The Republic of Venezuela is a petroleum-rich country on the northeast coast of South America. In addition to its continental landmass, it has many islands and islets. In 1498, Columbus sailed into the Gulf of Paria and marveled at the immensity of the Orinoco River and its clear water. Spain began colonizing the territory in 1522, establishing a settlement in the present-day city of Cumaná. In 1811, Francisco de Miranda, who had fought for the colonies during the American Re

Am I wrong, or is a retired California judge advocating for making 11 million people (I think it’s more) who broke the law by coming into this country illegally citizens of the U.S.? Coming from someone who was sworn to uphold the laws of the state of California and the United States, I find this troubling. Reward them with citizenship simply because it would take, according to him, 20 years, cost $600 billion, collapse the housing market, cripple the ag industry and cost the

I am writing to express my deep concern about the growing number of stray animals in the City of Madera. As someone born here and proud to have returned after graduating high school in the mid-1980s, it saddens me to see how our community has changed. Throughout the years, Madera has become increasingly congested and, in many areas, less clean. While many residents take pride in maintaining their neighborhoods, the number who neglect this responsibility seems to be rising. Wh

As years come and go, there are fewer of us who remember World War II. In the United States, especially on the east coast, we suffered rationing and had to be sure that no light emanated from our homes after dark because of the fear that enemy planes might be passing overhead. But no bombs fell on our nation. That was not the case in London, the setting of David Baldacci’s newest novel, “Strangers in Time” (2025, 433 pages in hardback edition). His historically fictitious sto

As we draw closer to our nation’s 250th birthday, it’s worth reviewing the evolution of our revolution. Let’s briefly study the history of American immigration. 1619. England begins the mass involuntary immigration of African slaves to America. 1776. Excluding Indians, every American was an immigrant before we declared independence from England on July 4. There were no American citizens. Twenty percent of the population were Black slaves. The Declaration of Independence criti

If it is not a crime, it should be. It is not only deceptive, it is dangerous to millions of people, and it is quite believable. I found this scam on one of the news services that I receive every morning. It was mixed in with items that were probably “real” news: New information about the Epstein files; a major eatery that is closing 736 of its restaurants; Caribbean military commander who will retire; Kim Kardashian’s new lingerie look, the polar vortex, and so forth. The he

Congratulations go out to Chuck Wieland for his recent letter conveying his thoughts on the state of the economy in the good old USA. There are a few things that I do agree with him on. One is the fact that the extension of the 2017 tax cuts do help the rich, however he did fail to mention that the tax cuts helped a huge majority of the taxpayers and they definitely helped the middle class. Perhaps the ones it didn’t help are the nearly 40 percent of the people who pay little

Lisa Scottoline’s books almost always make the top tier of my favorite books. But I suppose that there’s an exception to everything. “Come Home” (2012, 368 pages in soft cover) simply isn’t up to the vaulted Scottoline standard. The theme that runs through the novel is that a stepmother is always a mother, just as a mother is always a mother. It’s sentimentality taken to the upchuck level. I kept turning pages because I thought that the standard Scottoline would come through