Hanford Insider

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A bistro that isn’t serving plates yet, but still feeds a town’s need for connection. We head upstairs in downtown Hanford to tour Forgo Bistro with founder Marci Ocampo, and her story is the kind that only makes sense when you hear the turns: selling tamales during COVID, pivoting into party rentals and mini golf, then building a creative event venue designed for workshops, gatherings, and real community.

Marci breaks down what Forgo Bistro actually offers today, from the canvas bar and grab...

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Big city projects rarely feel real until you hear the timeline, the tradeoffs, and the “here’s what happens next” details. That’s why we sat down with Hanford City Manager Chris Tavarez for a fast-moving update on what’s currently being built, what’s being designed, and what’s still stuck in the waiting phase across Hanford, California and the wider Kings County community. If you’ve been wondering what Measure H is actually paying for, how the city thinks about emergency response time, or why certain cons...

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A grooming van pulls up to your house, your dog steps inside, and the whole appointment happens without a noisy lobby or a room full of barking dogs. That simple change can mean a calmer pet, a smoother handoff for busy owners, and a grooming experience built around safety and focus instead of chaos.

We’re joined by Shamra Bettencourt, Hanford native and owner of Itchy Pooch Mobile Pet Grooming, to talk through what makes mobile pet grooming different from a traditional salon. We ge...

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Two weeks left in the regular season and the margin for error is basically gone. We’re tracking the Hanford-area high school football stretch run with a quick, detail-packed update that focuses on the plays that changed games and the matchups that can still reshape league standings.

We start with Hanford High’s bounce-back win over Redwood, a game that turned on defense, finishing drives, and one huge special teams moment. An early takeaway helps Hanford grab control, and the night features explosive connections from...

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A fall tradition does not have to come from a big theme park or a long drive, sometimes it’s built one pumpkin vine at a time right here in Hanford. We visit Young Family Farms for a behind the scenes look at their Pumpkin Patch and five acre corn maze, and Justin and Nicole Young explain how they turned a leased ranch into a place where Kings County families can slow down, laugh, and take photos they’ll actually keep. They share what’s growing on sit...

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Three big community spotlights, a packed local calendar, and the kind of practical info you’ll actually use, this Hanford Insider update keeps you connected to what’s happening across Hanford and Kings County. We start with community news, including the official groundbreaking for new development at 12th and Mall Drive, a quick look at upcoming City Council details, and reminders about election ballots and where to go with questions. If you like staying in the loop on local openings, civic updates, and neighborhood changes, this one...

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Three major Hanford events are landing on the same weekend, and we’re giving you a clear game plan so you can actually enjoy them instead of hearing about them after they’re over. We start with quick community news across Hanford and Kings County, including support for K9 Officer Jet, a big retirement announcement from downtown’s Salmon’s Furniture Galleries, and a packed list of upcoming local dates worth putting on your calendar.

Then we sit down with Brad Albert from the City of...

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A town’s history isn’t just in textbooks, it’s in the buildings you drive past, the restaurants you miss, and the events that pull people together on a random weeknight. We start with what’s happening right now in Hanford and Kings County, from the World of Outlaws Valley Clash at Kings Speedway to a beginner Dungeons and Dragons class at the Hanford Library Temporary Branch, plus live music at the Thursday Marketplace.

Then we jump into entertainment news with a closer look at...

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Construction signs outside a school can feel like background noise until you hear what’s actually happening behind the fences. We sit down with Hanford Elementary School District Superintendent Joy Gabler and Director of Facilities and Operations Daniel Pierotte to get a clear, practical update on the district’s school modernization projects, including the multi-year Monroe Elementary rebuild and the campus upgrades rolling across Hanford.

We talk about what drives today’s school construction timelines: California building codes, Division of the State Architect approvals, fire l...

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A free blues festival that pulls in thousands, packs the dance area, and makes downtown Hanford feel like a different place for one night? That’s the Blues and Roots Festival, and Jim Castleman joins me with a full preview of the 25th annual celebration at the Hanford Civic Auditorium Park. We talk about what makes it more than music: the food vendors, beer and wine gardens, the easy “bring a chair and a blanket” setup, and the kind of crowd that includes people traveling in from a...

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The story of a community college is usually told in brochures and buzzwords. We wanted the real version, the one that starts with who students actually are and what they’re up against. After a quick run through Hanford’s week ahead (City Council topics like murals beyond downtown, AI and local government, wastewater fees, and EV charging permitting), we sit down with Lemoore College President James Preston for a grounded conversation about growth, access, and what “student success” takes in Kings County.

James shares h...

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A small-town podcast can feel like a bulletin board, a scoreboard, and a front porch conversation all at once, and that’s exactly what we’re going for this week on The Hanford Insider. We start with the community news you actually need: the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency ballot and the upcoming public workshops, plus updates on the Houston Avenue Bridge repair over Cross Creek. We also flag key public meetings around Hanford, including the California High Speed Rail Authority and other local conversations shaping King...

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Data centers, local control, and real-world community impact are colliding in Hanford, and we dig into what’s happening right now. We start with the Hanford City Council’s upcoming meeting, including a Measure H revenue and expenditures report and an update tied to land use regulations for data center facilities. We also share the City of Hanford’s public stance on proposed data centers and why review, participation, environmental analysis, and enforceable protections are central to the conversation for residents across Kings County.

From t...

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A single City Council meeting can quietly steer the next 25 years of growth, safety, and Vice Mayor Nancy Howze breaks down the August 4th Hanford City Council Meeting. We start with a big-picture item that affects everyday life: the Kings County Association of Governments (KCAG) update to the Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy, a required roadmap for 2026 through 2049 that helps keep our local agencies eligible for state and federal transportation funding.

We talk through the four growth scenarios KCAG is studying and...

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A pawn shop with two vaults in an old bank building sounds like the start of a crime story, but in downtown Hanford it’s really a story about trust. We sit down with Kirsten Bookout of Hanford Jewelry and Loan to talk about what it takes to keep a local jewelry store thriving for 65 years and why “pawn” often means something far more practical than people assume.

We get into the real day-to-day: how the business grew from watchmaking roots, why the shop shifte...

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A small town feels bigger when you know what’s happening and you’ve got somewhere fun to meet up. We start with the civic stuff that impacts real life in Hanford: major City Council changes, three open seats, who has filed for candidacy, and the fast-approaching deadline to throw your hat in the ring. We also preview the week’s public meetings and the kinds of issues that show up there, from reports and hearings to how the city reviews community campaigns and big summer events...

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A reballot powered by neighbors. A budget shortfall that changes what gets maintained. A major public safety project that forces a hard conversation about eminent domain. Mayor Mark Kairis returns with part two of a July 21 Hanford City Council meeting recap, breaking down the votes and what they mean for everyday life in Hanford.

We start with a bright spot: the City Council recognizes Grid Alternatives of Central Valley for helping Hanford families reduce energy costs through affordable solar energy. The numbers tell the...

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A proposed data center that the city says it hasn’t been consulted on. Police tech that raises big questions about privacy. And a new California water law that could change what “normal” landscaping looks like across town. Mayor Mark Kairis gives us a fast, practical wrap-up of recent Hanford City Council actions from the July 21 meeting, focused on what residents asked about most and what council wants to revisit publicly. 

We start with the two issues that took over public comment even though they we...

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A sealed tube buried in 1976 just told Hanford a story it couldn’t hear anywhere else and the voices are still there. We crack open the City of Hanford 1976 Bicentennial Time Capsule and walk through what was saved, why it was chosen, and what it feels like to hear local life preserved on cassette tapes from KLAN and KNGS radio. It’s a rare kind of local history you can actually listen to, from ceremony clips to everyday newscasts that instantly transport you back to Kings Coun...

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Hiring a new city manager might sound like inside baseball, but it is one of the biggest decisions Hanford will make this year, and it will shape everything from staff culture to how fast projects actually move. We talk with Vice Mayor Nancy Howze about what she’s learning in her first six months on the Hanford City Council, how she’s working to build a more cohesive and respectful dais, and why the “process” is more than paperwork, it’s how better decisions get made.

N...

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More planes and helicopters circling over Hanford has sparked a lot of curiosity and more than a few rumors, so we decided to go straight to the source. We sit down with Sergeant Jerry Hunter and Senior Deputy Eric Johnson from the Kings County Sheriff’s Department Air Support Unit to get a clear, grounded look at what aerial law enforcement actually does for public safety in Kings County.

We talk through how the unit is staffed, what a typical patrol shift looks like, an...

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Hanford doesn’t need more buzzwords, it needs roads you can drive on, a public safety facility that actually fits the people working inside it, and utility systems that won’t fail at the worst possible moment. We sit down with Hanford City Manager Chris Tavarez to talk about what’s moving, what’s still in design, and how the city is trying to turn long lists of needs into a real, funded work plan.

We dig into Measure H and why it matters for a ro...

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Your street lights, neighborhood landscaping, and park upkeep do not happen by accident, and they definitely do not pay for themselves. Councilmember Travis Payden gives us a clear wrap-up of recent Hanford City Council actions, starting with the annual engineer’s report for Hanford’s 44 landscape assessment districts. We explain what these districts fund, why 28 districts see a 3% CPI adjustment while others do not, and what it means when 12 districts are financially deficient and forced to reduce service levels.

Next, we dig into Hanford’s mid...

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A City Council meeting can feel like a blur until you hear what actually changed and what it means for your day-to-day life in Hanford.  Councilmember Nancy Howze gives us a focused June 16 recap that starts with a boost to public safety: Chief Huddleston introduces six new Hanford Police Department employees and we welcome K9 Ace, a two-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd from Hungary who is already supporting officers in the field. If you care about staffing, dispatch capacity, and how a city strengthens response teams, this opening s...

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Hanford is getting a real, live Fourth of July fireworks show again, and the behind-the-scenes planning is the part most people never hear about. I’m joined by Brad Albert on location at the Hanford Softball Complex to walk through the first Hanford Freedom Fest and Fireworks Show, built to be fun, affordable, and safe for as many families as possible.

We get specific about what’s happening on the grounds: patriotic decorations, live music starting around 6:30, line dancing between sets, a kid zone with...

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Illegal fireworks don’t just light up the sky, they light up roofs, yards, and sometimes lives. As Hanford heads into the July 4 holiday weekend, we sit down with Hanford Fire Chief Daniel Perkins to get painfully clear on what’s changing, why the city is taking a harder line, and how the new It’s Not Worth It campaign is designed to actually deter illegal fireworks, not just talk about them.

We also start with the week’s community news: the Hanford City Council’...

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Hanford’s wastewater system is one of those essentials you only notice when something goes wrong, and that is exactly why we wanted to slow down and explain what City Council just took on. Mayor Mark Kairis joins us with a clear recap of the June 16 Hanford City Council actions, starting with the wastewater rate study and the long list of infrastructure upgrades the city can no longer postpone.

We walk through the real numbers behind the conversation: about $25 million in capital improvement projects ov...

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A kid on an e-bike. A rider on a motorized scooter. A driver turning right who doesn’t expect someone flying the wrong way. That mix is how close calls turn into tragedies, and it’s why Hanford is taking electric bicycle safety and e-scooter safety seriously right now. We open with a quick run through of what’s happening around town, then we get into the heart of the show with Corporal Daniel Todd from the Hanford Police Department. 

Daniel helps us translate the rul...

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A near-100-year-old ice cream shop is easy to love and hard to rebuild. We sit down with Andy and Jacob Zonneveld, new owners of Superior Dairy Products, to hear why the family stepped in to restore one of Hanford’s most recognizable landmarks and what it actually takes to bring a 1929 soda fountain back to life without losing the soul that generations remember.

We talk about the Zonnevelds’ roots in local dairy farming, their long-standing interest in vertical integration, and why Superior felt like...

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Downtown Hanford is about to fill up with chrome, stories, and the kind of small-town energy you can feel from a block away. We’re giving you a detailed preview of the fifth annual Carnegie Museum of Kings County Car and Bike Show, plus the key info you actually need before you head out on Saturday, June 6. Committee members Cathy Porter, Mike Quinn, Jack Schwartz, and Karla Orosco join us to explain how this event grew from a chilly first-year experiment into a Central Valley car sh...

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Graduation week doesn’t just sneak up on Hanford, it hits all at once, and we want you walking in prepared. We start with the practical stuff that saves you time and stress: the new clear bag policy at Neighbor Bowl, the biggest graduation nights that will impact traffic near Hanford High School, and a quick note on the honor walk that brings high school grads back through their old elementary campuses.

Then we shift to something lighter and genuinely local: a conversation with Hu...

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A nearly $60 million decision rarely fits into a quick recap, but that’s exactly what we tackle as we break down Hanford’s most consequential May 19 City Council actions. Mayor Mark Kairis, walks  us through what we approved, why it matters, and what it means for everyday services as Hanford grows.

We start with the $59.9 million contract amendment with Optera Energy Services to modernize our wastewater treatment facility. This plan goes beyond repairs, including a solar facility already built at the plant, the replacement of a...

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A town feels different when you stop trying to “get in shape” alone and start showing up with other people. That’s why I’m excited to share my conversation with Tiffany Ramirez and Lori Bravo, the women behind Hanford Stepsisters, a women-only walking group that’s quietly become a movement across Hanford and the wider Central Valley. What started as a few sunset walks for accountability has turned into a welcoming space where women laugh, vent, check on each other, and build friendships one lap at a time...

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Playoff brackets always feel like a fresh reset, and this Spring Playoff Special Edition is your rapid guide to where Hanford-area baseball and softball teams land and what round one really looks like. I walk through the matchups one by one, so you can instantly see who’s hosting, who’s traveling, and where the pressure points are as postseason play begins. If you follow Hanford high school sports, CIF-style playoff brackets, or Central Valley baseball and softball, you’ll leave with a clear map of Friday...

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A beautiful old property can feel like a mystery until someone opens the gate and invites the community in. That’s what happens when I sit down with Kristen Smith to talk about The Charm House Venue, an elegant event venue just outside Hanford that’s quickly become a go-to spot for weddings, showers, graduations, and parties that actually feel personal.

Kristen walks me through what she saw the first time she toured the house, why the mature trees and gardens mattered, and how much...

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A familiar building at the edge of downtown Hanford is getting a whole new identity and it says a lot about where the city is headed. We sit down with Sam Patel, owner of the newly reimagined Hanford Hotel, to talk about why he invested in Hanford, what it takes to turn an older property into a boutique hotel, and how details like finishes, cleanliness, and service standards can change the way guests experience a stay. If you care about downtown revitalization, local business, travel in...

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Big city decisions often sound technical until you connect them to real life: where your kids play after school, how hot a summer walk feels on a treeless block, and whether a local airport can support emergency response and business travel. Mayor Mark Kairis shares a focused recap of Hanford City Council’s April 21 meeting, breaking down what was approved, what questions are still open, and what happens next.

We start with parks and recreation and a potential ballot measure that could fund major im...

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The Thursday Night Marketplace isn’t just a fun night out. It’s one of the clearest signs of how downtown Hanford is growing, how local businesses get discovered, and how a community learns to celebrate in its own backyard.

We sit down with Jim Castleman, the longtime host of the Main Street Hanford Thursday Night Marketplace, for a preview of season 26 at Civic Park. Jim shares why the market “personifies community,” how it became a magnet for visitors from across the Central Valley, and what...

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A community runs on the people who show up every day and schools are one of the clearest places to see that in action. We start with a quick Hanford civic and community rundown, including what to watch for at the upcoming Hanford City Council meeting and a packed local calendar featuring the Kings County Excellence and Education event at the Hanford Fox Theater, the King’s Symphony gala fundraiser, and special programming at the Carnegie Museum of Kings County.

Then we sit down wi...

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A town’s week can tell you a lot about its soul, especially when you line up today’s headlines next to the stories that built the place. We start with the latest Hanford community news, including a recap of a long City Council meeting, early details on the Fourth of July fireworks show at the Hanford Softball Complex, and what to watch for as the city releases more information. We also cover a major local business update as Superior Dairy closes its building for an exte...