Haunted walkway honors lost child
Ever since she was a child, October was a month of celebration for Coleen Spraggins and her family. However, about 16 years ago, it wasn’t a year for celebrations. Spraggins lost her first child two months before her first birthday — Oct. 3. However, instead of drowning in her sorrows, Spraggins uses October and Halloween […]
Gospel trio to perform Friday in Madera
The California Melody Boys will be in concert at the Friday Night Gospel Sing on Oct. 27 at the Madera First Assembly of God Church, 22444 Avenue 18 1/2 at 6 p.m. The Southern Gospel group was founded by Larry Martin in 2002. Even though the California Melody Boys vocal trio was founded in the […]
Looters struck in Madera’s Chinatown fire
Reports of the disastrous, still burning California wildfires are heartrending. Lives have been lost and entire communities have been destroyed. Some folks have lost everything, but there is something more. Added to the distress of lost lives and property are reports that looters have found their way into the destruction to help themselves to anything […]
Editor’s Corner: Another look at fake news by public
A recent poll reported by Policito says that 46 percent of Americans say that they believe the media make up fake news about President Trump and anybody else they want to lie about — but here is what should make you beware: the poll itself may be fake news! The reason I think the poll […]
Free community college on horizon?
United States citizens owe $1. 31 trillion in student debt, according to a report aired by CNBC. The increase in such debt for the fourth quarter of 2016 ($31 billion) outpaced the new automobile originations for the entire year ($22 billion). Student debt is even greater than the national credit card debt which rose by […]
Fire is the wrath of the Almighty
The fires in Northern California are a great thrashing for the people who lost their home and also for the wine industry as well. These 21 wineries were destroyed in the fires: James Cole Winery, Signorello Estate, William Hill Estate Winery, Kenwood Winery, Kunde Estate Wineries, B.R. Cohn, Frey Winery, Nicholson Ranch, Chateau St. Jean, […]
Madera city administrator comments on looming financial crisis
I’ve been in the City Management profession a little over 40 years. One of the things that has not changed during that time is the difficult choices cities make between paying for employees and investing in streets, parks, storm drainage, and other similar facilities. This article will explore those choices just a bit. A city’s […]
Devastated by climate change or environmentalists?
Why does it seem so difficult for common sense and hard-core environmentalism to co-exist with the environmental approach of the average American? When we look at the situation in the context of the devastating fires and ensuing smoke pollution with the California wildfires it appears their radical approach to nature isn’t working. Perhaps it’s because […]
Coyotes remain perfect in CMAC
The Madera Coyotes girls volleyball team capitalized on a hot start to sweep the Bullard-Fresno Knights and improve to 7-0 in the County/Metro athletic conference. “It was good,” head coach Meghan Haas said. “The last time we played them we went to five and didn’t play that great so we definitely came out with a […]
Slow start hurts Stallions in loss
The Madera South Stallions girls volleyball team looked to be in control of its County/Metro Athletic Conference match against the Edison-Fresno Tigers, but slow starts in the fourth and fifth sets sent the Stallions to a 3-2 loss. After a tight 25-23 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match, the Stallions fell behind […]