This is a collection of local news concisely presented to provide a quick overview of what you might otherwise have missed.
TCDA’s Office honors violent crime victims with quilt and ceremony
Since 2000, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office has annually honored victims of violent crime with a memorial quilt and ceremony. On April 24, hundreds of family and community members joined together at the Visalia Convention Center for this powerful event to honor the memories of those taken too soon.
“We would like to thank local law enforcement, community officials and dignitaries, and other special guests for attending,” DA officials stated in a release. “Your support for victims and the mission of our office is important.”
Twenty-five years of quilts, including the 2026 quilt, can be seen at www.tulareda.org/quilt. For more information about the quilts or about future ceremonies, call the Victim Services Division at (559) 636-5471.
‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign begins May 18
The Visalia Police Department will be participating in this year’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which runs from May 18 to 31. The department will have additional officers on patrol to actively look for drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts.
“Our priority is protecting the people in our community,” Visalia Officer Thomas Murrel said. “Wearing a seat belt, or properly securing children in car seats or a booster seat gives everyone a better chance of surviving a crash.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 10,484 people not wearing a seat belt were killed in crashes in the U.S. in 2023, including 780 in California. The California fatalities included 24 children.
The “Click It or Ticket” campaign includes ticketing drivers with children who are not secured in child safety seats or the appropriate safety seats for their age. California law requires all children under 2 years old to ride in a rear-facing car seat, unless the child is 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall.
$23.5M awarded to Tulare County Head Start program
Rep. Jim Costa (CA-21) announced $23.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will go to the Tulare County Office of Education to support its Head Start program. The program will help ensure children enter school ready to learn by providing early education, health services, and family support.
Fresno County will receive $2.1 million, for a total of $25.6 million going to Head Start program in the two counties.
“I’m glad to see this funding delivered for families in the San Joaquin Valley,” Costa said. “This funding will expand Head Start services in the Valley, helping more children enter school ready to learn while giving working families access to dependable, affordable childcare.”
The new funding builds on the $35.4 million secured last year for Head Start programs in the two counties, $23.7 million for Fresno County and $11.6 million to Tulare County, bringing the total federal investment in the region to more than $61 million during the 119th Congress.
New veterinary care center opens in Visalia
Cornerstone Animal Center held its grand opening on April 24 inside the PetSmart at 4240 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia. The center offers affordable preventive veterinary care, including spay and neuter, core vaccinations, microchipping and parasite prevention.
“Services like spay and neuter, vaccines, and parasite prevention are basic healthcare that keep animals healthy, and in their homes,” said Cassie Heffington, Cornerstone Animal Center executive director. “Having worked within the animal sheltering system for well over a decade, I have witnessed firsthand the immense need for these services. People love their pets, but oftentimes basic veterinary care is just out of reach. Cornerstone aims to help change that.”
2025 Tulare County Employee of the Year named
As part of the County of Tulare Employee Recognition Program, the following nominees were introduced at the April 21 Tulare County Board of Supervisors meeting:
Lee was then announced as the 2025 Employee of the Year.
New procedure performed at Kaweah Health
Dr. Shashi Sharma, an interventional cardiologist, performed Kaweah Health’s first renal denervation procedure on April 27. The procedure, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November 2023, is a minimally invasive surgery for patients taking multiple blood pressure medications to help relieve their high blood pressure.
The Symplicity Spyral RDN system targets nerves near the kidneys that can become overactive and cause high blood pressure. The procedure is approved for use as an adjunctive treatment in patients with high blood pressure, or hypertension, when lifestyle changes and antihypertensive medications do not adequately control blood pressure.
“This procedure really is unique,” Sharma said. “A patient taking three or more blood pressure medications can reduce that to just one. I’m really excited to be doing this here at Kaweah Health.”
2026 Citizens Police Academy seeks recruits
The Visalia Police Department is now accepting applications for its 2026 Citizens Police Academy and Volunteer in Police Service program through June 1.
The VIPS Police Academy is a 10-week course designed to acquaint prospective volunteers with the inner workings of the department while being trained to become a “Volunteer in Police Service.”
All instructors are Visalia Police Department personnel who have been trained in areas such as police ethics, crime scene investigation, homicide and burglary investigation, K-9, SWAT, bomb unit, patrol procedures, traffic and DUI procedures, gang and narcotics enforcement, and crime prevention.
Upon successful completion of the VIPS course and a background investigation, members will be sworn in as Volunteers in Police Service, ready to assist in essential non-hazardous duties such as administrative and office functions, and field operations such as community events, parades, traffic control, and DUI checkpoints.
Lausten named new International Agri-Center assistant general manager
The International Agri-Center announced the appointment of Megan Lausten as its assistant general manager. In her new role, she will continue to lead the organization’s marketing efforts while taking on expanded leadership responsibilities across the organization.
She will oversee the day-to-day operations of the International Agri-Center, supporting the organization’s programs and events, including World Ag Expo.
“We’re excited to see Megan step into this expanded role,” said Jerry Sinift, International Agri-Center CEO. “She is a well-respected and trusted member of our team, and we look forward to her continued leadership and contributions across all our programs.”
Lausten, a Tulare native and graduate of Fresno State, has been with the International Agri-Center for four years.
Tulare County seeks poll workers
Poll workers are needed to serve during the two election days this year, June 2 and Nov. 3. Workers must first attend a two-hour training session, and they will be paid for their services.
“Serving as a poll worker provides a view of democracy in action,” stated the county in an online post. “You will be representing the registrar of voters office, assisting your fellow citizens in casting their votes, and making certain our community’s voice is heard.”
A total of 400 poll workers are needed to conduct an election in Tulare County.
Study finds high DUI fatality rate in Valley
The DUI fatality rate in Central California is more than twice the statewide average, according to a Fresno State study. In 2023, there were 6.05 deaths per 100,000 people in Central California, compared to 2.62 deaths per 100,000 people in the state.
The Central California Public Health Consortium at Fresno State and the Fresno State Transportation Institute have been working together on a research project to identify patterns that could be used to create a predictive analytics model to reduce DUI-related fatalities.
Data from 12 Central California counties – Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne – was studied from 2010 to 2023.
The study found that in Tulare County, 80% of the drivers were local, 46% had prior violations, 16% had a previous crash incident, and 12% had a prior DUI conviction. It also found that in the county, 54.1% of the incidents were in rural areas, 37.3% were in urbanized areas, and the remaining 8.6% were in what the study called “small urban areas.”
TCDA cautions Apple Pay users about new scam
The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office is warning people about yet another scam text message, this time from someone claiming to be from Apple Pay.
In this scam, an Apple Pay user receives an urgent message about a charge or an account hold from a reputable company. A telephone number is provided in the message but instead of reaching Apple, calling the number puts you in touch with a scammer trying to get your personal banking information.
If you receive a similar message and think it could be legitimate, you are advised to contact customer support at a phone number listed on the company’s official website.
Books & Brews to return to Visalia
The Tulare County Library Foundation will host the 3rd Annual Books & Brews at the 1852 Brewery, 707 W. Murray Ave., Visalia, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 16.
This year’s theme is “Music & Vinyl,” and DJs will be spinning vinyl records. There will also be vinyl swaps, local authors’ booths, food, and treats. Tickets are $30 and sales will benefit the Tulare County Library Foundation.
Visalia on ‘Most Polluted Cities’ list
The American Lung Association released its 2026 State of the Air report, naming the cities with both the cleanest and dirtiest air quality.
Visalia did not fare well.
The Visalia metropolitan area ranked second worst for high ozone days out of 226 metropolitan areas; fifth worst for 24-hour particle pollution out of 224 metropolitan areas, and fifth worst for annual particle pollution out of 211 metropolitan areas.
The report also included health information showing that there are 9,563 cases of pediatric asthma, 27,326 cases of adult asthma, 12,470 cases of COPS, 165 cases of lung cancer, and 23,025 cases of cardiovascular disease in the Visalia metropolitan area.
State’s population decreases while county’s increases
California’s population dipped slightly in 2025, while Tulare County’s increased slightly, according to data released on May 1 by the California Department of Finance.
The California population decline is the result of “a full year of restrictive federal policy changes (that) cut legal international migration to California by more than half in 2025,” according to the report.
The state’s 0.14% decline to 39,593,000 on Jan. 1, 2026, was the first year of population loss after three years of increases following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tulare County’s 0.2% increase to 489,610 ranked tenth on the report’s list of “10 Fastest Growing Counties by Population.” The biggest population increases (by percentage) among Tulare County cities in 2025 were Dinuba and Woodlake with 1.6% each.
Kaweah Health opens new Akers Clinic
Kaweah Health’s newest outpatient clinic, the Kaweah Health Medical Clinic Akers, opened April 23 at the Tulare/Akers Professional Center at Akers Street and Tulare Avenue in Visalia. The new clinic offers pediatric and primary care.
The clinic currently has 20 exam rooms, a procedure room, and a room for mental health appointments. The clinic is serving patients in the area while also being used to recruit new physicians.
The lack of contemporary clinic space has been a challenge in recruiting more physicians to the area, according to Kaweah Health CEO Marc Mertz.
“The type of clinic we were looking for didn’t exist, so we decided to build it ourselves,” Mertz said at the recent ribbon-cutting. “We chose to partner with Tulare County to remodel a portion of this beautiful, well-maintained building.”
He added that lab services and imaging may also be added, making the building a one-stop shop for patients.
Kaweah Health Medical Clinic Akers is located at 5300 W. Tulare Ave., Suite 100, Visalia. For more information, call (559) 839-2200.
DHS Honors Angel Families During National Crime Victims Week
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recognized April 19-25 as National Crime Victims Week by honoring American families who lost loved ones due to crimes committed by criminal illegal aliens.
Among the 11 victims mentioned in the DHS’ April 25 announcement was Rocky Paul Jones, 51, of Visalia.
On Dec. 17, 2018, Jones was shot and killed at a gas station during a 24-hour shooting and crime spree perpetuated by Gustavo Garcia.
“In addition to killing Rocky, the criminal alien shot a farm worker in the chest while he was on a ladder picking fruit, followed a woman to her car and attempted to shoot and kill her, fired multiple gunshots at his ex-girlfriend’s home, and robbed a gas station. Garcia was previously deported from the U.S. in 2014 by ICE after being charged with previous crimes including illegal possession of a firearm,” according to the announcement.
Tulare offers ‘Yoga in the Park with the City Manager’
The city of Tulare will host a free yoga session with City Manager Marc Mondell in Zumwalt Park, 455 E. Tulare Ave., Tulare, on Wednesday, May 27, from 7-8 a.m.
In addition to a gentle workout in the sunshine, those in attendance will have the opportunity to ask the city manager questions they have about the city.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Memorial quilt, polluted city ranking top latest Tulare County news
Reporting by Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
