The government shutdown will start to have a direct impact on Madera County families who receive CalFresh benefits. CalFresh is a federally funded program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The November CalFresh benefits distributed monthly to 16,621 households or 33,832 people in Madera County will be delayed. It’s unclear how soon the benefits will be restored to EBT cards once the government reopens. CalFresh benefits are issued through

For The Madera Tribune Chief Thomas “on duty” throwing snow balls. There are times in the history of a town when some things just do not make sense. Every once in a while a city’s leaders take off in a direction that defies logic. Such was the case in 1950, when the Madera City Council wanted to shake up the police department. The councilmen shook it up all right, but in the process, they ended up on the short end of the stick. Walter Thomas was the Chief of Police in Madera

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune A new traffic signal has been installed at the intersection of Olive Avenue and Knox Street. Madera drivers will see two new traffic signals now operating at busy intersections, part of a broader push to improve safety and ease congestion across the city. The new signals, at Knox Street and Olive Avenue and at Lake Street and Sherwood Way, mark another step forward in the City’s ongoing effort to enhance roadway safety and accessibility. Cit

Proposition 50, if approved, authorizes five new Democratic leaning districts for the election of Californians to the House of Representatives from 2026 through 2030 at the possible expense of GOP representation. It effectively expires, thereafter, allowing the existing Citizens Redistricting Committee to draw election maps following the 2030 census. All 50 states typically redraw their voting maps once every 10 years following the federal census. Not under Trump. Prop. 50 is

The Madera County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution declaring Madera County a Second Amendment Sanctuary County with a 4-0 vote and one abstention. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. Across the nation, counties have adopted “Second Amendment Sanctuary” resolutions to reaffirm their commitment to this fundamental right. Tuesday’s resolution declares Madera County a Second Amendment Sanctuary, s

California stands at a crossroads with Proposition 50, a measure that threatens to unravel the progress we’ve made toward unbiased, transparent redistricting. Californians strongly rejected partisan gerrymandering by establishing the Citizens Redistricting Commission, taking map-drawing power from self-serving Sacramento politicians, and putting it in the hands of an impartial group dedicated to fairness, not politics. The Commission has been far from perfect, but it beats th

Madera County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters, Rebecca Martinez announced that in order to be eligible to vote in the November 4, Statewide Special Election, persons must register to vote by Monday, October 20.  In order to be eligible to register to vote at the November 4 Statewide Special Election, voters  must be a United States Citizen, live in Madera County and be 18 years old on or before Election Day.  Individuals who are currently on parole for the conviction o

Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone. — John Adams, Second U.S. President Let’s face it. The United States is not and never has been a true democracy. But we began the grand experiment with a document that was close. Only it was not as close as we’ve been led to believe.  The concept of democracy can be traced back to Greece in the fifth century B.C. when men (but not women, slaves, or foreigners) could participate in decision-making. The philosophers at that ti