Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune A flag with the name of former Maderan Oliver Ralph Hill, who served in the army in Vietnam hangs in Courthouse Park during the Veterans Day service. The Madera American Legion Post 11 is trying to find veteran families to give their flag back to them. Although Madera’s American Legion Post 11 closed its doors, they aren’t totally out of commission.  While cleaning up the facility, members came across numerous casket flags donated by familie

The government shutdown will start to have a direct impact on Madera County families who receive CalFresh benefits. CalFresh is a federally funded program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The November CalFresh benefits distributed monthly to 16,621 households or 33,832 people in Madera County will be delayed. It’s unclear how soon the benefits will be restored to EBT cards once the government reopens. CalFresh benefits are issued through

For The Madera Tribune Joshua David Kemper. The Madera County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division has concluded a months-long investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old female victim and a local pastor, identified as Joshua David Kemper, 47, of Coarsegold. The investigation began on July 28, after a report was filed by church officials in Coarsegold. Detectives learned that Kemper, who served as a pastor at the church, had been engaging in ina

The Madera County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division was recently contacted by the Davis County Sheriff’s Office in Utah regarding an investigation into aggravated sexual exploitation and online communication with a minor believed to have occurred in Madera County. Through a coordinated investigation, detectives identified 65-year-old Bass Lake resident Matthew William Pressly as the primary suspect. On October 24, Madera County Sheriff’s Detectives, in collaboration wi

Madera County Sheriff’s Office detectives served a residential search warrant in the 400 block of Hull Avenue, Madera.  During the execution of the warrant, detectives located approximately 332 grams of cocaine and heroin, approximately 14 grams of methamphetamine, a loaded firearm, ammunition, cash, and drug packaging material.  30-year-old Madera resident, Ajejandro Herrera, was arrested for the sale of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a fire

For The Madera Tribune Albertano Peralta performs a sobriety test for Madera Police Department officer Jose De La O on Saturday. Prelate was found to be nearly three times over the legal limit. The Madera Police Department was hard at work last week.  MPD Officers made three separate arrests involving illegal narcotics possession, driving under the influence of alcohol, and a wanted felon who attempted to flee from officers on October 25. During a prowler call, Brandon Black,