Episodes

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Hiring a new city manager might sound like inside baseball, but it is one of the biggest decisions Hanford will make this year, and it will shape everything from staff culture to how fast projects actually move. We talk with Vice Mayor Nancy Howze about what she’s learning in her first six months on the Hanford City Council, how she’s working to build a more cohesive and respectful dais, and why the “process” is more than paperwork, it’s ho...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! More planes and helicopters circling over Hanford has sparked a lot of curiosity and more than a few rumors, so we decided to go straight to the source. We sit down with Sergeant Jerry Hunter and Senior Deputy Eric Johnson from the Kings County Sheriff’s Department Air Support Unit to get a clear, grounded look at what aerial law enforcement actually does for public safety in Kings County. We talk through how the unit is staffed, what a ty...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Hanford doesn’t need more buzzwords, it needs roads you can drive on, a public safety facility that actually fits the people working inside it, and utility systems that won’t fail at the worst possible moment. We sit down with Hanford City Manager Chris Tavarez to talk about what’s moving, what’s still in design, and how the city is trying to turn long lists of needs into a real, funded work plan. We dig into Measure H and why it matters f...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Your street lights, neighborhood landscaping, and park upkeep do not happen by accident, and they definitely do not pay for themselves. Councilmember Travis Payden gives us a clear wrap-up of recent Hanford City Council actions, starting with the annual engineer’s report for Hanford’s 44 landscape assessment districts. We explain what these districts fund, why 28 districts see a 3% CPI adjustment while others do not, and what it means when ...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A City Council meeting can feel like a blur until you hear what actually changed and what it means for your day-to-day life in Hanford. Councilmember Nancy Howze gives us a focused June 16 recap that starts with a boost to public safety: Chief Huddleston introduces six new Hanford Police Department employees and we welcome K9 Ace, a two-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd from Hungary who is already supporting officers in the field. I...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Hanford is getting a real, live Fourth of July fireworks show again, and the behind-the-scenes planning is the part most people never hear about. I’m joined by Brad Albert on location at the Hanford Softball Complex to walk through the first Hanford Freedom Fest and Fireworks Show, built to be fun, affordable, and safe for as many families as possible. We get specific about what’s happening on the grounds: patriotic decorations, live music...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Illegal fireworks don’t just light up the sky, they light up roofs, yards, and sometimes lives. As Hanford heads into the July 4 holiday weekend, we sit down with Hanford Fire Chief Daniel Perkins to get painfully clear on what’s changing, why the city is taking a harder line, and how the new It’s Not Worth It campaign is designed to actually deter illegal fireworks, not just talk about them. We also start with the week’s community news: t...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Hanford’s wastewater system is one of those essentials you only notice when something goes wrong, and that is exactly why we wanted to slow down and explain what City Council just took on. Mayor Mark Kairis joins us with a clear recap of the June 16 Hanford City Council actions, starting with the wastewater rate study and the long list of infrastructure upgrades the city can no longer postpone. We walk through the real numbers behind the c...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A kid on an e-bike. A rider on a motorized scooter. A driver turning right who doesn’t expect someone flying the wrong way. That mix is how close calls turn into tragedies, and it’s why Hanford is taking electric bicycle safety and e-scooter safety seriously right now. We open with a quick run through of what’s happening around town, then we get into the heart of the show with Corporal Daniel Todd from the Hanford Police Department. ...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A near-100-year-old ice cream shop is easy to love and hard to rebuild. We sit down with Andy and Jacob Zonneveld, new owners of Superior Dairy Products, to hear why the family stepped in to restore one of Hanford’s most recognizable landmarks and what it actually takes to bring a 1929 soda fountain back to life without losing the soul that generations remember. We talk about the Zonnevelds’ roots in local dairy farming, their long-standin...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Downtown Hanford is about to fill up with chrome, stories, and the kind of small-town energy you can feel from a block away. We’re giving you a detailed preview of the fifth annual Carnegie Museum of Kings County Car and Bike Show, plus the key info you actually need before you head out on Saturday, June 6. Committee members Cathy Porter, Mike Quinn, Jack Schwartz, and Karla Orosco join us to explain how this event grew from a chilly first-...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Graduation week doesn’t just sneak up on Hanford, it hits all at once, and we want you walking in prepared. We start with the practical stuff that saves you time and stress: the new clear bag policy at Neighbor Bowl, the biggest graduation nights that will impact traffic near Hanford High School, and a quick note on the honor walk that brings high school grads back through their old elementary campuses. Then we shift to something lighter a...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A nearly $60 million decision rarely fits into a quick recap, but that’s exactly what we tackle as we break down Hanford’s most consequential May 19 City Council actions. Mayor Mark Kairis, walks us through what we approved, why it matters, and what it means for everyday services as Hanford grows. We start with the $59.9 million contract amendment with Optera Energy Services to modernize our wastewater treatment facility. This plan g...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A town feels different when you stop trying to “get in shape” alone and start showing up with other people. That’s why I’m excited to share my conversation with Tiffany Ramirez and Lori Bravo, the women behind Hanford Stepsisters, a women-only walking group that’s quietly become a movement across Hanford and the wider Central Valley. What started as a few sunset walks for accountability has turned into a welcoming space where women laugh, v...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Playoff brackets always feel like a fresh reset, and this Spring Playoff Special Edition is your rapid guide to where Hanford-area baseball and softball teams land and what round one really looks like. I walk through the matchups one by one, so you can instantly see who’s hosting, who’s traveling, and where the pressure points are as postseason play begins. If you follow Hanford high school sports, CIF-style playoff brackets, or Central Val...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A beautiful old property can feel like a mystery until someone opens the gate and invites the community in. That’s what happens when I sit down with Kristen Smith to talk about The Charm House Venue, an elegant event venue just outside Hanford that’s quickly become a go-to spot for weddings, showers, graduations, and parties that actually feel personal. Kristen walks me through what she saw the first time she toured the house, why the matu...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A familiar building at the edge of downtown Hanford is getting a whole new identity and it says a lot about where the city is headed. We sit down with Sam Patel, owner of the newly reimagined Hanford Hotel, to talk about why he invested in Hanford, what it takes to turn an older property into a boutique hotel, and how details like finishes, cleanliness, and service standards can change the way guests experience a stay. If you care about dow...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Big city decisions often sound technical until you connect them to real life: where your kids play after school, how hot a summer walk feels on a treeless block, and whether a local airport can support emergency response and business travel. Mayor Mark Kairis shares a focused recap of Hanford City Council’s April 21 meeting, breaking down what was approved, what questions are still open, and what happens next. We start with parks and recre...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! The Thursday Night Marketplace isn’t just a fun night out. It’s one of the clearest signs of how downtown Hanford is growing, how local businesses get discovered, and how a community learns to celebrate in its own backyard. We sit down with Jim Castleman, the longtime host of the Main Street Hanford Thursday Night Marketplace, for a preview of season 26 at Civic Park. Jim shares why the market “personifies community,” how it became a magne...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A community runs on the people who show up every day and schools are one of the clearest places to see that in action. We start with a quick Hanford civic and community rundown, including what to watch for at the upcoming Hanford City Council meeting and a packed local calendar featuring the Kings County Excellence and Education event at the Hanford Fox Theater, the King’s Symphony gala fundraiser, and special programming at the Carnegie Mu...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A town’s week can tell you a lot about its soul, especially when you line up today’s headlines next to the stories that built the place. We start with the latest Hanford community news, including a recap of a long City Council meeting, early details on the Fourth of July fireworks show at the Hanford Softball Complex, and what to watch for as the city releases more information. We also cover a major local business update as Superior Dairy c...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Crime trends, park funding, neighborhood upkeep, refuse rates, safer streets, and summer fireworks all show up in one fast City Council recap with Mayor Mark Kairis. If you want to understand what Hanford City Council decisions actually mean for your day-to-day life, this update connects the dots clearly, without the jargon. We start with the Hanford Police Department’s 2025 annual report and the most important signal in the data: crime is...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! A city council agenda can tell you where a town is headed, and Hanford has some real signals this week. We walk through the upcoming meeting items, including Heroes Park funding, public hearings that affect neighborhood costs, and the possibility of bringing back a large Fourth of July fireworks show at the Hanford Softball Complex. We also talk about the new Main Street Hanford speaker system and why small downtown upgrades can change how ...

Send me a text and give me feedback on this episode! Something big is happening in Hanford this spring, and it’s not just the warmer weather. We’re seeing new signs go up in old buildings, downtown events filling the calendar, and parks gearing up for the months when everyone wants to be outside. I’m your host Rob Bentley, and I start with quick community notes, then share can’t miss dates like the downtown parade celebrating Sierra Pacific’s girls basketball state championship, the annual sh...