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Senator Cannella NamesFelicia Roberts 12th Senate District Woman of the Year

Page 12-13

Community Calendar of Eventsvisit us on cvvcalendar.com

State Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) selected Central Valley Voice publisher, Felicia Roberts as 12th Senate DistrictWoman of the Year for her continued commitment to the Central Valley Community.

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a m o n t h l y m i n o r i t y p u b l i c a t i o n

2 APRIL 2015

PublisherFelicia D.Robertsis published monthlyCentral Valley Voice

Views expressed by writers, columnists and stories printed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Central Valley Voice newspapers. Only when indicated as Central Valley Voice's or editorial views can it be interpreted as the views of this publication. The editorial team of Central Valley Voice reserves the right to edit, cut or piece any article, letter, statement, poem, report, ads, quotes and all other materials submitted before printing.

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Baltimore, Md. -- Two police officers were shot early Thursday morning out-side the Ferguson, Mo., police department, according to a police spokesman. A 32-year-old officer from nearby Webster Groves was shot in the face and a 41-year-old officer from St. Louis County was shot in the shoulder. Both were taken to the hospital and have been released, according to recent reports. In light of this development, the NAACP has released the following statement.

From Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President and CEO:

“The NAACP strongly condemns the senseless shooting of two Ferguson police officers. We will continue to pray for their speedy recovery. While the identity and the motive of the shooter remains unknown, in no way does the NAACP sup-

port acts of vigilante justice. Anyone bringing violence to the protest are operating outside of the goals and objectives of everyone involved in this movement. We who believe deeply in the right to assemble peacefully condemn this form of vi-olence and believe that the perpetrators of this act were operating outside of our movement for police reform. Our criminal justice system is laden with in deep and divisive flaws, but we know that police officers, who risk their own safety for ours, play a critical and necessary role in keeping every community safe. The future of Fer-guson will be forged by citizens who care deeply about their communities as well as police officers who strive to be seen as both protectors and community partners. The NAACP will continue to work on every front to ensure that Ferguson residents are safe and that justice is always served.”

NAACP Condemns the Shooting of Two Ferguson Police Officers

Technology Readiness Vary Widely Across State

SAN FRANCISCO, —Califor-nia school districts have suf-ficient hardware and band-width to administer the new online standardized tests. But they struggle with soft-ware issues and staff train-ing. These are among the key findings of a report released today by the Public Policy In-stitute of California (PPIC).

More than 70 percent of re-

spondents in a survey by the California Educational Tech-nology Professionals Associ-ation expressed confidence in the quality and quantity of their hardware and network reliability to test all students. But only half of district re-spondents were confident about their ability to handle software issues, such as the installation of secure brows-ers, distribution of IDs, and quick log-ins for students.

A clear majority of districts reported problems with staff-ing: 68 percent of schools do not have enough staff to pro-vide technical support or do not provide sufficient training for teachers and IT staff.

The tests—called the Smarter Balance assess-ments—are aligned with the new Common Core State Standards and are being rolled out this year. The PPIC report finds that districts are spending most of their Com-mon Core implementation funding on teacher training and instructional materials, rather than technology up-grades.

The report recommends that policymakers take the nature of technology spend-ing into account as they con-sider how to support districts'

Ready for Online Testing? Districts ConcernedAbout Staff training, Software

SEE PAGE>4

Issues & Views

Some High-Need Schools Are in Districts That Don't Qualify For Extra Support

SAN FRANCISCO, —The un-even distribution of needy students in many California school districts poses chal-lenges to the successful im-plementation of the state’s new funding formula, accord-ing to a report released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

The Local Control Funding Formula provides extra funds for low-income, English learn-er, and foster care students. Schools districts receive a base grant for each student in attendance and a "supple-mental grant” for each high-need student. Districts in which more than 55 percent of students are high need get additional "concentration grants.” The PPIC report finds that 54,000 high-need stu-dents attend schools in dis-tricts that don’t receive con-centration funding.

These districts have small shares of high-need stu-dents overall—but include a few schools in which needy students are concentrated. For example, the Capistra-no Unified School District in Southern California receives no concentration funding because just 24 percent of its students are high need. Yet in two of the district’s elemen-tary schools, more than 90 percent of students are high-need.

Statewide, there are 677 high-need schools in 154 dis-tricts that are not high need. Many of these districts are in Orange and San Diego Coun-ties, as well as the Bay Area and Sacramento County.

Laura Hill, PPIC senior fel-low and co-author of the re-port, pointed out that county offices of education, which are charged with helping dis-tricts develop and achieve

Distribution of Needy Students Poses Challenge for New Funding Formula

4 APRIL 2015

accountability plans, may have some extra work to do in these counties.

"The funding in the new formula is based on district wide enrollment levels, and districts have flexibility in how they spend it,” she said. "It will be important to ensure that the additional support reaches high-need students in districts where they are un-evenly distributed.”

The PPIC report, Imple-menting California’s School Funding Formula: Will High-Needs Students Benefit?, is co-authored by PPIC research associate Iwunze Ugo. It is supported with funding from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and the Silver Giving

Foundation. The report notes that while

district plans may be suffi-cient to improve outcomes among high-need students, most do not contain enough detailed information to indi-cate how they are targeting spending. A companion PPIC report, Implementing Lo-cal Accountability: The First Year of Planning, examines the plans from a sample of districts and finds that their effectiveness varies widely. The report concludes that the state can help by making technical assistance to dis-tricts and county offices of education available and af-fordable.

Another related PPIC re-

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needs in the future. Technol-ogy upgrades normally take place over a few years, and the one-time funding the state has provided is unlikely to cover their full cost.

"Regardless of their readi-ness today, districts will need targeted and ongoing support to both upgrade and maintain their technology infrastruc-ture," said Niu Gao, PPIC fel-low and author of the report. "In the longer term, virtually all schools will need to make upgrades to adopt and bene-fit from digital learning—vid-eo conferencing, virtual field trips, and personalized au-dio-visual instruction.”

There is wide variation in district readiness for online testing. Districts that spend more money per pupil tend to have fewer concerns about software or staffing readiness. And size matters. Network upgrades are less cost effec-tive and more challenging for districts that are particularly

small or particularly large. But the report finds that other fac-tors, such as student compo-sition, student performance, district location, and neigh-borhood do not contribute to disparities in readiness.

The report concludes that better information would help policymakers understand and pinpoint technology needs more accurately. The state cur-rently collects and publishes data on the number of com-puters per student and the number and percentage of classrooms connected to the Internet—which bear little re-lationship to schools' technol-ogy readiness. More refined data on hardware, network, and staffing would provide a more complete picture.

The report is titled Are Cali-fornia's Schools Ready for On-line Testing and Learning? It is supported with funding from the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.

TECHNOLOGY READINESSCONTIUNED FROM PAGE 4

port examines enrollment and participation in school nutrition programs by stu-dents eligible for free or reduced-price meals. En-rollment is the measure of the number of low-income students in a district and is consequently an important factor in determining how much a district receives un-der the new funding formula.

The report, Low-Income Stu-dents and School Meal Pro-grams, in California, finds that smaller schools have higher rates of enrollment and par-ticipation than larger schools. It also finds that low-income elementary school students have the highest rates of par-ticipation—but not enroll-ment— in these programs.

State News

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CENTRAL VALLEY VOICE.COM 5

Does California have the Right Mix ofEconomic and Workforce Policies and Programs?

SACRAMENTO – Assem-blymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), chair of the As-sembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy (JEDE) held the second in a two-part series of hearings on the California economy. Representatives of the state’s labor, workforce training, and economic de-velopment agencies testified along with representatives of the California Economic Sum-mit and the manufacturing in-dustry about the importance of aligning state efforts to expand the state’s economic recovery.

"Given the ever changing global economy," said Garcia, "It is important that we con-sistently evaluate whether California has the right mix of policies and programs to help business and workers be com-petitive in the post-recession global economy, "Garcia said. "Our goal is to help create the conditions that support Ameri-ca's entrepreneurial spirit."

Some key findings from the hearing:

• California created more jobs in 2014 than any other state – 498,000, according to newly re-leased numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

• The new California Com-petes Tax Credit has distribut-ed $60 million to 85 companies in the last two years, creating 10,000 jobs and $3 billion in investment

• California needs 1 million more community college grad-uates to fill job openings in the state between now and 2025

• California manufacturers continue to make investments in the state, despite high ener-gy costs and regulatory uncer-tainty. Many industry leaders approve of the state’s expan-sive climate policies and envi-ronmental standards and seek

only streamlined permitting processes to achieve climate goals while also growing jobs.

Among other topics, presen-tations outlined the Governor's $1.2 billion workforce initiative, provided an update on the Cal-ifornia Community College's Task Force on Workforce, Job Creation and a Strong Econ-omy, and the Roadmap to Shared Prosperity developed through the California Eco-nomic Summit.

In the hearing, remarkable alignment was evident be-tween leaders of public and private workforce and eco-nomic development initiatives focused on widening path-ways to middle-class jobs and growing California businesses. Speakers included representa-tives from the California Labor Agency, California Workforce Investment Board, the Cal-ifornia Community College Chancellor’s Office, and the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz), as well as the California Manufacturing Technology As-sociation.

“There is clearly a great deal of enthusiasm from state lead-ers to ensure the short-term recovery leads to long-term prosperity—and sustainable job growth in every region,” said Jim Mayer, president and CEO of California Forward, one of the lead organizations involved in the California Eco-nomic Summit, a growing coalition of public- and pri-vate-sector leaders committed to accelerating middle-class job growth in every region. “To-day’s testimony showed just how much we’re beginning to see the importance of tailor-ing state programs to meet the needs of regional economies—and braiding funding streams to build better connections be-

tween workforce and industry.”Members were briefed on

several major initiatives already underway, posing questions about how the Legislature could sharpen its economic development strategies—from creating an integrated edu-cation and workforce devel-opment system that supports dominant and emerging in-dustries to the tax credits, af-fordable housing, and stream-lined permitting that will allow the economy to grow.

“To take on the challenges California regions face—ex-panding income inequality, rising poverty, and the chal-lenges of climate change—the state will need to adopt a comprehensive approach,” said Paul Granillo, president and CEO of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership and one of the co-chairs of the Califor-nia Economic Summit. “I was heartened to see committee members demonstrating real interest in this. The econom-ic recovery is expanding, but there are parts of California where the path to prosperi-ty isn’t always clear—like the Inland Empire, where nearly a million people are living in poverty and where less than one in five people have a col-lege degree. To take on these issues, we can’t treat economic development and housing and transportation and workforce as separate issues. We need to bring the public and private sector together to make prog-ress on all of them at the same time.”

More information about the hearing is available at http://ajed.assembly.ca.gov/ includ-ing a full list of witnesses, a background paper, and fact sheets.

Grants Available for MercedProjects That Promote Health

Building Healthy Communi-ties in Merced is opening a new cycle of community grants to fund projects that aim to pro-mote healthier and safer fami-lies.

The BHC grants award up to $1,000 to individuals or groups that propose a community project that would benefit res-idents of Planada, Le Grand, south Merced and the Beach-wood-Franklin areas.

The projects should aim to improve youth leadership and community involvement. They should also strive to foster learning and offer participants

opportunities to gain skills.According to BHC, qualifying

programs can be health-relat-ed activities, educational trips or cultural arts projects. In the past, BHC has awarded grants for community youth sport tournaments, youth music les-sons, community gardens and résumé-building workshops.

BHC Community Grants are awarded twice a year in two cycles: summer and winter.Nonprofits, agencies, schools, faith-based organizations, stu-dent organizations and com-munity residents are eligible to

SEE PAGE>8

6 APRIL 2015

We want you to take OUR daughters and sons to work on Thursday, April 23.

Each year, an estimated 3.5 million employers participate in Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. If just a small portion of these employers open their doors to youth in their communities, that could

generate hands-on, career ex-ploration experiences for many young people throughout the country who would not other-wise have this opportunity.

President Obama announced that the White House and fed-eral agencies are celebrating Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. This is a joint ef-

fort between the White House Council on Women and Girls and My Brother’s Keeper Initia-tive to help young people bet-ter understand the connection between what they learn in the classroom and future careers.

Do any of the following de-scriptions apply to you?

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day - April 23, 2015

State Senator Anthony Can-nella (R-Ceres) has selected Merced resident Felicia Roberts as 12th Senate District Woman of the Year for her continued commitment to the Merced Community.

Felicia has devoted herself to creating a better Merced com-munity for almost 4 decades and has a very impressive record of serving and helping others,” said Cannella. “It’s a privilege to honor Felicia as this year’s 12th State Senate District Woman of the Year and I commend her for her continued dedication to our community.”

Roberts created Merced County’s first Black minority pa-per, the Central Valley Voice. Ad-ditionally, Roberts’ accomplish-ments include Merced Business

and Professional Women“Business Woman of the Year,” Merced NAACP “Exemplar Award” in recognition of her exceptional leadership, service and contributions in improving civil rights, and the Delta Sigma Theta “Phenomenal Women Award for Economic Devel-opment.” Currently, Roberts serves chairperson of Liberty Fellowship’s Annual Black His-tory Program, is a member of the Liberty Fellowship Women’s Board and the Merced Chapter NAACP.

Roberts was personally rec-ognized by Sen. Cannella’s staff earlier in March at the Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce office. He also presented cer-tificates of recognition to past NAACP presidents and leaders.

Sen. Cannella Names Central Valley Voice PublisherWoman of the Year

Felicia Roberts with State Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) named 12th Senate District Woman of the Year.

Front row, left-right, Felicia Roberts, Tamara Cobb, Almetres Huddleston and Loretta Spence.Back row, left-right, Ida Johnson, Dee Tatum, Napoleon Washington, State Senator AnthonyCannella (R-Ceres), James Bethune and Anthony White.

SEE PAGE>9

Sen. Cannella HonorsPast - Present NAACP President and Executive Board Members

Front row, left-right, Felicia Roberts, Almetres Huddleston, and Ida Johnson. Back row, left-right, Estella R. Dunn, Shannon Picciano-District Representative, Darryl Davis, Tamara Cobb, JamesBethune, Loretta Spence, Kenneth Roberts, and Louise Farley-District Representative with State Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres).

Officers: Darryl Davis, Kenneth Roberts, Allen Brooks, JamesBethune, Estella R. Dunn.Executive Committee: Sammie Carter, Tamera Cobb, JamesFuller, Almetres Huddleston, Ida Johnson, Leanna Rhodes, Loretta Spence and Napoleon Washington.

CENTRAL VALLEY VOICE.COM 7

“O Come Let Us Worship Together”

Ministry of the Preached Word, The Rt. Rev. W. Darin MoorePresiding Prelate, Western Episcopal District/NC ConferenceAfrican Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.

Rev. Darrell J. Williams Presiding Elder, Central Valley District, California Conference, presented keynote speaker Bishop Moore.

Member of Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Zion Church Wanda Lax, spoke to the audience at the Community Harmony, Unity, Fellowship, And Worship Event.

Mt. Pisgah AME Zion joined for an afternoon of communi-ty harmony, unity, fellowship, and worship as they lifted up the name of Jesus. The Wor-ship event was held Sunday, March 8, 2015 at the Mt. Pis-gah Church in Merced. Special Guest Preacher was The Rt. Rev. W. Darin Moore Presiding Prel-ate, Western Episcopal District/NC Conference African Meth-odist Episcopal Zion Church. The 49th Session of the AME Zion General Conference elect-ed Bishop Moore as the 99th Bishop in the line of succession on July 20, 2012. Bishop Moore was assigned as the presiding prelate of the Western Episco-pal District which encompass-es the Alaska, Arizona, Califor-nia, Colorado, and Southwest Rocky Mountain Annual Con-ferences.

The Summit Singers and the Mighty Men of Faith ministered in Music.

RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY

Back to the BasicsGospel Meeting

3 NightsApril 20, 21, 22

7:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. each nightYosemite Parkway church of christ

2050 Yosemite ParkwayMerced, CA

Refreshments andfellowship each evening

call (209)722-2852 for more information

We Hope to See you there!!

Congregation singingeach evening

Monday, April 20th BASIC EVANGELISM

Evangelistic Message - Glen Bowman (minister from Los Banos)Evangelistic Method - Jeff MacDougall (minister from Livingston)

Tuesday, April 21th BASIC WORSHIP

Private Worship - Gary Davenport (minister from Los Banos)Public Worship - J. Daniel Walker (minister from Turlock)

Wednesday, April 22nd BASIC CHRISTIANITY

Holiness - Nick Perez (minister from Merced)Hope - Ethan Liles (minister from Atwater)

Gospel Meeting/3 NightsApril 20, 21, 22

8 APRIL 2015

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Sterling Kyle, Jr.

Pastor Study: (209) 722-9806Church: (209) 383-9758

Pastor

Rev. Dr.Sterling Kyle, Jr.and Sister Sandra Kyle

404 W. 6th St.Merced CA 95340

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.Worship Service: Sunday 11:00 a.m.Bible Study: Wed. 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Behold, I stand at the door.Rev. 3:20

The Truth in Love and Good News TodaySundays-Comcast #95 @ 8:00 a.m. & Thurs. 9:00 p.m.

Direct TV: #323 Dish TV: #9407 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. dailyInternational Gospel Hour on AM Radio

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WORSHIP AND BIBLE STUDY

Mercedchurch of

Christ2050 Yosemite Parkway at Edwards Ave.

Merced, California 95341Phone: 209-722-2852

www. mercedchurchofchrist.org

A Church with More than a WelcomeA Message of Life for Dying Men and Women!

Making and Maturing Disciples

SUNDAY Bible Study...... 9:30 a.m. Morning..........10:30 a.m. Evening............ 6:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAYMid-Week Bible Study...... Bible Study 7:00 p.m.

Welcome to the Services of the

The Resurrection Of Christ--Foundation Of Our Hope

I Corinthians 15:1-19

Part II

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST ASSURES OUR RESURRECTION As previously stated, the res-urrection of Christ is most cru-cial. "Who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holi-ness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 1:4). The evidence is abundantly available and suf-ficiently adequate to convince any honest person that Christ was, indeed, raised from the dead. At first Thomas doubted (John 20:24-25), but when the adequate evidence was pre-sented, he said, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:26-28). Saul of Tarsus thought that Christ was an imposter, but af-ter seeing Him on the Damas-cus road he was convinced of His claims. To Paul, the resurrec-tion of Christ was the climax of all arguments (Rom. 1:4). Also, Peter considered his resurrec-tion to be the crowning argu-ment (1 Pet. 1:3).

In I Corinthians 15 the con-text implies that some of the members of the church in Corinth denied the reality of the resurrection. It is very in-teresting and profitable to ob-serve the manner in which Paul corrected the Corinthian error regarding the resurrection. He said, Now I would remind you, brothers {brethren}, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you---unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received; that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose {was raised} on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Thus, we observe that he be-gan by stating the basic facts of the gospel which they had be-

lieved and which had brought them into a saved relationship with their Lord. He then intro-duces an impressive array of witnesses of the resurrection of Christ, which no one can over-throw. Having introduced his argument, he concludes this portion of his argument with these words: "Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed (I Cor. 15:11).

Paul has already clearly prov-en that Christ was actually per-sonally resurrected. In I Cor-inthians 15:12 he says, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" Then, as already noted in this study, in verses 13-19 he points out that Christ was raised. Jesus had said, Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have one good to the res-urrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrec-tion of judgment (John 5:28-29).CONCLUSION The empty tomb speaks with eloquent meaning. The resur-rection of Christ is the Father's endorsement of all that Jesus did and said (Acts 1:1). It further shows that it is in harmony with the Father's approval at the be-ginning of his ministry when he said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). It is not enough to know that the resurrection is a fact. It is also necessary for one to obey Christ in order to be the true beneficiary of his resurrection. For those who obey him Jesus is "A Prince and a Saviour" (Acts 5:31), the "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6), "the Prince of life" (Acts 3:15). He is "our hope" (I Tim. 1:1). He is "our life" (Col. 3:4). He is "our peace" (Eph. 2:14). He is "the captain" of our salvation (Heb. 2:10). He

is "the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2). He "the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him" (Heb. 5:9). May the Lord bless us all to the end that heaven may be our eternal habitation. "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not proph-esy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you, de-part from Me, you workers of iniquity {lawlessness ESV edsel} (Matt. 7:21-23).

"To an inheritance that is incorruptible {imperishable}, undefiled, that fades not away {and unfading}, reserved {kept} in heaven for you" (I Pet. 1:4).

Member, Merced church of Christ * (209) 722-2852 (from, First Annual Denton Lectures, ADL-1982, Valid Publications) Edited by: Dub McClish

apply. The deadline to apply is May

1. Applications can be found at www.bhcmerced.org and sub-mitted electronically to BHC’s Outreach and Logistics Coor-dinator Isai Palma at isai@bh-cmerced.org. Hard copies can be found at the United Way Merced County office, 658 W. Main St., Merced. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Recipients will be notified May 22.

GRANTSCONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

By Garland Elkins

“Visit the Church

of Your Choice”

CENTRAL VALLEY VOICE.COM 9

Our Community

Love AtwaterOn April 18, 2015 our Rally

Love Atwater is a community event that go’s on twice a year, September and April.

We get over 12 projects, and 300 Volunteers to go out and serve there community.

Our Rally begins at Ralston

Atwater-Merced Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta So-rority, Inc. presents A Literary Arts Cafe Song, Dance, Poetry, and Spoken Word!

Time: Saturday, May 23, 2015. Location: Carnegie Arts Cen-

ter 250 N. Broadway, Turlock, CA.

Reception in the Gemperle Gallery at 1:30 p.m. Program in the Loft at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets only $25.00 per per-

A Literary Arts Cafe Song, Dance, Poetry, Spoken Word!

•Small business owner•Teacher•Employee of a great compa-

ny•Work in public service•Volunteer

If so, consider this a great op-portunity to make a meaning-ful impact on a child's future.

We encourage you to join

the White House in welcom-ing youth beyond the children of your own employees to visit your place of work on this day. Invite them to spend the day with you. Show them what you do every day – and tell them that, with hard work and determination, they can do it, too.

WORK DAY...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Park at 8:00 a.m. Our volun-teers will head out to various projects through out the city of Atwater!

This is a community event! We are still in need of volun-teers .

Please go to Love Atwater .com for more information.

MERCED – Merced County is bringing a team of grant-writ-ing professionals to the Cas-tle Airport Conference Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 17, 2015 for a workshop on how to find, write and mon-itor grants effectively.

Hosted by District 3 Supervi-sor Daron McDaniel, the train-ing will be administered by the Fresno State Office of Com-munity and Economic Devel-opment. Registration is open to anyone who would like to attend. Those who would like to learn more about grant writ-ing processes, procedures and methods are strongly encour-aged to sign up.

The cost of attendance is $35, and checks can be made out to Fresno State. Lunch will be provided. Computers will be made available for the first 25 people to register for the work-shop. Additional registrants will be allowed, but they must bring their own laptop. WiFi ac-cess will be available.

To register, please contact Ismael Diaz Herrera, Associate Director of the Fresno State Office of Community and Eco-nomic Development, at (559) 278-0519 or email him at ish-errera@csufresno.edu. For ad-ditional information, please contact Merced County Man-agement Analyst Mike North at (209) 726-2744 or mnorth@co.merced.ca.us.

Please see the attached flier for a schedule of events and other details. Castle Airport Conference Center is located at 1900 Airdrome Entry in At-water.

Merced County GrantWritingWorkshop

son. For more information, please call Sylvia Fuller, Chair at 209-358-3636 or, Iris Jackson, President of Atwater-Merced Alumnae Chapter at 209-358-0213.

There will be a Live Auction for a beautiful flower arrange-ment!

Proceeds support scholar-ships and other public service projects!

VISIT OUR COMMUNITY CALENDAR

@ cvvcalendar.com

MERCED COLLEGE CalWORKs Program

Do you have a child(ren) under the age of 18 years, and Interest in

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The CalWORKs program at Merced College can assist you to enroll in the

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CalWORKs program at (209) 381-6515, or Log onto the www.http://www.mccd.edu/calworks/

Know Your Family Health HistoryTo Prevent Type 2 DiabetesBy Griffin P. Rodgers/M.D., M.A.C.P., director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

(NAPSI)—You may know that diabetes is a serious disease, but did you also know that it runs in families? That means if you have a mother, father, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes, you have a greater chance of getting the disease.

In the United States, diabetes

affects more than 29 million Americans, or about 9 percent of the population. Also, it’s estimated that one in every four persons with diabetes is unaware that she or he has the disease. That’s especially troubling because if left undi-agnosed or untreated, diabe-

HEALTH AWARENESS10 APRIL 2015

Study Shows Gaping Holes in Safety Net for California’s Uninsured

Dr. Rodgers Take the Diabetes Risk Test to learn your risk for type 2 diabetes.

New America Media, News Report, Anna Challet

The safety net for uninsured Californians is full of holes – and those holes are much bigger for the state’s undocu-mented people.

That’s one of the main find-ings of a new study by the statewide health care advoca-cy coalition Health Access. The organization’s executive direc-tor Anthony Wright says the "uneven safety net" puts the state’s remaining uninsured in a position to “live sicker, die younger, and be one emergen-cy away from financial ruin.”

“Counties should maintain strong safety nets for the re-maining uninsured, through the county-led programs that provide primary and preven-tative care,” Wright said on a press call last week. “Counties that do not serve the undocu-mented should reconsider this policy, and focus their indigent

care programs on the remain-ing uninsured population that actually has the most need for a safety net.”

Over a year into the full im-plementation of the Affordable Care Act, some 3 million Cali-fornians still lack health insur-ance. For many, that’s because coverage is still unaffordable. And almost half of the 3 million are undocumented, and thus shut out from federal health programs.

By law, counties have to provide care to low-income individuals who are uninsured and don’t qualify for other pro-grams. But, says Wright, "Coun-ties interpret this responsibility widely and wildly, in very dif-ferent ways.”

For example, of the state’s 58 counties, only 10 "explicit-ly serve the undocumented in their programs for those who meet other qualifications such as income,” says Wright. “The

rest do not serve the undocu-mented outside of emergency care.”

The study found that the number of people enrolled in county-based care programs for the uninsured varied widely according to different counties’ eligibility requirements.

Counties that have more in-clusive eligibility requirements, in terms of income and immi-gration status, still have thou-sands of people using their indigent care programs – in Los Angeles, for example, over 80,000 people are enrolled in the My Health LA program, which is open to undocument-ed immigrants, and assigns individuals to community clin-ics.

But counties that have more stringent eligibility require-ments have far fewer people enrolled. Counties like Merced, Placer, and Tulare report that they now serve no one in their

health care programs for the poor and needy.

That’s not because there isn’t a need, according to Wright, but because “those programs aren't geared to the remaining uninsured that are left."

Sacramento County is one of the 48 counties that don’t provide care to undocument-ed immigrants. It used to, but stopped in 2009 during the fi-nancial crisis.

Carlos Garcia, who spoke on the call along with Wright, is undocumented and recently moved to Sacramento from San Mateo. He hurt his leg in an accident and now the leg is infected. He says he was prescribed antibiotics instead of more comprehensive treat-ment because he doesn’t have health coverage, but he can’t even afford the medication.

He’ll need to drive back to San Mateo for further treat-ment – San Mateo is one of the

10 counties that provide care to the undocumented – but he’s worried about being able to pay for gas.

“I haven’t been able to work because of this,” he said through a translator. “I feel des-perate.”

The proposed “Health For All” bill (SB 4) could help Garcia if it passes this year. The legis-lation, originally introduced in 2014 and re-introduced in 2015 by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Los Angeles), would guar-antee health coverage to ev-eryone in the state, regardless of immigration status.

"County-based programs should be a bridge to a state-wide solution, as being dis-cussed here in the state capital, that would extend affordable coverage to all Californians,” says Wright.

“Our health system is stron-ger when everyone is includ-ed," he says.

tes can lead to serious health problems, including heart dis-ease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, amputation, and even death.

The good news is that un-derstanding your family health history can help you take ac-tion now to prevent or delay

the development of type 2 di-abetes. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), a joint program of the Nation-al Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, encourages you to use its Four Questions You Should Ask Your Family About Diabetes & Family Health His-tory tool, which could help you learn more about preventing type 2 diabetes. Here are some key questions for family mem-bers to answer:

1. Does anyone in the fam-ily have type 2 diabetes? If so, who?

2. Has anyone in the family been told they might get dia-betes?

3. Has anyone in the family been told they need to lower their weight or increase their physical activity to prevent type 2 diabetes?

4. Did your mother get dia-betes when she was pregnant? This is known as gestational di-abetes (GDM).

At YourDiabetesInfo.org, the NDEP has additional resourc-es to help you and your family

learn more about your risk for type 2 diabetes, including:

• Diabetes Risk Test: This tool asks simple questions about weight, age, family history and other potential risk factors for type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Prediabetes means that the sugar in your blood is high-er than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.

• NDEP’s Family Health Histo-ry Quiz: This quiz asks four true/false questions to help you better understand your family health history of diabetes.

In addition to family histo-ry, other risk factors for type 2 diabetes include being over-weight or obese, physically in-active, and over the age of 45. Diabetes is also more common in African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Ameri-cans, and Pacific Islanders.

We want to help you—and your family—do all you can to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Visit YourDi-abetesInfo.org to learn more today.

Central Valley Community

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CENTRAL VALLEY VOICE.COM 11

News From across the Central ValleyHelp reach a goal of donat-

ing to the American Cancer Society @ the Rib Cook off ($10 per person) Friday April 17th.

Come Enjoy the food and support a Great Cause!

For Event Information Con-tact Phone: 209-668-5098.

Location: 331 E. Main Street Turlock CA 95380

Concern Men CookCity of Merced & Multicultural Connection presents For Edu-cation ~STARRING~ Our Local Iron Chefs Sunday April 26, 2015 1:00 p.m. TO 3:00 p.m. Location: Merced Civic Center 678 W. 18th Street, Merced, CA.Admission $25ATTENTION ALL CHEFSCome and show what you’ve got and help raise funds for scholarships. Call Sylvia Fuller (209) 356-3636 for informa-tion .

Family Fun DayMARK YOUR CALENDAR

Every 3rd Saturday of each month from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at: Zephyr Clarke Well-ness center 716 Marshall Av-enue, Modesto, CA.

No Bikes, shopping carts or bags of any kind!

Children are welcome (Chil-dren must be accompanied by an adult).

Raffles-Games-Music- Food. Please join us and enjoy time with family and friends.

For more information please contact: Redhawk at: (209) 544-3743 or (209) 522-6902.

8th Annual Rib Cook off

(Modesto, CA) –The Modesto Junior College Dance Depart-ment will present the annual Choreographer’s Showcase on April 14, 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. in the Cabaret West Dance The-atre of the El Capitan Building on West Campus. The evening of student cho-reography will feature dance styles in contemporary, jazz, hip hop and musical theatre. Student choreographers will include Tori Adams, Angela Bass, Nick Bentley, Arturo Es-pinoza, Jessica Espinoza, Ben-jamin Gallegos, Oscar Galvan, Rene Matute, Andrew Merrill, Anthony Perez, Sandra Scheu-ber, Blair Shearer-Pope, Amie Whitler, Fanky Yangat.

Tickets are $8 and will be available at the door beginning 90 minutes prior to the perfor-mance. For more information contact Lori Bryhni at bryhnil@mjc.edu or by calling 575-6496.

MJC presents Choreographer’Showcase

Pictured left-right, Karen Anderson , Christian Love , Gloria Evins, Second Baptist, Loretta Tyler Progressive Baptist Church, and Kathy Bryant, Greater True Light attended the annual Tea.

The Zephyr D. Clarke Memorial St. Patrick’s Day Tea was held, Sunday March 15, 2015 at Second Baptist Church. Theme: Walk Worthy Of Your Calling, Live A Life That Will Draw Others To Christ. Ephesians 4;1-2.

Pictured left-right are the St. Patrick’s Day Tea Committee Members, Jean Tyler, Odessa Johnson, Barbara Hallmon, Norma Lee, Daehanna Washington, Darlene Martinez, andCynthia Evins.

Zephyr D. Clarke Memorial St. Patrick’s Day Tea

Inside PAGE Our Community

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12 APRIL 2015

Merced High InauguralHall of Fame Dinner

Pete and Joyce Gonzales with their family at the Merced High School Athletics Inaugural Hall of Fame Dinner. Pete owner of Pete’s Auto Body was honored and inducted as a community mem-ber for his overall community involvement.

Pete was honored and in-ducted as a community mem-ber for his ongoing contribu-tions to Merced High School Athletics and overall commu-nity involvement. Ever since Pete’s children started attend-ing Merced High School and competing in athletics. He has been involved in helping Mer-ced High maintain the athlet-ic facilities as well as general maintenance, donations and personal support of projects and developments. Some of Pete’s contributions include moving bleachers from East Campus to North Campus, in-stalling scoreboards for both baseball and football, donating bleachers for baseball, softball, track and football programs. Pete had always been a phone call away when it comes to helping Merced Athletic Pro-grams filling some of the needs that cannot or have not been met by traditional means. You can find Pete at every football game home or away patrolling the sidelines cheering on his bears. The committee truly believes that without commu-

Tony Slaton brought the Pac 10 to Merced. As an All-Con-ference player for Merced High School and a Lions All Star Game Line MVP he was able to bring the big time college scouts to Merced High School. Tony’s domination on the of-fensive line earned him a ful-lathletic scholarship to the Uni-versity of Southern California. In 3 years as a starter for USC Tony earn All-Pac 10 honors and was All West Coast selection all three-years. In Tony’s senior year he was selected as Play-boy All American, Walter Camp

All-American, Offensive Player of the Year and the So-Cal All Century First Team. He is the No. 1 center in the history of USC. His professional football career took him to Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys. Tony started in 3 NFC Championship games and was part of an NFC Playoff Rushing Record. Tony has blocked for Heisman Trophy winners as well as Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson and Emmit. Today he is the Ex-ecutive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Merced County.

Tony Slaton and wife Vickie after being inducted in the Merced High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

nity members like Peter and his family, athletics at Merced would not be on the level they are at today.

Pete Gonzales

“Congrats!To All of the

inducteesFrom Central Valley Voice”

Inside

PA

GE

(left - right) Gerald Madkins, Kevin Weatherby, John Cortez, Chris Russell and Jose Manzo Merced High School Basketball teammates (1987-1988). Gerald graduated in 1987 and his teammates in1988. They were San Joaquin section champs.

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CENTRAL VALLEY VOICE.COM 13

Community Supports Merced HighSchool Hall of Fame Dinner

John Rushing was a two sport standout for Merced High School. John was a standout running back and defensive back for Merced High School Football, a part of two section

championship runs and win-ner of one Sac-Joaquin Sec-tion Championship as part of the undefeated 1989 Football Team. John was a Central Cali

SEE PAGE>19

John Rushing with Nadine Washington at the Hall of Fame Dinner held March 21, at the Merced Fairgrounds.

( left - right) Tameka Slaughter, Cassandra Reid, Charles Peterson Jr., Lisa Sykes, Amelia Peter-son-Nichols, Bobby Nichols, Deana Eddings, and Karen Missouri attended the Dinner.

14 APRIL 2015

Merced County program ex-poses students to various con-struction-related trades

The Merced County Depart-ment of Workforce Investment is recruiting 15 students for an innovative program that pre-pares workers for public infra-structure and other construc-tion jobs.

The Multi-Craft Pre-Appren-ticeship Training class will pro-vide valuable skills and allow students to explore construc-tion trades such as electrician, plumbers and pipe fitters and sheet metal. The six-week course is open to low-income residents, the unemployed and veterans. It is offered in part-nership with Alliance Worknet of Stanislaus County and local trade and labor unions.

“Construction activity is picking up throughout Mer-ced County, especially with several solar projects on the west side and plans to build a UC Merced administrative building in downtown Merced and expansion of the UC Mer-ced Campus,” said Shermaene Roemhildt, Deputy Director, Workforce Investment.

“Both private construction and public infrastructure proj-ects are creating a strong de-mand for skilled workers. We need to make sure that our local labor force is trained and ready for these jobs.”

“Students in this pre-ap-prenticeship training program will be exposed to a variety of trades while they also collect valuable skills that will help them land good-paying jobs. Now is the perfect time to think about exploring these career options.”

Applicants will be screened for eligibility which includes possession of a valid driver’s li-cense and the ability to pass a drug test.

To apply for the program, vis-it www.ValleyBuild.net or call Merced Worknet at (209) 724-2100 for more information.

Recruitment Opens forPre-Apprentice-ship Training Class

CENTRAL VALLEY VOICE.COM 15

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Reflections

The Casa Cup – 5th Annual Court Appointed Special Advocate

(CASA) Spring FundraiserThe Casa Cup (A Night of Rac-

ing) on Saturday, April 18th, the gates Open at 6:00 p.m. at The Pavilion at Merced Fairgrounds Merced, CA. Food stations and

races begins at 7:00 p.m.Cost is $75 per person each

attendee. For more info call: (209) 722-CASA. See our web-site at: www.mercedcasa.org.

American Cancer SocietyRelay For Life of AtwaterSaturday, September 12, 2015 at 9:00 a.m.Shaffer Elementary School

The American Cancer So-ciety Relay For Life is the world's largest and most im-pactful fundraising event to end cancer. It unites commu-nities across the globe to cel-ebrate people who have bat-tled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and take action to finish the fight once and for all. Today, with the support of thousands of volunteers like you, the American Cancer Society is helping save more than 400 lives a day. And we won't stop until we finish the fight against cancer! Please join us!

The Merced County Rescue Mission's Oasis Benefit Dinner 2015 "Helping us through the Summer Drought!"

Come enjoy great food and fun, as you are swept away into a Desert Oasis!

The night will feature a Mid-dle Eastern Theme, Ministry Update, and a Silent & Live Oral

The City of Modesto will be celebrating Arbor Day at Muni Golf Course on Friday, April 24th, 2015. We are so excited to be partnering with ValleyCrest Golf Course Maintenance and the First Tee of Central Valley Golf Program to plant a variety of new trees to further enhance the City’s beautiful 9 hole mu-nicipal golf course.

Arbor Day dates back to 1832

from a vision and dream by J. Sterling Morton who wanted to transform the treeless Great Plains into an area where trees would flourish and transform the environment. Today, there are celebrations across the na-tion and Modesto is excited to play a part in increasing public awareness of the importance of trees in urban areas and the education of tree planting, care

and protection. Please join us for an Arbor

Day Tree Planting CeremonyFriday, April 24, 2015 at 3:30

p.m. in the afternoon at Muni golf Course at 400 Tuolumne Boulevard, Modesto, California. If you are interested in donat-ing a tree and dedicating in someone’s honor, please con-tact Vicki Rice at (209) 577-5495 or vrice@modestogov.com .

Arbor Day Celebration in Modesto

(Modesto, CA) – Modesto Ju-nior College will host a “New Student Day” to enroll high school seniors and other pro-spective students on Saturday, April 18 at 8 a.m. in the Main Auditorium of the Performing and Media Arts Center on East Campus. Attendance and cam-pus parking are free.

New Student Day offers high school seniors and other pro-spective MJC students the op-portunity to complete the en-rollment steps of application, orientation, assessment (testing for placement in math, reading, and English classes) and educa-tional advising all in one day.

There will also be sessions during the event that will show

new students how to use Pi-ratesNet to search the class schedule, set up fall classes and access their student email. Campus tours will also be avail able. Special sessions for par-ents will provide information and the opportunity for them to ask questions.

High school seniors are en-couraged to get started on the enrollment process before at-tending the New Student Day by filling out an online applica-tion in advance. Online appli-cations are available by clicking on the orange “Apply to MJC Now” button at the top on the MJC website.

MJC is also visiting area high

MJC hosts New Student Day

SEE PAGE >24

Auction.DATE: May 8th, 2015 Doors Open: 5:00 p.m.Dinner 6:30 p.m.LOCATION: GatewayCommunity Church Merced, CA.COST: $35 per Person or $250 for a Table of 8 (Suggesteddonation ticket price)Purchase Tickets:Hope Christian Store: 3144 G Street #145 Merced, CA (209)

723-2900.Merced County RescueMission 921 Canal StreetMerced, CA. (209) 722-9269.

We thank you for your contin-ued support and partnership with the Mission. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Phil Schmauss at (209) 658-9558.

Oasis Dinner

Our Community

16 APRIL 2015

John Lee Hooker, Jr. WillPerform at the FairJohn Lee Hooker, Jr. the son of the late blues icon, John Lee Hooker, will headline Friday, June 12, in the fairground’s Outdoor Theatre. “People will be dancing in the aisles,” he said in an interview.

John Lee Hooker, Jr’s. albums include “Blues With A Vengeance,” which won him a Grammy in 2004, “Cold As Ice,” “All Odds Against Me,” All Hooked Up” and “Live In Istanbul.

Also performing in the fairgrounds’ Outdoor Theatre are: Christian rock band, 7eventh Time Down, on Opening Day, Wednesday, June 10; one-of-a-kind rhythm and blues band, Tower of Power, Thursday, June 11 and country art-ist, Aaron Tippin, Saturday, June 13. The enter-tainment act for Sunday, June 14 will be an-nounced soon.

The Merced County Fair is Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 14. Each night a head-line entertainment act will appear at 8:30 p.m. in the Outdoor Theatre, where all concerts are free with admission. Table Mountain FREE Concert Series is presented by Modelo Espe-cial.

John Lee Hooker, Jr. knows a lot about the blues. He lived the blues. He started out sing-ing on the radio at the age of 8 in Detroit and performed on the road with his father – he was well on his way to a promising musical career.

But at 15 he got involved in drugs and crime and was in and out of juvenile hall. It wasn’t long before he was using heroin and cocaine, sleeping under bridges, in cars and drug hous-es. He graduated from detention facilities to prisons – he was an inmate in 11 US prisons and one in Canada. He was shot twice, stabbed twice and served a two-year sentence for bilk-ing someone out of their savings.

On his way to serve another prison sentence, he attended a chapel service that convinced him to accept Jesus Christ in his life. With the help of family and friends, he turned his

back on the drug and alcohol problems that plagued him for 25 years. Upon his release he joined a church in Oakland, preaching the Gospel in jails and on street corners.

Hooker Jr. resumed his music career, perform-ing with some of the biggest names in music including B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Taj Majal and Lenny Kravitz and entertaining audiences in 37 countries. He received two Grammy nom-inations after leaving behind the yard of San Quentin State Prison. He also was honored with the W.C. Handy Award, the highest acco-lade in the blues industry.

John Lee Hooker, Jr. will bring his blues rhythm section and horns section to the Merced County Fair, where he will perform his “Funky Gospel” music.

Admission tickets to the 2015 Merced Coun-ty Fair will be available for $5 for everyone 6 years and up through June 9, the day before the fair starts. Kids 5 years and under will con-tinue to get in free. The fair will offer a “5-pack” general admission discount ticket package for $20, that’s a 43 percent savings. The “5-pack” also will be sold through June 9. During the fair, June 10-14, general admission tickets will be $7. Advance sale tickets will be available at several outlets in May. Tickets may be pur-chased online starting March 30.

Other money-saving promotions include: Se-niors, 65 years and better, will get free admis-sion on Opening Day, Mercy Medical Center Seniors Day, and Kids’ Day will be Thursday, June 11, when all children 12 years and young-er get in free on that day only.

The theme of the 2015 Merced County Fair, June 10-14, is "5 Best Days of Summer.” For more information call (209) 722-1507, fax (209) 722-3773, or email to Info@MercedCountyFair.com. Visit the Fair’s website, www.Merced-CountyFair.com and connect with us on Face-book and follow us on Twitter.

June 12, in the fairground’s Outdoor Theatre

CVVCALENDAR.COM • CENTRAL VALLEY VOICE.COM 17

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HEART HEALTHY EATINGA ‘Berry’ Healthy Way To Help Your Heart

(NAPSI)—A little heart-shaped fruit can be a big help to your heart. According to re-search, strawberries may play an important role in helping to reduce the risk of heart disease.

“Strawberries are at the top of the list of foods I recom-mend for packing the most nutrition into everyday meals, especially when considering cardiovascular health,” said Syl-via Klinger, MS, RD, LDN. “It’s an easy sell with their versatility and naturally sweet taste.”

Here are 12 more reasons to enjoy California strawberries:

1. High in vitamin C (more per serving than an orange) and may boost immunity.

2. Considered a superfruit with loads of antioxidants and anthocyanins.

3. Versatile and can be added to both savory and sweet dish-es.

4. Low in sugar, naturally sweet with only 45 calories per cup.

5. A source of potassium to support healthy blood pres-sure.

6. A good source of dietary fiber.

7. Available year-round and easy to freeze.

8. Grown by caring strawber-ry farmers who use sustainable

Strawberries can improve the flavor and nutrition of both sweet and savory dishes.

farming practices.9. Loved by kids and ideal for

snacks and lunches.10. Ideal for adding appeal to

summertime dishes and spe-cial occasions.

11. Grown to perfection in ideal growing conditions along California’s coast.

12. Globally loved and voted America’s favorite fruit.

Try this recipe for a tasty way to enjoy strawberries:

Grilled Salmon with Straw-berry Ginger Salsa

Serves: 6Salsa:Prepare at least one hour

ahead.1 English or seedless cucum-

ber, finely chopped

1 green onion, thinly sliced1 Tbsp. cilantro, cut into

strips1 tsp. fresh ginger, freshly

grated1 yellow pepper, diced small3-4 Tbsp. seasoned rice wine

vinegar2 cups fresh California straw-

berries, hulled and diced smallSauce:1 stick unsalted butter1 clove garlic1 Tbsp. honey2 Tbsp. soy sauce1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice6 salmon fillets (or fish of

choice), skinlessMix cucumbers, green onion,

cilantro, ginger, yellow pepper and vinegar. Cover and chill at least one hour. Just before serving, add strawberries. In a small saucepan, melt butter with garlic over low heat. Stir in honey, soy sauce and lem-on juice and cook 2 minutes; set aside. Prepare a charcoal grill; when ready, brush sauce on salmon pieces and place on a well-oiled fish-grilling rack. Place rack over coals about 4 inches from fire and grill ap-proximately 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Brush with the sauce again after turning and again when done. Transfer to warm platter and top with salsa.

Learn MoreFor more information and

healthful recipes, follow @cas-trawberries on Facebook, or visit www.californiastrawber-ries.com.

18 APRIL 2015

Sports NewsSupport Your Local Sports

Merced High School AthleticsInaugral Hall of Fame Dinner

Gerald Madkins inducted into the Merced High School 2015 Hall of Fame. The Inaugural Hall of Fame Dinner was held March 21, at Merced Fair-grounds.

Gerald Madkins is consid-ered one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top basketball players of all-time. He led Merced to Section Division I champion-ships in 1986 and 1987, and he

Rick Williams

Rick Williams, left, with Napoleon Washington at The Inaugural Hall of Fame Dinner at Merced Fairgrounds.

Rick Williams began his High School career at Merced High in 1967, learning the game of baseball from Hall of Fame in-ductee Coach Juarez and fu-ture Hall of Famer Coach Larry “Nellie” Nelson. In 2014 Rick was known as a quiet guy who had a great work ethic and powerful and accurate fastball. Rick graduated in 1970 and

went to Merced College to con-tinue to play baseball. At Mer-ced College, Rick blossomed as the teams “Outstanding pitch-er” and first team all-confer-ence under Butch Hughes. Rick worked his way through the minor leagues and made his Major League debut on June 12th 1978 in the 8th inning of a game against the Pittsburg Pirates. Williams was credit-

ed with the win in that game. In 1979 Rick appeared in 31 games for the Astros and made 16 starts. He worked 121 + in-nings in 1979 and posted and ERA of 3.26. Rick spent the next 3 years with Minnesota and re-tired from professional baseball in 1983. All total Rick spent 11 years in the Major Leagues. He currently lives in Madera and is a pastor at the Grace Tabernacle Church in Chowchilla/Fairmead.

led the state in points scored in both seasons as well. He was the 1987 Northern California boys basketball player of the year and received first-team all-state honors from CalHiSports. He played all five positions on the court, and his teams went 58-7. For his high school career, Madkins averaged 26.3 points, 7.4 assists, 2.8 steals a game, and shot 67% from the field. Madkins was coached by 2010

Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame inductee Vince Clemons. After high school, he went on to UCLA, where he was a four-year player who completed in 123 games, which rank him among the top 15 in school history. He average 7.6 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds a game during his NCAA ca-reer. He remains seventh on

the school career steals list and ninth on the career assists team; this was a group that advanced to the NCAA “Elite Eight.” After college, he played professional for six seasons in the NBA, CBA and in Europe. He spent three years split be-tween the Clevand Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors. He’s since moved onto the coaching and basket-ball front office ranks. Gerald coached at Stanislaus State and UCLA and was very recent-ly named the Direction of Bas-ketball Operations for the Los Angeles Clippers.

1990 state championship football teamGary BauerAdam CuestasDan CuestasHooks DevaursMargie DingeldeinClaudia EatonBill JoergDick JuarezTuti LeeGerald MadkinsGeorge PetrinovichPat ReidJohn RushingTony SlatonDick SolisDave TaylorBrian WilkinsonRick WilliamsLloyd WinstonMark SpeckmanVince ClemonsPete Gonzales

Merced’s Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductees

CENTRAL VALLEY VOICE.COM 19

DOLORES (TUTI) ANDERSON

ADAM CUESTAS

Dolores Anderson formerly (Tuti Lee) is one of Merced High School’s true pioneer of women’s athletics. Dolores competed in several sports at Merced High School including boy’s basketball as a sophomore, because there was no girl’s basket-ball team in 1974. Dolores went on to make her mark in track and field. She won a State Champi-onship in 1976 in the 80-yard low hurdles. One of her best accomplishments was winning a Sac-Joaquin Section Champion in her 3 events. In 1975 and again in 1976 Dolores swept her events in the Sac-Joaquin Section Championship in the 100-yard sprint, 220-yard print and 80-yard low hurdles. Other accolades for Dolores include 1975 Homecoming Queen and she was the 1st Ms. Black Merced winner. Dolores earned a scholar-ship to the University of Nevada Las Vegas where she set school records in the 100-meter hurdles, and tied another in the 200-meter dash. Dolores has since competed in 3 Los Angeles Marathons and continues to donate her time and energy to Special Olympics and Breast Cancer Awareness.

Adam Cuesta helped Merced High School win 4 consecutive league and section champion, from 1976-78. He was a state champion in 1977 and 1978 for Merced High School in 95 pound weight class. In 1978 Adam was named the Wres-tling USA All-American Team. Adam went to Ba-kersfield State where he was the NAACP Division II National Champion. Adam totaled 127 wins at Bakersfield State from 1981-1983. He total was a World Cup Freestyle Gold Medalist in 1982 and 1983. In 1983 he defeated the Russian Olympic Champion in the Soviet Union vs. United State duel meet. In May of 2002 Adam was inducted in the California Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2014 Adam along with his brother Dan was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Hall of Fame. He is current-ly wresting official and be seen at many league and section meets

Dan Cuesta after receiving his award.

LLOYD WINSTONLloyd Winston was a three

standout for Merced High school from 1957 through 1959. In 1958, Lloyd was one of the first Merced High School athletes to win a track event at the Fresno West Coast Relays. His event was the 120 yard high-hurdles. Mr. Winston was also the first Merced School athlete to be selected to the California High School North/South Shrine Football game. He was also selected the most valuable player in the National

SEE PAGE >23

John Rushing

SEE PAGE >23

Dolores Anderson formerly (Tuti Lee) receiving her award from Paul Hogue.

DAN CUESTAS

fornia Conference first team all-league and voted team MVP. John ran track at Mer-ced High School competing in the 100-meter. John Rush-ing a 4 year starter at Wash-ington State from 1991-1994 setting a career starts record a WSU with 46 games. John was a league champion in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter relay. He was a

league champion in all three events and a Sac-Joaquin Section in the 100-meter and 200-meter. John earned a full athletic scholarship to Wash-ington State from 1991-1994 setting a career starts record a WSU with 46 games. John was a freshman All-All Amer-ican and the fourth most pro-lific tackler in WSU history. WSU defense was called the Palouse Posse with #10 Rush-ing being the unit’s top tack-ler and defensive leader. He started his coaching career here at Merced High School in 1995 and moved to Wil-lamette University to coach with Mark Speckman for two years. His first Division I job was with Boise State, from there he coached at Montana State and moved into the NFL with the Green Bay Packers in 2009 where he continues to coach today.

RUSHING...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

Lloyd Winston, right, class of 1987, is the Merced High School’s Athletic Director, with Paul Hogue.

Championship Junior college Rose Bowl as a member of San-ta Monica Junior College in 1959 in Pasadena. He was the Times Index 1959 Top Junior College All American Player and First Team Junior College All America. Lloyd played foot-ball at University of Southern California. A knee injury short-ened his college career, but that did not him from being drafted by the Dallas Texans of the old American Football Con-ference.

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HINTS FOR HOMEBUYERSReal Insights From Realtors

NAPSI)—For many people, buying a home is a goal they aspire to achieve and often the most significant financial de-cision they'll make in their life. If you're among them, consid-er this advice: Given the mass amounts of information, data and tools available, it's critical to work with a professional who can help you make sense of it all. During the home buy-ing or selling process, it's wise to follow these tips:

• Work with a local expert. Realtors are the most trusted resources for up-to-date, com-prehensive and accurate real estate information when it comes to navigating each step of the complex home buyers process. More than four out of five recent home buyers and sellers used a real estate pro-fessional, according to the Na-tional Association of Realtors.

• Learn about the area. Look-ing to move to a new neigh-borhood? Chances are you're unfamiliar with some charac-teristics of the area, such as traffic patterns on busy streets and the best schools within

the district. Realtors have a fin-ger on the pulse of each mar-ket where they do business. They're responsible for know-ing the nuances to consider before buying a home and can leverage that expertise to help you.

• Seek accurate information. Many websites offer to help potential home owners find the perfect house. Some peo-ple have even suggested the Internet will eventually make buying a home as easy as buy-ing an airline ticket or a stock certificate. However, consum-ers often complain that some of the information provided on these sites is either out of date or inaccurate, creating confu-sion and frustration.

A Realtor, on the other hand, can provide valuable coun-sel, discuss listings, show you homes in person, negotiate on your behalf and help you stay focused on the emotional and financial issues that are most important. That may be one reason 88 percent of buyers in 2013 used a real estate agent, up from 69 percent in 2001.

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ROAD TO SAFETYSafety Procedures And CommonsensePractices Help Farmers And Motorists

(NAPSI)—Larger, faster equip-ment used by farmers combined with increased traffic flow by the public and other factors have created increased risks for both farmers and motorists. Consider these statistics:

Rural Road Crash FactsThe National Safety Council

estimates that 15,000 collisions involving farm vehicles occur on U.S. roadways each year.

Consider this:• More than half of the 32,885

traffic fatalities in the U.S. occur on rural roads.

• Crash victims are five to sev-en times more likely to die if ar-rival time to a hospital exceeds 30 minutes.

• The time between a crash and arrival at a hospital averages 36 minutes in urban areas and 53 minutes in rural areas.

Not to be overlooked is the

fact that farm machinery is get-ting larger—much larger—and often extends dangerously over the center line. Farmers are also acquiring more land, requiring additional road time to trav-el to distant fields. Plus, to get the most from every acre, crops are planted closer to roadways, sometimes visually obstructing intersections. Add to that the disrepair of many rural roads and bridges and travel on Amer-ica’s rural roadways has become more dangerous than ever.

Sharing the road with mo-torists unfamiliar with large, slow-moving farm equipment makes for a very dangerous situ-ation. According to the National Safety Council, accidents involv-ing a farm vehicle are five times more likely to produce a fatality than any other type of motor ve-hicle accident.

Preventative Measures

Here are a few commonsense tips to help you avoid farm-vehi-cle accidents:

1. Clearly mark your vehicle. Make sure your vehicle and equipment are well marked with reflective tape, lights or flags, particularly if your equipment is oversized or extends beyond one lane of traffic.

2. Use your lights. Keep head-lights, reflectors and turn signals clear of any dirt or debris that may have accumulated during work, and always use turn sig-nals when turning and changing lanes. Consider installing mag-netic, battery-operated lights that can be purchased relatively cheaply.

3. Install proper signage. Prop-erly install slow-moving vehicle (SMV) emblems so motorists around you are aware of the dif-ference in speed between your vehicle and theirs.

4. Watch your mirrors. Always use rearview and side mirrors so you know your position on the roadway, as well as that of other motorists. The mirrors will help make you aware of your vehicle’s distance from the shoulder.

5. Secure your load. Equipment that is being towed must be se-cured and properly balanced. Double-check that safety-hitch pins are securely fastened before getting on the road.

6. Take it slow. Drive slowly, especially when making turns or driving down steep inclines.

SEE PAGE >22

Farmers and motorists can make balanced decisions and smart choices when traveling on rural roads.By Terrance Williams

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21Lower speeds will help you

avoid a rollover.7. Travel on less-busy roads.

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8. Keep passengers off the equipment. Do not let passen-gers, especially children, ride anywhere on the vehicle except for inside the cabin.

9. Know the state laws and regulations. Stay informed of the latest codes and requirements, as well as recommendations from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological En-gineers for equipment such as vehicle markers.

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Lloyd later signed and played professional football for the San Francisco 49er’s from 1962-1963 and the Oakland Raiders from 1963-1964. In 1977 Lloyd Winston was inducted into the

Merced County Hall of Fame. Lloyd went on to have a 3 year career as a San Francisco Police officer and a Special Deputy U.S. Marshall for over 15 years.

WINSTON...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

CUESTAS...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19Dan Cuestas helped Merced

High School win 3 of their 4 consecutive league and section championships in his 4 years at MHS. He was a two-time Sec-tion Wrestling Champion in 1976 and 1977. He was a CIF state champion in 1976 and 1977 for Merced High School in the 95 pound and 112 pound weight classes. In 1977, Dan was also California State Free-style Champion. Dan went to Bakersfield State where he was the NCAA Division II National in 1981 and 982. In 1981 and 1982 Dan was also an NCAA Division

1 National Champion. Dan’s col-legiate winning percentage was .960 third highest in Cal State Bakersfield history. Dan was the 1980 Olympic Trails Freestyle Champion. He was a member if the Division II National Team Champion for Cal State Bakers-field in 1981 and 1982. Dan was also an AAU National Freestyle Champion in 1985. In 2003, Dan was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2014, Dan along with his brother was inducted into Sac-Joaquin Hall of Fame.

MT. OLIVE BAPTIST CHURCH CELEBRATES

Freddie Braxton

The History Of Mt. OliveMissionary Baptist Church1930-2015

Today we are blessed with the opportunity to become a part of a great historical jour-ney which has lasted 85 years thus far. Please bear in mind that we are celebrating 85 years of a church organization. Some of the highlights of this occasion are:

This organization of like-minded Christian believ-ers was formed March 12, 1930 under the leadership of Rever-end K.P. Coleman, who was the Narrator of the St. John Baptist Association. The first pastor was Reverend A.T. Powell. Un-der his leadership, they named the organization the Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church. The first deacons were J.W. Wiggins, J.L. Jones, Sr., J.H. Eastman, and J.B. Primm. Brother A.F. Davis was the first Treasurer and Sis-ter Corine Gaines was the first Secretary. At the time of its or-ganization, the membership of Mt. Olive consisted of 27 God-fearing, Christian-hearted believers who were seeking the Word of God. They were:Brother & Sister Lewis Bishop Brother Walter Kirkendal

Brother & Sister Cooper Bray Brother & Sister Lee LewisSister Mary Bywaters Brother J.B. PrimmBrother F. Davis Reverend A.L. SaleryBrother J.H. Degraffenreid Brother & Sister John SmithBrother J.E. Eastman Sister Mamie ThamesSister Corine Gaines Brother Walter Thames Brother Henry Gray Brother John Walls

Sister Cora Jones Brother & Sister J.E. WigginsBrother J.L. Jones Sr. Brother & Sister Mark WigginsBrother Frank KingPast Pastors of Mt. Olive:Reverend M.L. JacksonReverend CollinsReverend DiggsReverend J.H. DegraffenreidReverend A. EasleyReverend Dennis HallReverend H. CrosbyReverend J.B. WilliamsReverend O.J. NewmanReverend E. WilliamsReverend R.D. Tyler

The membership grew after four years of holding services in a small house; the members decided that they needed a building in which to hold their services. In the year of our Lord, 1934, they erected a building at 1311 Maple Street, here in Atwater.

By 1939, the membership had grown to 101 members. God blessed the members to be able to improve the struc-ture, and Mt. Olive continued to carry out the purpose for which it was established. Mt. Olive became a house of wor-ship for many military families until the closure of Castle Air Force Base in 1995. Over the last 20 years many of those families have come back to worship at Mt. Olive when in the area.

In 1987, the Mt. Olive Mission-ary Baptist Church was incorpo-rated as the Mt. Olive Missionary

SEE PAGE >24

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schools to assist seniors in the process of enrolling and gaining a priority registration appointment. Students who have already completed an application, orientation, and assessment before arriving at New Student Saturday will be able to go directly to the final step, educational advising.

“Attending the New Student Day is one of the best ways for incoming students to get their college education off to a great start,” said Flerida Arias-Zarago-za, director of TRIO Pre College

NEW STUDENT DAYCONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

Programs at MJC. “Prospective students should take advan-tage of this opportunity to get ahead and get the classes they need at MJC next fall.”

Registration for MJC’s sum-mer classes is already under-way and fall class registration begins on May 4. For more in-formation on New Student Day or enrolling at MJC call (209) 575-6789.

Baptist Church of Atwater; Inc. Services were held at the Maple Street address for 73 years, 1934 through 2007. God blessed the members to march from Maple Street to the newly built sanctu-ary at 559 Broadway Avenue on July 1, 2007. On that day, Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church dedicated this building for con-

tinuous service to the Lord. The dedication theme was “It’s All Because Of Jesus”. This building was built by the hands of man, but all has been set and held to-gether by the hands of God.

For 32 years Mt. Olive was blessed to labor under the Lead-ership of Dr. Rodger D. Tyler from 1980-2012. In 2012, God promoted Pastor Tyler to a new vineyard and has blessed Rever-end Kerry Dean to serve as the Interim Minister of Mt. Olive.

MT. OLIVECONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

During the past 85 years, we have had many trials, tribula-tions, and sorrows as well as many years of sunshine, joy, and blessings. Through it all we’ve learned to trust and depend on our God.

“In conclusion, we are not gathered here this afternoon just to celebrate the organiza-tion of this church. More impor-tantly, we are here today to cele-brate the work of God”.