Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Torres’ Nevaeh Chavez launches a 3-pointer during Tuesday’s State Playoff loss to Menlo Atherton.  The Matilda Torres Toros girls basketball team was fresh off winning the Div. IV Central Section Championship in Selland Arena.  Two days later, the team found out where they were seeded in the CIF State Championships. For some reason, they were moved up to Div. III. Not only that, but they had to face a Div. I Central Coast Champion in Menlo A

With more than 40 scouts from various Major League Baseball teams and colleges on hand to watch the game, the Madera Coyotes baseball team helped out the Kingsburg Vikings with mental and physical errors in a 6-4 loss at Mel Parker Field.  The scouts were on hand to watch Jensen Hirshkorn take the mound for the Vikings Wednesday afternoon. He possesses a 92 mile-an-hour fastball with a sharp breaking 81 mph slider. He allowed three Coyote hits, all bunts, in four innings of w

I certainly hope all of you had a chance to watch President Trump’s recent State of The Union Address. He did a great job of spelling out the positive things that are happening in our country. We’ve made a tremendous amount of progress recovering from the previous administration’s attempt at demolishing America and destroying the American way of life. However, we do still have a long way to go, and with a little cooperation from members of Congress, we can achieve the goal of

For many years, the U.S. has had only two parties: the Democrats and Republicans. Most democracies have numerous parties, with our neighbor to the north having five. The U.S. is not functioning well at all with its two parties, and a third party would be most helpful. I am not alone in this appraisal. A significant majority of Americans express dissatisfaction with the two major parties, with recent polls (late 2025/early 2026) showing that around 60 to 62 percent believe tha

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the lifespan of a refrigerator. In 44 years of marriage, we have had four refrigerators in our house, each one lasting about half the time of the previous one.  The refrigerator we have now is about two-and-a-half years old, so I’m thinking I’d better start looking around for another one soon. I’m not fond of the refrigerator we have now. When the last one quit working, after six years, I almost cried. We could not find one like it. It had

For The Madera Tribune Attorney Joe Barcroft got boxer Jack Dempsey off on a speeding charge in Madera County, but he couldn’t help him in the ring. Life as a Madera traffic cop in 1926 was not the most exotic way to spend one’s days (or nights). Traffic along the state highway near town was light. That’s why traffic officer M.A. Harrison was keeping watch from the shoulder of the road. That’s where he was when he saw the roadster speeding south on March 26. The car zoomed pa