\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n

Here are two questions that the Institute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE) attempts to answer: How many more years can our planet exist and how many of those years can Earth support human habitation? According to its website, the IERE studies and reports \u201cscience-based solutions for a sustainable future.\u201d Studies by the institute\u2019s scientists conclude that the planet will continue circling the sun for many years (which is called The Long Game), but it will be able to sustain life for a relative few years (which is called The Short Game).<\/p>\n\n

The long game<\/h3>\n\n

Writing for the institute, James Murray claims that Earth\u2019s existence hinges on the life cycle of the sun, which is in a stable stage at present, fusing hydrogen into helium at its core. However, this stage won\u2019t last forever. He says, \u201cIn approximately five billion years, the sun will exhaust its hydrogen fuel.\u201d That will cause the sun\u2019s core to collapse while its outer layers expand. At that point, it will become a red giant.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cAs a red giant,\u201d he continues, \u201cthe sun will engulf Mercury and Venus.\u201d That seems to be a certainty, but our planet\u2019s future is not as clear. Murray posits that earth will certainly be uninhabitable. \u201cThe oceans will boil away, and the atmosphere will be stripped from the planet.\u201d Not a very pleasant prospect.<\/p>\n\n

So, the short answer to the long game is that Earth, as we know it, has a few billion years left. \u201cThe future Earth will bear little resemblance to the vibrant blue planet we know today.\u201d It will not be habitable by any life form that we can imagine.<\/p>\n\n

The short game<\/h3>\n\n

Murray claims that, in the opinion of the Institute\u2019s scientists, Earth \u201cas a habitable zone for humans is far less optimistic.\u201d He compares \u201cstellar evolution\u201d with \u201chuman impact.\u201d While stellar evolution will take billions of years before the sun is exhausted, human impact of the Earth\u2019s ability to support life is limited to \u201ccenturies or less\u201d because of environmental degradation. He says, \u201cThe crucial difference is that the stellar timeline is immutable \u2014 a natural process beyond our control. The human-induced timeline, however, is entirely within our power to alter.\u201d And, we know the conditions that are hastening the end of the planet\u2019s habitability.<\/p>\n\n

Climate change.<\/strong> We continue to burn fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. These gases form a dome within our atmosphere and have caused global warming. As ice melts on the tops of our mountains, icebergs dissolve into the oceans, and ice shelves in places like Antarctica and Greenland collapse, sea levels rise and extreme weather conditions disrupt ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n

I worry that people may think that these extreme conditions will simply appear some day in the future, as they do in horror movies. But as I watch the evening news about tornadoes that devastate cities across middle America; storms that ravage the northeast coast, causing major floods in states where they have not occurred previously; and record heat waves that are experienced throughout the world, I wonder if we are not witnessing a very gradual process that may hasten the \u201cshort game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Deforestation.<\/strong> Murray says that the clearing of forests \u201creduces the Earth\u2019s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, further exacerbating climate change and leading to habitat loss and biodiversity.\u201d According to the World Wide Fund, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year, dramatically increasing the pressure that we place on forests for timber, agriculture, and urban development. Trees play a crucial role in stabilizing the ecosystem. They filter the air that we breathe and stabilize the soil beneath our feet. The World Wide Fund further specifies that trees \u201cact as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide and mitigating climate-change impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Pollution.<\/strong> Year by year, pollutants are added to the world\u2019s air, water, and soil. We continue to rely heavily on petroleum, and even coal, both of which pollute the upper atmosphere. At the same time, we rid ourselves of domestic trash, urban sewage, and industrial waste, spewing the sludge into coastal estuaries. Pesticides and biocides make their ways into water systems, affecting water quality and the animals that consume it. When vital resources are contaminated, they have a deleterious effect on ecosystems as well as human habitation.<\/p>\n\n

Resource depletion.<\/strong> Our natural resources, like water, minerals, and fossil fuels are not infinite. Water, per se, is not an immediate problem. But potable water is. Many parts of the world have a severe shortage of drinkable water. And even in the most prosperous country, the U.S.A., many of the dams in our western states are at historic lows. Furthermore, as we lunge headfirst into artificial intelligence and other high-tech pursuits, we depend on rare earth products that are already quite limited.<\/p>\n\n

What can we do?<\/h3>\n\n

To be honest, I don\u2019t think that there is much that we can do to affect the eventual outcome of the short game. For decades, environmentalists have warned us about the negative effects we human beings have had on the Earth. The major damage has occurred since the Industrial Revolution which started about 250 years ago in Europe.<\/p>\n\n

What we call human progress generally means ecological disaster for the earth\u2019s balance of nature. Our living space moved from village to town to city to metropolitan area to megalopolis, requiring greater agricultural production from decreasing water availability for our farms.<\/p>\n\n

Each day there are between 100,000 and 130,000 airplanes in the air, spewing carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Daily, there are 1.5 billion cars on the road, and WifiTalents estimates that 87 percent of them will remain non-electric in 2030. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, world population is now 8.2 billion. It will be 9 billion by 2039.<\/p>\n\n

Many people are counting on artificial intelligence (AI) to solve the problem. But AI most likely operates according to Occam\u2019s Razor, that is, given a choice of alternatives, the simplest is probably the best. And the simplest solution is to eliminate the cause. And we are the cause.<\/p>\n\n

\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n\n

Jim Glynn es Profesor Em\u00e9rito de Sociolog\u00eda. Se le puede contactar en j_glynn@att.net.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here are two questions that the Institute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE) attempts to answer: How many more years can our planet exist and how many of those years can Earth support human habitation? According to its website, the IERE studies and reports \u201cscience-based solutions for a sustainable future.\u201d Studies by the institute\u2019s scientists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[36],"class_list":["post-49736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","tag-environment"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49736"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49736\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49740,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49736\/revisions\/49740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":49734,"date":"2026-09-26T07:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T14:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maderatribustg.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=49734"},"modified":"2026-09-25T14:49:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:49:49","slug":"fresh-aromatic-and-flavorful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/fresh-aromatic-and-flavorful\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresh, aromatic and flavorful"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fresno County Master Gardener Robbie has a life long love of herbs. Her fascination with gardening started early while growing up in the Willamette Valley of Oregon where even as a child she had a patch all her own. She was also greatly influenced by her aunt and uncle who lovingly tended an extensive herb garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her passion for herbs was ignited through these childhood experiences and, lucky for us, Robbie will be give a free workshop on October 3 at the Madera Community College, where she will teach all things herbal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herbs fall into four categories \u2014 culinary, aromatic, landscape and medicinal. Since our valley climate is of a Mediterranean nature, Robbie says all categories of herbs grow remarkably well here and are truly \u201chappy campers.\u201d In addition, they are naturally disease and pest resistant and are patio friendly, growing easily in pots. They smell wonderful, are easy to care for and are even drought tolerant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If growing herbs in pots is appealing to you, make sure to set up a reliable irrigation system and plant them in good sized containers. Also grouping the pots together keeps the planting medium in the pots moist longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, herbs like full sun (six-plus hours a day), so having the pots on wheels making them easier to move as you follow the seasonal changes in the sun\u2019s shadows is helpful too. If you prefer to grow herbs in the ground, they are not fussy, but will thrive in \u201cwell drained but kind of crummy soil.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

General maintenance tips include trimming consistently but don\u2019t prune dramatically before the weather gets hot. Autumn pruning works best. Herbs do not need fertilizer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of Robbie\u2019s favorite aromatic herbs include the obvious one \u2014 lavender \u2014 prized not only for its fragrance and lovely flowers, but also for its culinary strength as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

True geraniums, called Pelargoniums, have amazing scents and also hold a special place in her heart. One you might know is Citronella but there are actually more than 250 varieties to choose from and they make wonderful landscape plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If wreath making intrigues you, Robbie recommends rosemary and bay leaf, both of which are a wonderful aromatic foundation to holiday wreaths. If considering an exclusively culinary route then thyme, rosemary and oregano would likely suit your fancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more helpful information: https:\/\/ucanr.edu\/site\/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county\/herbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this article piques your curiosity, please attend Robbie\u2019s herb workshop, October 3, 10 a.m.-noon, Madera Community College, 30277 Ave. 12. It will definitely be worth your while!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RESERVA LA FECHA:<\/strong> 3 Sisters Garden Fall Festival, Oct 24th, 10-2:PM, Madera Community College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy Gardening!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fresno County Master Gardener Robbie has a life long love of herbs. Her fascination with gardening started early while growing up in the Willamette Valley of Oregon where even as a child she had a patch all her own. She was also greatly influenced by her aunt and uncle who lovingly tended an extensive herb […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[25,36,46],"class_list":["post-49734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-agriculture","tag-environment","tag-organizations"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49735,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49734\/revisions\/49735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":49730,"date":"2026-09-26T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maderatribustg.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=49730"},"modified":"2026-09-25T14:29:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:29:24","slug":"madera-unified-reaches-60","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/madera-unified-reaches-60\/","title":{"rendered":"Madera Unified reaches 60"},"content":{"rendered":"

La fiebre del oro de California todav\u00eda estaba en sus inicios cuando los californianos se sentaron a escribir su constituci\u00f3n estatal en 1849, e incluso en esos d\u00edas rudos y turbulentos de la frontera, la educaci\u00f3n p\u00fablica estaba en el primer plano de la mente de todos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What followed in the wake of the subsequent population explosions in the Golden State was the proliferation of tiny, one-room schools, each forming a separate school district and generally governed by a three-man board of education. Hundreds of them dotted the countryside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Con el tiempo, estos peque\u00f1os distritos escolares, aunque nominalmente supervisados por superintendentes de educaci\u00f3n de condado y juntas escolares de condado, se volvieron ferozmente independientes, y en gran medida, las pol\u00edticas educativas y los asuntos de personal quedaron a merced de los caprichos y la fantas\u00eda de las juntas escolares locales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 1893, more than 3,500 school districts had sprouted up in California. Twenty-seven of them were in Madera County alone. Old timers will remember names like Arcola, Alpha, Berenda, Dennis, Spring Valley, Webster, La Vina, Mary\u2019s Dale, Hanover, Fresno Flats, Eastin, Daulton \u2014 just to name a few of Madera County\u2019s \u201clittle slice of public schools.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the number of school districts continued to climb, the average number of students served by these districts began to fall. More and more one-room school districts were serving fewer and fewer children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, while each school had a head teacher or principal, the real administration of these school districts lay in the hands of the laymen on the tiny school boards. It was micro-management par excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why, by 1935, the state began to question the need for so many independent school districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the next ten years, officials in Sacramento tried to woo school districts into consolidating. Thus some local school districts began to absorb their neighbors. In Madera County, Eastin and Arcola school districts merged into Eastin-Arcola, Gambetta and Knowles joined Raymond, and Willow Creek became part of Spring Valley. By 1945, the number of school districts statewide had been reduced to 2,568, but that figure was still too high by state standards, so officials got serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state legislature created a Commission on School Districts which was able to reduce the number of school districts to 2,111 before its commission expired in 1949. After that, the responsibility for school district organization fell to the State Board of Education and individual counties. By July 1, 1964, the total number of elementary and high school districts stood at 1,325. Then came Assembly Bill 145.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This legislation, introduced by Jesse (Big Daddy) Unruh, provided a mandate for unification. It made it clear that it was the intent of the state that unified school districts should be the ultimate form of school district organization in California. Each county committee on district organization was given until Sept. 15, 1964, to submit a master plan for its county to \u201cconsist of either a system of unified school districts or of such organization as would constitute an intermediate step to unification.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what prompted Madera County to hold that watershed election of 1965 which eliminated ten school districts in and around Madera and created in their stead one unified school district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1965, Madera Elementary was the largest K-8 school district in the county. It was surrounded by eight smaller school districts: Alpha, Berenda, Dixieland, Eastin-Arcola, Howard, LaVina, Ripperdan and Webster. All of these independent elementary school districts comprised the equally independent Madera Union High School District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May the voters went to the polls before the state could act on their behalf. The mood was set by an editorial in the Madera Tribune on May 24, 1965.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Daily Tribune is not so naive as to believe that unification can be forestalled by a no vote\u2026 It is clearly the intent of the state legislature to have unification here and elsewhere in the state. Legislation currently pending before the legislature would take the matter out of the hands of the voters, and unification would be done in Sacramento, not here by the decision of the voters and taxpayers of the affected districts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus the local paper recommended that \u201csupport should be given to the unification proposal which is to be voted upon Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 25, 1965, Madera\u2019s historic unification vote was taken, but only a handful of the electorate turned out. 870 citizens voted in favor of the measure while 697 dissented. Madera Unified School District was created by a margin of 173 votes; less than 20 percent of the registered voters decided this pivotal election!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a district by district basis, only Madera Elementary, Howard, and Dixieland districts voted in favor of unification. Alpha, Berenda, Eastin-Arcola, LaVina, Ripperdan and Webster turned thumbs down on the proposal even though it carried a $25 per student inducement from the state for a \u201cyes\u201d vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new unified district was organized on June 10, 1965. Its first board consisted of president Boyd Givens, clerk Jack Desmond, and trustees John Sordi, Buck Melikian, Wayne Fulton, Paul Martin, and Dr. John Stasulat. They in turn hired Madera Elementary Superintendent Duane Furman as their first schools chief and chose Madera Union High School superintendent Rinaldo Wren as Furman\u2019s assistant. Fred Nilsen, also from Madera Union High School, was hired as the unified school district\u2019s first business manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madera Union High School District and the 9 elementary districts within its boundaries continued to do business for another year, and then they passed out of existence on July 1, 1966. In their place stood one unified school district, MUSD \u2014 one seven-man school board, one superintendent, and one administrative team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So now, 60 years later, Madera Unified School District celebrates its Diamond Jubilee. Happy Birthday.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The California gold rush was still in its infancy when Californians sat down to write their state constitution in 1849, and even in those rough and tumble frontier days, public education was at the fore of everyone\u2019s mind. What followed in the wake of the subsequent population explosions in the Golden State was the proliferation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":49725,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,17],"tags":[46,50],"class_list":["post-49730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above-the-fold","category-history","tag-organizations","tag-schools"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49731,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49730\/revisions\/49731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":49753,"date":"2026-09-25T15:54:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T22:54:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maderatribustg.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=49753"},"modified":"2026-09-25T15:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T22:54:15","slug":"citizen-academy-tours-citys-water-structures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/citizen-academy-tours-citys-water-structures\/","title":{"rendered":"Citizen Academy tours city\u2019s water structures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The City of Madera hosted its second Citizens Academy, a nine-session program intended to give residents an exclusive look at how local government operates through guided tours that showcase the different parts of Madera that help the city run but are often overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday you\u2019re going to go to the Wastewater Treatment Plant,\u201d Arnoldo Rodriguez, city manager, said. \u201cIt\u2019s the city\u2019s most expensive asset. It\u2019s not very exciting, but it\u2019s a critical piece of infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week\u2019s class was taken to see the Wastewater Treatment Plant, as well as the Cook Water Tower, which holds one million gallons of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe did a big rehab on it [the water tower] for a little over three million dollars,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cThat thing should be good for another forty years. That\u2019s the city\u2019s only water tower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the class, Rodriguez mentioned the construction of a new water tower planned for the north side of Madera that is expected to cost a total of $30 million to construct. It will be located near Lake Street and Ellis Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The class then boarded city buses to head to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, where the tour was guided by Public Works Director Harpiar Gandhi and Deputy City Engineer for Capital Projects, Ellen Bitter, as Rodriguez and other city council members had to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce you flush the water, it goes somewhere. With all the environmental regulation coming up, there\u2019s no more, \u2018it goes to the river, it goes to the trail, it goes to the field,\u2019\u201d Gandhi said. \u201cThere are now strict regulations, where cities are responsible for treating their waste.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the facility, Drew Martinez took the class through the plant to show what kind of work is done at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wastewater treatment starts when dirty water, called influent, enters the treatment plant. The first step is removing larger materials that should not be in the system, such as trash, rags, and other materials known as grit. The water then moves to a primary clarifier, where heavier solids settle and more grit is removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, the water is treated with microorganisms, which are tiny living organisms that help clean the wastewater. The microorganisms then consume the organic material in the water, doing much of the heavy lifting needed to make the water cleaner. The plant provides the microorganisms with oxygen and food to keep them healthy and active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re eating, they\u2019re having fun, and we want to keep them happy,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we are, we\u2019re bug farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the microorganisms finish their work, the water moves into a secondary clarifier. Here, the microorganisms settle to the bottom while the clearer water floats to the top. That water is then collected and sent to ponds for additional treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the water is treated and becomes much clearer than when it starts, the water at the end of the treatment process is not drinking water. The water will receive another level of natural filtration as it moves through the soil in a process called percolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The treatment process also produces solid material called cake, which is removed from the wastewater and hauled away in trailers. The plant currently produces enough cake to fill about two trailers every couple of days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is Class B biosolids. We turn it in and haul it off,\u201d Martinez explained. \u201cIt gets turned into Class A biosolids, and they use it as fertilizer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plant is also undergoing a $10- to $11 million construction project to install new bar screens. The screens will help remove more trash, rags and other materials during the treatment process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After visiting the Wastewater Treatment Plant, the class was taken to see the Cook Water Tower. There, Gandhi and Bitter explained that the city\u2019s water system relies on 18 wells to supply groundwater to the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the water is delivered to homes and businesses, it goes through a chlorination process for disinfection. The treated water is then stored and distributed throughout the city, with residential water pressure maintained between 45 and 50 PSI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A majority of the city\u2019s water supply comes from groundwater, which is naturally filtered as it moves through layers of soil and rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe use 100 percent groundwater, so if you\u2019re using surface water, you have to waste treat through a water treatment plan,\u201d Bitter explained. \u201cOur master plan has us relying on groundwater for the next 40 years, based on population.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The City of Madera hosted its second Citizens Academy, a nine-session program intended to give residents an exclusive look at how local government operates through guided tours that showcase the different parts of Madera that help the city run but are often overlooked. \u201cToday you\u2019re going to go to the Wastewater Treatment Plant,\u201d Arnoldo Rodriguez, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,19],"tags":[36,40,46],"class_list":["post-49753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above-the-fold","category-news","tag-environment","tag-health","tag-organizations"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49753"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49754,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49753\/revisions\/49754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":49751,"date":"2026-09-25T15:44:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T22:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maderatribustg.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=49751"},"modified":"2026-09-25T15:44:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T22:44:43","slug":"mpd-to-hold-dui-checkpoint-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/mpd-to-hold-dui-checkpoint-2\/","title":{"rendered":"MPD to hold DUI checkpoint"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Madera Police Department will conduct a driving under the influence (DUI\/DL) Checkpoint from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DUI\/DL checkpoint locations are determined based on data showing incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI\/DL checkpoints are to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk. Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improve traffic safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madera PD reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los conductores acusados de conducir bajo los efectos del alcohol por primera vez se enfrentan a un promedio de $13,500 en multas y sanciones, adem\u00e1s de la suspensi\u00f3n de su licencia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los fondos para este programa fueron proporcionados por una subvenci\u00f3n de la Oficina de Seguridad Vial de California, a trav\u00e9s de la Administraci\u00f3n Nacional de Seguridad del Tr\u00e1fico en Carreteras.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Madera Police Department will conduct a driving under the influence (DUI\/DL) Checkpoint from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location. DUI\/DL checkpoint locations are determined based on data showing incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI\/DL checkpoints are to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[43],"class_list":["post-49751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-law"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49751"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49752,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49751\/revisions\/49752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":49747,"date":"2026-09-25T15:41:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T22:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maderatribustg.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=49747"},"modified":"2026-09-25T15:41:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T22:41:20","slug":"police-respond-to-death-at-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/police-respond-to-death-at-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"Police respond to death at fair"},"content":{"rendered":"

Madera Police Officers responded to the Madera Fairgrounds, regarding a report of a deceased person on September 13 at about 9 a.m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officers responded and confirmed the individual was deceased. The area was secured, and an investigation was initiated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detectives responded and conducted interviews with individuals at the scene, examined the available evidence, and reviewed the circumstances surrounding the death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the investigation, there was no evidence indicating foul play, and there was no known threat to the community. Additionally, it should be noted, this death was not related to any Madera Fair activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Madera County Sheriff-Coroner\u2019s Office responded, and is conducting its portion of the investigation. The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending positive identification. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The investigation remains ongoing, and additional information will be released if appropriate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues, please do not wait to seek help. Support is available 24\/7 by calling or texting 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. A single call or conversation can be the first step toward getting the help and support you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If anyone has any information related to the incident described, they are asked to call the Madera Police Department at (559) 675-4220.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Madera Police Officers responded to the Madera Fairgrounds, regarding a report of a deceased person on September 13 at about 9 a.m. Officers responded and confirmed the individual was deceased. The area was secured, and an investigation was initiated. Detectives responded and conducted interviews with individuals at the scene, examined the available evidence, and reviewed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[33,43],"class_list":["post-49747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-death","tag-law"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49747"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49748,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49747\/revisions\/49748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maderatribune.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]