Leaders of a significant number of the nation's Roman Catholic sisters are challenging aspects of a Vatican investigation of their communities, declining to answer questions they say are ambiguous, inappropriate and out of step with the probe's stated purpose. Full Story »
SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) - California school districts will receive 23 million masks and pairs of gloves to help curb the spread of swine flu, the state schools chief announced Friday. Full Story »
Madera County Public Health Department has announced the dates for H1N1 and seasonal flu clinics in December. Four preschool and five public H1N1 flu clinics have been scheduled. Full Story »
An airman from Madera stationed in Iraq faces a challenging road to recovery after suffering a severe wound to one of his legs earlier this autumn, according to his father. Full Story »
Students embodied historic and mythological figures from Egypt's ancient past this week as Lincoln Elementary School presented its 13th annual Living Wax Museum. Full Story »
Two Fresno men are accused of roaming a Madera wrecking yard, removing parts from cars stored on the lot and tossing them over the fence. Only one, however, is in Madera County jail. Full Story »
The following is a partial list of felony arrests recorded by the Madera County Department of Corrections from Nov. 29 to Monday. 5:40 p.m. - Anna Brenda Orozco, 24, of Chowchilla was arrested by Chowchilla police on suspicion of forging or altering a vehicle registration. Full Story »
Those hoping to cut a few boughs of evergreen for the holidays won't have any luck in the Sierras. "Firewood cutting and gathering areas on the Sierra National Forest have closed for the season, and woodcutting permits have expired," forest supervisor Ed Cole said this week. Full Story »
Kathryn Mytton, an educator at Scandinavian Middle School in the Fresno Unified School District, was honored Wednesday night as the California League of Middle Schools' Region 7 Educator of the Year. Full Story »
More than 1,000 meals were served Wednesday at the annual Mercedes Lozano Community Dinner at Washington Elementary School's cafeteria. Full Story »
It's beginning to look a lot like ... any other day. In some cities and towns across America, tight budgets have become a cruel Grinch, forcing drastic cutbacks in the municipal holiday displays and celebrations that people have enjoyed for generations. Full Story »
A 25-year-old Madera man died of a gunshot wound Wednesday night, according to police. The circumstances surrounding the shooting are unclear, authorities said, and police are asking for the public's help in determining what happened and the whereabouts of the gun. Full Story »
Original works by four artists will be on view Saturday and Sunday afternoon for the Holiday Art Show in a Madera home gallery. Featured artists are Joe and Eva Vega, David Rich and Annette Nordine. Full Story »
The position of Madera County auditor-controller, it turns out, remains open. Accountant Bryon Karnow of Novato, who was chosen Nov. 24 to fill the $110,000-a-year elective job, has turned it down. Full Story »
The Madera County Board of Supervisors will be wrestling with a serious financial crisis when it meets Tuesday morning. According to county Chief Administrative Officer Steven Rodriguez, anticipated tax revenues are dropping fast. Full Story »
A test developed by scientists in Southern California might help growers, nursery owners and gardeners protect trees from a tiny psyllid known to carry the deadly citrus-greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing or HLB disease. Full Story »
Fresno farm liaison Loren Werth will appear Friday on "Down on the Farm," a monthly radio program with Madera farmer Tom Willey on 88.1 KFCF. The show runs from 5 to 6 p.m. Full Story »
The following is a partial list of felony arrests recorded by the Madera County Department of Corrections from Nov. 26 to Tuesday. 1:50 a.m. - Michelle Loren Peterson, 25, of Fresno was arrested by the Sheriff's Office on suspicion of burglary and receiving stolen property. Full Story »
Some students at two elementary schools had smiles on their faces earlier this year because of the charity of the California Correctional Workers Association. Full Story »
The route for the Candlelight Christmas Tractor Parade in Madera will be closed this evening. The parade will use Yosemite Avenue and 6th Street in the downtown area. These roadways will be blocked off. Full Story »
The Madera County Historical Society will hold its annual Christmas Gala at the Madera County Courthouse Museum on Saturday. For the past month, a crew of volunteers has been decorating the museum in homage to the Old West, which is this year's theme. Full Story »
A Chowchilla man remains in Madera County jail with bail set at half a million dollars after authorities allegedly discovered a pipe bomb in his home. Full Story »
County authorities arrested a couple on charges of methamphetamine possession and resisting arrest near Miwok and Apache Roads, located off Road 417 and Highway 41 in Coarsegold. Full Story »
Three men allegedly attempted to abduct a Madera High School student on Monday afternoon as she waited for a ride, according to authorities. The suspects are three Hispanic men driving a late 1990s Dodge or Plymouth reddish-brown mini-van. Full Story »
More than 300 friends surrounded the Lions Town & Country Park softball diamond at a vigil Tuesday night to pay tribute to Madera South High School graduate Landon Guglielmana, who was killed in an automobile accident early Monday morning in South Carolina, where he was attending college. Full Story »
Fireworks light up the sky at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock. AP/Danny Johnston
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