For The Madera Tribune The Madera County government building in Oakhurst is illuminated in green to honor veterans during Operation Green Light this week. Madera County is turning green this week in honor of all veterans. Since its inception, the Board of Supervisors has passed an annual resolution to illuminate the Government Centers in Madera, Oakhurst, along with the Department of Social Services green. This marks the fifth year of the national initiative called Operatio

Let me say at the outset that I hate smartphones. But, I’m not a complete technophobe. I’ve had computers for 45 or more years. My hybrid car probably has more embedded computers than I have functioning neurons in my brain. And when I get ready to forward this column to the newspaper, I’ll do so via email. Moreover, I have a lifetime credential to teach “Computers and Related Technologies” at the college level, and did so from 1980 until 1984 when the DEC PDP-1170, which was

In response to Mr. Wieland’s Letter in the October 15 edition of The Madera Tribune: Going to school in the North, I had a history teacher that put a different light on the Civil War. It was mostly about the price of cotton. Cotton was produced in the South and the textile factories were in the North, mostly in New York. They were buying import cotton at a lower price than what the South needed. With no tariffs, the South was being squeezed into submission.

Ever wonder where the ghosts and goblins go after the evening of October 31? You know, the ones who knocked on your portal or rang the doorbell last night and scared you half to death. The ones who demanded treats or else. Are they swallowed up by fissures in the Earth’s crust? Are they lurking in shadows, waiting for just the right moment to reach out and grab you? The answer, I believe, can be ascertained by considering time zones. In 1884, a meeting of the International Me

For The Madera Tribune Madera’s Christian Johnson, who took third place in the 105-mile World’s Toughest Mudder last November, will be attempting to run 50 kilometers in seven consecutive days on seven different continents, beginning November 15. Madera has a reputation for “growing” great runners. Look at the many Central Section championship plaques at Madera, Madera South and Matilda Torres high schools. However, none of those schools boast someone who is going to do what

For The Madera Tribune Judge Conley practiced gender equality in Madera’s Court. William Conley was Madera County’s first judge. He was elected to that position in 1893, and over the next few decades, a steady stream of law-breakers paraded in front of him, including murderers, embezzlers, extortionists, and robbers. In 1916, however, he was faced with one of the most perplexing cases ever brought before his court, and by the time the dust had settled, Conley found himself sq

Last week I went to the doctor for my annual exam. I normally have very good results from the exam, the bloodwork, and the screenings that make up an annual check-up. When the doctor came into the room, he gave me a greeting and asked if I was feeling as well as I normally do. I admitted that this time there were a few items I wanted to share with him. The first, and the most troubling concern was my frequent heartburn. He said he would put through an order for an endoscopy,

For The Madera Tribune George Washington Mordecai, circa 1890. As the little town of Madera was growing up in the 19th century, several important politicians visited here. Presidents, former Presidents, and would-be Presidents met at Captain Mace’s hotel on the corner of E and Yosemite Avenue to begin a journey that would take them to the Big Trees and beyond. One of these was General Ulysses S. Grant, and before he left Madera, he met an old adversary that would one day beco