Madera Irrigation District is beginning water releases to alleviate flood potential, provide surface water delivery to District landowners, and commence groundwater recharge efforts.  The MID Board of Directors at the January 6, Special Board Meeting made the decision to allow operations to begin immediately.  The Board of Directors is providing this water at a reduced cost to promote use and recharge, benefiting District growers while supplementing the groundwater aquifer.

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Sections of an orchard along Road 23 has standing water from recent rains. While most people were inside celebrating Christmas and New Year’s, farmers could be seen rejoicing with the amount of rain that fell over the past two weeks. “It’s always a good time to have it, whether it was the holidays,” said Jay Mahil, President of Creekside Farming and Madera County Farm Bureau board members. “Farmers took time off to spend with their families

Madera County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) crews responded to a report of a vehicle stuck in mud above Sugar Pine in the Sierra National Forest on Friday.  A family of four had been driving on a Forest Service Road when they attempted to cross a large, muddy section of the road. Their vehicle could not go through the section of road and the driver called 911 requesting assistance. SAR crews responded and, using specialized equipment, freed the vehicle from the mud

A solo Ford Mustang crashed and rolled over on SR-41 north of Yosemite Springs Parkway at about 6 a.m. Sunday. The driver was transported to Community Regional Medical Center, and is currently listed in critical condition. Caltrans was on scene providing one-way traffic control while the vehicle was towed and CHP units clear the scene.

For The Madera Tribune This tornado raised the roof in Madera in 1967. April 1967 is a date that will always be a piece of Madera’s recorded history. Heavy spring rains in that year created such havoc that they prompted state legislators to call for the area to be designated a disaster area. Damage in the millions of dollars hit Madera County farmers, and 10,000 acres of farmland lay under water. Then, as if to add insult to injury, a tornado struck the area. Ernest Sagouspe

For The Madera Tribune The waters of the Fresno River smash against the D Street bridge in the storm of 1955. Nothing is permanent but change. That is particularly true of the weather. Maderans have always approached the winter season casting worried and frequent looks at the skies. Too often drought conditions have made them wonder if there would ever be enough water.  In 1955, however, it was a different story. They still looked toward the skies, but this time they wondered

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Pine Street is closed at Howard Road on November 14 due to flooding from recent rains. Pumps were used to drain the water. While Thursday’s storm dropped some moisture onto the Madera floor, last week’s storm put down about three-and-a-half inches of rain, and was a benefit to Madera’s agriculture community.  “It was a perfect rain,” said Jay Mahil, President of Creekside Farming. “Everyone was done with harvest. The farmers were doing their

A new report by a Virginia-based company suggests that bird droppings on your car may not be as random as you might believe. The report is based on survey results and ornithological research. Writing for the Gizmodo Newsletter, Gayoung Lee states that the report’s conclusions “reveal a mix of expected yet surprising insights into the relationship between avian bowel activity and vehicle appearance.”  The “Bird Dropping Report” was published by Alan’s Factory Outlet and it con