All calls are edited for length and content. Due to content some calls may not be published. Please limit your calls to two minutes or less. Repeat messages on the same subject adding to the length will not be published. Some weeks, due to the number of calls and space, some may not be published.

A man called about an article concerning Madera Irrigation District (MID) that appeared in another valley newspaper. “I am really disappointed in the Madera Tribune. Water is the lifeblood of Madera County and I have to read (in another newspaper) to keep updated about the Madera Irrigation District. As of Tuesday morning there was nothing in the Tribune. This is not the first time the Tribune has done selective reporting about this Madera Irrigation District, its water bank, or its board of directors. But” the caller hoped, “it will be the last time. Please do your job and report to us what is going on at Madera Irrigation District.”

A woman called about the article concerning “the fire truck getting in a bad accident. If these people get fined maybe they would learn to pull over when they’re supposed to.” The caller “almost saw an accident on Granada when a car went right in front of an ambulance with siren and lights flashing.” She suggested, “maybe they should start giving tickets.”

A woman who took in her “adult daughter who brought home her boyfriend,” had this warning to others. “They are both on probation. Trying to help them, I asked them to stay in my home to help them establish residence. They’re abusive. They holler at me. I am a 56-year old disabled woman. I take care of my grandkids when I can. The sheriff’s office said they can’t do anything because they live here. Because of the goodness of my heart, I’m stuck with them. Let this not happen to you folks.”

A gentleman called from North Carolina “trying to get in touch with the people in the newsroom,” in the hope of finding out some information about his grandfather who moved to Madera in 1939 after getting out of jail in North Carolina. After remarrying, “he died of tuberculosis in a California prison.”

A woman called about a “letter from Gordon Skeels. Of course he talks and says nothing. That’s what he did all the time when he worked for the city and as a chief (of police). No representation. He did not treat everyone alike.”

A woman called about the controversy over the football team “and the kids” going to Las Vegas for a game. “Why do we want to have a town of haves and have nots? Let’s get together and have a great community. Do what we can for our kids, all the kids.”

From maderatribuneredline.com:

“We have had no water for more than 30 days. While the other (nearby) tenant, who caused in a large part our shallow well to go dry and the water table to drop here, enjoys endless pumping. The landlords won’t fix it. The county won’t uphold the California Tenants Law. Futhermore the other tenants who promised about three years ago to compensate the water issue for both of us, will not live up to their word. Shame on them.”

“I think the lady that called about the family with no water was about us. Long story made short: Simply put there are two wells. The house well went dry due to the massive pumping and drop in water table caused in part by the other tenant; (they made all sorts of promises as they drained our well but never kept their word). So the landlords don’t want to fix the house well. Can’t blame them too much, as the house is not worth a new well. However, It has been more than 30 days, and they never offered to help us with any water. I do have a sign in the yard. (The one that was seen by who ever called in). Until we find another place, we haul at least 22 gallons a day for our pets, to flush, wash hands and water plants. … ”

“We were sorry to see that Madera County Animal Shelter is unable to find qualified homes for their pit bulls. In our experience, loving homes do exist, and are happy to share their lives with pit bulls, but are less likely to adopt from the shelter for fear that they may be damaged or troubled. This article would seem to support that concern. So, rather than risk getting a ‘bad’ pet from a shelter, they search out puppies from backyard breeders. Unfortunately, the practice of supporting backyard breeders creates an excess of dogs (many are ill-bred), some of which will ultimately become the victims of abuse by less-than-compassionate owners. It’s become a vicious cycle, and one that needs the attention of the animal care community. … It’s time that we bring pit bulls back into our circle of compassion – they’ve been suffering the consequences of cruelty for far too long.”

Thank you for your calls. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24 hours a day by calling 674-4478, or by logging on to maderatribuneredline.com.

The July 31st issue of The Madera Tribune covered such topics as the rising foreclosures, a Madera bank robber pleading guilty, a plan to improve Road 222 in North Fork, an upcoming walk to promote breastfeeding, a fire truck nearly flipping, a man pulling a gun in a fast food drive-thru, pollution found in valley waterways, and more. What are your thoughts about what was published? What wasn’t in this issue that could have been? Feel free to let everyone know below.

Please note that all comments will be reviewed before appearing on the Web site. Comments may also be published in The Madera Tribune or El Sol de Madera.

All calls are edited for length and content. Due to content some calls may not be published. Please limit your calls to two minutes or less. Repeat messages on the same subject adding to the length will not be published. Some weeks, due to the number of calls and space, some may not be published.
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A man said, “All the fireworks stands have been torn down.” He continued, “What is atrocious, though, is all the garbage and all the boxes (shipping) that the fireworks came in left behind by those who ran those fireworks’ stands. They have no consideration for the town.” He also recommended “next year the stands be operated by non-profit organizations and youth groups.”

What was a similar voice asked the police department, “I wonder why you don’t pick up the people that are pushing the shopping carts around if they are in possession of stolen property? Are you trying to tell me if they have my TV in their possession you wouldn’t stop and pick them up?” He then asked, “why does Council Member (Sally) Bomprezzi want to take and tack a bill onto the local merchants? Everybody will pay extra at the stores.”

The same voice also called about the article on “Michael McHatten, the new director of administrative services for the city of Madera. He lives in Clovis and has no intentions of moving to Madera.” The caller asked, “how much interest can he put into the city of Madera when he lives outside the city? I would think when they hire people, they would want them to live in the community where they’re working so they have an interest. I think it is ludicrous.”

A woman called and said, “today’s paper, page A3, has a picture of the superintendent and Millview Elementary School kids. There is this boy that looks like he is holding up three fingers.” She said it might be a gang sign and concluded, “I can’t believe this picture could have been printed. It should have been looked at more carefully before being printed.”

“I’m not a Democrat,” began a gentleman’s call, “but I read Monday’s (July 16) letter to the editor by Gordon Skeels about George Bush and I must make some comments. First,” he said, “the Bush administration invaded a sovereign nation in the faint and false hopes of finding weapons of mass destruction. They (the Bush administration) introduced Al Qeada into Iraq. They were not there when we came in. The Bush administration has caused the largest deficit in the history of this nation that our grandchildren’s grandchildren will still be paying.” He mentioned laws being trampled, Katrina victims still waiting for aid, and benefits being cut. “The Bush administration,” he concluded, “will go down in history as the worst administration ever.”

A man called about the police not doing anything concerning a vehicle accident message (by a Red Line call) involving an illegal. “Our police department ought to be ashamed of themselves. They don’t seem to want to do anything. They just hide wherever they want to hide. In the case of an emergency,” the caller stated, “It takes forever for them to respond.” On another subject, he commented, “on how this town looks. I’m very ashamed to live in this in town. It should be called — (not discernible).” He gave his name as “Jim, and have been living here about four years.”

A man called about “the Madera Coyote football game going to play its opening football game in Las Vegas.” The caller “didn’t understand how Madera Unified would allow this when the Madera Unified cannot give their teachers a respectful raise in wages.” In the caller’s “opinion, classroom instruction is more important than a trip to Vegas for a football game.”

A lady called regarding the troubles of a local masseur and said, “in my opinion, the women bear some responsibility along with the businessman. If they don’t want to get burned, stay out of the kitchen.”

A woman added to the numerous messages “about the developers not repairing their roads. My car, as well, has been damaged by developers tearing up the roads with new home construction.” She felt “they should pay for all these damages to the vehicles.” She suggested people with similar problems “or damage to their vehicles (from the roads) write in to see how many have been damaged.”

A woman called about the cleaning businesses in town. Her opinion was “Only in Madera can people stay in business and do shoddy work.” She hoped, “They stay in Madera because if they were anywhere else they would have been put out of business a long time ago.”

A man “wondered why his (county) bill was received on July 17,” and concluded the county would reply, “We are understaffed in our new $40-million dollar government center. Huh!”

A male voice said he saw a newscast “with the governor at San Luis showing very little water” and pleas for water conservation. It was followed by a story that featured “Fresno building a golf course (Running Horse), which is the most non-productive waste of water there is. Less than 10 percent of the people will use it. It seems ludicrous to be wasting water on a golf course when we are not going to have enough water to drink.”

“Where is our postmaster?” asked a lady. “I have no complaints about the two mail clerks (at the counter), they do their job and are friendly.” She wondered what happens to the others “when the line gets longer (out the door) and the window’s are closed. The clerks go in and out as though they don’t even see us. Please do something.”

“Three shopping centers at one time is a bit too many,” began a man’s message. “The (city) council should not put in any city money unless absolutely required. But three at once is a bad idea. Someone is going to get hurt.”

“It just seems like there’s a whole lot of county officials and county people that don’t know how to react or act,” said a man referring to a pending lawsuit. “I don’t know how you say it, but it seems it’s time to clean up this place.”

Regarding a story about a 17-year-old boy being injured while playing “chicken” with a train, a reader said on maderatribuneredline.com: “Where were this young man’s parents? He was 17, out with a bunch of others probably the same age. Had he died, the parents would be the first to step up to sue, but where are they in the wee hours of the morning? I believe charges should be pressed against this whole group of young people. What a dumb thing to be doing and watching. What a horrible thing to watch someone die this way.”
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Thank you for your calls. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24 hours a day by calling 674-4478; readers may also visit maderatribuneredline.com to leave their comments.

The July 24th issue of The Madera Tribune covered such topics as the Madera County Taxpayers Association’s efforts to protect the San Joaquin River, the city and county’s concerns with flood control, a planned battle of the bands to raise funds for literacy, the Madera Aquatic Team’s struggle to find practice times, a local elderly woman found dead in her backyard, and more. What are your thoughts about what was published? What wasn’t in this issue that could have been? Feel free to let everyone know below.

Please note that all comments will be reviewed before appearing on the Web site. Comments may also be published in The Madera Tribune or El Sol de Madera.

The July 21st issue of The Madera Tribune covered such topics as a 17-year-old being hit by a train, the increase in Alzheimer’s incidents, a formal complaint filed against a county official, the latest farm bill’s possible impact on the valley, and more. What are your thoughts about what was published? What wasn’t in this issue that could have been? Feel free to let everyone know below.

Please note that all comments will be reviewed before appearing on the Web site. Comments may also be published in The Madera Tribune or El Sol de Madera.

Anything missing from this calendar of events (July 18-24) for the San Joaquin Valley? Comments on any of the events? Let everyone know.

Please note that all comments will be reviewed before appearing on the Web site. Comments may also be published in The Madera Tribune or El Sol de Madera.

Wednesday-Friday, July 18-20
Vacation Bible School — 6:15 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, July 18-20, Madera Avenue Bible Church, 124 Walnut St. at Highway 145. The theme is “Son Force Kids.” Open to all children ages 3 years through eighth grade. For information, call Tammie Dodson, 673-0611.

Wednesday, July 18
Surplus Commodities — 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Madera County Community Action Partnership, 311 S. Pine St. #2. Last names R through Z pick up commodities. Bring medium size boxes to carry food away. For information and eligibility requirements, call 673-9173.

Madera Youth Soccer — 6:30 p.m. Alpha School Cafeteria, 900 Stadium Rd. Mandatory coaches meeting for the upcoming season. Coaches packets and player cards on July 18. For information, call Angel Garza, 706-2577 or 673-9143, or Denise Romero, 975-5911.

Friday, July 20
Harry Potter Book VII — 9 p.m. Friday, July 20 in the library at Thomas Jefferson. Open to all Madera Unified students grades four and higher. Readers of the first six books may check out “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” at midnight. No books will be sold. For information, call Sharon Stockdale, 664-9098.

Madera Christian Singles — Video and snack night at 7 p.m. at Madera Christian School, 17326 Ave. 26 in Madera. Bring a snack to share. Open to all singles. For information, call Howard at 673-6743 or Carmen at 645-4312.

Energy Efficiency Workshop — 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, July 20, Madera Center, Room AM120, 30277 Ave. 12. Hosted by California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and PG&E, this workshop is open to anyone responsible for energy management in wineries and vineyards. Includes lunch. For information, contact Lisa Francioni, 415-356-7545 or lisa (at) wineinstitute.org.

Senior Dance (50+) — 7 to 10:30 p.m., July 20 (the third Friday of each month), Tex-Mex-style music by Tradicion del Valle sj at the Frank Bergon Center, 238 S. D St. Donations accepted. For information, call Toni Guillen, 661-8410.

Saturday, July 21
Camp Chawanakee Reunion — 1 to 5 p.m. Celebrating 60 years of what has been called the best camp in the Western Region for the Boy Scout of America. All former camp staff are invited to gather for the reunion. For information or to RSVP, contact Mike Gerardi at 320-2100 or e-mail mgerardi (at) sbcglobal.net.

Car Show — 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Chubby’s Diner, 2263 W. Cleveland Ave., suites E and F. Enjoy cars, raffle prizes and 50s music at the family-friendly Chubby’s Car Show. For information, call 661-7503.

Sunday, July 22
Concert in the Park — 7 p.m. Sunday, July 22, Lions Town & Country Park amphitheater. Snack bar available. Christian musician Jon Gibson will play as part of the free summer-long series sponsored by the Madera County Arts Council.

Tuesday, July 24
Internet Travel Agent — 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, July 24 at Madera Adult School. Class fee is $49. Learn how to get the best deals. Become a referring travel agent and get certified. After the class, students will receive a three-day/two-night mini vacation with several locations to choose from. For information, call 675-4425.

All calls are edited for length and content. Due to content some calls may not be published. Please limit your calls to two minutes or less. Repeat messages on the same subject adding to the length will not be published. Some weeks, due to the number of calls and space, some may not be published.

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A woman called “about the Madera South High School median strip and the weeds 2 to 4 feet high.” She also mentioned “the high school’s architecture looks like a prison. If the city or county can’t take care of it (the median), why can’t you have school kids or school parents come out and pull those weeds. It’s disgraceful.”

A man said, “Mr. Emo came up short in his congratulations to the parks department for a great 4th of July spectacular fireworks. He did not acknowledge the golf course crew that did the majority of the setup.” (Editor’s note: The Golf Course is a division of the parks department.)

What sounded like the same male voice later left a message concerning the fireworks show. “Security and City PD left before the fireworks show ended.”

“Why hasn’t the Tribune mentioned our kids going to the Special Olympics?” asked a lady. “We’ve got some real good kids going there on the volleyball team and swimming. Get on the ball you guys,” she suggested.

A man wondered, “When are they going to have a traffic cop at the corner of Paintbrush and Doubletree Lane? People don’t seem to obey the stop sign and drive like maniacs down Doubletree.” He also asked, “What is going to be done about the garbage being thrown into the canal on Riverview? Do we have an ordinance for that?”

A gentleman asked, “Why did they even paint the lines on Howard Road? They are already so smudged and faded you can’t make them out. Especially near Taco Bell heading toward Pine and the railroad tracks.”

A male caller wanted to know why the developers are not responsible for at least “putting the roads (they tear up) back to their original condition.” He said, they are worse than ever after they have completed development and wanted to know if they would “pay for his (car’s) front end.”

A man called and referenced a “letter from Joe Galleano (July 10) running for the MID board.” He noted “when this land was bought, Joe’s son, Roger, was on the board and he voted to fund the water bank, including the purchase of the land. It will be interesting to see what Mr. Galleano has to say about that.”

A woman was upset about “the police department changing its phone number. They not only changed their phone number, they don’t even transfer you to the new one and you have to call back. It was very dumb,” she said and added, “they don’t respond to calls half the time anyway.”

A man called, but cell phone, road and wind noise (it seemed) made the message garbled. He mentioned the lady who called about the downtown and business colors “referring it to little Tijuana.” After saying things about the overall condition of the city of Madera, he concluded, “there are a lot more beautiful cities in Mexico that are more attractive than Madera.”

Another man called about illegal immigrants and said, “They should start (prosecuting) the people who hired them and the contractors. They’re the ones making money off the illegal immigrants.” He also said “we wouldn’t be eating (several produce items) if it were not for the illegal immigrants.”

“That lady, last week, who called in about unmarried people having children hit the nail right on the head,” said a gentleman.

A man noticed the Red Line call last week about “a person involved in an accident with someone who had no insurance.” He had also been involved in a similar situation having been “t-boned by a woman with no license, no insurance and spoke no English. Again, they (the police) released her. Now,” he said, “they can’t find her, the phone’s been disconnected, and they don’t live at the address anymore.” He said a friend of his had a solution to “send the bills to the government of our friends south of the border to pay for the accident caused by their people here illegally.”

A gentleman called about the spay-neuter bill and said of the letter from Carrie Tuttle. “She is absolutely right on. The people who are running around saying they have a right not to spay or neuter their animal have not read the bill. They do not understand the bill.” He suggested they volunteer at the animal shelter for a few hours and see how “puppy mills and indiscriminate breeding of animals” leads to thousands being euthanized.

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Thank you for your calls. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24-hours a day by calling 674-4478.