It was probably about 25 years ago. I had returned to school to get my MBA at Fresno State’s Craig School of Business. I was doing what they call burning a candle at both ends, working full-time, going to classes in the evenings and studying late at night and early in the mornings. My favorite place to read and study was in the corner of our sectional sofa in the living room. The only problem was that the lighting was not good there. So, I told David what I needed was one of

For The Madera Tribune Coarsegold, home of the Magnet mine. William McNaughton was foreman of the Magnet gold mines near O’Neals at the turn of the 20th century. Apparently the community did not hold him in very high repute, especially when it came to paying his debts. Such was McNaughton’s reputation that when one of his prospective miners learned the kind of fellow for whom he was going to work, he quit before he started. Strangely enough, when the man didn’t show up for wo

For The Madera Tribune Tung Lin Leong, a young resident of Madera’s Chinatown is shown here in this 1903 photograph taken in Madera. The Chinese were among the first settlers in Madera. Most of them came here from the little town of Borden, four miles to the south. By the late 19th century a bustling Chinatown thrived in the area that had been set aside for them by the founding fathers, who fought to keep the Chinese on the west side of the railroad tracks. There they operate

I heard myself saying something (to myself) this morning, thinking “That’s the best thing since flush plumbing.” I remember people using that expression when I was young, but it seems that most people around here don’t use that same one. The one more commonly used seems to be, “That’s the best thing since sliced bread.” I googled that expression when I got to the office, and I read lots of variations of the same “idiom.” Some of them were not very nice, but others were more u

For The Madera Tribune “Captain” Russell Perry Mace, Madera’s first resident. The United States was celebrating its one hundredth birthday. Custer had just made his last stand, and Ulysses S. Grant was in the last year of his presidency. The year was 1876 — a watershed not only in the history of America but in that of the San Joaquin Valley as well, for that was the year Madera, California, was founded. The appearance of civilization between the Chowchilla and Kings Rivers ha

The Chowchilla-Madera County Fair announced a new partnership with Butler Amusements, who will serve as the Fair’s official carnival provider.  The Chowchilla-Madera County Fair will run from May 7-10. This partnership brings one of the most respected and recognized carnival operators in the western United States to the Fair, ensuring an exceptional experience for fairgoers of all ages. The Chowchilla Junior Fair was incorporated in 1946 as the Madera County Livestock Associa

As we approach our nation’s 250th birthday, it’s worth reviewing the evolution of our revolution. Let’s review the role of women patriots in America’s first century. I’ll start with six. The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence knowingly put their lives at risk. Benjamin Franklin put it best when he said, “We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall hang separately.”  That also applied to Mary Katherine Goddard, the woman whose name appears on

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Participants finish the final lap during the annual Walk A Mile In Her Shoes march against sexual assault at Courthouse Park last year. The event is hosted by CAPMC Victim Services. Community Action Partnership, Madera County (CAPMC) is recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month with a couple of events.  One of the events is to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Day on Tuesday by wearing teal.  Then, CAPMC will host N