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, […]
‘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 […]
Students to receive 5,000 books
The Walt Disney Company and the nonprofit company First Book recently launched a partnership with the local United Way to distribute 5,000 books to Valley students. The books will go to young scholars in Madera, Huron and Mendota. The three towns have poverty rates of 26.9, 43.5 and 49.5 percent respectively, according to the U.S. […]
Evapco West marks 40 years in business
An international manufacturer of cooling and refrigeration products recently celebrated 40 years in southwest Madera with a catered barbecue, car show, plant tours and more. “Evapco Madera was the second manufacturing plant that Evapco founded,” said Bill Jones, senior vice president of global operations for Evapco. “We were established in 1976 in Baltimore, Maryland, and […]
Leaders discuss state of county
Elected officials of Chowchilla and the city and county of Madera attempted to rally community pride during the recent annual State of the County luncheon. “We’ve built trust and unfortunately sometimes we’ve destroyed that trust,” said District 1 Supervisor Brett Frazier in his keynote speech. “We’ve been the scrappy little county that won’t take no […]
Lawsuit against school to push on
An American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against a local high school and its district will continue despite a partial resolution of a student complaint. Student-submitted quotes at the center of the dispute will be published in the Minarets High School yearbook in May, according to Superintendent Darren Sylvia of Chawanakee Unified School District. But, the […]
ACLU sues mountain school
Claims references to gender and sexuality should not have been eliminated from yearbook The American Civil Liberties Union has sued a local mountain high school and its district for allegedly violating the free speech of two students. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed its lawsuit Wednesday against Chawanakee Unified School District and Minarets High […]
Growers tackle water issues
Local growers and others met last week for a triple tour of Madera County water users Friday and an on-farm groundwater recharge workshop Wednesday. “What we’re trying to do is get different types of beneficial users together so that they can listen to each other’s successes and challenges,” said county Water and Natural Resources Department […]
Alleged threat by Chowchilla student sparks panic
A student’s alleged violent threat, and his arrest Thursday, sparked Internet rumors that led to a “precautionary lockdown” Friday for Chowchilla Union High School, authorities say. “There was a lot of misinformation being put out on social media … (but) we can’t assume it’s misinformation,” explained Chowchilla Police Lt. Jeff Palmer. The name of the […]
Women’s conference planned at Holy Spouses Hall
St. Joachim Church plans to host Catholic writer Allison Gingras at its Walk of Faith annual Women’s Conference set for March 16. Gingras, who lives in Massachusetts, will speak on faith in God’s loving presence amid the “everyday ordinary” moments of life. “I think that’s really important — that we see that God loves us […]