Selma's transition to Mid-Valley Disposal is underway today.
While lots of people are still frustrated the elimination of alley service, the trash/recycling/green waste pickups seem to be going smoothly.
Today's residential pickups were on the west side of Freeway 99. There was also commercial bin pickups going on.
If you had any issues with service, feel free to post in the comments or e-mail us at: [email protected].
Mid-Valley Disposal's first trash pickups in the City of Selma are beginning this morning (July 1, 2024).
The contract for city's previous solid-waste hauler, Waste Management, ended yesterday.
Among the biggest concerns for people living in one part of Selma is the elimination of alley service, which has been a staple for decades.
The request to get rid of alley pickups was made by the city to Mid-Valley Disposal.
Citizens who are upset about the decision say they plan to make their frustration known at this evening's city council meeting, scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
Mid-Valley Disposal has been preparing for the big switch for the last several months.
In recent weeks, properties received new "Mid-Valley Disposal"-branded metal bins and plastic carts.
A video captured in one Selma neighborhood showed carts being pushed off the edge of a truck platform while being delivered, causing them to fall about 6 feet to the street below.
Mid-Valley Disposal is asking residents to check their carts for signs of damage, and report any issues to the company right away.
If there is a particular concern you'd like us to look into, happening in your neighborhood, please email: [email protected].
Selma's Hot Forecast
Summer is about to body slam Selma with several days of temperatures at 110°F or higher.
July 3rd (day of the fireworks show at Selma High School) is expected to be one of the hottest -- 111 degrees.
Get ready for it:
• Stock up on water/drinks early
• Prepare generators in case power goes out
• Wear a life jacket when swimming in rivers/lakes (basic ones cost as little as $12)
• Read up on heat exhaustion & heat stroke; knowing the signs can be critical to possibly saving someone's life
• Consider going to the coast/L.A./San Francisco to escape the heat
Fireworks brought tonight's Selma High School graduation ceremony to an end.
Congratulations to the Selma High School Class of 2024!
A large toy giveaway is happening in Selma in less than an hour. It starts at noon, directly across from the Lincoln Park.
Feel free to share this post with any local families that could use a toy for Christmas.
Earlier this morning, we spoke with the CEO and owner of Central Valley Multi-Service about why her company does this for the community.
The Selma Police Department is hoping you might have information on a triple shooting.
The shooting took place last night in the 3400 block of Mulberry Street. That's in a neighborhood between Jackson Elementary School and Abraham Lincoln Middle School.
Police say 3 people had been shot, and that none of them are cooperating with the police investigation. They are "providing minimal information," according to Selma PD.
Investigators are now hoping you might be able to provide any details that could piece together who carried out the shooting.
Police did not say exactly what time the shooting happened; only that officers responded to Adventist Medical Center, Selma just before midnight after someone with a gunshot wound arrived.
If you have any information, or perhaps surveillance video that might aid in the investigation, you can call 559-896-2525 and ask to speak with Detective Matt Hughes or Sergeant Cassy Fain.
With so many trees falling this week, you may be looking for tree-cutting businesses to help clear those trees off your property.
On Monday, the City of Selma had to remove a tree at Lincoln Park that had fallen onto the Nick Medina Senior Center, which led to it being closed yesterday and today.
The city utilized "Rising Green Incorporated" (Rising Green Inc - Tree Division) to remove the tree.
- Phone #1: 559-410-3783
- Phone #2: 559-410-3256
- E-mail: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Risingreeninc/
We're piecing together a list of tree-removal services that local residents can use. If you have a licensed tree-cutting business in Selma, Kingsburg, Fowler, Reedley, Parlier, Del Rey, or nearby, we'd love for the owners to e-mail their contact & license information to: [email protected] to be added to the list.
Trees continue to fall in Selma following the recent storms -- including this one at Shafer Park, right at the corner of Floral & Thompson.
More trees will likely fall over the next few days as the soil below them gives way from being so moist/soft.
Know who to call if a tree falls down. Keep these numbers handy and share with friends or family who may need them.
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Building collapse from all the rain/wind?
Tree fall down?
Water entering your home?
IS IT AN EMERGENCY?
• Is someone hurt?
• Is a power line or power pole affected?
• Is a natural gas line leaking or significantly affected? (Can you smell the 'rotten egg' smell?)
• Is the public at risk of being hurt or getting into a crash? (such as a tree falling over a road)
Those are emergencies & you should call 911.
If it's not an emergency... call the non-emergency lines first, as there may be others calling with truly life-threatening emergencies.
SELMA POLICE (non-emergency, dispatch center): 559-896-2525
SELMA FIRE (non-emergency): 559-891-2211
SELMA PUBLIC WORKS (non-emergency): 559-891-2215
PG&E Outage Center: https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outagecenter/
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) customer service: 1-800-743-5000
Caltrans tree removal
Cleanup is underway across Selma today following Sunday's thunderstorm.
Caltrans has a large presence right now at the southbound 99 exit to Second Street, removing a tree that fell over, crushing some signs.
Tree removal workers are also at Lincoln Park, where a large tree crashed onto the north side of the Selma senior center, creating an indentation in the roof. The area is roped off. Most of the tree is removed, but a very large stump remains.
Parts of Selma are still drying out this morning after the city's drainage system was unable to cope with all the rain that fell during Sunday evening's thunderstorm.
In at least one part of town, the flooding was about 1½ feet deep — up to your knee. It was so high, homes were taking on water.
Not only did we see water entering garages, likely damaging any items on the floor inside, but we also noticed flooding coming just an inch or two from entering front doors. One woman told us her backyard was flooded and now needs a major cleanup.
As for the flooded intersections, most cars moved through the water slowly, although some drivers just plowed right through it, creating waves that crashed into people's vehicles and property.
Selma city workers, including fire department and public works, placed orange-and-white barricades to block some flooded roads. However, the barricades didn't deter some drivers, who either drove around them or simply got out of their cars and physically moved them in order to get through.
The flooding also knocked some garbage cans down off the sidewalk.
This video here is along Second Street, between Freeway 99 and Bauder Street. Washington school (now the Selma Unified adult school) is in the background.
REPAIRS NEEDED: A tree next to Freeway 99 in Selma came crashing down during Sunday evening's thunderstorm, mangling a couple road signs on the way.
Caltrans will now have to fix or replace both a stop sign and a 'do not enter' sign at the southbound Second Street offramp.
Some people in Selma will be starting their Monday with some clean-up work after rain overwhelmed the city's drain system Sunday evening, causing flooding for the second day in a row.
This video was captured just after the powerful thunderstorm moved over the city around 7:30 PM, which included dropping pea-size hail across the area.
This afternoon's storm dropped a lot of rain on Selma in a short amount of time, overwhelming the city's drainage systems, and leading to lots of flooded roads around town.
Here's a look at some of the rain and flooding, which happened around 5:15 P.M. (Also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHyEQzUTAjU)
And if you haven't seen Friday's storm damage in Tulare County (how often do you see a torrent of water running through a gas station?)... take a look at some of the raw video on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGI_02vNhjg
Batten down the hatches. And if you happened to leave your patio umbrella out after this nice warm 65ºF day, hopefully it hasn't flown off already.
This tropical-themed umbrella just enjoyed its last sunshiny day today & is now garbage... after the wind broke it free and sent it for a little ride.
Strong wind could mean power outages in Selma and surrounding areas this evening.
Wind is expected to remain above 10 miles per hour until 4:00 in the morning.
It's already knocked down some tree limbs this evening, and sent residential trash cans and patio umbrellas flying.
If your trash day is tomorrow, you may want to wait until morning to put your cans at the curb.
If your home or business loses power, you can check PG&E outages here: https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outagecenter/
Video below taken today (February 21st) around 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Stay safe!
Bishop speaking
The memorial service for Selma Police Officer Gonzalo Carrasco is now underway at Selland Arena in downtown Fresno.
Carrasco's casket -- draped in an American flag -- was carried in from the north end of the arena to the stage at the south end, as several thousands of people stood and watched.
The bishop of the Fresno diocese is now speaking, delivering his message in both English and Spanish.
You can see the order of the speakers in an earlier Selma News Now post.
This service is expected to last about 90 minutes.