Vida En El Valle Blogs: The Latin voice of the central valley.

How many of you have read the book, The House on Mango Street by Latina novelist Sandra Cisneros? I am sure many of you had it listed as a required reading in high school English class and for some–like myself– it was required reading for a college course I took on Chicano/a Literature. I vividly remember the [...]

Wonder what ever happened to Luz María, the Fresno gal with the great norteño/cumbia voice who just missed making the final 10 at the 2007 ‘Objetivo Fama’ music reality show on the Telefutura network? The Sunnyside High School graduate has just recorded an album — ‘Luz María: Me Gustaría’ — which is now available on [...]

It’s that time of year again when people all across America start making a mental note of their New Year resolutions. I’ve made mine too, like I do each year. I promised I would eat less pan dulce, watch less telenovelas (and exercise more) and meet my mariachi idol, Alejandro Fernandez. Just kidding. The first [...]

Gabriela Martinez and Susana Cruz summed up the reasons there is an obesity crisis among the Latino community in the San Joaquín Valley. Martínez, an immigrant from Colima, México and the mother of three children, said the Latino community is aware of the importance of eating healthy and exercising regularly. “I think they know it, [...]

It was a beautiful early spring day yesterday, so I visited the school farm stand at John Burroughs Elementary School. At the farm stand, which is open every Wednesday afternoon, two women filled bags with fresh apples, oranges, and “snack packs” of locally harvested nuts and dried fruit. The women asked when the farm stand [...]

Yesterday I had the chance to meet Valerie Salcedo, one of 13 young women who will be competing for scholarship money and the title of Miss Fresno County on Sat., Feb. 27 at the historic Tower Theater in Fresno. This is the first pageant for the 22-year-old Salcedo, who is a music and vocal performance [...]