County keeps eyes on short rentals
Madera County will enter a 3-year agreement with Host Compliance, which will research short-term vacation rental listings to identify homeowners dodging local requirements. The investigative, monitoring and other services of San Francisco-based Host Compliance will cost $39,000 per year, but is expected to bring in revenue through increased tax collection and business license fees. County […]
Battle of the Badges under way
A bloodthirsty, 18-year rivalry continues this month with a North Valley Battle of the Badges series of blood drives in Madera and elsewhere. “We’re battling … other North Valley law enforcement agencies just to see who can get the most blood donated on behalf of their department,” explained Teresa Anzaldua, deputy probation officer for Madera […]
Fresno fair to offer classic acts
Big Fresno Fair concert tickets will go on sale to its Big Fair Fan Club on May 7 and to the general public May 14. The 2019 Table Mountain Casino Concert Series will feature Christian Nodal, Roseanne Barr, Newboys, and Tower of Power plus WAR, according to communications director Danielle Griffin of the Big Fresno […]
Air quality up but still poor for Central Valley areas
The American Lung Association recently ranked “Fresno-Madera-Hanford” in the top four of the nation’s “most polluted cities.” This week, the association’s 2019 State of the Air report ranked the area worst in year-round soot, second worst in 24-hour soot, and fourth worst in smog. The report covered data collected in 2015-2017. These, it noted, happened […]
MadTown Robotics best in world
Top ranked globally this season, MadTown Robotics now can be called a world champion. Four California teams — Madera, Atascadero, Burlingame, and El Segundo — were the FIRST Robotics Competition winning alliance for this year’s game, “Destination: Deep Space,” presented by Boeing this past weekend. “It’s only been a couple of days since it happened […]
County library ‘reimagines’ itself with update
Infrequent visitors to the Madera library may be surprised by a brighter and lower circulation desk as well as new carpeting, wall paint, furniture and layout. They might also notice fewer book shelves and more sunlight — all thanks to a recently completed renovation that began Jan. 22 and ended last week. “We wanted to […]
Future of roads looks grim
Madera County ranks as the seventh worst California county when it comes to road quality, with 62.9 percent of area roads in poor, very poor or failed condition. That’s according to a final report presented last week by Nichols Consulting Engineering and the county Public Works Department. The county hired NIC in March of 2018 […]
Service to local health honored
Madera County presented its 2019 Public Health Champion awards this week to employee Claudia Morales-Bray, City Councilman Donald Holley and CEO James Maxwell of Agriland Farming. This is the first year for the new award, according to director Sara Bosse of the county’s Public Health Department. Those lauded for “embodying” the department’s “vision” were nominated […]
6th graders look to future
More than 1,500 sixth grade students came by shifts throughout Monday to the Madera District Fairgrounds to get a glimpse of their potential futures. Madera Unified School District’s Career Technical Education program hosted its second annual Career Pathway Fair in and around Hatfield Hall. The purpose is to allow students to consider possible careers — […]
HOSA club to head to Florida
Members of Health Occupation Students of America hope to head to the Walt Disney World Resort this summer to compete in an international leadership conference. “It’s going to cost about a thousand dollars per student to send them there, and that will include hotel, airfare and registration” explained HOSA advisor Mary Pietrowski, a teacher at […]