Celebrating 10 years:

March 1995 ~ March 2005

For the past decade,

The Kaweah Commonwealth

has been telling readers

things they won't read, hear,

or see anywhere else!

In the News - Friday, JUNE 10, 2005

Only in the June 10 print edition:

THREE RIVERS

UNION SCHOOL

GRADUATION ISSUE

Also...

Measure C approved

   When it comes to raising some additional funds for the upkeep of the Three Rivers Memorial Building, the second time around proved to be a winner. The measure failed last November, according to its proponents, because hundreds of sample ballots with important facts about the issue failed to reach local voters prior to the election.
   This time there was no lack of discussion or information prior to the election, although some voters admitted that they forgot that the one-issue election was scheduled for Tuesday, June 7. On that historic Tuesday, which featured computerized touch-screen voting for the first time in Tulare County, Three Rivers voters approved Measure C by a commanding margin of 71.7 percent yes to 28.3 percent no.
   A two-thirds majority (66.6 percent) was required for approval. A total of 734 votes were cast or 45.6 percent of the 1,610 registered voters within the Memorial District boundaries. Of these, 270 actually cast their vote using the new touch-screen; 464 chose to submit absentee ballots.
   In general, voters seemed to like the new high-tech touch-screens. There was some confusion, however, as to where and how the voter could review what vote their “touch” had indicated.
Election officials said that the next time voters use the system they will like it even more. The results are tallied instantaneously but, as required by law, the election must still be ratified, and that is expected to take at least a few more days.
   Once the election is “final,” the Three Rivers Memorial District board of directors must begin the difficult task of compiling an inventory of every parcel in the district. Each parcel will be assessed a $23 per annum tax.
   The added revenue is expected to raise more than $50,000 annually. The board may suspend the tax at any time when they feel that the necessary repairs have been made to the building and the district’s budget is sound.

Rattler bites

Elderwood man

   Frank Ainley Sr. was bitten by a rattlesnake Sunday, June 5, in the yard of his Elderwood home. Frank is a lifelong resident of Elderwood and well-known rancher, high school teacher, coach, and athletic director at Woodlake High School.
   Ainley, 72, who was pulling some weeds in a flowerbed, said at first he wasn’t sure what had bitten him on the hand until he saw the two-foot-long snake in a crevice under a rock.

  “I guess by pulling the first couple of weeds I disturbed the snake, and when I reached my hand in again I felt something hit me on the index finger,” said Ainley. “It was still cold outside that morning so I was surprised to encounter a snake. I thought it might have been a centipede or a scorpion.”
   Ainley said at that point he retrieved a shovel and coaxed the critter from under the rock. That’s when he noticed that it was indeed a rattlesnake with four or five buttons on the tail. He never heard the distinctive rattling sound prior to the bite.
   Ainley’s finger and hand immediately began to swell as his wife Barbara was driving him to the emergency room at Kaweah Delta Hospital in Visalia.

  “I wasn’t really in a lot of pain but I started to feel very hot from the neck up,” Ainley reported. “I was thinking, am I going to get so hot I can’t stand it anymore?”
   When Ainley arrived at the emergency room, he said there were no other patients and they began treatment right away. Once the doctor was certain that it was a rattlesnake bite, anti-venom was administered. To do that, Ainley said, he had to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) where the anti-venom was administered intravenously.
   Ainley stayed in the ICU on Monday for observation and then was released and returned home on the next day.

  “Any rattlesnake bite is a critical situation and they really did a great job at Kaweah Delta in making certain that I was given the appropriate care,” Ainley said. “They have a snakebite expert on staff, so they knew exactly what to do.”
   The California Department of Fish and Game said in a recent statement that as weather warms encounters of the slithering kind become inevitable. Most snakebites occur when a snake is handled or accidentally startled.
   The majority of bites occur on the hands, feet, and ankles. About 25 percent of bites are “dry,” meaning no venom was injected. The California Poison Control Center says that approximately 800 bites occur annually with one or two resulting in death. Even dry bites require medical treatment.
   Whenever outdoors always be aware of obvious places where snakes might be hiding. Rattlesnakes can be found anywhere in California up to 10,000 feet and are not just confined to rural areas.
   In the event of a suspected bite, try to positively identify the snake as to species, remain calm, and seek immediate medical treatment.


OBITUARY
Lorraine Young,

3R artist
1929 ~ 2005

  Lorraine Young of Three Rivers died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, June 5, 2005. She was 75.
   A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 11, at 11 a.m., at the First Baptist Church (42013 Eggers Dr.) in Three Rivers.
Lorraine was born Sept. 5, 1929, in Reedley. She attended Sierra Union High School and Fresno State University.
   She met Jack Young at Shaver Lake and, in 1948, they were married. The couple resided in Big Creek and Kernville, then originally settled in Three Rivers in 1967.
   Within a few years, Lorraine followed Jack to Boulder City, Nev. Jack, who was employed by SCE, went to work on the Hoover Dam for the next decade.
   The couple retired in Three Rivers in 1980. Lorraine enjoyed skiing, golf, and gardening, and she dedicated herself to keeping the arts alive in Three Rivers.
   Lorraine was a member of the Three Rivers Senior League, spent much of her time working at the Sierra Garden Center and, for many years, was the treasurer and founding member of the Arts Alliance of Three Rivers.

REVIVING REDBUD
   Having art shows and sales in Three Rivers is nothing new. Artists have congregated in this community since the early 20th century.
   But it’s the Redbud Festival that has become synonymous with arts in Three Rivers. This event began in the 1970s and was held at the Three Rivers Golf Course, but in the late-1980s to early’90s, it floundered due to lack of organized management.
   In 1999, in stepped two of Three Rivers’s most well-known artists, Lorraine Young and Lidabelle Wylie. The pair was dedicated to reviving and forever preserving the Redbud Festival.
   Because of their efforts, today the “Redbud” remains an anticipated local event, held each May, and is better than ever. With live music, food and drink, demonstrations by artists, and “make-and-take” classes, the Redbud has grown steadily each year, attracting both artists and patrons from throughout the region.
   For nearly 40 years, Lorraine was a professional artist. She used oils and watercolors to create stunning scenes of local landmarks and landscapes, as well as other subjects.
                                         * * *
   Lorraine was preceded in death by her husband, Jack.
   She is survived by her four daughters, Susan Smith of Kona, Hawaii, Holly Hummel of Milwaukie, Ore., Robin Shain of Lemon Cove, and Stacy Young of Three Rivers, with whom she resided; her sister, Eleanor and husband Tom Davis of Wichita, Kan.; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.