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IN HEALTH

IN COMMUNITY

PMH goes big for Red Shoe Day fundraiser

4-H delivers spooky STEM fun for youth“It’s an amazing opportunity for us to help them learn and show what 4-H offers.” See B4

Vincent Memorial wins first league game by shutting out Hornets

The Vincent Memorial Scots faced off with the Calipatria Hornets at Southwest High School on October 12 for their first league match up. The game ended with the Scots shut-ting out the Hornets 34-0. See B2

“Seventy percent of the Imperial Valley utilizes the charity house from San Diego.” See A2

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 6OCTOBER 16 – 22, 2018

Wilson named Farmer of the YearIMPERIAL — The Imperial County Farm Bureau (ICFB) held its 14th Annual Jim Kuhn Memo-rial Farmer of the Year Banquet and meeting of the members at the Casa de Manana building at the Imperial Valley Expo Thursday evening, October 11. This year’s banquet celebrated over 100 years of dedica-tion to Imperial Valley Agriculture.

Guests were encouraged to par-ticipate in the auction event and bid on items including drones, Cattle Call Rodeo box seat tickets, and gift baskets. Entertainment included sis-ter dueling violinists, Amy Serrano Burcombe and Regina Tolley.

After mingling and bidding, din-ner guests quieted to hear Farm Bureau Executive Director Brea Mohamed give the Farm Bureau a centennial tribute.

The purpose of the ICFB is to protect and promote the agricultural interests of the Imperial County, according to the website. Through advocacy, education, and public relations, the ICFB aids farmers and ranchers and provides support through the voluntary membership of Imperial County residents.

[See Farmer, A3]

By Kayla KirBy

ROBERT WILSON received the Jim Kuhn Memorial Farmer of the Year Award and was given social recognition from the Imperial County Board of Supervisors at the Farmer of the Year Banquet at the Imperial Valley Expo on October 12. Photo by Kayla Kirby

Farmers and IID carefully look at DCPEL CENTRO — At the Imperial Irrigation District’s Drought Contin-gency Workshop Tuesday, October 9, water lawyer and outside counsel for the IID, Charles Dumar summed up the district’s choices on coop-erating with the Federal Department of Interior on joining seven states in a drought scenario of those sharing the Colorado River’s life-giving elixir.

“IID would not participate at all in helping (the other states) through the shortages,” Dumar told the room, “if that would happen, what is the federal power, the state power? Can the Federal Government force the IID to take a (water) cut? My experience says they can’t force us. However, that would put the IID into expensive litigation for many years, with lots of money spent, and bad blood up and down the river.”

Tina Shields, IID water manager, gave the board and attendees a rundown on the current water situation saying the west is in a 19-year drought. This year rain and snow pack was below average, but not as bad as the previous year which was the third lowest in recorded history.

The DCP is looked at skeptically by farmers and landowners, fearful their protected water rights might be jeopardized, while the IID views the seven state, lower and upper basin potential agreement as a way to be a good neighbor, keep the water flowing and not risk losing their allotted 24% of the Colorado River.

Dumar expressed the signing of the DCP as the better option, to contribute so we can have full use of water under our rights, with a one-time contribution. The one-time contribution to Lake Mead, the reservoir behind Hoover Dam, would be 250 thousand acre/feet of con-served water. The water deposit from IID is already paid for and stored with the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), according to IID general manager Kevin Kelley. The one-time contribution would stand for eight years until the current 2007 drought agreement expires.

If the draft DCP is signed, for the Lower Basin which includes Arizona, Nevada, and California, Arizona and Nevada would have their water runs cut when the elevation of Lake Mead drops to 1090, then the two states would have to conserve and keep 41,000 a/f in Mead, which also included Mexico.

[See DCP, A3]

By Betty Miller

Brandi Whittle named 2018 Cattle Call QueenBRAWLEY — On Saturday Octo-ber 14, Brawley celebrated its 62nd Cattle Call Queen Coronation Cere-mony at Lions Center in Brawley. The winners of the 2018 Brawley Cattle Call Queen Coronation were given to Little Miss contestant Kalysta Lopez, 9, Junior Queen winner Chyenne Cox, 10, Teen Queen Rylee Locher, 14, and Queen contestant Brandi Whittle, 16. Each winner received a crown, buckle, bouquet, and perpetual trophy and flowers.

The arrival of fall not only means cooler weather, but the eventful tradi-tions the Cattle Call brings to the peo-ple of the Imperial Valley. The queen coronation and scholarship award was given by 2018 Miss Rodeo California, Amanda Hop.

Families and sponsors filled Lions Center, which brought relief and grat-itude to Brawley Cattle Call Queen Committee president Dana Mendoza. Upon coronation, she thanked every-one who helped organize a significant

By Stephanie Garcia

2018 CATTLE CALL QUEEN Brandi Whittle, Teen Queen Rylee Loch-er, and Junior Queen contestant Chyenne Cox smile at the audience after their cattle call coronation victory. Photo by Stephanie Garcia

event that has meant a lot for the past 60 years.

Master of Ceremonies Justin Pearce welcomed the 10 queen con-testants to the stage at 7:30 p.m., where each girl modeled floor length western gowns and performed their speeches showing pride and honor of the Valley’s their western values.

2018 Miss Rodeo California, Amanda Hop also made an appearance as one of the three pageant judges. For Hop, the biggest goal for the girls to walk away with was “public speak-ing and communication skills, getting something more than just the pageant.” Creating friendships is the biggest reward for Hop and is glad to be back in Brawley to share the moment with the first and second time contestants.

“It’s very good to see how many people showed up,” said Oklahoma native Pearce. “In Oklahoma, these types of events fill up about 4 tables.”

A live performance by Shotgun Jefferson ended the 62nd Brawley Cattle Call Queen Coronation Ceremony.

Brownfield Initiative reaches out to Brawley businesses

BRAWLEY — Downtown Brawley is littered with empty lots and aban-doned buildings that have drawn the ire of the community for years, and the Brownfield’s Initiative is seeking to change that image.

The Imperial Valley Economic

By Katherine raMoS Development Corporation met with business owners and other community members Thursday evening to discuss the Brownfields Initiative, a grant program through the Environmental Protection Agency meant to improve a town’s economy, recycle old loca-tions, and improve overall appearance of communities.

A Brownfield is a former industrial or commercial site where future use is affected by real or perceived environ-mental contamination. These types of sites include but are not limited to for-mer service stations, oil and gas sites, salvage yards, illicit dump sites, land-fills, and abandoned/occupied buildings.

[See Brownfield, A3]