Guest Column written by Bill Ritchey — COARSEGOLD – As Madera County struggles to recruit and retain Paid Call Firefighters (PCF), and the Board of Supervisors considers the feasibility of a public safety tax to help fund the fire department, we noticed that Coarsegold’s Station 13 had not been called out for some time. A call to Cal Fire confirmed ...

Guest column by Marcia Penner Freedman — What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet — William Shakespeare Juliet stands on her balcony speaking into the night. She wants Romeo to deny thy father and replace thy name. She offers to no longer be a Capulet. Juliet is a naïve ...

Submitted by Marcia Penner Freedman – The Madera County Board of Supervisors, in an effort to encourage water conservation throughout the county, has adopted a plan to assist Madera County residents in implementing grey water recycling in their homes. Yes, grey water recycling is legal, and has been for some time. But prior to the revisions to the California Plumbing ...

To The Editor: On June 9, 2014, the reality of near non-existent fire protection in Madera County was on full display in Bonadelle Ranchos. The unimaginable happened… a family’s home burned just six lots away from County Fire Station 19. A single career firefighter, aided by two “paid call” firefighters, quickly responded. An aggressive attack on the fire was initiated; ...

Written by Dave Wolin – OAKHURST – You probably don’t often consider all that happens when you flush your toilet or throw the dinner remains down the garbage disposal. Well, if you live in the part of Oakhurst connected to the sewer plant, a very complicated system of pipes, pumps and machinery eventually transports all that to our sewer plant, ...

By Robin Ward – OAKHURST – The South County Colts is a travel baseball team managed by Mike Molina, Steve Gallegos and Pete Ramirez coaching. They were #1 in the nation as an AAA team and were moved to Majors this year. Since the move they are #6, but are working their way up quickly. The team is comprised mainly ...

Story by AnnaRose Chaney OAKHURST – At the start of summer 2014, fires began plaguing the land and people of our community. For some, the flames were no more than distant spirals of smoke and ash that blackened the air and left the sky a bitter red. To others, the flames were omens of fear and chaos, and with them ...

Guest Column contributed by Yosemite Area Audubon Society Even if you don’t consider yourself an expert birder, if you have traveled some of our back roads with an observant eye, you may have noticed that ground squirrel burrows sometimes house a family of Burrowing Owls. Their somewhat comical appearance and behavior make them easily recognizable. Our foothills area hosts a ...

This open letter to the community was submitted by Kim Moore My Easter Gift On March 31, 2013, Easter morning, I woke up at my usual time, 5:00 am, and got ready for work. I live in the foothills, so my day starts early. I am a nurse in the Emergency Department (ED) at Community Regional Medical Center. It was ...

By George Runner – Member of the California State Board of Equalization, District 2 SACRAMENTO – Better late than never, California lawmakers seem to be waking up to the reality that the illegal “Fire Prevention Fee” they enacted nearly two years ago is a complete fiasco. Even so, they are refusing to repeal it. Instead they are scheming up ways ...