Chowchilla talks of future
A small gathering of Chowchilla residents discussed future public safety and development needs with city officials at a town hall meeting this week. In November, city voters approved setting a one percent tax for eight years to fund public safety services (Measure N). A survey of residents before the election found nearly all were concerned […]
Agriland gives to community
During the holiday season it is important for us to give back to our community and we cannot think of a better way than giving a helping hand to those in need. Monday night Agriland Farming Company employees and their families helped pack 230 meals for families from eleven different schools in Madera County. Employees […]
Farnesi’s waitress retires after 43 years
Longtime server Anna McKenzie, 80, is hanging up her order pad at Farnesi’s Restaurant after waiting tables there for more than 43 years. She started working for the popular restaurant in November 1975; Dec. 28 will be her last day. When owner Don Cedarlof bought the restaurant on Jan. 1, 1976, McKenzie had been on […]
Annual Madera light show up to 37,000 lights
After building a house and running an industrial electric company, Robert Bishop decided the next step for him was to use his property as the stage for a light show. Bishop’s property on Avenue 20 1/2 is covered in 37,000 lights that have been synchronized to 13 different songs. He has spent 1,300 hours synchronizing […]
Surprise move on MUSD board
By Bill Coate The Madera Tribune Observers of school board politics got a surprise last week when Madera Unified School District trustees voted to give the president’s gavel to Ray Seibert, the board’s most senior member in terms of years of service. The new president has held a seat on the MUSD board for 26 […]
Ranchos gets new water tank
Four-year-old plans for a shopping center across from Liberty High School finally changed 40.2 acres of fallow farmland — by adding a 175-foot water storage tank. Madera County supervisors approved rezoning the land as “community commercial” in late 2014 on the condition, among others, that the developer would install the 500,000-gallon tank for the use […]
Kennedy : More than $90 million in taxes collected and distributed
“Over ninety million dollars in property tax payments was collected and posted from the Dec. 10 property tax deadline”, said Tracy Kennedy, Madera County treasurer-tax collector. All payments were posted and balanced by Friday, Dec. 14. “That’s amazing,” said Kennedy, “given that county offices were closed on Dec. 5 as a ‘day of mourning’ as […]
Voters enjoy 30-year gift to themselves
As this winter’s gift-giving season proceeds, California voters might want to pause a moment and pat themselves on the back for a gift that has lasted 30 years: Proposition 103. If there ever was a ballot measure proving the effectiveness of direct democracy, making policy by letting the public vote on important policy choices, this […]
Roundup of public opinion, 2018
A little more than 20 years ago, Club Soc at California State University, Bakersfield, sponsored a colloquium featuring my friend Dr. Earl Babbie, who chaired the Department of Sociology at Chapman University at the time. Earl is the author of many articles and books on public opinion, and his “The Practice of Social Research” is […]
The joy of the celebration
This is my final column before Christmas. Spreading peace on earth, goodwill to all, is the theme for many greeting cards, and good place to begin this week’s rant. The secular celebration of Christmas or Xmas involves red and green everything, candy canes and the jolly fat guy in the furry suit. He drives a […]