VOL 115 NO 30 IMPERIAL COUNTY, CA - THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2019 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Serving Your Community Since 1905 Holtville Boys & Girls Club Invigorates Youth With City Council Approves Cool Blast Of Activities To Chill Heat Staff Agreements BY WILLIAM ROLLER With an eye toward compen- sating in a fair and fiscally responsible manner, the Holtville City Council approved a memo- randum of understanding with its employees after negotiations with their representatives. At a July 22 meeting, the council unanimously passed a new salary schedule for about 30 positions among supervisory, classified full-time, full-time fire and part-time employee groups. All will receive a two-percent raise for the 2019-20 fiscal year that began July 1 and two-and-a- half percent raises for the two subsequent years, City Manager Nick Wells noted. LOURDES GUZMAN, ART instructor, demonstrates how to construct a 3-D flower blossom July 19 at the Boys & Girls Club of "We actually embedded the Imperial Valley summer activities program in Holtville. raises so it was a part of the budg- WILLIAM ROLLER PHOTO et before we adopted it," he said. One change from prior agree- our 'Summer Brain Gain' (pro- hose loaned by St. Paul's Church Rhozey Boston, a third-grade ments is the fire chief was includ- BY WILLIAM ROLLER gram) that focuses on reinforcing that nicely beats the heat. There student at the Pine School near ed in the supervisory personnel some curriculum from the previ- is even a mentoring day led by a Holtville, worked diligently on a when previously it was separate. Summer is a great time to ous semester," said Gaby Casas, U.S. Border Patrol agent. pet rock project embellished with kick back with a favorite video program coordinator. "Our initia- "He such an awesome a flaming cloud swirl. Although Continued on Page 10 game but the Boys & Girls Club tive provides a little of every- guy," said Casas. "He'll show the Rhozey likes to draw he enjoys of Imperial Valley strives to stem thing: sports, art, education and kids his truck or bring board sports more than art. the tide of summer slide when character development." games or DVD movies and dis- "We went to Petco Park on Transit Board too many weeks without flexing With the extreme heat of cuss leadership roles they can get Sunday and saw Manny muscles (mental or physical) summer children start off on if they try for a career in the Machado," (third base player for cause students to lose skills aug- Mondays with swim days at the Border Patrol." the San Diego Padres), play the To Review mented over the school year. city pool that opens early to Reading and creative think- St. Louis Cardinals," said The club Holtville chapter accommodate the club. ing are also part of the curricu- Rhozey. "But it was bad luck Elderly, that meets next to St. Paul's Next, there are the minute-to- lum. (Cardinals won) that day. And Lutheran Church has "Fun win-it games, obstacle courses "The kids this summer are all I'm on the Sting Rays (Holtville Disabled Fridays" in which 51 children are that get children outdoors with at reading a book, 'Sam and Dave swim team). And we had our last registered for summer activities least 30 minutes of physical Dig a Hole.' It's all about treasure meet yesterday against the Service and about 20 ages 6-12 attended activity so they are not in front of hunting and not giving up. Today Imperial Sea Lions--it was a lot arts and crafts classes on July 19. a computer screen all day. they're learning to make pet of fun." "We're trying to make sure A water day allows children rocks and we brought that back Stephanie Graham, a fourth- BY WILLIAM ROLLER kids don't forget anything they to stay cool at the club grounds so they can learn about some- learned in the school year with with water balloons and a garden thing new," Casas said. Continued on page 3 Aiming to better assist the elderly and disabled to access public transit, the Imperial County Transportation Imperial County Was Supplied With Millions Of Pain Pills Commission is expected to approve applying for federal resources at its July 24 meeting. available through a link federal lawsuit. The data- homepage, per person per year in The meeting occurred after BY GARY REDFERN on the Washington Post base tracked every pain https://www.washington- Imperial County from this newspaper's deadline. website. pill sold in the U.S. from post.com/ 2006-12. The Federal Transit Nearly 24 million pre- The Post and the 2006-12. It was released The database, which The five county phar- Administration Section 5310 is a scription pain pills were Charleston (W.V.) to the papers July 19. Data sorts the pills by drug macies distributing the formula-derived fund that allo- "supplied" to Imperial Gazette-Mail won access from others years was not manufacturers, distribu- most prescription pain cates resources to states to County from 2006-12, to the information com- released by the court. tors, and pharmacies that pills were: Walgreens, El improve mobility for the elderly. according to an online piled by the Drug The Post then created sold them, shows the Centro, 2,256,160; Desert Toward this goal, FTA offers database of federally Enforcement an access portal and 23,887,210 pain pills compiled information Administration through a placed it on its website were enough for 20 pills Continued on page 4 Continued on Page 10 Holtville Tribune Thursday, July 25, 2019 PAGE 2 Imperial Stores Survives On Service, Dedication To Community direct experience than internet "We had 20 good years until BY WILLIAM ROLLER retailers has its advantages, furniture nationwide was sourced Heald noted. out to Asia, so we got out in An uncanny sense of when to "Everybody shops online but 2005," he recalled. adapt, as well as when to bail out, we offer greater convenience by An avid athlete who liked to has kept the Imperial Do it letting the customer look over the cycle, play handball and snow Centers hardware outlets pros- product before purchase," he ski, Heald and wife, Elise, oper- pering for more than a century as said. "Online or mail order, ated the Jacques n' Jill Health an Imperial Valley institution you're not steered to the right Club in El Centro for more than with loyal customers. product and then you have to 20 years before selling it. The The locations are independ- return it." gym on Wake Avenue now oper- ently owned and operated mem- Also allowing the stores to ates under a different name. bers of the Do it Center hardware remain competitive are cleanli- "I was always a water skier," chain and are known locally as ness, an orderly layout of mer- he recalled. "I still go on trail Imperial Stores. Although big- chandise and plenty of knowl- hikes in Pine Valley where we box retailers invaded the market edgeable long-term employees, have a second home." in recent decades, the stores some with up to 30 years experi- Heald was also one of the endure, noted Phil Heald, store ence. founders of the Imperial Valley president. "We have a solid base of busi- Community Foundation that pro- "They're there but we can ness-to-business sales," Heald vided a future endowment for the out-compete them because we added, "with a great deal of mer- community, he explained. IMPERIAL STORES OWNER Phil Heald talks about how the have better service," he empha- chandise sold to contractors, local hardware chain has remained competitive in the face of the sized. "Our customers appreciate cities, schools, property man- Continued on page 4 surge of big-box stores. they're greeted whenever they agers and other retailers. " William Roller photo enter the store." He added at the chains cus- Started in Holtville in 1908, tomers are lucky if they find an the mini-chain once had seven employee to wait on them. locations but consolidated to "I look at it this way, I work three to better serve the commu- for my employees," said Heald. nity, Heald explained from the El "I've turned the pyramid upside Centro location at 1041 N. down. Highly motivated people Imperial Ave. on July 16. The become successful." other branches are in Brawley at To Heald, service is more 415 W. Main St. and Holtville at than a customer getting help 123 E. Fifth St. while inside a store, it is provid- Former locations were in ing a convenient environment. Imperial, Calipatria and "Customers get in and out of Calexico. The latter, once the here more quickly," he said. chain's largest, was sold after the He also still owns the proper- value of the peso declined during ty adjacent to his El Centro store, the 1980s and '90s and business that includes Gordon's Carpet began to falter. One Floor and Home. That site Being smaller than big-box was once his Imperial Home retailers and offering a more Furnishings store. Community Calendar Trinity Baptist Church Meyer Holtville Library “Courageous” Youth Group All events are FREE and open to the public. Woman’s Club Of Junior High to High School Students Mon - Tues 9am - 6pm Every Wednesday - 6 p.m. at 722 E. 6th St. - Wed. 9am - 7pm Holtville Holtville. Questions call 442-271-1911 and ask for Thurs. 9am - 6pm Pastor Daniel. Fri. 9am - 5pm Community Birthdays Closed for Lunch 12pm - 1pm Cornerstone Community Church JULY 25: Eugene Smith†, Stephanie Negrete Iten, Brian Youth group - every Wednesday night.