Appliance Repair in Clovis, CA

The Clovis City Council adjourned their normal meeting responsibilities to meet with the Clovis Planning Commission.

A little more than a week had passed since the Planning Commission had last met in the council chambers. This meeting was for the appointment of a “receive and file” in which the Commission merely provided an update on multiple items to the council.

Items included in the meeting came from City Staff and the Director of Planning and Development Services Renee Mathis.

Mathis issued a general plan update that included residential permit activity for the past year and major development activity within the city.

In terms of residential permit activity, Mathis claimed that the City had issued about five hundred permits for the year. This included about four hundred permits for single-family use and just under one hundred multi-family use facilities. She believes that more may come but the City is looking to hit about five hundred total in the fiscal year.

Mathis then went on to describe major developments within the bounds of Clovis including activities done at Loma Vista, the Central Area of Clovis, Heritage Grove and Landmark Square.

Clovis City Engineer Mike Harrison went before the council and spoke about multiple Measure C projects. Shaw Avenue out to McCall Avenue will be under construction and has started the first phase as of April 4th that will move from DeWolf to Leonard avenues.

Harrison explains that this project will be worked on for about a year with Leonard to Highland Avenues alone looking to be closed for about six months.

Harrison also announced that Herndon Avenue out to DeWolf Avenue will be widened and will be the “final Measure C regional project.”

This project will include two traffic signals, one coming at the intersection of Locan Avenue and Herndon and the other at DeWolf and Herndon. He explained that the already started construction on the Well Community Church will be met with further road construction done by the City.

Mathis came back with an explanation of the original items she had brought before the council.

This included a review increase on density which included a comprehensive overview in her terms that may take around four to six months to audit. She then went on to mention Senate Bill 9 or the California Home Act.

This bill applies to single-family residential homes in which a single-family residential lot can add a second home if one home exists, or they can add two homes if there are no homes existing on the lot. This of course is based on qualifying criteria and according to Mathis, the bill also allows for the subdivision of homes on a lot.

Mike Prandini, a representative of the Building Industry Association (BIA), came to speak on the association’s interest in creating a high-density zone in Clovis.

To this point, Prandini was met with contention from the Council in which they believed a list of amenities included by the BIA was found to be “offensive” according to Mayor Pro Tem Lynn Ashbeck.

The list provided by Prandini included a park bench and a trash can as items to be listed as amenities. Councilman Bob Whalen stated that if the BIA wanted to be taken “seriously” they needed to be “coming up to the table with something significant”. He then went on to say he had “no confidence” in the BIA if they “were coming in like this [with their proposal]”.

After the Council’s conflicting position with the BIA, Prandini stated that he would go back with the thoughts of the Council.

The Council then retained its position of providing affordable homeownership to all, regardless of financial position.

The Association of Clovis Educators may have to start gathering signatures from prospective members all over again starting this month, which marks the one-year anniversary of the founding of the budding teachers’ union.

Typically signatures are valid for only one year. However, ACE filed four unfair labor practice complaints against Clovis Unified with the California Public Employment Relations Board that could “complicate” the one-year deadline, ACE spokeswoman Kristin Heimerdinger said. She said she doesn’t expect the PERB complaints will be soon resolved.

“The anniversary of our campaign is an amazing milestone for us especially when we look back at all we have accomplished,” Heimerdinger said. “We realize change takes time, and we are committed to continue to promote the changes that will allow educators to have a real, independent union to lift up our voices and give us a say in the decisions that impact our profession and the students we serve.”

Heimerdinger said support for ACE has been strong across the district, but “obviously we haven’t achieved majority support aside from the psychologists who are now bargaining their first contract.”

That contract will mark the first for a group of Clovis Unified certificated employees, who up until now have not been represented by a union. Other Clovis Unified employee groups are in unions, but the district has long discouraged union participation by teachers and other certificated staffers.

Since ACE announced that it was seeking to become the union representative for Clovis Unified educators, several other prospective unions have surfaced. In October, the Clovis Faculty Senate, the longtime district-recognized representative for educators, announced it was forming a “nonunion organization” called the Clovis Teachers Organization that would seek PERB recognition as the teachers’ labor representative.

In December, Independent Clovis Unified Educators announced that it would seek certification as a labor union but would remain unaffiliated with state and national teachers labor union organizations. ACE is affiliated with the California Teachers Association and National Education Association.

ACE’s unfair labor complaints allege that Clovis Unified was interfering with its organizing efforts through an ongoing misinformation and surveillance campaign, and asked PERB to stop the district from controlling and funding the Faculty Senate.

The Clovis Rodeo has taken over and rebranded the previously known “Cowgirl U” fundraiser and changed the name to “The Cowgirl Up” fundraiser.

This change of title takes its place as a fundraising entity for the 4-H program that “enriches the skills of the youth through the participation of programs including arts and crafts, camping and backpacking, and woodworking.”

At the event, live speakers made remarks throughout, in addition to an introductory video, presented by Hall of Fame rodeo announcer Bob Tallman, and a luncheon.

A live auction was also held, with items including a Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Suite for the March 20th PBR Velocity Tour, a Custom Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame Saddle donated by Board of Directors member Radar Ryan, and a 2023 Cowgirl Up VIP table for next year’s event.

A longtime member of the Clovis Rodeo and past Miss Rodeo California, Tish Wilhite, spoke at the event. Wilhite discussed the Clovis Rodeo and the relationship it intends to have with the 4-H program.

“I think it’s [the 4-H program] a great program.” Wilhite went on, “You know the Clovis Rodeo brings anywhere between 12-13 million dollars to the community. Each year they donate, give or take, around 300,000 dollars to various non-profit organizations.”

Wilhite went on to reiterate that this was the first annual “Cowgirl Up” fundraiser event and mentioned Mark Thompson, Master of Ceremonies for the fundraiser, and his insight into the 4-H program.

She then went on to say that she believed the 4-H program’s “expectations were met and then some.” and that this will be an “excellent partnership between the two going forward.”

Mark Thompson, Clovis Board of Directors Member, spoke about the event and the connection the Rodeo has with the 4-H program.

“I think the Rodeo Association is concerned like a lot of people that our Ag youth and our 4-H are needing some help,” Thompson said. “Due to some budget constraints that they’ve had through the extension service and cutbacks there, that’s what prompted us to pick them as the non-profit that we were going to try and assist at this event.”

Thompson also added that the Rodeo will help the 4-H program at the Fresno Fair with things such as buying animals and add-ons.

When asked about the success of the Cowgirl Up event itself, Thompson responded, “It was great. It turned out great, it sold out.”

He then went on to speak about the benefit of having Tracy Newton and having her as the program representative of the 4-H program. Newton also spoke at the event giving opening remarks.

The Rodeo intends to host another Cowgirl Up event next year in 2023.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Unbeaten Lake Creek scored two more lopsided victories to remain the No. 1 team in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 for a third-straight week.

The (24-0) Lions defeated New Caney, 13-2, last Friday, then breezed by Dayton, 9-1, on Tuesday. NFCA Texas High School Leadoff Classic titlist Lake Creek has now won 62 of its last 64 games, with just a pair of playoff losses last May to eventual Texas 5A state champion Barbers Hill over that span. The Lions have outscored their opponents 195-26 this season.

Undefeated California schools Oaks Christian and Clovis North swapped places at No. 2 and 3 this week. Oaks Christian (17-0) won three games, while Clovis North (11-0) captured the only game on its schedule. The two have combined to outscore opponents 207-10 over 28 contests.

Villa Park (17-3) dropped from fourth to sixth after losing three of its last five, moving perennial powers Neshoba Central (15-2) and Lakewood Ranch (13-2) back up one place apiece.

Meanwhile, Marist’s 11-10 slugfest loss to Minooka on Wednesday allowed Jackson (9-0) to leapfrog into the No. 9 spot, and Lincoln-Way Central (5-1-1), which tied Marist 5-5 in nine innings on Monday, joins the poll at No. 24.

State rankings submitted by the 2022 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality, strength of schedule, and active NFCA membership.

1. Lake Creek (Texas)

Record: 24-0 | Previous Rank: 1

2. Oaks Christian (Calif.)

Record: 17-0 | Previous Rank: 3

3. Clovis North (Calif.)

Record: 11-0 | Previous Rank: 2

4. Neshoba Central (Miss.)

Record: 15-2 | Previous Rank: 5

5. Lakewood Ranch (Fla.)

Record: 13-2 | Previous Rank: 6

6. Villa Park (Calif.)

Record: 17-3 | Previous Rank: 4

7. Riverton (Utah)

Record: 12-0 | Previous Rank: 7

8. Roncalli (Ind.)

Record: 0-0 | Previous Rank: 8

9. Jackson (Wash.)

Record: 9-0 | Previous Rank: 10

10. Marist (Ill.)

Record: 3-1-1 | Previous Rank: 9

11. Pineville (La.)

Record: 28-1 | Previous Rank: 13

12. Alexander Central (N.C.)

Record: 14-1 | Previous Rank: 11

13. Lexington (S.C.)

Record: 16-1 | Previous Rank: 12

14. John Curtis (La.)

Record: 26-2 | Previous Rank: 14

15. Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.)

Record: 26-2-1 | Previous Rank: 15

16. North Augusta (S.C.)

Record: 19-1 | Previous Rank: 17

17. Deer Park (Texas)

Record: 26-2 | Previous Rank: 16

18. Eastern Alamance (N.C.)

Record: 8-1 | Previous Rank: 18

19. New Palestine (Ind.)

Record: 0-0-1 | Previous Rank: 19

20. Lakota West (Ohio)

Record: 8-0 | Previous Rank: 21

21. Damascus (Md.)

Record: 7-0 | Previous Rank: 23

22. Donovan Catholic (N.J.)

Record: 2-0 | Previous Rank: 24

23. South Caldwell (N.C.)

Record: 7-1 | Previous Rank: 20

24. Lincoln-Way Central (Ill.)

Record: 5-1-1 | Previous Rank: 18

25. Owosso (Mich.)

Record: 0-0 | Previous Rank: 25

Dropped out:

Hermiston (Ore.)

Under siege from rival drugs by GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, Clovis Oncology’s Rubraca faces an existential crisis. But the biotech hopes a new win in a broad ovarian cancer patient population—and a possible FDA nod—will put its med in a better position alongside Big Pharma competitors.

Rubraca significantly bested placebo at preventing disease progression or death in newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patients who had responded to an initial round of chemotherapy, Clovis said Thursday. Based on the positive readout, Clovis plans to file for an FDA approval in the second quarter.

In an important showing that could determine Rubraca’s value in the PARP inhibitor market, the drug showed a tumor progression benefit in all patients, including those whose tumors didn’t have homologous recombination deficiencies (HRD).

Clovis’ stock price jumped over 50% at the news Thursday morning.

Clovis CEO Patrick Mahaffy was quick to point out that the broadly inclusive win, from the phase 3 Athena-Mono study, “exceeded” the company’s expectations. The company had fully expected that Rubraca would work in patients with BRCA mutations and the broader HRD-positive population, where PARP inhibitors have historically worked best, he said during a conference call Thursday. But the HRD-negative population was more of a wild card.

Still, because the new Rubraca data come two years after FDA nods for GSK’s Zejula and AZ and Merck & Co.’s Lynparza in the first-line maintenance setting, the Clovis drug's market potential remains uncertain.

The latest data at least give Rubraca an edge over Lynparza, currently the market-leading PARP inhibitor. Lynparza’s FDA nod in first-line maintenance ovarian cancer is confined to patients with HRD, and the drug needs to be used alongside Roche’s Avastin in patients without BRCA mutations.

In Athena-Mono, Rubraca monotherapy pared down the risk of disease progression or death by 48% compared with placebo in all patients regardless of tumor biomarker status. Patients taking the drug went 20.2 months without disease progression versus 9.2 months for placebo.

In an exploratory subgroup analysis, Rubraca reduced that risk by 35% in patients without HRD. Those patients who took Rubraca lived a median 12.1 months free of progression versus 9.1 months for placebo.

HRD-negative patients represent about half of the ovarian cancer population.

Rubraca’s data also look competitive against Zejula, which is currently the only PARP inhibitor carrying a broad, all-comers nod in the first-line maintenance setting. In Zejula’s own phase 3 trial, dubbed Prima, the GSK med reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 38% in the overall population, and 32% in HRD-negative patients.

Despite the intrinsic problems of cross-trial comparison, industry watchers do it anyway to understand the competitive landscape. Both Zejula’s Prima and Rubraca’s Athena-Mono enrolled roughly 50% of HRD-negative patients, but the Zejula trial enrolled a higher percentage of BRCA-mutant patients, who typically respond best to PARP inhibition.

Athena-Mono is a go-big-or-go-home readout for Rubraca. As SVB Leerink analyst Andrew Berens, M.D., had put it in August, the Clovis drug risked “clinical irrelevance,” given that it has been “a distant follower in the most commercially and clinically relevant PARP opportunities.” At that time, Berens questioned that even a positive Athena readout would “tip the scale enough for Rubraca to gain traction in the 1L setting versus Lynparza and Zejula.”

Both Lynparza and Zejula posted double-digit sales growth last year, with Lynparza leading the market at $2.35 billion in sales for AZ. Zejula reeled in 395 million pounds ($520 million) thanks to a 22% year-over-year growth at constant currencies.

By contrast, Rubraca sales dropped 10% to $149 million last year as Clovis blamed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic for the lackluster performance. Rubraca has been approved in second-line maintenance treatment of ovarian cancer, third-line BRCA-mutant ovarian cancer and BRCA-mutant castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Clovis believes it has another opportunity to lock in first-line maintenance market share. The other part of the Athena clinical program, called Athena-Combo, is testing whether adding Bristol Myers Squibb’s PD-1 inhibitor Opdivo could further improve upon Rubraca monotherapy. The readout from that comparison is now delayed into the first quarter next year as the accrual of disease progression or death events was slower than expected.