Appliance Repair in Coalinga, CA

COALINGA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Illegal dumping is a problem throughout the Central Valley, but a group of volunteers in Coalinga are now taking action to clean up their city.

It starts with a meeting at a central location.

Then the group of volunteers pile into cars, trucks and tractors and head out.

Wednesday, their target location was a creek bed alongside a trailer home park that has become a prime spot for dumping.

"Refrigerators, washers dryers, every kind of appliance you could imagine," said Rachel Ross.

They get right to work stacking the mattresses, loading the appliances, and picking up trash.

"We're not pros but we get it done," said Ross.

The cleanups started with Kenneth Smith.

"It all started over a Facebook post," Smith said.

People were complaining about a spot with illegal dumping, so he went and cleaned it up.

"It just started from there," said Smith.

Then volunteers started coming and the cleanup crew started to grow.

People began dedicating their time to picking up trash that isn't theirs, all while navigating the hazards of the job like needles and snakes.

Once the trucks are loaded, they head to the dump.

There, they unload everything and head back to the cleanup site to do it all again.

Their effort is backed by the community, especially local businesses.

"The tire shop is allowing us to throw away the tires for free, the dump is letting the loads go for free, the donut shop sends donuts, the pizza shop sends pizza, the stores give water, so everybody is working together. Not just us who are out here," said Ross.

At the end of each clean up, there's a before and after picture to showcase their work to the community.

"And you can see that you made a difference," said Ross.

The group says they want their city back the way it was, clean and family-friendly and they're going to do their part to make it happen.

"We're going to come out whether it's one or two people or 100 or 200 people. We're going to continue to do this," Smith said.

The group plans to meet every Saturday and Wednesday moving forward and are always looking for volunteers and donations.

For more information, you can contact the organizer, Kenneth Smith, at smithkennethandsteph@gmail.com.

Two Fresno City College administrators are among the four finalists for the job of running the oldest and largest college in the State Center Community College District.

The four finalists are Dr. Lataria Hall, Fresno City’s vice president of student services; Dr. Robert Pimentel, Fresno City’s vice president of educational services and institutional effectiveness; Dr. Cory Clasemann, vice president for student success at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Dr. Madjid Niroumand, vice president of student services at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

The former president was Dr. Carole Goldsmith, who was named State Center’s chancellor in November. Dr. Marlon Hall has been serving as interim president.

On Thursday Goldsmith announced that in-person candidate forums will be held on April 19. Those who can’t attend in-person can join a Zoom webinar at https://scccd.zoom.us/j/92061543752 or watch on a YouTube live stream at https://youtu.be/w_xeVGtw3hM. The Zoom webinar can accommodate up to 1,000 participants and no registration is required. The forums will also be made available on the district website at
scccd.edu/recruitment/fresno-college/forum/forum-information.html.

The candidates will each give a prepared statement and then will answer questions submitted by the public during their one-hour forum. To submit a question, go to https://scccd.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Cv8YJCfRGQunFc. The deadline to submit questions in advance is noon on April 13. Questions also will be taken during the forums but the questioner will need to be in person.

The forums will be in the Old Administration Building auditorium. Doors will open at 9 a.m., and the forums will be on the following schedule: Hall, 9:30 a.m.; Pimentel, 10:45 a.m.; Niroumand, 12:30 p.m.; and Clasemann, 1:45 p.m.

After the conclusion of the forums, the public may submit feedback at this link, https://scccd.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Cv8YJCfRGQunFc, which will be activated on April 19 and remain available until 11:50 p.m. that night.

Two Fresno City College administrators are among the four finalists for the job of running the oldest and largest college in the State Center Community College District.

The four finalists are Dr. Lataria Hall, Fresno City’s vice president of student services; Dr. Robert Pimentel, Fresno City’s vice president of educational services and institutional effectiveness; Dr. Cory Clasemann, vice president for student success at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Dr. Madjid Niroumand, vice president of student services at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

The former president was Dr. Carole Goldsmith, who was named State Center’s chancellor in November. Dr. Marlon Hall has been serving as interim president.

On Thursday Goldsmith announced that in-person candidate forums will be held on April 19. Those who can’t attend in-person can join a Zoom webinar at https://scccd.zoom.us/j/92061543752 or watch on a YouTube live stream at https://youtu.be/w_xeVGtw3hM. The Zoom webinar can accommodate up to 1,000 participants and no registration is required. The forums will also be made available on the district website at
scccd.edu/recruitment/fresno-college/forum/forum-information.html.

The candidates will each give a prepared statement and then will answer questions submitted by the public during their one-hour forum. To submit a question, go to https://scccd.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Cv8YJCfRGQunFc. The deadline to submit questions in advance is noon on April 13. Questions also will be taken during the forums but the questioner will need to be in person.

The forums will be in the Old Administration Building auditorium. Doors will open at 9 a.m., and the forums will be on the following schedule: Hall, 9:30 a.m.; Pimentel, 10:45 a.m.; Niroumand, 12:30 p.m.; and Clasemann, 1:45 p.m.

After the conclusion of the forums, the public may submit feedback at this link, https://scccd.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Cv8YJCfRGQunFc, which will be activated on April 19 and remain available until 11:50 p.m. that night.

COALINGA, Calif. (KFSN) -- In a town of 17,000 people, Julius Olanrewaju stands out. The 6'4 freshman guard grew up with a basketball in his hand.

His father is the head coach of the West Hills College Coalinga basketball team.

"It was a big way of showing how life works if that makes sense," Olanrewaju said. "He taught us that everything takes hard work. That was his way of showing what it takes."

Horned Toads Head Coach Jason McFarlin is in his 19th year coaching at the varsity level. He says he never imagined that Julius would be having the season he's having in his first year on varsity.

"You never know how they're going to mature athletically," McFarlin said. "Obviously, I knew he would be a good player for us because he's just really skilled and discipline. He's blossomed so much in the last six months. He couldn't dunk in September, now he's catching lobs off the backboard in a game."

As a freshman, Olanrewaju leads the nation in scoring. He ranks 13th in all grade levels. The Horned Toad is averaging 31.5 points per game and is shooting 41 percent from deep. He works on his game three times a day.

His discipline is paying off. In December, he broke the school scoring record with 49 points.

"I was shocked," Julius said. "I remember I was at the college shooting around, coach called me and said, 'Julius, you broke the record.' At the time, I didn't really process it, but then he called me again and I sat down and I was shocked."

Coach McFarlin calls Julius the total package.

He puts the work in on the hardwood and in the classroom, he is nearly a perfect student.

"He's a yes sir type kid, he's not just giving you lip service," McFarlin said. "He's emotional because he's young still. He's really easy to coach, wants to be coached, wants to be coached hard, there's no freebies around here for him. He knows that and he wants that. He wants to be held accountable because he knows that's what's going to get him to his dream. He has big dreams."

One of those dreams is playing for one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country.

"My dream college is Kanas," Julius said. "That's where I want to go."

Until then, the Horned Toads are focusing on the postseason.

Coalinga hopes this will be the year they claim their first-ever Central Section championship with the freshman Phenom leading the way.

"He'll get where he's supposed to get to," McFarin said. "If it's Kansas, even coming from a small town like ours, they'll find him."

COALINGA, Calif. (KFSN) -- In a town of 17,000 people, Julius Olanrewaju stands out. The 6'4 freshman guard grew up with a basketball in his hand.

His father is the head coach of the West Hills College Coalinga basketball team.

"It was a big way of showing how life works if that makes sense," Olanrewaju said. "He taught us that everything takes hard work. That was his way of showing what it takes."

Horned Toads Head Coach Jason McFarlin is in his 19th year coaching at the varsity level. He says he never imagined that Julius would be having the season he's having in his first year on varsity.

"You never know how they're going to mature athletically," McFarlin said. "Obviously, I knew he would be a good player for us because he's just really skilled and discipline. He's blossomed so much in the last six months. He couldn't dunk in September, now he's catching lobs off the backboard in a game."

As a freshman, Olanrewaju leads the nation in scoring. He ranks 13th in all grade levels. The Horned Toad is averaging 31.5 points per game and is shooting 41 percent from deep. He works on his game three times a day.

His discipline is paying off. In December, he broke the school scoring record with 49 points.

"I was shocked," Julius said. "I remember I was at the college shooting around, coach called me and said, 'Julius, you broke the record.' At the time, I didn't really process it, but then he called me again and I sat down and I was shocked."

Coach McFarlin calls Julius the total package.

He puts the work in on the hardwood and in the classroom, he is nearly a perfect student.

"He's a yes sir type kid, he's not just giving you lip service," McFarlin said. "He's emotional because he's young still. He's really easy to coach, wants to be coached, wants to be coached hard, there's no freebies around here for him. He knows that and he wants that. He wants to be held accountable because he knows that's what's going to get him to his dream. He has big dreams."

One of those dreams is playing for one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country.

"My dream college is Kanas," Julius said. "That's where I want to go."

Until then, the Horned Toads are focusing on the postseason.

Coalinga hopes this will be the year they claim their first-ever Central Section championship with the freshman Phenom leading the way.

"He'll get where he's supposed to get to," McFarin said. "If it's Kansas, even coming from a small town like ours, they'll find him."