Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Madera County Ag Commissioner Rusty Lantsberger observes blooming almond trees from an orchard in Madera County. With the amount of rain that fell on Madera County in January, Madera County Ag Commissioner Rusty Lantsberger is optimistic about the 2023 ag season. “Any water that is made available to farmers to grow crops is amazing,” he said. “The rains that we had and the snowpack is tremendous. It’s a matter of being able to store and use

Celebrating triad of student literary achievements Remembering three years of investigating Madera’s past will be the theme of a celebration of Black History Month. The special tribute will take place in the media center of Madera South High School at 10 a.m. Monday. Community leaders will gather in the school’s library to view three powerful videos of the latest black history project, “Avenging the Blood of Emmett Till.” They will also participate in unveiling a trio of book

For The Madera Tribune In 1900, Madera celebrated its 25th birthday. In that quarter of a century, it had grown from a village into a town, as this photo of East Yosemite Avenue shows. In 1876, George Armstrong Custer died at the Little Bighorn. Rutherford B. Hayes won the Presidency of the United States, and the town of Madera was born. Rocked in the cradle of a wooden flume that carried lumber from the mountains 60 miles away, Madera grew rapidly, and its economic base broa

Our world has changed so much in the past decade. Many of us consider some of the changes to be negative, and that concerns us a great deal. Yet, it is how we react to change that makes our world so difficult. Change is inevitable, and we must accept the fact that change must happen. A few people (very few) accept change well, but most of us have a tough time when it comes to change. In fact, very often people get anxious and angry when they have to modify life as they know i

Veterans’ Voices is directed toward veterans and their families who have given so much to ensure our freedom in this country. This is an area where you may share your experiences, or read of other veterans’ experiences. We thank you for your service, and hope that you know how much you are loved and appreciated. Not long ago I was standing in line at the local grocery store with my cart full of groceries. I was third in line. There was a female veteran standing in line with h

Next Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Sunset Church of Christ, 600 Orchard Avenue, Madera, is hosting a free clothing distribution. Blessings of men, women and children’s clothes are available at no cost. My childhood friend Alice Tate Williams is organizing the event and hopes to provide Easter apparel for the community. Donations of gently used clothing are being accepted. For additional information, call her at 559-373-4758.

Nearly three months ago, we got an update from the California High Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA). At that time, the projected cost of completing the “bullet train” was $102 billion. I pointed out that the people of the Golden State had approved Proposition 1A in 2008, which authorized the issuance of $9.95 billion in bonds to build a high-speed rail system that would transport people from the vicinity of San Francisco to somewhere in the Los Angeles basin at a speed in excess

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Matilda Torres’ Sheng Lee drives in for a layup during Tuesday’s 42-35 victory over Foothill in the Div. VI semifinals. With a suffocating defense, the Matilda Torres Toros girls basketball team became the first team Torres team to advance to a Central Section championship game after a 42-35 victory over Foothill-Bakersfield in the Div. VI semifinals. The second-seeded Toros outscored the third-seeded Trojans 23-14 in the second half for a s