Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune File Photo Sheryl Berry, left, joins Lory Miller as she stocks more goodies during the Madera County Historical Society’s annual Christmas Gala in 2017. This year’s event is Sunday, December 4. After a two-year layoff, the Madera County Historical Society is ready for its annual Museum Gala on Sunday. The Gala will be held in the museum on Sunday from 5-8 p.m. Tickets for the event are $40 each and tickets will not be sold on the day of the

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune File Photo The Grinch tags along on the 1st Class Auto Repair float during the 2021 Madera Light Parade last year. The Madera Evening Lions’ Downtown Madera Light Parade is set to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday on Yosemite Avenue between A and E Streets, rain or shine. Event organizer Karla Gran with the Madera Evening Lions said there were 54 entries submitted, which is a little more than the 50 they capped it at. “We are concerned about the rain

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune File Photo Bill Baratta is shown here celebrating his 100th birthday last year. Baratta passed away on November 24. Madera pioneer Bill Baratta has left the town he loved so much. He died on November 24, having passed the century mark by one year. With the exception of the three years he spent fighting for his country in World War Two, he lived all of his 101 years in Madera. Bill first drew breath in a little house that was located where Si

Madera Police Officers responded to a call of a man with a gun acting erratically near Ellis and Merced streets. MPD officers encountered the man with the gun and attempted to de-escalate the situation and bring the situation to a peaceful end Saturday night. The armed man did not respond favorably to these attempts, and an officer involved shooting occurred. Life saving measures were given, but the man succumbed to his injuries.  MPD officers were not injured during this inc

Tyler Takeda/The Madera Tribune The Matilda Torres Toros boys cross country team begins the Div. IV CIF State Championship race Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno. They finished in sixth place. FRESNO — The dream of many athletes that begin their journey running miles and miles each day for the cross country season is the CIF State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park. The 35th annual event is probably the largest cross country race in the state and is one of the mos

Kirkus Reviews, a highly credible source, calls Andrew Gross’ “Button Man” (2018, 371 pages) a “highly satisfying story of family loyalty, persistence, courage, and crime.” I agree. It’s the type of story that I call “straight forward,” meaning no surprise twists, no subplots. It’s a basically linear plot with Morris Raab (nee Morris Rabishevsky) as the protagonist. He’s one of the Rabishevsky brothers who grew up in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a tough place in the early twe

For The Madera Tribune Year after year in the first half of the 20th century, blackface minstrel shows entertained Maderans. “Living black and white,” or should we say, “Black on white?” Either way, there has been a lot of talk recently about something that was once considered quite acceptable — Blackface minstrels. Some research suggests that the idea began in earnest around 1900 as comedic performances of “blackness” by whites in exaggerated costumes and make-up. It is clai

For The Madera Tribune Richard Kuckenbecker. It is with great sadness that the family of Richard Kuckenbecker announces his passing on November 27, 2022 at the age of 82. Richard was born in Sanger, CA, on May 2, 1940, to his loving parents, Ruth and Lowell Kuckenbecker. Richard moved to Madera in 1945. Richard and his wife Lynne are the owners of Kuckenbecker Tractor Company, which has been serving the needs of Central Valley Farmers since 1945. In 1945, Richard’s father, Lo