For The Madera Tribune Fire destroyed the Alta Hotel in 1931. As Maderans neared the end of the 1920s, they were full of optimism. Prospects of oil wells on the outskirts of town danced in the heads of some local capitalists, while others dreamed of raising the funds to build a brand new, four-story hotel on Yosemite Avenue. In the end, however, both schemes failed, and the town entered the 1930s rather tentatively as the nation’s economy took a nosedive. One of the first ind

For The Madera Tribune Pistoresi Ambulance employees gather after the funeral of former owner Monte Pistoresi in April. Pistoresi Ambulance will close its doors on Friday after more than 80 years of service to Madera County. Pistoresi Ambulance will officially end about 83 years of medical service to Madera County on Friday at about midnight.  The official closing date for Pistoresi Ambulance is November 15; the contract expires Friday at 11:59 p.m., with American Ambulance s

For The Madera Tribune From left, Malia Rodriguez, Alma Vasquez, Manuel Reyes-Herrera, and Aracely Reyes-Herrera show off their state champion ribbons, banner and trophy after winning the Cotton Judging state competition on November 1. MSHS FFA teacher earns degree The Madera FFA Cotton Judging Team captured the State championship at the California State Finals and Field Day held on Saturday, November 1 at California State University, Fresno.  The team, coached by MTEC Ag Lab

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune A group of volunteers gather for a photo after distributing 1,000 boxes of food during a distribution on Saturday hosted by Pacific Farm Management and La Estrella Market. Pacific Farm Management, in partnership with La Estrella Market, handed out more than 1,000 boxes of food in 40 minutes on Saturday. The event was originally scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., but started closer to 7:30 a.m. as hundreds of families had already lined up in the c

Bee’s Bakery Cafe, 40250 Junction Drive, will host Italian virtuoso guitarist Alberto Lombardi for a food and win event on Friday, beginning at 5 p.m. Lombardi is an internationally renowned acoustic fingerstyle and electric rock player. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.

For The Madera Tribune A three-car wreck sits on the shoulder of State Route 99 on Friday. The collision also claimed the life of a passenger. California Highway Patrol Madera Area officers responded to a traffic crash, on southbound SR-99, north of Avenue 11 on Friday at about 9:30 a.m. A 39-year-old woman from Chowchilla, was driving a maroon 2000 Chevrolet Suburban, southbound on SR-99, north of Avenue 11, in the No. 1 lane. A 33-year-old woman from Merced, was driving a g

In response to the recent violent crime the community has experienced, Madera Police Officers remained proactive throughout the weekend. As a result of this proactive enforcement, officers made four DUI arrests Saturday night. Officer Jose De La O and Officer Phillip Thomas administered a Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) to Esteban Brambila, 21. Brambila was believed to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over twice the legal limit, and was booked into the Mader

Madera PD officers responded to the Rancho San Miguel Supermarket parking lot regarding a report of a shooting Saturday evening.  Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Preliminary investigation indicates that this was an isolated incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the public or to the store.