Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Waffle Spot restaurant owners Kim and Jason Praytor and children, from left, Chloe Praytor, Pepper Praytor and Ashley LeBar at their new up and coming location at 121 South D Street. “We are moving,” said The Waffle Spot owner Kim Praytor.  However, the move probably won’t occur until the fall and Praytor plans to keep the existing restaurant open for a while.  “Last year, we bought a building in Downtown Madera. Now, we are going through al

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune More than 100 runners take off at the starting line during the 4th annual Running With the Lions Strive for Diabetes 5K run last year at Town and Country Park. The annual event is hosted by the Madera Evening Lions Club and is scheduled for April 11 this year. Lions International, the largest membership-based service club organization in the world, presented the Madera Evening Lions Club the Kindness Matters Service Award in February.  This

For The Madera Tribune Joe Lopez. Join the Madera Police Department in congratulating Public Safety Dispatcher Joe Lopez on an incredible 30 years of dedicated service with the City of Madera Police Department. For three decades, Lopez has been the voice behind the scenes, answering calls day and night, and dispatching our officers when seconds matter most. His calm demeanor, sharp judgment, and unwavering focus have helped keep both our officers and our community safe. He ho

For The Madera Tribune When a vehicle crashes into a power line, passengers need to remember to stay inside the vehicle because the wires may be live. If exiting the vehicle is necessary, jump clear of the vehicle without touching the vehicle and ground at the same time . Crashing into a power pole is extremely dangerous and often deadly. These type of crashes can cause severe injuries, start fires, and leave entire neighborhoods without electricity. If one crashes into a pow

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Torres’ Nevaeh Chavez launches a 3-pointer during Tuesday’s State Playoff loss to Menlo Atherton.  The Matilda Torres Toros girls basketball team was fresh off winning the Div. IV Central Section Championship in Selland Arena.  Two days later, the team found out where they were seeded in the CIF State Championships. For some reason, they were moved up to Div. III. Not only that, but they had to face a Div. I Central Coast Champion in Menlo A

With more than 40 scouts from various Major League Baseball teams and colleges on hand to watch the game, the Madera Coyotes baseball team helped out the Kingsburg Vikings with mental and physical errors in a 6-4 loss at Mel Parker Field.  The scouts were on hand to watch Jensen Hirshkorn take the mound for the Vikings Wednesday afternoon. He possesses a 92 mile-an-hour fastball with a sharp breaking 81 mph slider. He allowed three Coyote hits, all bunts, in four innings of w

For many years, the U.S. has had only two parties: the Democrats and Republicans. Most democracies have numerous parties, with our neighbor to the north having five. The U.S. is not functioning well at all with its two parties, and a third party would be most helpful. I am not alone in this appraisal. A significant majority of Americans express dissatisfaction with the two major parties, with recent polls (late 2025/early 2026) showing that around 60 to 62 percent believe tha