Dire straits in Stratford: Drought, recession, unemployment batter Kings County town

There was a time when Stratford was a bustling community of gas stations, shops and restaurants.That time is long gone. The recession has hit with full force in this small, mainly Hispanic agricultural community south of Lemoore along a dusty stretch of Highway 41. Runaway unemployment has residents in a vice grip of tough times that make the economic problems in Hanford and Lemoore seem mild by comparison.