Welcome to the Hanford Insider!

Episodes

Hanford Insider: City Manager Explains The Projects Shaping Hanford’s Next Decade
March 8, 2026

Hanford Insider: City Manager Explains The Projects Shaping Hanford’s…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Streets that last longer, a downtown built for people, and a public safety HQ that anchors confidence in the city center—this week we sit with City Manager Chris Tavarez to map how Hanford turns plans into pavement and services into momentum. Fro…

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Hanford Insider: Big City Council Updates, Youth Athletic Complex Ribbon Cutting, and a SPHS Valley Championship!
March 1, 2026

Hanford Insider: Big City Council Updates, Youth Athletic Complex Rib…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A fresh ribbon, the scent of tri-tip, and a packed crowd set the scene for a milestone day at the Hanford Youth Athletic Complex. We walk the grounds with city leaders and community voices to unpack a $1.3M renovation that delivers where families…

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Hanford Insider: Where Youth Meet The Badge: Sport As A Bridge To Belonging
Feb. 22, 2026

Hanford Insider: Where Youth Meet The Badge: Sport As A Bridge To Bel…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Step inside Hanford’s old National Guard Armory and you’ll hear it: jump ropes snapping, gloves popping, bikes rolling, and kids trading high-fives with officers who spot them between rounds. We sat down with Police Chief Stephanie Huddleston and…

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Hanford Insider: Hanford Multicultural Theater
Feb. 15, 2026

Hanford Insider: Hanford Multicultural Theater

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A theater can be a building—or a beacon. We sit down with volunteer tech lead and musician Ted Hillman to reveal how Hanford Multicultural Theater Company turned a small downtown space into a living hub for acting, improv, comedy, puppetry, and a…

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Hanford Insider - February 9, 2026 - Mayor's Wrap Up
Feb. 9, 2026

Hanford Insider - February 9, 2026 - Mayor's Wrap Up

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A live federal update turned into breaking good news: Hanford secured an extra $2 million for the Grangeville Boulevard Grade Separation Project, closing critical gaps in right-of-way and utility work that keep rail safety and traffic flow on tra…

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Hanford Insider - Katelind Donahue - "The Writer's Haven"
Feb. 8, 2026

Hanford Insider - Katelind Donahue - "The Writer's Haven"

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A town grows when people show up for each other, and this week we spotlight how Hanford’s energy is fueling real creative work. We kick off with quick hits around the city: a new city manager sworn in, downtown speakers set to bring music to Irwi…

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Hanford Insider: How A Historic Bakery Shaped A Town And Sparked A New Chapter In Community Business
Feb. 1, 2026

Hanford Insider: How A Historic Bakery Shaped A Town And Sparked A Ne…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A bakery that once fed a town now feeds a different kind of hunger: connection, service, and shared memory. We follow Maccagno’s from a 1949 brick landmark with 20‑foot ovens and loading docks to a living hub for local business, events, and civic…

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Hanford Insider: How Tightening Residency Verification Aims To Balance Programs, Class Sizes, and Opportunity at our local high schools
Jan. 25, 2026

Hanford Insider: How Tightening Residency Verification Aims To Balanc…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! What happens when a growing city meets crowded classrooms and a patchwork of feeder schools? We sit down with HJUHSD Superintendent Victor Rosa and Assistant Superintendent Bobby Peters to talk candidly about enrollment trends, residency verifica…

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Hanford Insider: How A Brewery, A Builder, And A Vision Aim To Transform Downtown Hanford
Jan. 18, 2026

Hanford Insider: How A Brewery, A Builder, And A Vision Aim To Transf…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A 19th-century courthouse is about to get a 21st-century heartbeat. We sit down with builder and BarrelHouse Brewing co-founder Kevin Nickell to unpack the real work of revival: clearing decades of debris, rebuilding plumbing and electrical syste…

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Hanford Insider: Community Updates, MLK Day Celebration, And Local Sports Highlights
Jan. 11, 2026

Hanford Insider: Community Updates, MLK Day Celebration, And Local Sp…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A new year only counts if the community moves with it. We open the season by catching you up on City Hall’s biggest storyline, celebrating neighbors doing extraordinary work, and inviting you to a Martin Luther King Jr. gathering designed to brin…

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Hanford Insider: Mayor Kairis' Wednesday Wrap Up for December 2025
Dec. 31, 2025

Hanford Insider: Mayor Kairis' Wednesday Wrap Up for December 2025

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! City decisions rarely feel urgent until they touch your block, your commute, or your kids’ route to school. This week’s wrap brings it all home with quick, plain‑spoken highlights from Hanford’s council meeting—what changed, what’s next, and how …

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Hanford Insider: A Ribbon Cutting Sparks Regional Transit, Economic Growth, And Holiday Cheer
Dec. 14, 2025

Hanford Insider: A Ribbon Cutting Sparks Regional Transit, Economic G…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! What if a transit center could change how a city moves, works, and dreams? We head to downtown Hanford for the KART Transit Center ribbon cutting and hear directly from the people who built it—county supervisors, city leaders, state voices, and t…

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Hanford Insider: Travis Paden's Wednesday Wrap Up
Dec. 10, 2025

Hanford Insider: Travis Paden's Wednesday Wrap Up

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Big changes start with quiet choices: better maps, safer streets, clearer rules, and the people who bring them to life. We unpack a full council agenda that connects everyday services to long-term strategy, from a key GIS upgrade to the dollars-a…

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Hanford Insider: Wreaths Across America
Dec. 7, 2025

Hanford Insider: Wreaths Across America

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! December in Hanford brings more than twinkling lights—it brings movement, memory, and a community that shows up. We open with the latest city news, from the council’s leadership rotation to a tougher stance on illegal fireworks that scales fines …

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Hanford Insider: How A Beloved Storefront Became A City Tradition
Nov. 30, 2025

Hanford Insider: How A Beloved Storefront Became A City Tradition

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A storefront can hold a city’s memory. We head to the corner of Seventh and Douty to explore how a 19th-century hotel became Hanford Furniture and, ultimately, the canvas for a holiday tradition that still stops families on the sidewalk: the Chri…

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Hanford Insider: Muralist Jennifer Butts
Nov. 23, 2025

Hanford Insider: Muralist Jennifer Butts

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A blank wall can change a neighborhood when the right story lands on it. We sit down with muralist and educator Jennifer Butts to trace her journey from a seven-year-old with a sketchbook to a globe-trotting teacher in Honduras and China, and fin…

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Hanford Insider: Travis Paden's Wednesday Wrap Up 11/19/25
Nov. 19, 2025

Hanford Insider: Travis Paden's Wednesday Wrap Up 11/19/25

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Big changes are coming to Hanford, and the latest council recap connects every headline to real life: safer streets, smarter spending, and a leadership search you can shape. We walk through the East Lacey Corridor’s next phase, where city enginee…

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Hanford Insider: Your Guide To Hanford’s Holiday Kickoff: Winter Wonderland, Parade Updates, And Community Highlights
Nov. 16, 2025

Hanford Insider: Your Guide To Hanford’s Holiday Kickoff: Winter Wond…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! The holidays are officially on in Hanford, and we’re bringing you a front-row seat to everything that makes this season shine. From a redesigned Winter Wonderland with an elevated viewing deck and crackling fire pits to a bigger, safer Christmas …

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Hanford Insider: Dallas Poore "Warriors of the Wind" - Veterans Day Special
Nov. 9, 2025

Hanford Insider: Dallas Poore "Warriors of the Wind" - Veterans Day S…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Start with city hall, end on the open road. We bring you a fast-moving update on Hanford’s museum agreements, zoning changes, and a grant-funded tree plan, plus a key route change for the Hanford Christmas Parade that adds 2,000 feet of viewing s…

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Hanford Insider: Christmas Parade Improvements and Bullpups Domination!
Nov. 2, 2025

Hanford Insider: Christmas Parade Improvements and Bullpups Dominatio…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Big traditions don’t stay magical by accident—they’re planned, stress‑tested, and built with neighbors in mind. We open with a crisp look at City Council’s agenda, from the Kings County Farm Bureau briefing to the east‑west cross‑valley rail link…

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Hanford Insider: Rob Isquierdo - Reestablishing Stratford
Oct. 26, 2025

Hanford Insider: Rob Isquierdo - Reestablishing Stratford

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! The week’s headlines feel different when you hear them from the people building the future they want to live in. We sit down with podcaster and community organizer Rob Esquerdo to trace a clear line from storytelling to action: how a classroom-bo…

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Mayor Paden's Wednesday Wrap Up of the October 21st Hanford City Council Meeting
Oct. 22, 2025

Mayor Paden's Wednesday Wrap Up of the October 21st Hanford City Coun…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Quick wins matter, but so do the quiet calls that shape a city’s future. Mayor Travis Paden’s Wednesday wrap-up delivers a clear, helpful tour of the October 21 Hanford City Council meeting—what moved forward, what paused, and why it affects your…

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Hanford Insider: CalTrans Plans, Community Events, And Hanford Sports Highlights
Oct. 19, 2025

Hanford Insider: CalTrans Plans, Community Events, And Hanford Sports…

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Big projects are finally lining up for Kings County, and the details matter. We sit down with Caltrans District 6’s Alex Aguilera to unpack the planned 198–9th Avenue interchange, how five design alternatives could reconnect north and south Hanfo…

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Fire safety, fall events, and a comeback win: a Hanford Insider tour of what matters now
Oct. 13, 2025

Fire safety, fall events, and a comeback win: a Hanford Insider tour …

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! The week bursts with energy—city moves that affect our day-to-day, a stacked fall calendar, a symphony season opener, and a high school football finish that had us on our feet. We also bring a crucial safety story to the front: Fire Chief Daniel …

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