Readers riled up over high-speed rail
The Madera Tribune encountered the following comments online about articles and local happenings.
High-speed rail
A family pistachio ranch, Triple F Ranch, in Hanford, has been cut off from water due to a berm built without warning by the state’s high-speed rail project, according to KMPH-26. Meanwhile in downtown Fresno more rail-related street closures and detours are expected, and a Fresno business in the path of the rail project, Riverside Nursery, has closed.
“Marilyn Root” wrote of Triple F Ranch, “They have no right to turn the farmer’s water rights off.”
“Anneliese Peelle” wrote of the ranch, “This pisses me off. They have no right. This family has invested a lot of money. High-speed rail is a joke!”
“Sue Harris” wrote of Riverside Nursery, “The 17th is their last day. We went Monday and everything was 35 percent off and they had a large selection.”
“George Mochizuki” wrote of rail-impacted roads, “In Madera, one of our roads is shut down for a year. Couple of others are closed for six months.”
“Rosalia Vas” wrote, “Why can’t it just be outside central California instead?”
“Richelle Rodriguez” wrote, “Shouldn’t be happening. That thing is nothing but an overly expensive mess. They’re causing a lot more trouble than it’s worth. In the end it’s going to just be a huge eyesore that nobody wanted.”
Homelessness in Madera
A letter writer recently pondered publicly what should be done with Madera’s homeless population.
“Diana Stafford” wrote, “Change their status to ‘illegal’ and call (Gov.) Jerry (Brown).”
“Renee” wrote, "Thank you DJ! Excellent article that states many of the issues. I know you could write pages about this issue. I said what I said because I believe that the homeless issue, no matter what we do, is not going to go away completely and I was trying to think of ideas to mitigate the impact that so many homeless people have on the area. If we get the same rains as we did last winter the homeless people will be forced from the riverbank. Where will they go? And then, who speaks for the homeless? Everyone’s voice should be heard, and then listened to, and acted upon! So many people are speaking out and things are being done — for which we are grateful — but much more needs to be done."
Watering
Readers learned the city of Madera allows outdoor watering three days a week now.
“Rosanna Lacebal Torres” wrote, “You water three days but then your water bill goes up cause your using too much water.”
“Belinda Rodriguez-Dennison” wrote, “David Dennison, turn on that water.”
Amazon
Fresno and other large U.S. cities are competing to become the second headquarters of online retailer Amazon.
“Steve Salter” wrote, “That would be a great addition to the City of Madera. Why aren’t we looking for something like this in our city?”
“Gary Hall” wrote, “I guess the Valley finally found out building prisons did nothing for the economy.”
Rants and raves
Rant — An executive order recently issued by Gov. Brown streamlines rules on safe removal of dead and dying trees, among other things. “Ron Rowe” wrote, “Just a few months ago he took money for the dead tree removal and used it for another of his projects. Karma!”
Rant — “Hans Pryor” wrote, “How come you people don’t report Chowchilla sports? We live in Madera County also and we buy your paper.”
Rave — “Joyce Van Curen Thomas” wrote of Yosemite National Park, “The park is absolutely amazing.”
Rave — Those aiding firefighters by helicopter temporarily used the Bigelow ranch as a home base during recent mountain wildfires. “Josie Ontiveroes” wrote, “God bless them.”
• • • To chime in online, visit our website (www.maderatribune.com) or find us on Twitter (@MadTrib) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/maderatribune).
