There was a changing of the guard in key positions throughout Tulare County during the past year.

The year began with longtime educator Frances Holdbrooks being appointed to the Woodlake Union High School Board on Jan. 14 to fill a vacant seat left by Jose 'Joe' Martinez, who was elected to the City Council. Holdbrooks' appointment outraged the runners-up in the November election, Armida Martinez and Ralph Chapman, who forced a special election to determine which of the three should serve on the board. Holdbrooks held onto her appointed seat, winning the special election six months later on June 16.

In Exeter, Teresa Boyce was appointed to the Exeter City Council on Jan. 13 to fill the vacancy left by Charlie Norman, who resigned after being elected to the Exeter Union High School District Board. A former Exeter Planning Commissioner and mayor, Norman was later appointed to the Tulare County Planning Commission on Aug. 11. City Manager John Kunkel resigned from the Exeter District Ambulance Board on Nov. 19. Kunkel's resignation ended one of the most controversial presidencies on the board, which included putting a private company (Lifestar of Tulare) in charge of managing operations for the first time in the special district's 32-year history on July 22 and firing longtime manager and employee Lori Trowbridge on July 28. Kunkel resigned to relocate to Buellton, Calif. to take over as City Manager. Kunkel was Exeter's city manager from 2004-2009 and its Chief of Police from 1985-2004. His last day at Exeter City Hall was Dec. 11.

In Lindsay, the City Council voted to stop operating its Animal Control Shelter on Oct. 13 and approved a lease allowing the City of Porterville to run the facility at least through 2014. The agreement only brings the city $1 per year but will save the city about 80% of its animal control costs (about $223,000) by contracting with Porterville for those services. The decision ended a decade in which the city's Department of Public Safety was hounded by dogged investigators over claims of neglect and mismanagement. The shelter was the subject of four Tulare County Grand Jury Investigations from 1999-2009.

In Farmersville, Joe Ashley stepped down due to health reasons after serving on the Planning Commission for 15 years. Ashley, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsey at the age of 1, spent most of his adult life fighting for handicap accessibility in the city. He later died on Dec. 19 at the age of 67. Earlier in the year, Harroll Wiley became the first Farmersville native to be appointed as president of the Exeter-based Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias (Exeter, Farmersville, Porterville and Tipton). Wiley will now steer the regional non-profit which operates 10 clubs in four communities and serves 4,000 children.

At the county level, the Board At the county level, the Board of Supervisors appointed Jake Raper as the county's new Resource Management Agency Director on Sept. 1. Raper replaces Henry Hash, who resigned in May. Marilyn Kinoshita was promoted to Assistant Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights and Measures on Oct. 23 following the retirement of Bill Appleby after 36 years with Agriculture Commissioner's Office. Kinoshita was later promoted to the county's highest ag seat on Dec. 17 when she was picked to succeed Ag Commissioner Gary Kunkel, who announced he was retiring after 35 years with the Ag Commissioner's Office.

On a national level, four Exeter students were able to see historic change for our country when Barak Obama was inaugurated as the first African-American president on Jan. 20. Exeter Union High School students Christian Watts, Alisa Carstens and Victoria Burkett attended the Inauguration at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. while Wilson Middle Schooler Hunter Silvas had a seat of honor, along with grandmother and father, as part of a 10-member delegation representing the Tule River Indian Tribe. On Oct. 27, EUHS alumnus Brad Mills was named the new manager of the Houston Astros after winning two World Series titles as bench coach with the Boston Red Sox.

January

-Jan. 5: EUHS retired Cameron Loeffler's No. 9 after the Monarchs running back rewrote the record books for single-season and career marks in rushing and scoring.

-Jan. 10: Two teens were shot in the 200 block of North Hester Street in Farmersville.

-Jan. 10: The McDermont Field House debuted its indoor skatepark.

-Jan. 13: The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted to eliminate 480 health positions, lay off 200 health employees and close health clinics in Lindsay and Tulare in order to save an estimated $10 million.

-Jan. 13: Teresa Boyce was appointed to the Exeter City Council to fill the vacancy left by Charlie Norman, who resigned after being elected to the Exeter Union High School District Board.

-Jan. 13: The Lindsay City Council announced its afterschool program at McDermont Field House would be called the Tienken Academy, after Bob and Barbara Tienken. The Tienkens are a longtime Lindsay family and Bob, a Lindsay native, was one of the founders of the Bank of the Sierra, a community leader and a veteran of World War II and the Korean War.

-Jan. 14: Gary Greene closed down his business, Mr. G's Pizza, after 17 years of business. Greene claimed he could not compete with the city-funded snack bar at McDermont Field House, but said he thought the sports and recreation center was good for the city.

-Jan. 14: Frances Holdbrooks was appointed to the Woodlake Union High School Board to fill a vacant seat left by Jose 'Joe' Martinez, who was elected to the City Council. Holdbrooks' appointment outraged the runners-up in the November election, Armida Martinez and Ralph Chapman, who forced a special election to determine which of the three should serve on the board.

-Jan. 16: Leland Perryman, 67, of Exeter was shot by a stray bullet from the Exeter Firing Range. The range was being used by the Woodlake Police Department for training at the time of the accident. No charges were filed against the officers or departments.

-Jan. 19: Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo held a wrestling clinic at the McDermont Field House.

-Jan. 20: EUHS students Christian Watts, Alisa Carstens and Victoria Burkett attended Barak Obama's Presidential Inauguration at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

-Jan. 20: An Exeter family ñ Victor Silvas, Jr., son Hunter Silvas, 11, and his grandmother, Marcia Hunter Estrada ñ was part of a 10-member delegation that represented the Tule River Indian Tribe at Barak Obama's Presidential Inauguration.

-Jan. 20: Dough to Go, Inc. and Harmony Resources Fundraising recalled peanut butter cookie dough that EUHS students had sold as part of a fundraiser for the music department. There were no reports of any illnesses from the cookie dough.

-Jan. 21: Police found the body of 43-year-old Timothy Stovall of Visalia dressed in women's clothing in an orchard near the northeast corner of Highway 198 and Road 210.

-Jan. 21: The Strathmore High School girls soccer team won the East Sequoia League title in its first year in the league. The team went undefeated in league competition.

-Jan. 24: John Dofflemyer, Tulare County cattleman and poet, was honored with the Wrangler Award for the Outstanding Poetry Book of 2008 by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (formerly the Cowboy Hall of Fame).

February

-Feb. 10: Farmersville Girls Soccer goes undefeated in the East Sierra League to take the Title.

-Feb. 13: The Grove Theatre in Lindsay reopened with its first Mexican concert in more than 20 years. The theatre has a 50-year history of playing host to some of the biggest names in the history of mariachi, ranchero and banda music.

-Feb. 4: The Exeter Union High School District Board voted to lay off seven classified employees. The board would later postpone the layoffs until the summer, and eventually ended up only eliminating one classified position in July.

-Feb. 12: Kevin Dahlberg, 46, of Exeter was convicted of felony DUI and inflicting great bodily injury on a police officer. Dahlberg didn't actually hit the officer, Sgt. Kerry Kelly of the Tulare County Sheriff's Department, who had found him passed out in his vehicle in the middle of the road. While investigating Dahlberg, another vehicle hit Dahlberg's car and injured both men.

-Feb. 12: The Farmersville High School boys soccer team won its sixth straight East Sierra League title.

-Feb. 13: A funeral procession for Tulare County Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Hernandez, 50, of Exeter went down Pine Street to Exeter Cemetery. Hernandez died on Feb. 6 eight days after being hospitalized following a car wreck near Cutler.

-Feb. 17: LHS basketball player Seth Townsend scored his 1,000th career point against Orosi.

-Feb. 19: Ryan Slick, a seventh grader at Wilson Middle School, played at the California Band Directors Association's annual convention after being selected to the California All-State Honor Band.

-Feb. 20: Anthony Elizalde, 4, of Strathmore was killed when a heavy metal gate frame fell on him while he was playing near his home.

-Feb. 21: The California Public Utilities Commission added two new alternate routes to Draft Environmental Impact Report of Southern California Edison's San Joaquin Cross Valley Transmission Loop project. The new routes still affected Lemon Cove, Woodlake and prime agriculture land.

-Feb. 27: Woodlake blues singer/songwriter Cole Fonseca made his triumphant return to playing live in the Valley since his right arm was paralyzed in a car accident a little more than three years earlier.

-Feb. 28: The following people were honored at the Exeter Chamber of Commerce's annual Awards Banquet: Mickey Hirni, Man of the Year; Laura Hamilton, Woman of the Year; Joe and Pat Luiz, Heritage Award; NSE Insurance Agencies, Business of the Year; Valley Financial Group, Beautification Award.

-Feb. 28: The following people were honored at Woodlake's annual Awards Banquet: Michael Pace, Man of the Year; Leslie Rivas, Woman of the Year; Guadalupe Robles Pinon, Spirit of Woodlake; Liliana Garcia and Jordan Vieira, Youth of the Year; Frances Sotomayor Ortiz, Lifetime Achievement; Valley Business Bank, Business of the Year.

March

-March 1: Tulare District Hospital took over the Tulare County Health Center in Lindsay after the Board of Supervisors voted to close clinics in Lindsay and Tulare in January.

-March 1: All ambulance companies in Tulare County began getting dispatched through the new Tulare County Ambulance Dispatch system. The new system eliminated the old style of dispatching emergency calls by territory to dispatching the nearest ambulance, which are now tracked by GPS.

-March 7: EUHS wrestlers Max Carter (215 pounds), John Wadkins (171 pounds) and Robert Patino (125 pounds) won Valley Titles in their respective weight classes.

-March 7: The Exeter and Farmersville councils of the Knights of Columbus honored the following people as the 2008 Officer/Firefighter of the Year: Officer Mark Frick, Exeter Police Department; Eng. Carl Corley, Exeter Fire Department; Sgt. Leonard Phillips, Woodlake Police Department; Det. Ralph Vasquez, Farmersville Police Department; Capt. Brian Kyle, Farmersville Fire Department; Deputy Demencio Holguin, Tulare County Sheriff's Department; Firefighter Richard Gaylord, Tulare Co. Fire Department; Officer Greg Chrissakis, California Highway Patrol.

-March 8: A Golden Gate Bridge-themed desk built by Farmersville carpenter Raul Garza was featured on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Raul and his wife, Mary, volunteered to help with the construction of a home for a Fresno family selected by the show.

-March 12: Jason and Tanya Rader of Ivanhoe, whose three children were killed in a 2007 crash involving off-duty Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Armstrong of Exeter, settled their lawsuit against Tulare County for $1.36 million.

-March 24: Lindsay High School hosted its first swim meet at the new Lindsay Aquatic Center and defeated Mission Oak in both the girls and boys contests.

-March 25: More than 600 students and parents attended the Step Up Gang Awareness Summit at Exeter Union High School.

April

-April 1: The Farmersville Chamber of Commerce reopened for business after a five-year hiatus.

-April 1: Exeter Union High School was one of 125 high schools statewide to be named a California Distinguished Schools based on its ability to close the achievement gap between minority and/or lower socioeconomic students and the general population.

-April 2: Kaweah Delta HealthCare District opened its new Pediatric Clinic next to its Exeter Health Clinic on San Juan Avenue.

-April 3: Strathmore citrus grower Ophelia 'Buzz' Fisher received the Common Threads award for extraordinary women in Valley agriculture. The award was given through a collaboration of California Agriculture Leadership, the Ag One Foundation at Fresno State and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State.

-April 3: Richard 'Dick' Downs was awarded the Golden Apple Award by the Association of California School Administrators for his leadership on the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee for the two separate bond measures.

-April 4: Yukon Jack's opened in Exeter. The themed-restaurant is owned by Dynaco Food Concepts, which used the Yukon Jack's franchise to replace its other franchise Huckleberry's in Exeter.

-April 12: Nicole Schiro was crowned Queen of the 77th annual Orange Blossom Festival in Lindsay. Her court included Alejandra Preciado, Stevi Ibarra, Gina Sholander and Yvette Cortes.

-April 13: The Farmersville City Council approved plans to build a joint community center with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias. Construction on the two-story, 16,000 square foot facility at Avery and Ash streets has yet to begin.

-April 15: Residents in Exeter held a TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party in front of City Hall, one of 2,000 TEA parties across the nation to oppose higher taxes and government overspending.

-April 16: One of Exeter's most enduring female figures, Loretta Miller, died at the age of 85.

-April 17: An Exeter fugitive, 45-year-old Matthew James Anton Heath, was arrested in Phoenix on a $1 million warrant on three counts of sexual acts and sexual abuse of a child on March 20 in Exeter.

-April 18: Dr. Thomas and Gloria Matthews graced Lindsay's parade as the Honored Couple for the 77th annual Orange Blossom Festival. Thomas practiced medicine in Lindsay for 35 years and Gloria taught music in Lindsay and played with Tulare County Symphony for more than 30 years.

-April 20: David Turner flew in a B-17 bomber for the first time since he was shot down over German-occupied France as co-pilot of a Flying Fortress in World War II.

-April 25: Former State Assemblyman Bill Maze, Class of 1964, was honored as the EUHS Alumni Foundation's 2009 Alumni of the Year.

-April 27: Citrus pioneer and oldest living EUHS alumni John A. Dungan died at the age of 102.

May

-May 1: Kirk Swartzlander of Exeter was named fire chief of CalFire's Tulare Unit.

-May 1: Tulare County Health officials closed Sunnyside Elementary in Strathmore and Woodville Union Elementary in Woodville to prevent the spread of the H1N1 influenza, or swine flu. Classes resumed for both schools on the following Monday.

-May 2: Jennifer Murphy was crowned the 2009 Rodeo Queen by the Woodlake Lions Club. Her court included Laurabelle Burns, Christy Bawks, Kaylen Hankemeier and Tarah Rowland.

-May 3: The Lindsay Christian Church celebrated its 100th anniversary.

-May 5: Elderwood rancher Frank Ainley was named Agriculturalist of the Year and Fruit Growers Supply was named Agribusiness of the Year by the Tulare County Farm Bureau.

-May 6: The EUHS girls track team won its seventh Central Sequoia League Title in eight years.

-May 7: The Lindsay High School softball team won its 10th straight game and an East Sequoia League title.

-May 8: Woodlake High School boys tennis individual player Javier Jiminez and the doubles team of Luis Zamora and Carlos DeLeon won East Sequoia League titles.

-May 9: Ernesteen 'Steen' Ferry, wife of the late Bill Ferry who helped start the Woodlake Lions Rodeo, served as Grand Marshall of the 56th annual Rodeo Parade.

-May 12: Business and community leader and historian Robert 'Bob' Tienken died at the age of 89.

-May 14: More than 5,000 people crammed into Exeter City Park to hear country music star Tracy Lawrence kickoff KJUG's Summer Concert Series.

-May 15: Salvador Campillo, 21, and Raul Moses Murillo, 20, both of Woodlake were arrested on multiple counts of burglary, vandalism and possession of stolen property after vandalizing the Woodlake Post Office. The men were later turned over to federal authorities and are awaiting trial.

-May 15: Semi-professional sports debuted at the McDermont Field House in Lindsay when the Sequoia F.C. and V.C. United soccer squads played an exhibition game versus Mexican Arena Soccer League champions La Cabana.

-May 16: The EUHS swim team finished third among 35 schools at the Division II Valley Swim Meet.

-May 21: Orlando Meza, 21, of Exeter died while rescuing two friends from the frigid and fast rapids of Chiquito Creek near Mammoth Pool in Madera County.

-May 25: Korean War veteran Gus Camacho served as the Grand Marshall of the 55th annual Farmersville Memorial Day Parade.

-May 27: Woodlake Valley Middle School dedicated a memorial garden to Manuel 'Joaquin' Holguin, the son of Principal Lydia Holguin, who was killed in Iraq on July 15, 2006.

-May 30: More than 500 people participated in the first every Relay For Life in Exeter at Exeter Stadium. In its inaugural year, the event raised more than $80,000 for cancer research.

June

-June 1: The City of Lindsay finished its 9-month, $1.5 million reconstruction and resurfacing of Tulare Road, one of the city's major east-west thoroughfares and one of its most neglected roads.

-June 3: Maria Magallan, office manager for Freedom Elementary School in Farmersville, was named the Tulare County School Employee of the Year.

-June 3: Linda Wachter signed a settlement agreement for $75,000 with the Exeter Union High School District more than a year after her contract was not renewed as the girls basketball coach. Wachter filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the district in October 2008 claiming gender discrimination, retaliation and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

-June 4: Exeter resident Ken Speck and his employer Danny Williams are indicted by the Tulare County Grand Jury on 78 misdemeanor charges of theft and fire code violations and 34 felony counts of maintaining an impaired fire protection system, theft, division of construction funds and conspiracy. The investigation began after Svenhard's Swedish Bakery in Exeter filed a complaint with the Tulare County Fire Department that the company impersonated firefighters and used unlawful methods to convince business owners to buy their services.

-June 5: The body of 62-year-old Ignacio Arredondo Lopez was found just north of the city limits. Lopez was the seventh body found in Lindsay since April 2008.

-June 6: Five Exeter X-men wrestlers competed at the State Wrestling Championships at Selland Arena.

-June 8: The Lindsay Aquatic Center officially opened to the public. The Aquatic Center includes three types of pools: An 8-lane Olympic style pool competition pool that is 25-meters by 25-yards with a depth of 7 feet; a zero depth wading pool that is 30-feet long and spans depths of 18 inches to 7 feet; and a warm water therapy pool with a constant depth of 4 feet and a constant temperature of 90 degrees. A Colorado Timing System was installed in the starting blocks of the lap pool that can measure times down to a 100th of a second. The pools are surrounded by a colonnade, locker rooms, concessions and meeting rooms.

-June 10: Orlando Meza was buried with full military honors at the Exeter Cemetery. Meza, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, died on May 21 while rescuing two friends from Chiquito Creek in Madera County.

-June 15: Robert Thompson, 40, of Exeter was sentenced to 10 years in prison for viewing and downloading over 600 images of child pornography.

-June 16: Frances Holdbrooks held onto her appointed seat on the Woodlake Union (Elementary) School District board after winning a special election forced by community members who thought that either Armida Martinez and Ralph Chapman, both of whom were runners-up in the November election, should have been given the job. Holdbrooks was originally appointed on Jan. 14.

-June 16: Former Lonestar frontman Richie McDonald played the second Country concert in Exeter City Park as part of KJUG's Summer Concert Series.

-June 20: Lindsay High School's Frank Skadan Stadium hosted the first ever Girls and Boys Soccer All-Star games in Tulare County.

-June 23: The McDermont Field House became possibly the first facility in the nation to house an indoor Hippo water slide. The inflatable slide is 35 feet tall and 175 feet long.

-June 23: The Lindsay City Council approved an agreement to contract with Blue Sky Aviation of Tulare for law enforcement air support. Lindsay is the third city, but the first of the foothills cities to approve the agreement. Exeter, Farmersville and Woodlake later signed similar agreements.

-June 25: The Exeter Mural Team dedicated the city's 26th mural 'Mineral King ñ Our Backyard,' depicting the pristine Mineral King Valley and the cabins built there by local families.

-June 30: Local city councils were forced to make cuts to many programs in the wake of the state budget crisis. The City of Lindsay laid off six employees in order to save $320,000. The City of Woodlake cut as much as 58% from some department budgets and canceled needed projects. The City of Exeter considered cutting all of its funding for the Chamber of Commerce.

July

-July 1: A package of tea leaves containing a pest that could decimate the state's billion-dollar citrus industry was found in a FedEx package in Fresno. It was the first time the Asian citrus pysillid was found north of San Diego and Imperial counties. It also tested positive for the bacteria known as 'citrus greening,' because the bacteria blocks the tree from essential nutrients, causing the fruit to drop off before ripening when it is still green. There is no cure once the tree is infected.

-July 1: City of Lindsay closed down Mason House Gallery and McGregor Hall art galleries after the city eliminated its community arts coordinator position as part of budget cuts.

-July 1: The Tulare County Grand Jury investigated the Lindsay Animal Control Shelter for the fourth time in 10 years. This investigation centered around allegations of neglect and mismanagement made by a group of rescue organizations following a mishappen rescue attempt of 75 dogs on June 14, 2008. The Grand Jury ultimately decided that the shelter was 'doing the best job it can with the resources available.'

-July 1: Mel Garcia, 10, of Exeter finishes with the silver medal at the USA Wrestling National Tournament in Pocatello, Idaho.

-July 13: Woodlake City Council passed two ordinances, one making parents civilly liable and subject to fines for vandalism committed by their children, and the other making it illegal to leave an abandoned basketball hoop in the street longer than 30 minutes.

-July 15: The Exeter Union High School Board voted 3-2 to cut freshman football, along with several coaching stipends, to save the district about $28,000.

-July 16: Cousins Brett Moody of Exeter and Dustin Moody of Visalia/Ivanhoe competed at the National High School Rodeo.

-July 17: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the murder of former Farmersville community activist Martin Macareno. The 42-year-old was found brutally beaten to death in a garage in Greenfield, Calif. on July 5, 2007.

-July 18: Arturo Mendoza, 31, of Exeter was gunned down following an argument on Theresa Ave. in Farmersville. Police later arrested 28-year-old Mario Perez of Visalia.

-July 19: Ashley Arellano, 14, of Exeter drowned in the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River after the current sucked her under a rock near the Hospital Rock Picnic Area. Arellano was the second girl to be killed in that part of the river that same weekend. The deaths prompted a public information campaign warning residents not to swim in the river.

-July 20: Country newcomer Justin Moore played before another large crowd at Exeter City Park as the third of KJUG's Summer Concert Series.

-July 21: The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to close all County Library branches on Mondays and extend hours on other days as part of cost-cutting measures to save the county about $34,000 per year.

-July 21: Two Woodlake High School graduates, Matthew McMillan and Caleb Crawford, are sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years probation for stealing a pig from the WHS Ag Farm and then torturing and killing the animal. Alfredo Vigil of Woodlake received a similar sentence on Aug. 25. Two juveniles, one of Elderwood and one of Woodlake, were also arrested but authorities were not allowed to discuss their hearings.

-July 23: Local residents flooded the Visalia Convention Center to voice their opinion on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for Southern California Edison's San Joaquin Cross Valley Loop Project. Residents urged the California Public Utilities Commission to choose Edison's Route 3, which primarily runs through cattle grazing land north of Elderwood.

-July 22: The Exeter District Ambulance Board voted unanimously to put a private company (Lifestar of Tulare) in charge of managing operations for the first time in the special district's 32-year history.

-July 26: Revival Ex, a Christian rock festival organized by Cornerstone Community Church's youth group, returned to Exeter City Park.

-July 27: Lindsay Unified School District voted unanimously to shift elementary and junior high schools with five K-8 ëelemiddle' schools beginning in 2011.

-July 28: As its first official action as the new management of the Exeter District Ambulance, Lifestar terminated longtime employee and then manager Lori Trowbridge, sparking a debate that the board was trying to break efforts by employees to unionize.

-July 29: World War II pilot, POW and Christian crusader Leonard Hansen of Woodlake died at the age of 86.

August

-Aug. 4: Exeter druggist and community leader Robert 'Bob' Mixter died at the age of 87.

-Aug. 6: The Monarchs freshman football teams began practice after a group of alumni led by Gary Erickson raised enough money to bring back the program for another year. The program had originally been included in the Exeter Union High School District's budget cuts.

-Aug. 11: Former Exeter Planning Commission, mayor and current school board trustee Charlie Norman was appointed to the Tulare County Planning Commission.

-Aug. 11: Farmersville Unified School District announced that it was beginning preliminary plans to build a new junior high school. The district is in the process of applying for hardship funding for the school.

-Aug. 15: Bryan Scott Wilson, 22, of Farmersville was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle and hit an oncoming car on Belmont Road south of Powell Avenue in Exeter.

-Aug. 17: Lindsay High School began its first day of school and the first day of its new grading system. The system gives students two numeric grades, one for behavior and one for academics, which is then combines for an overall score and converted to a GPA.

-Aug. 18: Two-thirds of Tooleville residents vote down a 10% rate increase on their sewer service approved by the Board of Supervisors. It marks the first time that a community has successfully voted down the annual increase by the county.

-Aug. 19: The Exeter Union High School District Board approved switching from a 4 x 4 block schedule with students taking eight classes a year to a six block schedule where students only take six classes per year for the 2010-11 school year. The cost-saving move will allow the district to employ less teachers but students will also have less electives.

-Aug. 19: Country singer/songwriter Randy Houser performed at City Park in the last of KJUG's Summer Concert Series.

-Aug. 30: The last couple of four Farmersville residents were arrested in connection with 11 armed robberies over a six-week period in Visalia, Goshen and Exeter. In all, arrested were: Pedro Cisneros, 23, Priscilla Charris, 25, Rigoberto Benavides, 23, and Raymond Sanchez, 30.

September

-Sept. 1: The Board of Supervisors appointed Jake Raper as the county's new Resource Management Agency Director. Raper replaces Henry Hash, who resigned in May.

-Sept. 3: Longtime Exeter drug dealer Javier Flores, 40, was arrested for possession and sales of controlled substances. Also arrested were Esau Flores, 28, and Michelle Palacios, 37.

-Sept. 10: Rising Sun Construction and Dinuba House Movers hauled the 100-year-old Methodist Church in Farmersville across the city to its new home on Farmersville Boulevard. The church's old location on Avery Street will be the future home of the city's first ever community center. The city plans to convert the church into a museum and town hall meeting site.

-Sept. 11: Lindsay Unified School District kicks off its Olweus Bullying Prevention Porgram at Lincoln Elementary School.

-Sept. 15: More than 225 local, state and federal law enforcement personnel and six canines served search warrants at 16 locations in Strathmore, Plainview, Lindsay and Porterville following a six month investigation into a major drug ring. Investigators arrested 15 suspects, seized 200 marijuana plants, 50 lbs of processed marijuana, 113.2 grams of cocaine three lbs of crystal methamphetamine worth a total of $8.3 million. Fourteen children were located and three were referred to Child Welfare Services.

-Sept. 17: Severo Gomez, 42, of Farmersville was sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder, aggravated mayhem and child abuse after setting his live-in girlfriend Rosalvo Rico on fire on Aug. 5, 2007. Rico suffered burns on 30% of her body and required a series of operations over three months to remove damaged skin tissue and replace it with healthy skin grafted from other parts of her body.

-Sept. 18: Retired Woodlake Union High School teacher Louise Achenbach was inducted into the Black Hill State University Yellow Jacket Hall of Fame in Spear Fish, S.D. Achenbach was nominated for her 37 years of coaching at WUHS, where she won 29 league titles and was named Coach of the Year 17 times for the volleyball team.

-Sept. 18: Starbucks closed its Farmersville location, one of 300 underperforming stores for the Seattle-based coffee corporation.

-Sept. 29: Tonyville fell two votes shy of blocking a rate increase on its sewer approved by the Board of Supervisors. Their sewer rate increased by 10% from $54.25 to $59.25 per month.

October

-Oct. 1: More than 40 DEA, Sheriff's and Exeter and Farmersville police officers arrested 17 people in Farmersville and Visalia following a four-month investigation into a major marijuana trafficking operation. During searches at seven locations, police seized 161 marijuana plants weighing approximately 3,200 pounds and worth an estimated $584,000 and about 235 pounds of processed marijuana worth an estimated $500,000. They also seized $36,774 in cash, a vehicle, and several weapons, including a bolt action rifle and three semiautomatic handguns.

-Oct. 1: The Kings County Sheriff's Department unearths the body of 65-year-old Robert Lee Adams of Lemoore in the irrigation ditch behind Farmersville High School. Adams went missing in August 2008 and was not found until 40-year-old Ricky McConnaughy confessed to the murder while in jail on separate charges.

-Oct. 5: Sharon Ross was crowned Miss Exeter of the 96th annual Fall Festival. Her court included Hannah Stearns, Courtney Deathridge, Kayla Guerrero, Bayley Hurick, Kayla Sandoval, Anna Unger, Allison Walker, Samantha Wright and Taylor Figueria.

-Oct. 6: Woodlake Union High School District broke ground on its new baseball and softball fields on East Sequoia Street. The project is the district's second funded by a $4.5 million bond measure passed in 2008.

-Oct. 10: The Latino Peace Officers Association honored the following local people during its 15th annual awards dinner at McDermont Field House: Man of the Year, John Alvarez; Woman of the Year, Hortencia Espino; Community Service, Mike Ennis; Lindsay Police

Officer of the Year, Tech. Kevin Riley; Farmersville Police Officer of the Year, Det. Rafael Vasquez; Woodlake Police Officer of the Year, Sgt. Juan Garcia.

-Oct. 12: The Woodlake City Council approves Family Health Care Network's plans to build a new, larger 14,500-square foot clinic at Lakeview and Lemona.

-Oct. 13: the Lindsay City Council approved an agreement to lease its Animal Control Shelter to the City of Porterville for $1 per year. The five-year lease runs through Oct. 31, 2014. Under the agreement, the City of Porterville will operate and maintain the facility and Lindsay will contract with Porterville for animal control services. The decision ended a decade of being dogged by Grand Jury Investigations and allegations of animal mistreatment and neglect.

-Oct. 14: The Woodlake Chamber of Commerce got back to business by holding four ribbon cuttings for new businesses in one day. The rapid ribbon cuttings signaled a new beginning for the chamber, which had been somewhat dormant for the last few years.

-Oct. 18: Rick McGee of Exeter won the Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragster class at the Hot Rods Reunion at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield

-Oct. 21: Exeter Public Schools' Patty Zook was named the 2009 School Bus Driver of the Year for Tulare County. Zook has driven bus for 24 years in Exeter without an at-fault accident.

-Oct. 23: Bob McKellar opened what he believes to be the first ever Orange Grove Maze at his Seven Sycamores Ranch in Ivanhoe.

-Oct. 23: Two-time world champion boxer Fernando Vargas visited Lindsay to open talks with McDermont about brining a professional boxing event to Lindsay in 2010.

-Oct. 23: Bill Appleby retired as Tulare County's Assistant Ag Commissioner. He is replaced by Marilyn Kinoshita, formerly a deputy in the ag department.

-Oct. 24: Exeter boys cross country made team history after finishing 2nd at the 62nd Mt. SAC Invitational, among 500 schools. Individually, juniors Christian Gonzales placed 2nd and Katie Fry placed 1st in their groups.

-Oct. 25: More than 1,000 motorcycles rumbled into the parking lot at the Farmersville Pizza Factory for the 17th annual Toy Run.

-Oct. 27: EUHS alumnus Brad Mills was named the new manager of the Houston Astros after winning two World Series titles as bench coach with the Boston Red Sox.

-Oct. 28: The Woodlake City Council approved an amendment to its zoning ordinance allowing special events facilities in the light industrial zoning. The ordinance is the first step in U.S. Tower's plan to develop an outdoor events center Twilight Park on 9-acres on Ropes Avenue in Woodlake.

-Oct. 28: The Strathmore Spartans tennis team beat McFarland 8-1 in the Division VI Valley Title match.

-Oct. 29: Caltrans, in conjunction with TCAG, held a public informational meeting in Exeter regarding the proposal to realign Highway 65 from Kaweah Avenue to Spruce Road. The plan has been talked about for over 20 years and may still be another 20 before construction begins.

November

-Nov. 3: The Tulare County Board of Supervisors amended the county's medical marijuana ordinance making collectives and cooperatives legal, if and when federal law changes. In essence, the law prohibits anyone from legally distributing medical marijuana in the county.

-Nov. 5: The Lindsay Cardinals set a football team record for most points in a season with 358 points in its first 10 games. The old record was held by the 1958 team which scored 337 points en route to an undefeated season.

-Nov. 6: The Association of California School Administrators awarded Exeter Public Schools Superintendent Renee Whitson with the statewide Marcus Foster Memorial Award for Administrator Excellence.

-Nov. 6: The Sequoia Riverlands Trust organized the first ever Kaweah Land & Arts Festival. The festival is a celebration of the unique beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains and San Joaquin Valley landscapes and the artists who are inspired by them.

-Nov. 7: More than 800 motorcycles rumbled into the A&W parking lot in Exeter for the 21st annual Bikers United Toy Run sponsored by Groppeti Automotive.

-Nov. 8: Valley Music Television began recording before a live studio audience each month at McDermont Field House. The show, which spotlights the top singer/songwriters in the Valley, airs weekly on KJEO Channel 32 in Fresno.

-Nov. 9: The Woodlake Fire Department's new $27,000 Ferrera Fire Truck arrived. The truck replaces Woodlake's old 1993 International Truck before it became outdated.

-Nov. 12: Exeter Public Schools vaccinated 650 students for the H1N1 flu between the ages of 0-24. The flu shot clinic is the first of many held by the county for local schools.

-Nov. 13: Exeter community leader Ray Sanchez nearly died of a heart attack at the Monarchs season finale against CVC. Thanks to friends, family, firefighters and physicians, Sanchez made a miraculous recovery and walked out of the hospital two days later.

-Nov. 13: Longtime Lindsay florist and community leader Norman Ingoldsby died at the age of 84.

-Nov. 13: Julian Palomino, Jr., 19, of Porterville died in when his 2001 Honda crashed into an olive tree on Road 208 at Avenue 172 near Strathmore. Five others were injured.

-Nov. 15: Champion Enterprises, Inc., the parent company for Champion Homes, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A company spokesperson said the move was to reorganize debt, but that no operations plants, including Lindsay, would be affected with layoffs or closures.

-Nov. 17: Cruz Acevedo, 25, of Plainview was sentenced to 39 years to life in prison for kidnapping, sexually assaulting and torturing a woman that was living with him.

-Nov. 18: Board members, administrators and citizens gathered on the steps of Exeter Union High School's historic auditorium to dedicate the completion of bond measure projects passed by voters three years earlier.

-Nov. 19: John Kunkel resigned from the Exeter District Ambulance board after presiding over the most controversial time in the public entity's 32-year history.

-Nov. 19: Visalia Medical Clinic held a ribbon cutting for Lindsay Medical Group's renovated clinic. The clinic is one of three major healthcare institutions who have opened or plan to open clinics in the Lindsay medical complex.

-Nov. 20: The Farmersville Aztecs football team hosted its first ever playoff game in a 24-12 loss to Orange Cove.

-Nov. 21: Maria Rosales, 53, of Strathmore was killed in a three-car crash on Highway 65 at Avenue 200 between Lindsay and Strathmore. Seven others were injured.

-Nov. 24: The Exeter City Council discussed a Memorandum of Understanding that would close C Street if the Exeter Union School District purchased each of the homes on the street without using eminent domain.

December

-Dec. 2: Longtime Exeter teacher Nancy Knudson died at the age of 80.

-Dec. 4: The Strathmore Spartans football squad defeated the Orange Cove Titans 37-26 for the Division VI Valley Title. It was the team's first Valley title since 1998.

-Dec. 5: The Lindsay Hospital Guild held its 50th annual Christmas Breakfast Banquet. The banquet helped raise $7,000 in scholarships for Lindsay and Strathmore high school students.

-Dec. 5: Jerry Hawkins chaired his last Spirit of the Holidays wine tasting fund-raiser after 16 years of running the Exeter Kiwanis Club's largest fund-raiser.

-Dec. 6: Deborah Ross appeared on the Elevator Pitch segment of MSNBC's 'Your Business,' to promote her Woodlake-based business Deborah Ross Designs. Ross makes custom wine gift bags.

-Dec. 8: The Lindsay City Council approved the downtown transportation enhancement project as complete. The 11-month, $5 million project widened the city's sidewalks, added tree wells, repaved riddled roads, and planted palm trees at each corner.

-Dec. 8: The Board of Supervisors approved a contract with the City of Exeter to extend transportation service to its nearest neighbor Tooleville. The city said beginning on Jan. 4 it would extend Dial-A-Ride services to the rural hamlet just east of town. The city also announced it is negotiating a deal to connect the town's 77 homes to its water system, to help solve its water quality woes.

-Dec. 8: The Tulare County Fire Department announced plans to build a new fire station at Avenue 256 and Lovers Lane. The new location will be Station 1, which is currently housed at the Cal-Fire headquarters at Walnut and Lovers Lane. The site will also be home to the county's future headquarters, which is currently housed at the Farmersville Government Center.

-Dec. 11: John Kunkel worked his last day as Exeter City Manger after accepting the same position for the City of Buellton. Kunkel was Exeter's city manager from 2004-2009 and its Chief of Police from 1985-2004.

-Dec. 12: The UC Lindcove Citrus Research Center celebrated its 50th anniversary at its annual Citrus Fruit Display. The 175-acre center supports 25 citrus research projects annually.

-Dec. 22: Sheriffs shut down medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated Tulare County. The Sheriffs enforced a new ordinance by the T.C. Board of Supervisors banning medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives unless federal law changes to permit them.

- Compiled by staff.

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