanfordinsider.com and on social media at @hanfordinsider Thank you for supporting the show!
We take this opportunity to update you on all of the latest Hanford City Council News including the swearing in of new Chief of Police Stephanie Huddleston, Water Rate Increases, and a Downtown Revitalization Project update.
There's a lot of road construction going on right now. Rob will update us on some of the large projects taking place soon that will affect your travels to the coast or to Tulare County.
This episode isn't just about the physical infrastructure of our town, but also the social fabric that binds us. We're building community through conversation. With Julie Martella's "Navigating Widowhood" podcast serving as a beacon for many, we examine the full spectrum of grief and growth
Julie's narrative provides a poignant reminder of the personal journeys that unfold in life. Her experiences open up a compassionate dialogue for those affected by widowhood, offering a space for connection and shared understanding. Navigating the complexities of loss, Julie joins us to share her heartfelt story and the profound work she's doing to support widows in our community.
You can find the Hanford Insider at www.hanfordinsider.com and on social media at @hanfordinsider Thank you for supporting the show!
Speaker 1:
On this episode of the Hanford Insider, we'll hear from Julie Martella, who has a great outreach to widows in our community. Rob shares information he's found out about road construction projects on Highway 198, highway 41, and the Houston Avenue Bridge over Cross Creek, and I'll be back a little later to update you on all of the high school sports action. This is the Hanford Insider for Monday, january 22nd.
Speaker 2:
Welcome to this episode of the Hanford Insider. I'm your host, rob Bentley. I'd like to thank you for listening. Be sure to stop by my website at HanfordInsidercom and leave a review of the show. It really helps grow the podcast.
Speaker 2:
The City Council met last week and in the afternoon study session staff unveiled the city's new supplementary logo, tagline icons and associated branding materials Hanford, california. Where tradition meets tomorrow, staff made it clear that the city's iconic planning tomorrow's seal will be continued to be used and seen as well. As last week's City Council meeting, the new police chief, stephanie Huddleston, was officially introduced and penned, along with the announcement of the promotion of James Lutz to police captain. We'll hear from Chief Huddleston in a few weeks about her plans for the Hanford Police Department. During the public comment portion of the meeting, there was an update on the timeline for the Downtown Revitalization Project. The company conducting the second study is now in the process of gathering input from the businesses downtown and in a few months will be coming back to the City Council for their proposals, which may or may not include the controversial traffic circle at the intersection of 7th and Doughty Street.
Speaker 2:
Also during the meeting, a public hearing was held on the issue of raising water rates on February 1. Rates will continue to rise each year to meet the cost of the equipment and water used by each resident. The average single-family monthly residential water user's bill is currently $36.85 and will increase to $48.46 on February 1. One resident pointed out that over the next three years the rates will increase 96%. Another resident pointed out that the city should look at limiting some of the growth so that the city's need for water isn't so great. Yet another resident stated that it isn't right to raise rates so drastically, so quickly. It looks like poor management. Mayor Payton agreed and it said that it's unfortunate that the issue of water rate increases should have been dealt with by previous councils. The rates have not been increased since 2018.
Speaker 2:
About eight residents spoke in opposition to the rate increase. All ratepayers were sent a notice in the mail with the option to protest the increase. It was reported that there were just 12 objections to the water rate increase submitted in Ritey. 9,000 protest objections were needed to block the council from approving the rate increase. The water rate increase was passed 4-1. In other city council news, the council also settled a harassment lawsuit with former Community Development Director Darlene Mada for $700,000. Her complaint was mainly against former council member Art Briano for a laundry list of inappropriate behaviors and actions With insurance coverage. The city will only be paying out about $100,000. City Attorney Time commented that there was an overwhelming evidence in favor of Ms Mada and if the city had taken it to trial it could have been a payout of $1.5 million.
Speaker 2:
In this week's community news I'll be focusing on some of the big road construction projects taking place that will have an impact on your travels in the coming months. Let's start with a high-speed rail project over Highway 198. There's going to be intermittent closures with detours between Highway 43 and 6th Avenue as the contractors work to continue on the viaduct over the freeway. I'd encourage all of you to go back and listen to the October 15th episode of the Hanford Insider for my interview with Toni Tanoko from the High-Speed Rail as she explains the project. Another big project in Kings County that will affect travel to the coast especially is the 6-month closure of Highway 41 near Stratford. I asked Alex Aguilera from Caltrans about the project and detours that will be available.
Speaker 3:
So, starting February 5th, there will be a hard closure 2-mile stretch in order to replace the bridge that's currently in place. That bridge was built in 1942 and since then they've noticed that it's beginning to crack underneath and the pillars holding the bridge are beginning to erode. So Caltrans is taking preventative measures before those cracks continue to spread.
Speaker 2:
So how long will the D2R be in effect then?
Speaker 3:
So, the project is projected to take approximately six months, and that's all, depending on weather conditions or any uncontrollable events that may cause the deadline to extend. But as of now, caltrans has set up an alternate route, advising commuters to utilize date route 198 to Interstate 5 and back onto state route 41, especially for people that are trying to travel to the coast.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, when I went to the coast a few weeks ago, I really started to think about the possible alternate routes, and it's not going to be pretty. I asked Officer Vince Raeber from the California Highway Patrol if he has any advice for us.
Speaker 4:
We need to be aware of a few things. The recommended route is going to be 198 out to I-5 and Caltrans has spent time, I believe, preparing that route for an increase in traffic. A couple of things just on that roadway to head on is we have four lanes generally in Kings County on 198 until we get to the base, and then we're going to narrow down from four lanes to an each direction to two lanes, one lane in each direction. Naturally, just any time we tone down that it's going to be more cars per mile stacked on top of each other in one lane than otherwise. So we're going to have to be patient, we're going to have to give a little bit more time in that thought process of trying to arrive where we go, and one limitation we do have is we don't have a physical divider anymore. We do have things like that. We need to consider that even in light traffic a two lane roadway has some natural things going on. One thing I do want to mention is and people forget about this we've seen recently is that as you go down 198, there is a light at the base, and that's another thing to consider for people that aren't used to going that route and just used to going down the freeway at freeway speeds is we do have a traffic light and there is traffic that comes through there.
Speaker 4:
We have alternate routes. There are people I know that will discuss how you can go this way, how you can go that way. For example, like you said, they have an opt-off. Those roadways weren't made for the volume of traffic that we're going to see and a lot of those roadways that you're going to see are in rural farming areas. So we do deal with things like the fog, we deal with things like that, but we will get to main or harvest season and right now just commute traffic. We have correctional facilities that we see a high volume of commute traffic certain times of day and if you're wanting to include people trying to go to the coast with that volume of traffic, it's going to be very heavy and it's going to cause a lot of slowdowns because, like I said, the roadway isn't prepared for that volume.
Speaker 2:
As I was getting stuff together for those projects, I thought it might also be nice to get an update from the county on the status of the Cross Creek Bridge on Houston Avenue. That used to be a great alternative to 198 going to Visalia. Rachel Cabrera was able to give me an update.
Speaker 5:
Yes, definitely. I know there's a lot of interest in the status of this bridge project. You know, as everyone is well aware, due to the flood this bridge sustained some damage. The initial thought of the county was to see if it could be rehabilitated for a quick opening. Unfortunately that was not the case for this bridge. It has spelled structurally. We have been out there with Caltrans. Houston Avenue is designated on the federal system so the county has to work with Caltrans on any bridge maintenance and repair in this area. We've met out with Caltrans. They've deemed it as a as a felled structure. It's closed permanently by the county and Caltrans.
Speaker 5:
The county has submitted a request through Caltrans to try to receive a funding for the disaster aid to repair this bridge. That is a lengthy process. So the county, in order to expedite that, we've taken the step of putting out a request for proposal to get an engineer, a design consultant, to start on the drawing and design of the bridge. So once we do get that approval from Caltrans or if we receive any financial assistance for that reconstruction, we'll be ready to go. That being said, design itself of the structure is a lengthy process.
Speaker 5:
We do have to deal with environmental permitting since we're crossing over a waterway, across creek, so environmental the permitting right away requirements, depending on the structure that we go with. We understand that it's an inconvenience to a lot of the motoring public, but in order to design, get it permitted in construction, we're looking at at least a couple of years before it's fully opened up to the public. That being said, we are going to work with our engineer to look at different alternatives. The structure there now has piles in the middle of the channel. We are looking at getting away from that and with the structure that would leave the channel way open to avoid any future damage that another flood event could cost to the system. So yeah, that's pretty much an update on where we're at right now. We've sent out the requests for proposals, we're working on getting that engineer consultant under contract and we'll start that process of getting the design completed.
Speaker 2:
Here's some things coming up on our community calendar. The Sea of Pacific High School Theater apartment is presenting Les Misrobes this Thursday through Sunday at the Hanford Presentation Center. For showtimes and tickets, visit spbandorg. The 1776 Sons of Liberty is sponsoring a Meet the Candidate night with District 5 Kings County Board of Supervisor Candidate Adam Madaris, on Monday January 22nd at the Hanford Oaks Lodge at 7 pm. The event will also be live streamed on their Facebook page. Kings Community Action is looking for volunteers for their Home Gardens Community Garden cleanup on Saturday January 27th from 9 to 12. For more information, visit their website at kcaoorg. The 1776 Sons of Liberty will also be hosting a debate featuring the candidates for County Board of Supervisors, district 5, the 20th and 22nd Congregional Districts and the 33rd Assembly District. The event will be held at the Hanford Presentation Center on Thursday February 1st at 6 pm. The annual Hanford Rotary Crab Feed will be held on Saturday February 3rd at the Square 8th Hall. Tickets are available from Rotary Club members. I'll be grabbing events as I see them on the Hanford Sentinel Calendar and Social Media pages. If you have an event coming up and you'd like some help getting the word out, let's work together. Send your information to HanfordInsider at gmailcom.
Speaker 2:
One of the great things about people who have podcast is that we're always sharing information with each other about our shows and how to make them even better. One of the great things that we get the opportunity to do from time to time is to appear on each other's show. It's even more special when the fellow podcasters are friend of yours, and that's the case with my good friend, julie Martella. She has been her friend of mine for over 30 years and she has a story that she'd like to share. Her podcast, navigating Widowhood, is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Welcome to the show, julie.
Speaker 6:
Hi Rob.
Speaker 2:
Julie, I know that your show and website, Navigating Widowhood, is a great resource for those facing the challenges of widowhood. But let's take it back a little to the beginning of your story on this road.
Speaker 6:
Okay. Well, if we're going back to the beginning, we're going back to June of 2017, when my husband unexpectedly died and we were one month into 46. So I was left with two teenage girls. I was relatively young, we had a farm that needed to be taken care of, and I Didn't see anyone that looked like me. I Saw lots of older women, lots of older men who had lost a spouse, but I really didn't have anyone that looked like me, and so I was left struggling, and I was left with lots of questions about how do I deal with the logistics of being a younger widow.
Speaker 2:
And how long had you been married?
Speaker 6:
We've been married for 17 years, together for 20.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that's great. So obviously a lot of emotions going going through that and Frustrations, anger, you name it. I'm sure you went through it. How did you begin to heal?
Speaker 6:
Within a few months I was connected with to a great resource ran by glad tidings Church in Hanford called grief share, and that was the only program around that addressed anything to do with grief and I went through the program and it was a good beginning. But, like I said earlier, I really struggled with a set of logistics with the younger widow that other people didn't have, in addition to the kids and the farm. So for three years I just worked and I worked all the time and I didn't deal with my grief. And it wasn't until the pandemic hit and I was injured and I finally had to be home and be still that I discovered that my grief was waiting for me and this time I was ready to deal with it. So I reached out, I got help and I did work.
Speaker 2:
He so you were in that grief share group and probably one of the younger ones, if not the youngest, widow there. How did your relationship with fellow widowers develop?
Speaker 6:
it was during the pandemic and I I Found I actually found a meetup group for widowed people and by then, you know, we're all locked in our houses, the kids have moved home and I needed some human contact. So I joined this group. I'd never done a zoom and I thought, well, I'm gonna do it. And I finally got connected to Widowed people of all ages, you know, male and female, of all ages.
Speaker 6:
And it was at that point that the trajectory of my grief journey changed for the better, because I finally was talking to people who got it and I met a woman who was just like me and her husband had died and she had a farm too. And so we connected and we began a coaching Relationship and she really walked me through the grief. And then she invited me to this crazy thing called camp widow and I went down to Camp widow. It was an amazing weekend it's kind of a weird name but it's an amazing weekend and the whole purpose of the camp is to connect widow people with each other. And I finally got to meet a ton of people Just like me and when I left that camp I had decided I'm going to do this for other people.
Speaker 2:
So that camp Camp Widow. Is there a website or something that people could learn more about that? If you know what it?
Speaker 6:
is yes, yes. So if you want to go to, so it's soaringspiritsorg and they run online programs. They run newly Widow programs and then their big outreach is they run multiple Camp Widows throughout the year and you can actually Google Camp Widow and it'll take you there too. It is an amazing program. If you are a widowed person, it is a life-changing program.
Speaker 2:
What a great resource. That's awesome. So you're going through this and it's been put on your heart to reach out to others and you got some inspiration for a website and then it eventually turned into a podcast. Can you tell us a little bit about how that all came about?
Speaker 6:
Of course it actually came about because of Camp Widow. I became a presenter at Camp Widow and there I began meeting a lot of people and my friends and my fellow widowed people said we want to hear more from you, we want a blog. So I figured it out and I did the blog and then eventually they said we think you should do a podcast. But at first I was like no, no, no, no. But they kept asking me and I thought you know, if they want it, then I need to make this happen. And so I figured it out.
Speaker 2:
So you created a website. What kind of things do you have on your website?
Speaker 6:
On my website I have created a resource for widowed people. I have things for newly widowed people, but my specialty is actually the widowed person who is emerged from the big wave of grief and they're kind of looking around like they just survived a bombing or being kidnapped and they've just found their way out and they're sitting there and they're going now, what do I do? And that is where I come in and we talk about what are you going to do? And I make sure that they have processed their grief and then we look forward to their future. So on the website you will find resources that support those things, as well as actually as well as there's a contact button at the top If somebody wants to work with me. I do some one-on-one coaching with them. I've been trained at Certified and we walk through the grief journey together.
Speaker 2:
So, my fellow podcaster, tell us a little bit about your podcast and the kind of topics that you cover, and maybe some interesting feedback that you've gotten from some fellow widowers.
Speaker 6:
My podcast is called Navigating Widowhood. I wanted to keep it simple and we discuss the logistics of navigating widowhood, no matter what that is. We have covered dating. We've covered a lot of organizing. We all struggle with. What do I do with all the stuff? We cover feelings, emotions, processing grief and one of my favorite experiences is I have a thing on my podcast where I encourage people to send me a question. If you send me a question, I will do the research, I will reach out and I will answer it. And I had a question from a delightful woman who was 75, who wanted to date and she needed some dating advice because it seemed that all of the men wanted to date my younger women. So we talked about it and we had a great time and it just like I said earlier, my goal and my focus is to encourage people that they can do this, that there is a future waiting for them, that they are beautifully equipped, but they just need someone to show them the way, and that's what I do.
Speaker 2:
So what is the website? And podcast.
Speaker 6:
The website address is wwwnavigatingwidowhoodcom and the podcast is also navigating widowhood, and you can find it at Apple and Spotify.
Speaker 2:
Well, julie, thank you so much for coming on the show. I know that you're touching many lives and you're very appreciated in the community and worldwide on your website and podcast. So thank you for coming on the show and sharing with us.
Speaker 6:
Well, thank you, rob, so much for having me, and now it's time for Hanford Insider Sports with Eric Bentley.
Speaker 1:
Basketball league players started and a couple of teams are off to a hot start. On the girls side, hanford High and Sierra Pacific stay undefeated as the bullpups picked up a pair of single-digit wins versus Tulare Western and Mission Oak to improve to 4-0 in the WIL, which puts them in first place and from one first-place team to another. Sierra Pacific finds themselves atop the Tri-County Canyon League standings with a 3-0 league record, following blowout wins over Kingsburg and LD Amante. Hanford West was in action three times but weren't able to pick up a win, dropping their contests to Emmanuel, kerman and Bakersfield Christian as they fall to 1-2 in league play. On the boys side, sierra Pacific had a successful week as they picked up three wins versus Kerman, kingsburg and Regetti. The Golden Bears now sit at 3-1 in league play. Hanford West also went without a blemish in the loss column, taking a pair of victories over Kingsburg and Exeter. The Huskies now improve to 2-1 in their league contests. Hanford High split their two games with a 69-57 win over Tulare Western before falling to Mission Oak 78-67. The bullpups are 2-2 in league action.
Speaker 1:
On to soccer, where the only win came from the Hanford High girls as they took down Mission Oak Final Score 4-1. They dropped their other game this week to Tulare Western. The bullpups are now 3-1 in league play. The Hanford West girls are still looking for their first league win, as they lost to Kerman and played to a draw versus Exeter and the Sierra Pacific. Girls couldn't pick up a win in their two contests, as they lost to Washington Union and Reedly. The Golden Bears are 1-3 in league action.
Speaker 1:
On the boys side, hanford High lost to Tulare Union but was able to play Mission Oak to a 2-2 draw. Hanford West had a pair of draws as they took on Kingsburg and Emanuel, and Sierra Pacific lost both of their matches to Selma and Washington Union. And in other sports news, hanford West has announced their first class of Hall of Fame inductees. Those being honored are coach of the year, stan Tangerman, female athlete Sylvia Cortez and male athlete Michael Hostetler. They will be honored at the Hall of Fame dinner on February 24th at the Hanford West Athletics Booster Dinner. And a big congratulations to Hanford High quarterback Daniel Gomez, who has received an offer to play football at Fresno State. As always, we'd love to hear from you, so please reach out to HanfordInsider at gmailcom. I'm Eric Bentley and this has been your Hanford Insider Sports Report.