Opinion: It’s not always easy to compare schools
Originally published Friday, Aug. 6, 2004. Here’s something to ponder: In Washington, D.C., public schools spend about $11,000 per pupil, while Catholic schools serving the same area spend about $5,500. Yet, the Catholic school students on average consistently score better than public school students, are more likely to go to college and are far less […]
Opinion: A person needs to watch more television
Originally published Saturday, May 8, 2004. Every once in a while, something happens to remind me how culturally bereft I am, and I vow to watch more TV. A good example of this is that the television show Friends is finally ending. Some commentators seem to view the end of Friends in the same way […]
Opinion: Some myths about celebrating Earth Day
Originally published April 22, 2017. Earth Day, which we will celebrate this weekend, is a wonderful event because it focuses our thoughts on taking care of the planet we live on. For example, we should get our lawns mowed and our weeds hoed, and sweep our sidewalks so that everything is neat and tidy. We […]
Opinion: The cat’s out of the bag
Originally ran April 19, 2016. What used to be a one-cat household is turning into a four-cat household very quickly. I am talking about the house we live in, which is owned by this cat which rents it out to us for two small bowls of kibble and two small cans of wet food a […]
Opinion: Danny Dimwit strikes again
Originally ran Sept. 14, 2013. In today’s Madera Tribune you may have noticed a story about a row of raisins having been stolen. When I saw the story, I thought, “Ah, the work of Dandy Dimwit.” Sheriff John Anderson, when giving speeches around the county, often says that the one thing most criminals have in […]
Rally pleads for an end to distance learning
“We want our kids to go back to school — as soon as possible,” said Gail Markarian on Saturday, speaking from the front steps of the Courthouse Museum to a rally of some 30 parents, teachers and students. Most of those in attendance waved green and yellow signs pleading for MUSD schools to reopen. Passing […]
Challenger facing Jim Costa to address Republican Women
Madera Republican Women Federated will play host at a congressional candidate forum Thursday, Feb. 27, for Kevin Cookingham, a Republican running to replace Democrat Jim Costa in the 16th congressional district. Cookingham grew up on his family’s ranch in Fresno, where he picked crops and tended livestock. He attended Clovis High School, and wrestled for […]
New storage complex offers 900 units
Includes lots of electronic help Richard Torosian believes he has reimagined the storage business, and his new, 900-unit building at 905 Knox Road would indicate that. The units range from 3- to 12-feet wide, with ceilings as high as 10 feet. Torosian beams as he uses an electric cart to show visitors around the long […]
Citizens gather to hear about future of downtown
About 80 people met Wednesday night at a workshop to look over some ideas about the future of Madera’s downtown core — ideas which include the installation of street art, improved street lighting, high-visibility crosswalks, buffered bike lanes and improved landscaping. The next public workshop will be in January, when ideas gleaned at the Wednesday […]
Smoking banned in parks
A ban on smoking in city parks was celebrated Tuesday — where else, but in Lions Town and Country Park, the city’s biggest. Speeches were made and new signs prohibiting smoking in the city’s parks were posted. However, down the street, at Memorial Courthouse Park, which belongs to the county, several people were sitting around […]