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Fresno Coin Gallery to open Visalia location
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- Published on 02/25/2013 - 10:02 am
- Written by Clay Moffitt
This March, Fresno Coin Gallery will make the drive for its Tulare County customers dramatically shorter when it opens Visalia Jewelry and Loan.
“We’ve had a large customer base from Visalia and Tulare County, and they’ve been traveling to Fresno for years. We are excited to finally bring the business to them,” said Michelle Page, Fresno Coin Gallery chief administrative officer.
The 3,600 square-foot store will be located at 1615 S Mooney Blvd. in Visalia.
The store will buy and loan for gold, platinum and silver jewelry, coins, sterling flatware, Rolex watches and diamonds.
“The experience we provide is unique and we offer a very secure, comfortable location that will replicate what the customers have seen at our Fresno location for years,” Page said.
Every March, the company holds a gold buying event to benefit Fresno County schools. This year the proceeds generated from the event at the new location in Visalia will benefit Tulare County schools.
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Latest Local News
Written on 06/19/2013, 2:15 pm by
(AP) — Tesla is recalling as many as 1,228 of its Model S vehicles, citing a problem with a rear seat latch in the electric sports sedan.
Written on 06/19/2013, 8:58 am by
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to move forward a 1.25-megawatt solar facility near Reedley, passing over a local resident's opposition to the project.
The project, proposed by Pristine Sun Solar of San Francisco, is sited on two agricultural parcels totaling 46 acres along S. Englehart Avenue between Central and American avenues about five miles northeast of Reedley.
When complete, 5,760 photovoltaic panels on 125 dual-axis trackers will follow the sun during the day, feeding PG&E's Reedley substation with enough electricity to power 1,250 homes at peak production.
The project also entails a pad-mounted inverter/transformer unit and seven utility poles 36-feet tall, along with two access roads and overhead transmission lines across Wahtoke Creek to the north.
Although the project was approved by the Fresno County planning commission on April 25, nearby property owner Todd Case had something else to say.
In an appeal to the planning commission's decision filed to the board of supervisors on May 9, Case cited concerns of the project disturbing local wildlife, causing flooding, fires and upsetting 1,825 graves located on-site.
Case appeared before the board of supervisors yesterday also grieving the potential loss in property values and not wanting to live next to such a facility.
In the end, four supervisors voted to uphold the planning commission's approval with only Supervisor Judy Case opposing.
The same vote was cast to approve a partial cancellation of agricultural land contracted to receive property tax credits under the Williamson Act.
In all, 44.18 acres of grazing land are being taken out of the Williamson Act to develop the site, while a cancelation fee will bring a total of $37,500 to the county coffers.
The solar facility will be separated by a buffer of 50 feet from the nearest agricultural operations.
Pristine Sun said it will provide an estimated $99,625 to restore the site to its former condition after around 20 years when the facility ceases operation.
Written on 06/18/2013, 2:44 pm by
Media Solutions, Inc. of Fresno was named the 14th Senate District Small Business of the Year by state Sen. Tom Berryhill (R-Twain Harte).
Established in 2003 by Vincent Melella and Morgan Kirk, MSI is a full-service audio-visual event service and production rental company that specializes in corporate events, weddings and parties.
The business offers lighting, sound systems, stage sets and backdrops and decor for events and serves customers from Fresno, Sacramento and Stockton to Bakersfield, San Jose and the Central Coast.
A member of both the Clovis and Greater Fresno Area chambers of commerce, MSI was awarded by Berryhill for the business' longstanding support of the community, commitment to customer service and honest business practices.
"I am really pleased to be able to recognize MSI as our Small Business of the Year," said Berryhill, in a statement. "It is a wonderful example of what a small business can do for a community. Vinnie and Morgan are always there to lend a hand whether it is supporting things like Children's Hospital or Valley Teen Ranch—they are just a vital part of our community."
Berryhill represents the 14th Senate District, which covers portions of Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties.
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Written on 06/18/2013, 11:19 am by
(AP) — State fire officials say a wildfire near the main route into Yosemite National Park that has forced more than a thousand residents to evacuate their homes was caused by an unattended campfire.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Karen Guillemin said on Tuesday that a human caused the fire but did not release more details about where it started.
Guillemin said the fire, which began on Sunday, has burned 1,600 acres and led to the evacuation of 800 homes and about 1,500 people.
The blaze 6 miles northeast of Mariposa has burned 2 ½ square miles remains 15 percent contained.
No structures have been damaged or destroyed. One firefighter suffered a minor injury.
Highway 140 into Yosemite National Park remains open.
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Written on 06/18/2013, 11:14 am by
The President's Scholars program of the West Hills Community College District will help more high school students attend college thanks to a $100,000 donation from Educational Employees Credit Union.
The program, offered at West Hills Community Colleges in Coalinga and Lemoore, pays full tuition and provides $250 for book costs each semester to outstanding local area high school graduates.
At a value of $2,000 per year, the scholarships are open to students who have achieved a 3.5 grade point average and have completed a college educational plan.
There is no limit to the number of scholarships available. The program has named more than 500 students as President's Scholars since it began in 1996.
EECU's donation will provide $20,000 a year for the next five years, putting 50 local students through their first two years of college.
West Hills College Lemoore President Don Warkenkin will join EECU officials as he accepts the gift during a ceremony at 11 a.m. on June 19 at EECU's Hanford branch, located at 1460 W. 7th St.
EECU is the 67th largest credit union in the U.S. and the 13th largest in California. With deposits of more than $2 billion, the credit union has 15 branches and more than 200,000 members throughout Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties.
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Written on 06/17/2013, 4:59 pm by
Fresno State is offering its newest bachelor's degree to students studying Latin American cultures.
The degree program, consisting of 120 units, will be offered for the first time this fall through the Chicano and Latin American Studies Department in the College of Social Sciences.
The department currently offers a bachelor's degree and a minor in Chicano Studies and a minor in Latin American Studies.
Students who enroll in the new program will learn about the experiences of people living in Latin American countries like Mexico and Argentina and about their economic relations with the U.S.
Many will go on to instructors in the field of Latin American studies and related disciplines of social sciences and the humanities. Others will use the knowledge to help them in other careers requiring insight into Latin American society.
Those wishing to enroll are encouraged to spend a semester abroad studying in Latin America, Spain or Portugal.
The program is the only one approved for Fresno State by the CSU chancellor this year.
More about the degree and how to sign up can be found online at fresnostate.edu/socialsciences/clas/degrees/la-major.html.
Fresno State now offers 96 bachelor's degrees as well as 51 master's degrees, seven doctoral degrees and 20 different teaching credentials.
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Written on 06/17/2013, 2:06 pm by
Fresno’s Central Library will distribute free meals to youth throughout the summer.
A healthy lunch will be provided weekdays from noon to 1 p.m. June 17 to August 9 to anyone between the ages of 1 to 18 regardless of income. Provided by program sponsor Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, lunches are available on a first come, first served basis.
The library is at 2420 Mariposa St. in Fresno.
The Lunch at the Library program, in partnership with the California Library Association and the California Summer Meal Coalition, brings together the library’s longstanding summer reading tradition with a lunchtime meal, in an effort to combat summer learning loss and summer hunger.
Studies show that malnourishment can diminish a child’s overall learning potential. Of the Fresno County children who are eligible for free lunches during the school year, just 1 in 10 have access to it during the summer.
Add to that the fact that children who don’t read over the summer lose on average one month of academic progress. By middle school, those who haven't read during the summer may have lost as much as two years’ worth of achievement.
“The Lunch at the Library program gives children and teens the physical foundation they need to keep their minds sharp and open to learning, and the summer reading program encourages them use that fueled brainpower,” said Laurel Prysiazny, county librarian. “Together, the programs allow traditionally disadvantaged youth to return to school in the fall at the same or higher level than when summer began. That’s a significant achievement.”
To supplement the lunch program, the library sought out and received two grants that will further support Fresno County youth. Fresno State’s Humanics Department has awarded the library $4,000 and the assistance of a student intern to help with the program. Dollar General has awarded the Library $1,000. In both cases, the money will be used to give books away to lunch recipients.
More information is available by calling program coordinator Kari Johnson at (559) 600-6251.
147
Written on 06/17/2013, 1:55 pm by
Construction in the Central Valley made some definite headway by the second quarter of the year, with building permits up more than 30 percent over the same time last year.
Throughout Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties, 4,449 construction permits were issued to builders in the first six months of the year, up 30.5 percent from 3,409 during the same period last year, according to a weekly report by Construction Monitor.
Of the permits awarded so far this year, 3,782 were for residential construction compared to 2,765 last year.
Commercial permits rose from 644 during last year's second quarter to 667 so far this year. Among those, retail, warehouses and dining jumped from 18 to 26, while offices, banks and professional buildings went from 22 to 33.
Industrial and manufacturing buildings and warehouses dipped slightly to 22, although the value of those permits doubled to $39.3 million.
The value of all construction permits rose from $403.4 million by June of last year to $547.6 million so far this year.
Residential construction values totaled $355.4 million so far this year over $242 million in 2012, while commercial construction permits went from $161.4 million to $192.2 million.
Lennar Fresno topped the list of home builders working in the San Joaquin Valley with 189 homes built so far this year followed by Wilson Homes with 137, Granville Homes with 85, Benchmark with 57 and Bonadelle Homes with 56.
Immodo Energy was the largest builder of commercial projects in the Valley with eight permits valued at $29.7 million followed by Jo's Handyman and Remodeling with two permits of $13.3 million, Graycor with two permits for $11.9 million, Target Constructors with 10 permits for $9.7 million and Quanta Power with five permits totaling $5.8 million.
165
Written on 06/17/2013, 1:52 pm by
San Joaquin Valley dairy farmers, still fighting to stay afloat in a market of high feed costs and generally unprofitable milk pricing, are looking to promoting the health advantages of drinking milk, including the vitamins beneficial to children, and push new dietary products made with milk powder.
Challenges and opportunities in the industry came to light Friday during a Farm Forum presented at Chukchansi Park as part of the Farm Grown Program supported by the Fresno Grizzlies.
Former Mayor Alan Autry hosted the event presented prior to a Grizzlies baseball game.
Three panelists, Ray Prock, owner of Ray-Lin Dairy in Dinera; Steve Maddox, managing partner at Maddox Dairies in Burrel; and Darrin Monteiro, director of member relations for California Dairies Inc. in Visalia, spoke on the topic of “What’s next for Central Valley Dairies.”
Monteiro, who left his family’s dairy farm in 2008 to work for California Dairies Inc., said that California dairies continue to be challenged.
They are also continuing to fight high feed costs, Maddox said. He said that although corn is much needed by the livestock industry, 40 percent of the crop goes to fuel production.
Maddox added that milk production declined by 2 percent so far this year. He added that the health of the dairy industry depends on consumer spending power. “The dairy industry follows the general economy,” he said.
The three dairymen agreed that milk should be promoted as a healthy diet drink. “Powders should be put in diet supplements,” Monteiro said. “You can add whey powders to drinks.”
Whey is the liquid that remains after milk has been curdled and strained.
Prock said the dairy industry needs to develop strategic partnerships with various organizations similar to what it has done with the Farm Grown program at Chukchansi Park.
“And we need to fire back and be louder,” he said, adding that the dairy industry can do more on social media.
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