Long council meeting ends in OK of contracts
In a 6-1 vote, near the end of a meeting that adjourned at 11 p.m., the Madera City Council approved the renewal and acceptance of previously negotiated contracts of seven senior city department heads. The the new contracts will run three years for the positions of grant administrator, city engineer, chief of police, chief building […]
Reports of school threat alarm students, parents
News of an old student threat against Howard Elementary School and rumors of its renewal spurred parents to withdraw their children and seek answers Wednesday. A student came forward March 29 to belatedly report a statement a fellow student made months before, according to Principal Judi Szpor. “Two months ago, another student asked this gentleman, […]
Opinion: Political correctness and language
One thing that has me puzzled is why some teachers now are being called “learning facilitators.” I looked up a job description for a learning facilitator, and it sounds suspiciously like that of a teacher. I hope they don’t go far with this “learning facilitator” idea, because it is more trouble to pronounce than simply […]
Why Americans forget Millard Fillmore
Today Millard Fillmore is probably the least known of all the presidents of the United States. He was an obscure ex-congressman when he was elected to the vice presidency in 1848, and when President Zachary Taylor died in 1850, Fillmore took over and served for two and a half years. He did not run for […]
Opinion: April showers refreshing and restorative
Once again, the rain has scrubbed the air in Madera clean and it smells wonderful. The EPA’s Air Quality Index is at 46, according to its website map. The air is rated good, represented by the color green, which blankets the map of California. Spring charity events are calendared with lunches on weekdays and dinner […]
Hawks get make-up win
For the second straight week, the Liberty Hawks took care of a higher-division opponent in a mid-week rain make-up game heading into an North Sequoia League game the next day. Last week, the defending Div. V Valley Champions took care of Div. II Madera, 4-0. Wednesday, the Hawks scored seven runs in the sixth to […]
Stallions in giving mood to Knights
In addition to playing one of the toughest teams in the County/Metro Athletic Conference, the Madera South Stallions gave the Bullard Knights 12 free baserunners in a 10-3 loss at Eddie Chapa Field. Starting pitcher Seth Goodrich walked four and hit four batters in giving up six runs in 2 1/3 innings Tuesday afternoon. Bryan […]
Coyotes excel at Fresno City
Former Madera Coyotes standouts Ethan Richardson and Alec Gamboa have made big impacts for their Fresno City College Rams’ teams. Most recently, Gamboa was named the NorCal Player of the Week by the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association. In a March 22 victory over Porterville, Gamboa got the win with five perfect innings of […]
Harrell, Apaches too much for Coyotes
While Sanger Apaches ace Jake Harrell was taking care of the Madera Coyotes baseball team’s offense, Sanger’s offense was doing a number on Coyotes’ pitchers during a 14-2 victory in Mel Parker Field. Harrell tossed six innings and gave up two runs on three hits while striking out 15 out of the 18 outs. Meanwhile, […]
‘Unplanned’ drama challenges all
Suckered into a cheap snack upgrade, I soon realized my huge bucket of popcorn had been a mistake. “Unplanned” is not a popcorn movie. However, it is a good and challenging one, kept from cinematic greatness by an at times distracting voiceover, weak characterization of several supporting characters, and a mediocre soundtrack. The film adapts […]