2008 in Selma was filled with plenty of news, both good and bad. From the passing of former mayor Don Tow and the halting of an emergency medical helicopter, to the fun-filled atmospheres of the Raisin and Selma Rotary Marching Band festivals, Selma wasn't short of any newsworthy events in 2008. Here's a sampling of Selma news from the past 12 months:

January

The beginning of 2008 brought with it a new member to the Selma Police Department. Hector Lizarraga, a former professional boxer, was sworn in with the Selma PD earlier that month. In 1997, while boxing professionally, Lizarraga won the International Boxing Federation's World Championship title in the feather weight division.

Meanwhile, a small plane crash in a vineyard five miles west of Selma killed a Sanger man, 78-year-old Robert Mollring. At the time, officials said the investigation would take several months to determine the cause of the incident.

February

A 15-car pileup between Kamm and Conejo avenues on Highway 99 resulted in the injury of seven people in what officials said was a fog-related collision. No deaths were reported from the incident and those that were injured were later released from hospitals in Fresno, Selma and Clovis.

Later in the month, the MAGEC team -- the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium -- completed its first gang sweep in the cities of Selma, Kingsburg, Orange Cove, Reedley, Sanger, Parlier and Fowler. A total of 28 arrests were made during the two-day operation.

March

In mid-March, Joshua Chang, a sergeant with the U.S. Marine Corps, made a surprise visit to his mother, Kimberly Chang, during a patriotic event at Selma's Jackson Elementary School. Both his mother and his father, Rurik Chang, had no idea their son was making the special trip to Selma.

Around the same time, five members of a Selma family were killed in a rollover accident as they were returning from a spring break vacation in Mexico. The family was reportedly returning to Selma from Guanajuato, Mexico, when their vehicle veered off the road.

April

Bob Baird Jr., an 86-year-old Selma resident, received a civil engineering degree from University of Nevada, Reno, during a special presentation at a meeting of the Sanger Rotary Club. Baird should have received his diploma in 1944, but several events -- including time served in World War II -- delayed the awarding of his degree.

In mid-April, thousands of Sikhs took to the streets of Selma as they celebrated the 309th anniversary of their religion with a parade, called Nagar Kirtan. Representatives with the Sikh Council of Central California estimated that around 8,000 to 10,000 Sikhs attended the event.

May

Hundreds of residents descended onto Lincoln Park to celebrate Selma's 29th annual Raisin Festival earlier in the month. At it, children and adults snacked on a variety of foods, rode rides like the Gravitron and watched the crowning of resident Daisy Cabral as the 2008-2009 Raisin Royalty.

Also in May, Selma Police responded to calls of a suspect reportedly firing a semi-automatic weapon at clerks in a convenience store. An hour after that incident was reported, the police department responded to shots being fired in the area of Locust and Peach streets. The suspect of the shootings, 29-year-old Geraldo Guiba, was arrested by authorities in early July.

June

Faced with a shortfall of just more than $1 million as they were balancing the 2008-2009 budget, the city of Selma had to layoff three of its employees and leave a number of positions vacant. City officials at the time said the gap in revenue was caused by things like lagging retail sales, a declining housing market, the then California state budget crisis and a host of other reasons. Specifically affecting Selma were declining revenue on property taxes, sales taxes, building permits and planning fees.

Also that month, law enforcement officials seized just more than 20,000 mature marijuana plants -- valued at around $80 million -- growing among a vineyard south of Selma. At the time, officials with the Fresno County Sheriff's Department called the grow the second largest in Fresno County history.

July

A blaze that erupted at an apartment complex near the corner of Mountain View Avenue and Golden State Boulevard caused 42 residents living in the complex to become homeless. Fresno County Sheriff's Department officials at the time said the blaze was likely caused by a marijuana cigarette that had been dropped on a mattress by a suspect they were pursuing. Officials with Cal Fire estimated the blaze caused $300,000 in damages.

Later in the month, residents and city officials alike mourned the death of Don Tow, the city of Selma's then mayor.

Tow died July 25 at Shaver Lake due to a heart attack, according to reports from the Fresno County Coroner's Office.

Before his death, Tow had served as mayor for three years and had been a Selma City Council member for a total of nine years. Before this, Tow worked as a teacher at various times in both Selma and Kingsburg.

August

On Aug. 1, at least 500 citizens, city officials and dignitaries gathered to pay their respects to former mayor Don Tow during a funeral at Selma's First Baptist Church. At it, family, friends and co-workers spoke about who Tow was and the impact he had on their lives.

Also in August, Ken Grey, a local construction business owner and former chairman of the Selma Planning Commission, was appointed by the Selma City Council to replace the seat formerly held by Tow. Grey's term as a Council member will last until November 2010.

September

Citizens in Selma learned in early September that emergency helicopter pickups at Selma Community Hospital were halted in August after the California Department of Transportation determined that the landing site the hospital was using was illegal. Officials with the city of Selma and the hospital soon decided to have a portion of land on the hospital designated as an emergency services helicopter landing site and service was reinstated in early October.

Around the same time, a childcare and pre-school care center in Selma -- called Selma's Early Childhood Education Center -- had to temporarily close its doors due to the then California state budget impasse. The center is funded through the state and hadn't yet received its yearly disbursement, causing it and several other centers in the San Joaquin Valley to close temporarily. It later re-opened in early October.

October

The Selma Marching Band Festival made its way through the streets of Selma for the 44th year, highlighted by the community favorite, the parade down High Street, and concluding with the all important field show at Selma High School's Staley Stadium.

Monache High School of Porterville snagged the Grand Sweepstakes Trophy on Saturday night in a thunderous round of applause. Selma High placed second in the Division C field show.

Around the same time, all but one of the 11 candidates running for three seats on the Selma City Council came together for a candidates forum.

The candidates -- including three incumbents -- answered a handful of questions about topics that hit on issues including city finances, economic growth and Measure S.

November

Selma residents voted in two incumbents as well as one newcomer during the Selma City Council election Nov. 4. Although official results weren't certified until Dec. 2, incumbent Dennis Lujan received the most votes with 2,189, while newcomer George Rodriguez came in second with 2,065 votes and incumbent Jim Avalos came in third with 1,753 votes.

Residents also re-elected two incumbents -- John H. Lorona and Paul Green -- to the Selma Unified School District board.

For ballot measures, Selma residents overwhelmingly opposed Measure R, a measure which would have raised the tax paid at local motels and hotels from 6 to 10 percent.

Also in November, a few local churches reported that there's been an increased need of people needing donated food because of worsening economic conditions. However, some of these churches also say they've seen an increase in donations from citizens as well.

December

George Rodriguez, the newest Selma City Council member, was sworn in during a regular meeting of the Council in mid-December. The Council also voted that night to designate Council member Dennis Lujan as mayor and Council member Mike Derr as mayor pro tem. Former Council member Sandi Niswander also stepped down from the Council that night and was recognized with plaques and comments for her eight years of service to the city.

Later in the month, the Selma Enterprise learned that despite the city collecting around $700,000 in tax money from Measure S, the majority of it hasn't been spent yet. However, some of it has gone to pay for the salaries and benefits of two Selma PD officers who were reassigned to the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium Team and the Street Narcotics Enforcement Team.