Hanford Insider
Welcome the Hanford Insider, I’m your host Rob Bentley. I’m a lifelong resident of Hanford and I’m very involved in the local history scene and podcasting so I decided to start this show as a resource to Hanford area residents for covering issues, promoting events, sports, and reflecting on some local history.
Tune in each Monday for a new episode.
Please help me get the word out about the show by sharing on social media, or telling a friend. For more information about the show, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, or Threads at @Hanford Insider.
If you have a show idea, be sure to email me hanfordinsider@gmail.com If you are part of an organization that needs help getting the word out to the community, let’s work together.
Episodes
176 episodes
Hanford Insider: HESD's Multi Year School Modernization Plan
Construction signs outside a school can feel like background noise until you hear what’s actually happening behind the fences. We sit down with Hanford Elementary School District Superintendent Joy Gabler and Director of Facilities and Operatio...
Hanford Insider: Downtown Blues Festival and some other news you may not have heard yet.
A free blues festival that pulls in thousands, packs the dance area, and makes downtown Hanford feel like a different place for one night? That’s the Blues and Roots Festival, and Jim Castleman joins me with a full preview of the 25th annual ce...
Hanford Insider: How Lemoore College Is Building Opportunity In Kings County
The story of a community college is usually told in brochures and buzzwords. We wanted the real version, the one that starts with who students actually are and what they’re up against. After a quick run through Hanford’s week ahead (City Counci...
Hanford Insider: Ann Marie Paden with TKRL, Community News, & Sports
A small-town podcast can feel like a bulletin board, a scoreboard, and a front porch conversation all at once, and that’s exactly what we’re going for this week on The Hanford Insider. We start with the community news you actually need: the Mid...
Hanford Insider: KRH Calico, Links for Life, High School Football Preview
Data centers, local control, and real-world community impact are colliding in Hanford, and we dig into what’s happening right now. We start with the Hanford City Council’s upcoming meeting, including a Measure H revenue and expenditures report ...
Hanford City Council Wrap Up in Minutes Aug 10, 2026
A single City Council meeting can quietly steer the next 25 years of growth, safety, and Vice Mayor Nancy Howze breaks down the August 4th Hanford City Council Meeting. We start with a big-picture item that affects everyday life: the Kings Coun...
Hanford Insider: Hanford Jewelry and Loan, Kings Players, Babe Ruth Stars, High School Fall Sport Preview
A pawn shop with two vaults in an old bank building sounds like the start of a crime story, but in downtown Hanford it’s really a story about trust. We sit down with Kirsten Bookout of Hanford Jewelry and Loan to talk about what it takes to kee...
Hanford Insider: The Tee Box, Time Capsule Contents, Sports Update
A small town feels bigger when you know what’s happening and you’ve got somewhere fun to meet up. We start with the civic stuff that impacts real life in Hanford: major City Council changes, three open seats, who has filed for candidacy, and th...
Hanford City Council Recap In Minutes Pt. II
A reballot powered by neighbors. A budget shortfall that changes what gets maintained. A major public safety project that forces a hard conversation about eminent domain. Mayor Mark Kairis returns with part two of a July 21 Hanford City Council...
Hanford City Council Recap In Minutes
A proposed data center that the city says it hasn’t been consulted on. Police tech that raises big questions about privacy. And a new California water law that could change what “normal” landscaping looks like across town. Mayor Mark Kairis giv...
Hanford Insider: 1976 Time Capsule
A sealed tube buried in 1976 just told Hanford a story it couldn’t hear anywhere else and the voices are still there. We crack open the City of Hanford 1976 Bicentennial Time Capsule and walk through what was saved, why it was chosen, and what ...
Hanford Insider: ENCORE EPISODE with Nancy Howze
Hiring a new city manager might sound like inside baseball, but it is one of the biggest decisions Hanford will make this year, and it will shape everything from staff culture to how fast projects actually move. We talk with Vice Mayor Nancy Ho...
Hanford Insider: ENCORE EPISODE, KCSO Air Support Unit
More planes and helicopters circling over Hanford has sparked a lot of curiosity and more than a few rumors, so we decided to go straight to the source. We sit down with Sergeant Jerry Hunter and Senior Deputy Eric Johnson from the Kings County...
Hanford Insider: ENCORE EPISODE - Chris Tavarez Hanford City Manager
Hanford doesn’t need more buzzwords, it needs roads you can drive on, a public safety facility that actually fits the people working inside it, and utility systems that won’t fail at the worst possible moment. We sit down with Hanford City Mana...
Travis Paden's council update and Independence Day greeting
Your street lights, neighborhood landscaping, and park upkeep do not happen by accident, and they definitely do not pay for themselves. Councilmember Travis Payden gives us a clear wrap-up of recent Hanford City Council actions, starting with t...
Vice Mayor Nancy Howze Breaks Down the June 16th City Council Decisions Pt. 2
A City Council meeting can feel like a blur until you hear what actually changed and what it means for your day-to-day life in Hanford. Councilmember Nancy Howze gives us a focused June 16 recap that starts with a boost to public safety: ...
Hanford Insider: Hanford's Freedom Fest & Fireworks Show
Hanford is getting a real, live Fourth of July fireworks show again, and the behind-the-scenes planning is the part most people never hear about. I’m joined by Brad Albert on location at the Hanford Softball Complex to walk through the first Ha...
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Hanford Insider: Illegal Fireworks Crackdown
Illegal fireworks don’t just light up the sky, they light up roofs, yards, and sometimes lives. As Hanford heads into the July 4 holiday weekend, we sit down with Hanford Fire Chief Daniel Perkins to get painfully clear on what’s changing, why ...
Mayor Mark Kairis Breaks Down the June 16th City Council Decisions Pt. 1
Hanford’s wastewater system is one of those essentials you only notice when something goes wrong, and that is exactly why we wanted to slow down and explain what City Council just took on. Mayor Mark Kairis joins us with a clear recap of the Ju...
Hanford Insider: E Bike & E Scooter Safety with HPD Corporal Daniel Todd
A kid on an e-bike. A rider on a motorized scooter. A driver turning right who doesn’t expect someone flying the wrong way. That mix is how close calls turn into tragedies, and it’s why Hanford is taking electric bicycle safety and e-scooter sa...
Hanford Insider: Superior Dairy update & a Hanford West state championship!
A near-100-year-old ice cream shop is easy to love and hard to rebuild. We sit down with Andy and Jacob Zonneveld, new owners of Superior Dairy Products, to hear why the family stepped in to restore one of Hanford’s most recognizable landmarks ...
Hanford Insider: How The Carnegie Museum Turns Classic Cars Into A Summer Festival
Downtown Hanford is about to fill up with chrome, stories, and the kind of small-town energy you can feel from a block away. We’re giving you a detailed preview of the fifth annual Carnegie Museum of Kings County Car and Bike Show, plus the key...
Hanford Insider: Kings Players, the June Primary Election, Community News, & Sports
Graduation week doesn’t just sneak up on Hanford, it hits all at once, and we want you walking in prepared. We start with the practical stuff that saves you time and stress: the new clear bag policy at Neighbor Bowl, the biggest graduation nigh...
Mayor Mark Kairis Breaks Down the May 19 City Council Decisions
A nearly $60 million decision rarely fits into a quick recap, but that’s exactly what we tackle as we break down Hanford’s most consequential May 19 City Council actions. Mayor Mark Kairis, walks us through what we approved, why it matter...
Hanford Insider: Hanford Step Sisters and another Sierra Pacific Valley Championship!
A town feels different when you stop trying to “get in shape” alone and start showing up with other people. That’s why I’m excited to share my conversation with Tiffany Ramirez and Lori Bravo, the women behind Hanford Stepsisters, a women-only ...
