Red Line (Aug. 25)
All comments are edited for length and content. Due to content or space limitations some comments may not be published. More than one comment from the same person during the same week will normally not be published. Please limit calls to two minutes or less.
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A woman called “in regards to her lost Shi-Tzu out on Avenue 13. I wanted to thank The Madera Tribune for putting the lost ad in the paper for free. Because if it wasn’t for your ad (and) the nice couple that found our dog, we would have never got him back.” She took a big breath and said, “thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
A woman had a suggestion for last week’s caller. “A man who moved here from Southern California, and agreed with the woman who said Madera was a dirty city. Pack up and move out.
“If you don’t like the trash on your street I’m sure the city, county, CalTrans even a grocery story will give you a plastic bag and you can pick it up. If you pick up the trash that your neighbors dropped and they saw you, I bet they would pick up their trash.”
After saying thieves went through her garage and “stole the beautiful stroller I bought,” and mentioning later “they stole my lawnmower,” a woman continued. “Next time you won’t be so lucky. I can use a gun in self-defense or use my newly acquired pit bull. So be aware.”
A man compared the health care on (Indian) reservations with the proposed health care bill. “They (the government) do not take care of reservation medical problems. Multiply that into the national health care that they’re pushing now and you have a larger joke.”
A woman wanted to know how (County CEO) Stell Manfredi can retire when he’s earning over $100,000 a year, then come back, work part-time for the county, and they’re getting ready to shut down Boot Camp.”
A woman “who was walking the trail around Rotary Park” had this to say. “I watched four kids using the skate park, and it was a rather nice Saturday afternoon. Only four kids. Then I stopped at the south end of the park when I saw a bunch of cars. I walked into the area and was greeted warmly by several people.
“There was a horseshoe tournament going on with probably 60 to 70 people and their families and they invited me to stay and watch and even offered me some food and refreshment. They were all having a good time with good clean family fun. It seemed very well organized. I don’t know what those nice horseshoe pits cost, but it had to be far less than the million-dollar skate park. Nice to see something being used for good family enjoyment that isn’t a waste of local taxpayer’s money.”
A few calls were received after “horses were spotted on the River Trail.”
A woman complained about “getting out of the way before they ran me over, and they were brushing up against the sticker vines and spreading stickers all over the trail. If I was on a bike I would have gotten a flat tire.”
A man said, “They should be riding off the paved trail or down in the riverbed.”
“I think the (Madera) Beautification Committee did a great job in selecting the home of Maxine Barnett for their award,” said a lady. “If you would have seen that house seven years ago you wouldn’t believe it is the same house.”
A man said, “There is no place for men’s soccer to play in Madera. They took away our place at Rotary and the schools. They have plenty of fields for the kids, but what happens when the kids grow up and still want to play?”
A visitor to the Red Line online responded to a letter by Larry Turner warning of an alleged scam, published on June 24. “Felicia” writes, “I thought you’d like to know that 1-888-382-1222 is actually a government number. it’s the Federal Trade Commission’s number,” not a scammer’s number. (Editor’s note: I checked and you’re quite right. Thanks for pointing that out.)
Another Internet guest reacted to a letter by Butch Helton on Aug. 16 in which he complained about an “animal-rights advocate” who broke up a “bloodless bullfight.” The reader, “Ceablue,” writes, “This is the USA, not Portugal. We have laws. We have rules. We have consequences. Live with it or leave.”
A friend of the late Krista-Rae Pike writes, “I miss you so much, Krista. It hurts still, but I will never ever forget you. You were one of my closest friends and I loved you like a sister and I always will. I’ll be seeing you again up there… I can’t wait till i get one of those wonderful hugs of yours again.”
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Thank you for your comments. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24 hours a day by calling 674-4478, or by visiting maderatribuneredline.com.
Recently a friend of mine emailed an article from your paper about the possible site of Odysseus’s capital at Poros in Kephalonia. The writer wondered who would bother visiting Ithaca if people didn’t think it was Odysseus’ island. I would and did. Ithaca has one of the most amazing vistas I have ever seen in all my travels. It is from the top of the narrow isthmus that joins the northern and southern halves of the island. Breathtaking!
those horseshoe pits get used every once in a while ,but that skate park gets used every day and when i take my son to skate and pick him up, theres usaually eight to fifteen kids there. thats eight to fifteen kids off the streets not getting into trouble.
Can anyone tell me why the City of Madera is leaving the Graffiti all over town without removal? I realize there is a huge increase and you are all very busy.
Up and down Rd 26, there is graffiti that has been in the same spot on the same houses, on the same walls, on the same windows, on the same fences for the last several months. I know several business have had to add razor wire to their fences to combat the problem.
There is a house on Rd. 26 near Ave 17 that hashad the same Snype & MCK Graffiti on it for 2 Months at least. The former Mervyns has Graffiti and the poor Guy on Ave 17 with the long white beautiful fence has been graffitied numerous times over and over. I am willing to offer a 100 dollar reward and would like to call on the citizens of Madera to also offer a reward to the capture of the perpetrators doing this.
I have personally taken it upon myself to carry a spray bottle of Krud Kutter around town and jump out of my car and erase what I can but it is a losing battle, please help me! Please volunteer your time and do the same. I’m sick of it! I am sick and tired of looking at all the store fronts and windows in Madera etc. as well as the freeway signs and overpasses filled with this nuisance. Thank You!
Please tell me what else I can do and I’ll gladly help, anyone else want to help?