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 Due to content some calls may not be published.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 Repeat messages on the same subject adding to the length will not be published. Some weeks, due to the number of calls and space, some may not be published.

“It shook our windows,” said a lady about a band of motorcycles at the fairgrounds. “Motorcyclists were riding along the streets revving their engines. The police had to be called to break up the party. Next year, maybe have it somewhere else.”

A woman responded to the caller (last week) “who said Dial-A-Ride is always late.” This week’s caller “has been riding Dial-A-Ride for 10 years.”

She listed several reasons why the bus might be late, including, “the drivers have no control over slow drivers (in front of them), railroad crossing that don’t work. The Dial-A-Ride drivers do try to do their best. I am grateful for the service. Keep up the good work.”

“Mr. (Gordon) Skeels’ recent letter helps confirms that he gets his information from watching talk shows. His spouting off against all liberals is getting old. Maybe,” she suggested, “he should ask, why did we invade Iraq? Are we really safer now?”

“A group of us has gotten together again,” began a man’s call. “We did a little survey,” he said, “that we did at the local stores. The Board of Supervisors, we rated them as poor and MID (Madera Irrigation District), very poor. It seems,” he continued, “that once these people get into office they seem to lose sight of what the people elected them for.”

He offered some suggestions, and said, “As for MID, we just need to buy a broom and sweep the place out.”

A gentleman who gave his name and also “regularly rides the (Fresno) River Trail down to past Schnoor.” He noticed recently, “that all the people who clean up after the fair - they (put the trash) over the fence on the other side of the trail and throw it in the river. I think that is ridiculous.”

He said, “I’m going to go on over there and clean it up and leave it up on the road to be picked up by the city. You think these guys (the fair) would get their act together.”

A frequent woman caller pronounced a Tribune columnist’s name incorrectly and said, “Mr. Emu, don’t you have any other pictures of yourself?”

“You’re no Rodin,” she concluded, then spelled out the name of the artist who created the bronze sculpture, “The Thinker.”

A gentleman said despite “having a tube (for the paper) installed” his paper was wet. He did say he would give “one last chance.” (Note: he left his name and address and they were given to the circulation department.)

“I am very upset,” began a lady’s call that said, “I am very angry at the Madera Redevelopment Agency (RDA). They promised us a shopping center at the Crossroads (Tozer & Yosemite) and once again they brought out the heavy equipment, put up some stakes, and end of project.”

The caller stated, “it was supposed to be done this fall. I would appreciate if they stop messing around with the other side of the city and finally do something for the east side.”

A frequent male caller had this to say: “The downtown re-development people were going to keep an eye on the colors of buildings that are painted instead of it looking like a Mickey Mouse circus.” He mentioned a few businesses and one in particular. “They painted the whole building yellow.”

After not seeing her daughter’s name in the birth announcements, a mother asked, “if there was any way it could be put in the paper. (Note: we took her name and number and will check.)

A lady called about the “surplus commodity program,” and said, “it was a very good thing for Madera. The people are very friendly when I go over there and pick up my commodities.”

A woman who went to a clothing retail store in Madera was upset because, “I have never seen such a mess in that store. People don’t want to shop in a store where clothes are on the floor. We want to shop Madera, but they need to clean this up. Who wants to buy clothing that is on the floor?”

A comics fan said: “I don’t always agree with him, but love what (cartoon character) Mallard Filmore has to say. I never miss him. Would like to suggest adding a Sudoku Puzzle to each paper. I have been known to steal your competitor’s paper to complete the game.”

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

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 woman called about an “incident with my father.” A senior citizen, “he went down to Madera South to pick up a form from the Department of Social Services. They told him they could not fill out the form until after school hours and he was told to return on Monday. He went back (Monday), the secretary wasn’t there, the one that took his paper didn’t have it. Are all senior citizens getting the runaround?” the caller asked. “What really upsets me,” she concluded, “is that these are the people that will go out there and protest wanting more money. I hope Madera north doesn’t treat people the same way.”

“Great letter (to the editor), Steve Sanford,” began a lady’s call. “And here I thought Gordon Skeels was writing all those letters because he didn’t approve of Doonesbury cartoons.”

A woman had great things to say “concerning the food bank at the Pan-Am Center on Thursdays. I want to say thank you. It is really a great help in food. Thanks to those that donate the food and to those that help pass it out.”

A lady responded to last week’s caller about retired teacher’s insurance. “The retired teachers are not part of (Madera) Unified. We cannot cover them.” She also suggested, “the letters to the school board (members) should be sent to their homes.”

“The Madera South High varsity girls volleyball team are the male chauvinist’s mascot name: Stallion girls volleyball team. Get a new mascot name.”

A female commended “the Madera District Fair employees for putting on such a wonderful event this year. The fair was extremely pleasant. The look on my children’s faces was just wonderful. This town can put on a great event. The concert on Friday night was just absolutely fabulous.”

A woman called about Leon Emo’s series of articles “remembering his time in San Francisco 40-years ago. I really enjoyed his first-hand account of those times. Unlike most, he also brought to the reader’s attention that it was not always the Summer of Love as most like to remember. Excellent articles, it is too bad no photos were included. I would have liked to seen your columnist back then.”

A man commented about a woman “who commented in the Sept. 11 Red Line about all the lives that have been maimed and lost in the war. However, the men and women in the service are volunteers.” He meant to say 9/11 but continued, “the 7/11 loss of about 3,500 lives did not volunteer.”

A woman, who temporarily was at “a loss for words,” thought it was “sad that they let go many professionals in Madera Unified School District because of the No Child Left Behind mandate. It (only) mattered if you had units and passed the test you kept your job. If not you were let go.”

“I’d like to address the comments from a woman on your Sept. 11 Red Line,” said a lady. About that caller, this lady said, “she seems to think we sold out the retirees. The party responsible for that,” she continued, “was the Central Valley trust. It is the
organization we buy our health benefits from.”

The caller added, “she didn’t bother what plan she had. There’s the Cadillac plan and other plans available for them to choose from.” She left her phone number and said she was “a member of the bargaining unit.”

A regular male caller, after viewing “the water levels at Hensley, Buchanan and Millerton,” suggested the state’s problem with water is not building more dams, but receiving more rain.”

A lady called about coverage of the Thomas Jefferson Middle School football team. “Someone needs to get out and watch these boys play. We are defending our championship from last year, and these boys are kicking butt.”

“People are always complaining about the colors of businesses downtown,” began a lady’s message. She asked if “they ever look at (a long time restaurant’s prominent sign north of town); it makes Madera look tacky. It hasn’t been taken care of in 20 years.”

A woman mentioned, “You are still advertising the farmer’s market in the community calendar. It ended on Aug. 30.” She asked, “can’t someone edit that?” (Copy editor’s note: The obsolete calendar notice has been removed now. Thank you.)

“Are they using white chalk to stripe the streets?” asked a lady. “The white lines, the pedestrian crossings, that were just done, are already blacked out. Is that what the taxpayers are paying for?”

Comments from maderatribuneredline.com:

”If it (is) about location, then why are the majority (of) kids on Country Club going to (the) north (high school), when I live on Road 28 1/2 and Ave. 18 1/2 and my son is going to South. And it is not like South is a bad school, but their mark is like lepers because they’re not at north.”

”The Madera Dial A Ride bus service is one of the worst public services that I have seen in a long time. The drivers may be polite and courteous, but what does that matter when they show up 30 minutes or more past the time that you are supposed to be picked up, or don’t show up at all? They need to find a solution to this and because of them, some patrons of this service are missing important appointments and are late to almost everything else they have to do. I hope that something can be done about this …”

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

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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Several calls were received when the Red Line on Tuesday, and Mo’s Musings, Wednesday did not appear on their usual days. They were published on following days. We apologize for any inconvenience. The Red Line will again be appearing on Tuesdays and Mo’s Musings on Wednesdays and Fridays. Due to technical difficulties some calls went unrecorded last week. The problem has been repaired.

A caller said he had read a letter to the editor (Monday, Sept. 10) that “compared Gordon Skeels to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. I always felt,” the caller commented, “Mr. Skeels was good, and the writer’s letter confirms it. Keep up the good work, Mr. Skeels.”

“I, too, am tired of seeing Gordon Skeels’ name at the end of a long, radical letter to the Tribune,” began a woman’s call. “He knows who got us in this big mess. How can he write such letters knowing all the lives that have been lost and maimed? He should have respect for the families who have lost their loved ones in a war that we know should not have been. Stop trying to make excuses for this administration. Enough is enough.” She concluded and suggested, “maybe you (Skeels) should move to Arizona with John Sanchez.”

A lady called about the Red Line call “about the Rangel family” last week. This week’s caller took objection to “all those nice words,” last week’s caller used. The lady this week said, “however you look at it, they murdered a young man with three young children.”

A woman called to “make a comment about school bus drivers being on cell phones.” The caller felt “that whoever made that phone call (to the Red Line) should have got the name on the side of the bus as to what county, or school district, and a bus number so they can pinpoint the person (driver) that is doing that so that person can be penalized, not everyone.” She left her name and phone number and said, “give me a call.” (Note: the Red Line does not publish addresses or phone numbers)

“I wanted to congratulate the Tribune on the restaurant inspection (article),” said a lady. “I wish you would do that all the time.” She went on to add, “there’s one (restaurant) in town I really question.” She also appreciated the pictures in the paper. “I just moved into town and I was wondering who the council members were.”

A lady asked, “why shop in Madera?” She complained about a large retail chain having only one cashier at 7 a.m. and a local bank that also had just one teller.
In addition, a carwash that did not complete the cleaning. “My windows weren’t even dry.” She suggested, “Madera needs more shopping centers.”

A woman called “regarding Jim Glynn’s article in today’s (Thursday, Sept. 6) the MUTA (Madera Unified Teacher’s Association) versus the school district.”

She said, “I’m getting a little tired of reading Jim Glynn’s vendetta against the school district. It’s hard to feel any sympathy for the teacher’s union and their insurance benefits when two years ago they sold out their own teacher retirees as far as insurance. The retired teachers have to pay $900 a month for their insurance,” the caller said, “I don’t feel too sorry for the teachers that are paying $168 a month.”

She had one final comment. “It was pretty weenie (by Glynn) to put in the home addresses of the school board members. They have a business address. You can write to them there.”

A man who gave his name and phone number and said he is the union business agent and “represents the public works crews for the city of Madera.” He said, “I have received calls today and in the past about our employees being forced to flush out the street painting vehicles into the storm drain”

The caller said today, “he was able to go over to the public works yard at 1030 S. Gateway and take pictures of paint on the grate itself and the water showing it was washed into the grate. I understand this is a weekly occurrence,” the man continued, “and crews are directed by management.”

A male caller gave the record of the Madera Coyote football team (0-3) and said, “I still believe we have a chance at TRAC. The way these kids play they do not give up.” He went onto support the players, but criticized the coaching techniques.

A caller praised the Tribune for the “History of Madera” series by Bill Coate being run in the Pulse of Madera section every Saturday. “I’m saving those sections, and maybe the newspaper should think about doing the same. Maybe there’s a book in there somewhere.”

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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.

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 gentleman called to say the “paper needs to stop being so biased and start covering what’s going on in the school. Our teachers are quitting. The distict is moving kids around to classes because they can’t get teachers.”

Another gentleman called to say that he enjoys the Crimestoppers feature. “Please, keep it up,” he said. “It’s nice to see these low lifes and their pictures taken so the rest of humanity can observe them.”

“To the woman who was driving a school bus at the intersection of 4th and Schnoor on a cell phone,” began another caller, “please do not drive a school bus with a cell phone in your hand. Especially at the intersection while you’re waiting for everyone to go. I don’t think that’s safe,” he said, “and you know who you are.”

“The mosquitos at Lincoln school are horrible,” said another caller. “The grounds are way mushy and we spray our kids down every day with bug spray and they come home devoured. This is crazy, they need to change how much water gets put on those grounds.”

A gentleman called in to say, “What’s up? Today’s Wednesday the 29th, what happened to this week’s Red Line; that’s one of the reasons I subscribe to your Tribune for the year. Wondering ‘Whazzupp’?” (Editor’s note: The Red Line did not run last week due to technical difficulties. We apologize. If a call of yours did not run, call again. Thanks.)

“From time to time,” another caller said, “I read a plea to support the Madera merchants and the economy here. Every time I’ve driven by Rotary Park down Gateway, I see a huge truck and on the side of it is printed ‘Fresno Landscape.’ If the county or city, whoever is in charge of that park, can’t support Madera merchants, what kind of example does that set? It seems like there’d be a landscape company in Madera to do the job.”

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From maderatribuneredline.com:

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“In response to the caller who said Madera South High ‘will always be second-fiddle to the (Madera North High) Coyotes.’ Of course Madera North will be in the paper; they win more games. But the reason is that the rich and popular kids can get daddy to get them into North easier than the ghetto and country kids because they can’t afford it. My son can’t transfer to North, even thought he a 4.5 GPA student.”

“So, the ‘old’ school is more desirable? Doesn’t make much sense when the teachers are from the same pool. I know I would want my child to go to a school without leaky faucets, with two new gyms, etc. Oh, and getting into a school isn’t about money, it’s about location.”

“There will be a time when you and I will be judged by Jesus Christ. Will you be ready for the verdict? Be ready, read your Bible, it’s great for the soul …”

Regarding the verdict in a recent trial: “Though this crime was gruesome and tragic for all, I feel that the character witnesses should have been a bigger factor in the jury’s final decision. The Rangel family is by far one of the best families I have ever had the pleasure of living next to. Pete Rangel Jr. was a regular man, went to work every day to support his extended family. Pete Jr. was and still is a loving dad, husband and uncle. When faced with guilt of knowing his nieces and nephews were going to be adopted out he did the most commendable thing. He adopted them. For the next several years, Pete. Jr. and adoring wife not only worked themselves to the bone, often putting in overtime to make ends meet, they also spent ‘family time’ every day. The most important thing a parent can do is spend quality time with the whole family. Most families are doing good to just eat and respect. Pete Jr. and Pete III were not just your everyday run-of-the-mill father and son. They were the only people in the neighborhood a person could truly count on.”