News

Bridge Store to Close after 89 Years of Service to Madera

MADERA - After 89 years of serving the Madera Community the Bridge Store will soon close its doors. The Nishimoto Family has been a proud member of the Madera Business community since 1928. Once Kameyo Nishimoto, the Matriarch of the family, first opened the doors the Nishimoto Family became dedicated members of the Madera Community.

Kameyo and Tamaichi Nishimoto opened the business in May of 1928. Then the store was a single room corner store with wooden floors. The entire Nishimoto Family including Mildred Nishimoto, Keith and Mickey Nishimoto, Sunny and Dorothy Nishimoto, Mary Nishimoto and Patty Nishimoto, have worked tirelessly in the store. In 1965 the current building was built by Keith and Sunny Nishimoto.

A New Mayor for Madera with a Familiar Name

MADERA - Last November the voters of the city of Madera selected just their second elected mayor in the city's history and the last name of the new mayor is a familiar one.

Mayor Andy Medellin, who ran unopposed for the city's top seat, is the son of former Madera mayor and city councilperson Margaret Medellin. When he raised his right hand to be sworn in to office Wednesday night, it was his mother that officiated the oath of office. “If you folks are hearing a boom, boom, boom,” Margaret Medellin said to the audience, “it’s nothing dangerous. It’s my heart.”

Accidental Shooting Claims Life of Fresno County Deputy

FRESNO - Monday afternoon an accidental shooting incident occurred inside a Sheriff’s Office building near the Fresno Airport. Occupying the building at the time were about a dozen Fresno County Sheriff’s Office employees. There are several rooms in the building and the employees were in various locations throughout the building.

There were four people in the office where the incident occurred, including the deceased Deputy Sergeant Rod Lucas. Sgt. Lucas and one of the detectives were discussing their equipment, specifically their backup weapons and how they carried them. The detective had his weapon out and during this discussion the detective’s weapon discharged one round.

Final Madera Shooting Suspect Nabbed in Fresno

FRESNO - Within a week of a shooting incident that could have costs the lives of a Madera Police Officer and a civilian ride-along, all three suspects are now in custody. Friday night the Special Investigations Unit of the Madera Police Department along with the assistance of the California Department of Justice, U.S. Marshal Service, Fresno Police Department and Fresno County Sheriffs Department, attempted murder suspect James Cruz was apprehended.

Two of the suspects in last Sunday mornings shooting of a Madera Police cruiser as it was attempting to make a traffic stop were booked into the Madera County Jail Tuesday. The incident has attracted national media attention to this little Central California town. With the driver and the shooter in custody, Madera Police focused all their attention on the last suspect, Bulldog gang member James Cruz.

Shots Fired at Madera Police Following Traffic Stop

MADERA - The lesson that all police officers know proved true in Madera Sunday morning, there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. During a early morning stop of a new white Mazda SUV on the west side of Madera, one Madera police officer and his civilian ride-along passenger began a high speed pursuit of a suspect through a residential area that ended in gunfire and a disabled police vehicle.

Around 4:30am Sunday morning a police officer, who the department has yet to identify, was attempting to pull the suspect over at Howard Road and Mainberry Drive when the suspect's just took off at speeds of over 50 mph. The chase went through two stop signs before it entered the Venturi subdivision across Sunset Avenue.

Roger Leach MSHS 2016 Homecoming Grand Marshal

MADERA - Pastor Roger Leach will serve this year as the Grand Marshal of the Madera South 2016 Homecoming. He will be featured in our Homecoming Parade with his wife on Friday, October 14th. MSHS will be presenting him with a plaque and other items during the pre-game festivities at Friday's October 14th homecoming game vs. Sanger High School. He will also be featured on community fliers that will be posted in local business with our Homecoming sponsors.

Roger was born at the old Dearborn Hospital in Madera, California in 1949. During Roger’s high school days at Madera High School, he was elected Student Body Vice-President and President of the Student Legislature in 1966 -67. He was very active in the Future Farmers of America participated on several state winning judging teams, elected as officer and obtained the highest degree award of American Farmer.

Shooting on Avenue 7 Puts One in Jail

MADERA - At about 8:00 Thursday morning, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a vehicle collision and an associated shooting on Avenue 7 between Road 24 and Road 25. CHP had initially received the call of a vehicle collision. When they arrived on scene, they found a female occupant of one of the vehicles had been shot, and that the suspect had crashed his vehicle and fled the scene.

Sheriff’s Deputies along with CHP Officers including H40, established a perimeter around the location of the incident. Several other agencies were called to assist including Fresno Sheriff’s Office K9 units, Madera PD officers from their Special Investigations Unit, and the Madera County DA’s Office investigators.