For The Madera Tribune Michelle Ramirez-Rueda. Madera South High School’s Michelle Ramirez-Rueda will walk across the stage during 2026 Commencement Ceremonies at Matilda Torres High School as the No. 1 ranked student in her class. However, she didn’t set out for the top spot. “Originally, I was attempting to try hard classes to challenge myself, and I got No. 1, which is amazing,” she said. “There was competition for that from a lot of other students that wanted to take oth

For The Madera Tribune A Jeep Cherokee sits next to a pistachio tree after a collision on Avenue 21 and Road 28 1/2. The driver of a white Ford Escape (in background) died from the accident last week. California Highway Patrol Madera officers responded to a two-vehicle traffic crash at the intersection of Avenue 21 and Road 28 1/2. An 18-year-old man from Madera was driving a white Ford Escape southbound on Road 28 1/2, traversing the intersection of Avenue 21 at an unknown s

For The Madera Tribune This flyer, provided by the Madera Police Department, informs residents about the increasing number of electric bikes in the city and how to be safe around them. Officers with the Madera Police Department responded to a traffic collision involving a motor vehicle and an electric bike (e-bike) Wednesday evening. During the incident, the e-bike rider was struck while traveling through an intersection, resulting in significant injuries. The rider was tran

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress formally adopted the text of the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and a committee of five. The date became our anniversary date. So, on the Fourth of July of this year, we will celebrate 250 years of our independence as a nation. This is definitely a time to celebrate! In 1776, we decided we no longer wanted or needed to be dependent on another country, and we wanted to write our own rules and laws. Since that

I approach writing this column with trepidation. Social class is a complex and little-understood term. About 75 years ago, a sociologist name Lloyd Warner described six social classes along a continuum: Upper-upper class, Lower-upper, Upper-middle, Lower-middle, Upper-lower, and Lower-lower. This configuration has been used as a matter of convenience over the years although any respectable sociologist understands that nobody knows how many social classes really exist because

For The Madera Tribune The Madera Theater. As Madera moved into the 1940s, many looked forward to the return of good times. The Great Depression was over, and Prohibition had wilted away. Agriculture had replaced lumber as the town’s economic base, and business downtown was booming. J.C. Penny, located on the corner of E Street and Yosemite Avenue, was offering the latest in fashions at low, low prices, and Montgomery Ward was shocking the town with its Wednesday sales, one o

For The Madera Tribune Liberty graduate Skylar Hartley holds a falcon as a member of the United States Air Force Academy’s coveted Falconry Program. The program has only 12 members and four every year are chosen for the program. Four years ago, Skylar Hartley marched across the Liberty High School stage as one of its valedictorians and entry into the United States Air Force Academy. Now, Hartley’s four-year college career could be defined by lyrics in Kelly Clarkson’s “Breaka