Editorial

MUSD Trustee Attacks Big Valley News Over Felon Story

EDITORIAL - I was made aware of a rather nasty post made about me and this publication by Mr. Lynn Cogdill today. In fact I learned today that Mr. Cogdill got up in front of the Madera Unified School District Board of Trustees and accused me of being a 'SMUT DEALER' and Big Valley News being a 'SMUT MAGAZINE.'

What can I say? It is not as though I can have a battle of wits with Mr. Cogdill. In my opinion, he is an unarmed opponent. In order to fight with Mr. Cogdill I would have to sink to his level and I kind of like it up here on the high moral ground.

What Not to Do in Anti-Gang Programs

Agencies Willing to Spend Big Money on Programs That Don't Work

EDITORIAL - Before my retirement in 2004, I was required to attend another of the many useless administrative meetings imposed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. As the Supervisor of the Major Crimes Bureau, Prison Gang Unit, I could see very little practical reason to attend, but I soldiered up and attended anyway.

After the official meeting there was the inter-department socializing that usually occurs. My Detective Division Chief, Ronnie Williams, congratulated me on my retirement and commented, "What are we going to do without you, Rich? We are going to lose your 30 years of experience." Then he asked me, "Have you given any thought to who you might suggest to replace you?"

EDITORIAL: Convicted Violent Felon Hired By Madera Unified

EDITORIAL - If you or I as parents want to visit our children's school at Madera Unified we would have to go to the office and sign in. Then maybe we might be allowed to go to our child's classroom or more than likely our child will be brought up to the front and we wouldn't be allowed passed the main office.

But now at Madera Unified, thanks to Superintendent Ed Gonzales, a convicted violent felon has access to any campus he wants to visit and any child he wants to interview and there is nothing parents can do about it.

EDITORIAL: Convicted Violent Felon Hired By Madera Unified

Lack of Fair Funding Would be Disastrous for Our Community

EDITORIAL - Summer has finally arrived, and that marks the official kickoff of fair season! Many of you and millions of others around our state will visit your local fairgrounds this year to participate in one of California’s longest-standing traditions. But in recent years, state funding for fairs has been all but eliminated, threatening their very existence.

In 2011, at the peak of California’s historic budget crisis, the Legislature completely eliminated the $32 million in funding to the California Division of Fairs and Expositions, which oversees the state’s fairs. Though the cuts were devastating, fair organizers learned to adapt to their limited means the way many other state programs did during that difficult time.

EDITORIAL: Slate Mail Ads - Paid Endorsement or Political Trickery

EDITORIAL - In the next few weeks, if not already, your mailbox is going to be filled with advertisements and brochures for candidates for every position on this June's ballots. The message will be "Vote for me because" or "Don't vote for him because".

Positive ads as well as negative ads designed by public relations firms will try to sway your vote to the candidate willing to spend the most money. Then there are other mailers that will look like endorsements from powerful groups that aren't what they seem. These mailers are called SLATE MAIL ADS and they can be quite deceptive.