Money cuts mean less after school-programs

After-school programs that try to produce smarter students at Abraham Lincoln Middle School and two elementary campuses might have to turn away kids or cut activities in the coming school year. A federal grant that helped pay for the programs during the past five years wasn't renewed. The grant totaled about $450,000 each year, which was divided between Lincoln and Garfield and Indianola elementary schools. An estimated 600 students participated in the programs at the three campuses in the 2008-09 school year, and about the same number were expected in 2009-10, officials said. Indianola will cut participation from 200 to 100, according to district officials. Lincoln hopes to reduce activities, but not turn away students. Officials said they don't have information yet on what Garfield will do.

But changes will be necessary, said assistant superintendent Larry Teixeira. "The state caps class sizes so we can't take the same number of students and put them into a smaller number of after-school classes," he said

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Husband honors late wife with book donations

Martha Dudley, by all accounts, would have loved the collection of award-winning books in the Abraham Lincoln Middle School library that honors her memory.

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From Selma to Wall Street

Steve Martinez works on Wall Street in New York City and vacations in Brazil -- his wife is a Brazilian-born lawyer from Rio. But for all the places he's been in the world, he often thinks of Selma, his hometown. "Good times. Good times," the 34-year-old Martinez said of his memories of playing baseball and soccer, and of attending Jackson School. He still craves the Mexican food at Sal's and Rosa Linda's, keeps up with Selma news on the Internet and looks forward to coming home this week for the first time in several years. "Successful" seems to describe him, but that's not how he describes himself. Instead, he said from his office on the 41st floor of a Manhattan skyscraper: "I've done different things, definitely."

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Selma adult league baseball: The tradition lives on

Selma has a long and storied history of adult men's baseball and the 2009 season is no exception. Adult men's baseball has been a staple of the summer experience for many Selma residents ever since the late 1970s, when the Selma Reds were first established. The Reds eventually transitioned into the Blue Jays during the 1980s, and the tradition of summer baseball under the bright California sun continued. While the players may have changed as the years have passed, the feeling of playing baseball will never change. Current Blue Jays second basemen George Rodriguez, a 1997 Selma High graduate and current Selma City Council Member, played for the team in the early 2000s before taking time off to have a family. Rodriguez then rejoined the team a few years ago, mostly because it helps him stay in touch with former teammates and gives him a chance to continue playing the game he loves.

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Valley Action

Michelle Hayes first started tae kwon do when she was 24 --significantly older than most who take up the sport as children. However, Hayes did not let her late start hold her back, and her years of hard work and perseverance have finally paid off with a California state championship. Hayes won the state championship in the women's 30-39 age division and competed in the World Championships in Little Rock, Ark. June 28. "I kind of jumped in with both feet and as soon as I started training and knew I could do competitions I went straight into it," said Hayes, 34. "I have always been athletic and liked to do physical things so tae kwon do really fit me, and I have fun with it."

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