Tulare County Ca

Strolling through emerald groves of orange trees, Tulare County citrus grower Allen Ishida said he reckons he'll have to sell some of his 270 acres to pay higher property taxes should his county pull out of a threatened farmland preservation program. Thirty miles down California 99, third-generation almond grower Don Davis was making similar calculations. Davis figures he could rip out rows of almond trees stretching over 480 acres near McFarland in Kern County and sell the land, if necessary.

Strolling through emerald groves of orange trees, Tulare County citrus grower Allen Ishida said he reckons he'll have to sell some of his 270 acres to pay higher property taxes should his county pull out of a threatened farmland preservation program. Thirty miles down California 99, third-generation almond grower Don Davis was making similar calculations. Davis figures he could rip out rows of almond trees stretching over 480 acres near McFarland in Kern County and sell the land, if necessary.

When a Southern California nursery opened operations near here in the early 1990s, authorities say, there were gang members among the families of workers who relocated. The gang eventually took root in this unincorporated Tulare County town of about 4,000 built around a big packing plant and surrounded by orange groves. "When I moved there in 1976, nothing ever happened," recalled Sheriff's Det. Joe Aguilar.

When a Southern California nursery opened operations near here in the early 1990s, authorities say, there were gang members among the families of workers who relocated. The gang eventually took root in this unincorporated Tulare County town of about 4,000 built around a big packing plant and surrounded by orange groves. "When I moved there in 1976, nothing ever happened," recalled Sheriff's Det. Joe Aguilar.

They're the two scrawny kids in the schoolyard. Both have sky-high unemployment. Their educational attainment and median income levels are in the tank. A fourth of their populations live in poverty. And each struggles with an agricultural economy that is both blessing and curse. If Tulare and Imperial counties share so many problems, leaders reasoned, why not share solutions? Now, the economic development gurus in the two poor counties have teamed up to do just that.

A 29-year-old Tulare man was arrested last week on suspicion of starting three small wildfires in September that burned in a remote canyon and led to a plane crash in which two people were killed. Patrick Courtney is expected to face homicide and arson charges, according to a statement from the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. A forestry department plane scouting a fire in a wooded area about 170 miles north of Los Angeles crashed in the foothills of Tulare County on Sept.

A Tulare County sheriff's deputy has been booked for investigation of trying to smuggle cocaine into jail. Sheriff's officials reported that Rui Godinho, 23, was arrested for investigation of possession of a controlled substance for sale and smuggling a controlled substance into a penal institution. He was placed on administrative leave pending disciplinary action.

Tulare County officials have closed sections of the courthouse here after a type of toxic mold was found last month. Officials discovered high levels of stachybotrys in the attic and in the third floor hallway. The affected areas, including a courtroom, judge's chambers, clerk and court reporter offices, and a jury room, will be closed for cleaning and testing until at least Sept. 29, officials said.

A car found partially submerged in a river in Tulare County held a body that may be that of a Pasadena woman missing since July 1, police said. On Thursday, Pasadena investigators traveled to the San Joaquin Valley county, one day after a farm worker found the 1999 Nissan Maxima in the Tule River. The car belongs to Elizabeth Whiting, 66, who failed to show up for a family gathering at Shaver Lake in Fresno County, said Pasadena police spokeswoman Janet Pope.

California's Giant Sequoia National Monument cleared its last legal challenge Monday as the Supreme Court declined to consider an appeal by Tulare County and logging groups. The court's action, issued without comment, upheld President Clinton's creation of the 327,769-acre Giant Sequoia monument. Tulare County officials contended the monument, about half the size of Yosemite National Park, is unnecessarily large.

A 29-year-old Tulare man was arrested last week on suspicion of starting three small wildfires in September that burned in a remote canyon and led to a plane crash in which two people were killed. Patrick Courtney is expected to face homicide and arson charges, according to a statement from the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. A forestry department plane scouting a fire in a wooded area about 170 miles north of Los Angeles crashed in the foothills of Tulare County on Sept.

Tulare County prosecutors planned to add 25 more criminal charges against a man suspected of molesting boys and producing child pornography videos for more than a decade. Eric Manfredi, 45, was arrested after he was stabbed at home and officers responding to his call for help found drugs and child porn. He has since recovered from his wounds. Manfredi allegedly used hidden cameras to film children engaged in sex acts. He appeared in most of the videos.

Every day, Rose Machado uses her ink pads to stamp stars, "great" and "awesome" on the homework of her 20 second-graders. And although the school year is two-thirds over, Machado hasn't run out of ink yet. She picked up ink pads, folders, stencils, glue sticks and index cards -- and saved herself about $1,000 -- when she attended a school supplies giveaway last fall. The event was sponsored by the nonprofit Love in the Name of Christ of Tulare County and the Tulare County Office of Education.

A Tulare County Superior Court judge has settled a lawsuit against the county over exposure to a dangerous mold found above a ceiling tile in her court chambers. The county agreed to pay Judge Elisabeth Krant $40,000 but did not admit liability, said county counsel Kathleen Bales-Lange. The settlement was approved Thursday by a visiting judge. The $40,000 will be paid by the county's insurer.

Three seventh-grade boys from a Tulare County school face expulsion after being accused of sexually assaulting at least five girls on campus, school officials said. Tulare County sheriff's detectives began investigating the complaints from girls this week. The boys are accused of holding the girls, groping them and forcing them into sexual positions. No other sex acts are alleged to have occurred, said Sheriff's Lt. Donna Perry. Two of the boys are 12 and one is 13.

California's Giant Sequoia National Monument cleared its last legal challenge Monday as the Supreme Court declined to consider an appeal by Tulare County and logging groups. The court's action, issued without comment, upheld President Clinton's creation of the 327,769-acre Giant Sequoia monument. Tulare County officials contended the monument, about half the size of Yosemite National Park, is unnecessarily large.

Tulare County officials have closed sections of the courthouse here after a type of toxic mold was found last month. Officials discovered high levels of stachybotrys in the attic and in the third floor hallway. The affected areas, including a courtroom, judge's chambers, clerk and court reporter offices, and a jury room, will be closed for cleaning and testing until at least Sept. 29, officials said.

The nonprofit Christian organization Feed the Children is planning food deliveries to the Central Valley's Tulare County after learning about the grinding poverty that is leaving many people in the rural area hungry. The Oklahoma-based group, known for fund-raising television commercials that dramatically depict need around the world, sent a representative to the struggling agricultural county last month to assess the problem.