PRSRTSTD ECR U.S.POSTAGEPAID Independent MADERA, … · The PRSRTSTD ECR U.S.POSTAGEPAID MADERA, CA. ... Ranchos resident, Amy Louise Chavoya, 42, has been charged by the Madera County

The PRSRT STDECRU.S. POSTAGE PAIDMADERA, CA.PERMIT NO. 61

Volume 11 Issue 12 2015 The Official Publication of Southeastern Madera County 50¢

RanchosIndependent

In This Issue Editorial • Page 5 / Aunt Jean’s Ranchos Recipes • Page 8Classifieds • Page 18 / Fun Pages • Pages 22 & 23

Looking Back:Taking a look backat the top storiesin the Ranchosfor 2015



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Photo courtesy of Anna Katherine Photography



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In addition to dominating academics in the Central Valley,Liberty High School is equally as fierce in athletics.

by Christi McKinney



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The Sensus watermeter that the stateof California andMadera County saysHAS to be on your next well.



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Photo courtesy of Karen Petryna



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Madera Irrigation District’sGeneral Manager, Thomas Greci(left) and Chief of Operationsand Maintenance, John Bese,have a vision for the future ofMadera’s water and explain

the Ranchos’ role.



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After a long and often contentious recall process, the voters of the Ranchos have spoken and have elected (from left) Mona Diaz to Area 1; Brian Freeman to Area 4 ; and Maria Knobloch toArea 2. They are seen here having the oath of their office administered to them by Dr. Cecilia Massetti, Madera County Superintendent of Schools. Pictures courtesy of Leslie Parr

After a resounding recall election, the new Golden Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees is comprisedof (from left) Mona Diaz, Mike Kelly, Assistant Superintendent Kevin Hatch, Brian Freeman, Steven Lewis and Maria Knobloch.



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Page 2

Click on “Local News” at

Recall Election/February• This was an on-going story thatbegan in February then culmi-

nated in Septemberwith the successful re-call of three sitting GVUSD school boardmembers. Tempers flared on the subjectbut the final tally was a landslide againstthe three.

1

Dublin Well/May • Afterwhat seemed like an eternity, thefinal steps of preparing theDublin

Well so that it could finally go on-line inJune happened. After a season of deadlawns and landscapes, the community wasrelieved that at least one solution to theRan-chos’on-going water problemswas done.

3

Brett Frazier/January •TheRanchos’newest County Su-pervisor took office in January

and sat downwith the Ranchos Independ-ent and shared his views onwherewe havebeen, where we are and where we’regoing. Frazier is the first Supervisor in along time to be from the Ranchos.

4

Water Meters/April • TheState of California and MaderaCounty have both decided that all

new wells in the Ranchos area will be re-quired to have water meters on them.Youpay for the well, you pay for the electric-ity, but somehow the State and theCountywant a say in the process.We’ll see.

5

Murder Charges/Decem-ber • Murder is not something

usually talked about in the Ranchos, andparticularly not the murder of a 12-year-old child, but those are the charges beingleveled by the District Attorney againstRanchos resident Amy Louise Chavoya.This story is just developing.

2

Andy Alvarado/Septem-ber • Dismissal of the Golden

Valley Superintendent in Februarywas theflashpoint for the recall election of threeGVUSDboardmembers.When theyweresuccessfully recalled, one of the first actsof the new board was to reinstate Al-varado, to the praise of the community.

6

LHSFootball/November •With 1 second left, an Exeterfield goal ended the Hawks’ 3-

year reign asValleyChamps on a coldNo-vember night. There’s always next year.

7

2015 •TopRanchos Storiesffrroomm tthhee ppaaggeess ooff tthhee RRaanncchhooss IInnddeeppeennddeenntt

By DJ Becker

Horrific allegations of child abuse,torture and murder have rocked the nor-mally quiet community of the MaderaRanchos since the Nov. 25 arrest of long-time resident, 42-year-old Amy LouiseChavoya, on murder charges.

Shocked and appalled residentsshook their heads in disbelief and won-dered how such allegations, if true, couldhappen or go unnoticed here.

Chavoya has pled not guilty to thecharge of murder, three counts of torture,three counts of willful cruelty to a childand dissuading a witness by force orthreat. She is being held at the MaderaCounty Jail without bail, according toChavoya defense attorney StevenGeringer.

Chavoya is accused of physicallyabusing the two adopted children she andher husband had been foster parents ofsince 2011, along with at least three otherchildren in their home, and inflicting theinjuries that resulted in the death of heradopted 12-year-old daughter, MariahFlores, on Oct. 10, 2014.

Frightening AllegationsAllegations of scalding showers,

beatings, starvation and the use of a stun-type gun as punishments at the hands ofAmy Chavoya have been introduced bythe recent testimony of the victim's 14-year-old biological brother – accordingto media reports – who also claims hewas subjected to similar abuse along withother children in the home. The boyclaims he was fearful to come forwardwith these allegations of abuse and ofhaving to remain in the home, prior to thedeath of his sister. All remaining childrenin the home were removed from thehome in March of 2015 by the depart-ment of Child Protective Services.

According to statements made byMadera County District Attorney David

Linn, his office may be seeking the deathpenalty for Amy Chavoya. Chavoya'shusband, San Joaquin Sheriff's DeputyGerardo Flores, may also soon face arreston felony charges related to the case, ac-cording to Linn. Linn is also reportedlylooking into whether a separate investi-

gation is warranted into the handling ofthe Chavoya children’s case by MaderaCounty social services department.

Recent court testimony revealed thatat least 20 calls had been made to the De-partment of Madera County Child Pro-tective Services, along with four writtenreports, when Mariah's elementary schoolteachers had reportedly become con-cerned about the girl’s high number of ab-sences from school, her manyunexplained black eyes, bruises and otherinjuries, consistently poor hygiene, un-derweight appearance and other unusualbehaviors like food stealing and attemptsat food hoarding while at school.

Amy Chavoya allegedly told teach-ers and investigators that the bruises andother injuries had come from sibling vi-olence, self-injury or were attributable tothe girl's mental disorder. At least adozen significant dents were said to havebeen found in the dry wall of theChavoya home by investigators, some ofthem overlapping and stained with bloodand hair, including one in the girl’s bed-room.

A local medical expert who subse-quently reviewed the medical reports andautopsy reports for the preliminary hear-ing said he found indications of severalolder small circular burns and other pos-sibly older internal injuries with the girl'sbody, and they were not consistent withself-inflicted injuries.

Defense attorney Steven Geringersaid the cause of the girl's death had ini-tially been ruled accidental and was onlylater treated as a homicide.

"At this point the court is not allowedto weigh testimony… during this prelim-inary hearing the court found the reason-able suspicion for a holding order, (todetermine if) a murder took place, underthe special circumstances of torture whichmakes it a potential death penalty case, orclearly life in prison without the possibil-ity of parole. We are in the process ofpreparing her defense and are waiting tosee what the district attorney does,”Geringer said. “The forensic pathologistwho did the autopsy on October 14th of2014 issued his report listing the cause ofdeath as a tear to the mesenteric (artery)which caused the internal bleeding."

Geringer said the pathologist doesnot make any determination other thanthe cause of death.

"From there it (went) to the Sheriff'sDepartment for investigation. After theirinvestigation ... her cause of death was

Ranchos Woman Charged with Murder of Her Daughter

Ranchos resident, Amy Louise Chavoya,42, has been charged by the Madera CountyDistrict Attorney in the murder of her 12-year-old daughter, Mariah Flores.

Please see MURDER on P. 3

By Karen PetrynaOn Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m., about

30 Ranchos residents met with representa-tives from the State and the County at theRanchos Middle School cafeteria to discussconnecting the Valley Teen Ranch (VTR)water system to the Madera Ranchos Main-tenance District-10a (MD-10a) water systemin a consolidation project that would involvea brand new free drinking water well grantedby the State. One of the State’s representa-tives, Kassy Chauhan, a Merced District En-

gineer with the State Water Resource Con-trol Board, Division of Drinking Water, saidthat due to a reorganization and other factors,her department had recently come underheavy pressure by the Environmental Pro-tection Agency to replace VTR’s arsenic-contaminated well as soon as possible with anew one. She said that her department wasvery pro-consolidation and their preferencewould be to connect VTR and their new wellto MD-10a so that VTR would not have tomaintain their own separate public water

system for VTR’s 30 residents. And if a ma-jority of MD-10a residents agreed, she said,they would benefit from a “once in a lifetimeopportunity” for a free well.

Better System is Net EffectThe Dec. 9 meeting opened with Dis-

trict I Supervisor Brett Frazier who said thatall the residents of MD-10a had received anotice of the meeting in the mail. AhmadAlkhayyat, the County’s Interim Public

Another New Well for MD-10a — and It’s For Free?

Please see FREE WELL on P. 13

Page 3

www.The Ranchos.com

ruled accidental by the office of the Sher-iff/Coroner's office in February 2015.There is a death certificate that says thisdeath is accidental," Geringer said.

Mariah ReportedlyCollapsed at Home

"The records show this girl col-lapsed, on October 10th, 2014. Theycalled 911. The fire department showedup, EMS showed up and then law en-

forcement showed up. Her father gaveher CPR until the fire department arrivedand they continued CPR. She was takento the hospital, but she was never re-vived," said Geringer. "In layman's terms,this young girl was injured by a blow orblows that caused a tear internally, thatcaused bleeding. The doctor that did theautopsy could not even locate the tear. Heknew the area, but not the (location ofthe) tear itself. He has no idea how largeor how small it is. So there was no way of

knowing how fast (or long) the bleedingtook. This tear could have been caused ina number of ways. It did require a certainamount of force but it did not have to bean adult. We have no way of knowingwhen the fatal blows took place. The doc-tor that did the autopsy also noted shewas adequately nourished," he said.Juvenile records of all the foster

children are sealed, also making theprocess lengthy and more difficult,Geringer said.

"But that will come out in the trial,"he said. "This is going to be a highly doc-ument-intensive case. Medical records,school records, adoption records, law en-forcement records. And six children (inthe home) and their records ... it's amarathon, not a sprint. But we want toget this going to trial," Geringer said."No one ever wants to see a child abused,in any way whatsoever. That's just outra-geous. But we will just have to wait andsee what really took place."

MURDER cont. from P. 2

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LettersDear Editor:

I would like to discuss the impor-tant topic of bringing Career Voca-tional Training (CVT) to Golden ValleyUnified School District (GVUSD).During the last several years, I've hadthe opportunity to discuss this issuewith many in our community. Our com-munity overwhelmingly supports CVT.We realize and understand not all stu-dents desire to enter a four-year collegeprogram. Some, like me, prefer to usetheir brains and their hands and wouldbe better served by GVUSD if a CVTprogram were available. At present,Liberty High School does have someelectives that qualify as CVT and I amin no way trying to minimize those, butwhat I'm talking about is expandingCVT to include traditional trades likeautomotive, construction, manufactur-ing, welding, ag and so on. We need toincrease student opportunity by in-creasing electives, offering more pro-grams and more choices. From thebeginning it was a dream of this com-munity to build a comprehensive highschool district. Liberty High is now 15years old and that dream is incomplete.Just like everything else in GVUSD,CVT will not happen by accident. Itwill take effort, sacrifice and makinghard decisions to advance the ball. Wehave an opportunity before us now butthat window is closing. In my opinion,it's time. Let's GO!

The greatest obstacle to CVT andother new programs is obviously howdo we pay for them. I'd like to start the

conversation by offering a few options.The first option is to create a

school facilities district that wouldallow us to create a new additional taxdedicated to GVUSD. Back in the early70's, Doc Buchanan asked Clovis resi-dents to pass a city sales tax to provideadditional financial support for ClovisUnified to build state-of-the-art sportsvenues and cultural centers. It passed. Ithink most of us have been on a Cloviscampus and are familiar with the suc-cess of that joint effort. However, I'mnot sure if there is enough commerce in93636 to generate enough sales tax rev-enue for that program to be successfulhere. I'm thinking it would need to be aparcel or property tax.

The second option is to grow ourstudent population. The more students,the more revenue. This is where I seean immediate opportunity. New devel-opment is here and along with it comesnew students. The current strategy ofGVUSD is for developers to build theirown new schools in their own new de-velopments for their students. If thatstrategy were to change and those newstudents were directed to Liberty HighSchool and Ranchos Middle School,that could generate the increased rev-enue needed to create more opportuni-ties and programs like CVT. Allstudents would benefit. The reason de-velopers are building in southeastMadera County is to be included inGVUSD. Developer fees can be redi-

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The Ranchos Independent is published by Five and Two Publishing.All contents of this publication are copyright 2015, all rights reserved.Reprintingwithout the permission of the

copyright holder is forbidden by law.All articles are submitted as the opinion of the author, who remains solely responsible for the content. The in-

formation gathered for this publication is from sources that are considered to be reliable, but are not guaranteed.Opinions expressed in advertisements or articles remain the opinion of the writer.

Randy Bailey............Publisher/EditorKaren Petryna • DJ Becker -- Reporters

Jean Briner -- Columnist, Advertising Sales • Tina Shannon -- Advertising Sales

RanchosIndependentThe

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Page 5

37167 Ave. 12, Suite 5C • Madera, CA [email protected]

By Randy Bailey

I’ve always been a fan of De-cember. There’s of course Christmasand New Year’s Eve. Football. I lovethe generally cooler weather. That’sright -- I love cooler weather and Ilive in Central California. Go figure.

Eleven years ago December tookon a new meaning for me. It was De-cember of 2004 that a business part-ner and I made the decision to buythe Ranchos Independent from BillBell, the second owner of this littlecommunity newspaper. I like to tellthe story that the way I met Bill wasI had written a letter to the editor(hmm, imagine that) and had in-cluded my name, address, phonenumber -- you know, all of the stuffyou’re supposed to include when youwrite a letter to the editor -- and Billfailed to remove that informationwhen he published my letter. You canimagine my surprise when I got mycopy of the Ranchos Independentwith my controversial views in it andthere was my address and everythingpublished where any aspiring psychocould find it. I was not in a goodmood when I stormed into Bill Bell’soffice to demand some satisfaction.

He couldn’t believe what he haddone. He seemed genuinely sorry forwhat had happened and by the time Iwas ready to leave we were laughing

about it and talking about our simi-lar views on a bevy of topics.

It was a few months later that Ifound out from Jim Cobb that theRanchos Independent was for sale.“You ought to buy it,” Jim said.

So I did.I didn’t know it at the time but

Bill was dying of cancer. I boughtthe paper in December of 2004 andon the following St. Patrick’s Day,Bill passed away. I found out laterthat other people had offered to buythe paper from him but he didn’t feelthey were the right “fit.” He had alove for the Ranchos and the Ran-chos Independent and, cancer or not,he wasn’t going to give it to thewrong person. I hope I didn’t let himdown.

I’ve met some great people overthe last 11 years -- and some not sogreat ones. My business partner tookoff for Washington state about eightyears ago and has nothing to do withpublishing anymore. I find it hard tobelieve that the Ranchos Independ-ent beat it out of her but who knows?

All I know is that I love it. I lovestarting out each month with a bunchof blank sheets of paper and by thetime I’m done I have something ofwhich I am quite proud. Looking atthe cover of this month’s paper is arush for me as I look back on lastyear’s issues. I remember how im-

Another Year in the Books

“Our aim is toincrease our

nationalwealth so

all willhave more,

not justredistribute

what wealready

have, whichis just a

sharing ofscarcity.”

Editorial

portant (or fun) each issue was at thetime and how I tried to convey thatto you, the readers, through an inter-esting, thought-provoking cover andsome well-written articles.

It must be working.I’m still here 11 years later.The majority of people I run into

that discover I put out the RanchosIndependent tell me that they lovethe paper. I know they could just beblowing wind up my skirt but theyseem to genuinely like it. And manyof those who disagree with me philo-sophically have told me that at leastI always present news down the mid-dle. Then of course there’s thatfringe that you just can’t please.They’d complain if you hanged themwith a brand new rope.

I’m going to keep doing thisuntil I get tired of it or you guys runme out of town, neither of which Isee on the horizon.

Thank you all.

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I keep feeling like I’m forgettingsomething. I’ve checked my walletand all of my cards are there. Mykeys are in my purse, my badge forwork is hanging on my review mirrorright where I left it. I’ve turned theoven off and double checked thedoor is locked. I haven’t left the cof-fee pot on or the garage door up ormy eight-year-old home alone. Whatam I missing? Oh … I know. It’s aweek before Christmas and I’m notout among the hordes out searchingfor gifts and stocking stuffers.

Usually around this time I’mrunning from store to store like arabid squirrel trying to finish myChristmas shopping. For the firsttime in my adult life I have man-aged to purchase every item forevery person on my list, includingthe Secret Santa exchange at work,before the first tree was lit.

At the beginning of every NewYear I swear to myself that I will nothave a repeat of the previous Christ-mas. I vow that I will avoid thecrowds and complete all of myChristmas shopping early enough toenjoy the season without succumb-ing to the frantic commercialismthat always seems to drown out thespirit of the Christmas as we movethrough the advent calendar.

Not this year.I was bound and determined not

to spend the last days leading up toChristmas stuffed into packed de-partment stores in a spending haze.This was going to be the year Ichanged my ways. I was deter-mined. I was resolute.

I had completely forgotten byMay.

I purchased my first Christmasgift completely by accident. Summerwas coming to a close, back to schoolsales were everywhere and there itwas: The perfect present. I could seeit, wrapped up in brightly colored rib-bon tucked under a glowing tree. SillI hesitated. Christmas was still sev-eral months away and no one in theirright mind would buy a Christmaspresent this early – but then I heardmy own voice ringing in my head: “Iwill be finished with my Christmasshopping before Thanksgiving thisyear.” It was a sign, so I bought thepresent and tucked it away. It felt sogood I repeated the process. The nexttime I happened to be at a store I kept

my eyes peeled for something thatsomeone I knew would love. Over thenext two months, without breakingthe bank, I had amassed a nice pile ofgifts. Let me tell you, it’s a lot easieron the budget to spread the gift pur-chasing over a few months.

Just before Halloween I crossedoff the items I had already purchasedand I could barely believe my eyes. Iwas almost done. Not only was Igoing to achieve the thus far un-achievable dream, I was going to doit in record time. I kept with my pat-tern well into November and I man-aged to complete all of myChristmas shopping before my dead-line of Thanksgiving.

The down side is that without thestress of last minute shopping I’vebeen wandering around in a sort ofhaze. I’m not sure what to do withmyself. The other day I happened tobe at the store watching people shuf-fle from aisle to aisle and fillingtheir carts and I became almost nos-talgic. They were rushing about andyelling at each other. Do you thinkshe would like the pink or the purplebetter? Would he rather have a newsweatshirt or some sneakers? It’sstrange but a part of me missed it. Ofcourse, that feeling faded fast as Iwatched the lines of grumpy patronsgrow from my expedited, self-check-out lane. It’s hard to locate theChristmas spirit in a Walmart a weekand a half before Christmas.

I smiled as I walked through myfront door, turned on my favoriteChristmas movie and made a big cupof hot chocolate. Finally, I was ableto just enjoy the season, bask in thedecorations and not worry about howI was going to find time and themoney to pick up that last present. AsI stared at my beautiful Christmastree I felt a sense of pride and ac-complishment. Of course, I still haveto wrap everything, but that’s a reso-lution for another year.

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SAY YOU SAW IT INthe Ranchos Independent

By DJ Becker

Another home was lost for lack ofwater in a recent structure fire, this time innorth Madera County. The family losteverything from a fireplace fire that smol-dered overnight in the 28600 block of Ran-cho Avenue. No one was home at the timethe fire erupted. Neighbors reportedsmelling smoke and seeing flames from theback of the older 1,800-square-foot ranchhouse on Wednesday, Dec. 16 just before 5a.m. The owner, who requested privacy, saidshe had been away and staying overnightwith family in Fresno when she got theshocking call from neighbors her house wason fire.

"We just lost everything.All our Christ-mas stuff, my son's presents, clothing, fur-niture. I still can't believe it. I had foundsome good bargains too," she said with halfsmile, as she fought back tears. "We loved ithere and had just replaced the floor tile,done some painting ... were getting it allfixed up to stay here for a long time. But weare thankful nobody was hurt, that's whatcounts. We have insurance, and we'll re-cover and manage somehow," she said.

Madera County CalFire Battalion ChiefMatt Watson said the fire appeared to havestarted in the area near the base and back ofthe fireplace and estimated at least 60 percent of the home was destroyed, along withalmost all of the contents.

"We had three Madera County fire en-gines – 1, 3 and 19 from Madera Ranchos,and myself initially on scene, for a total offour firefighting personnel. They had madea good knock down of the fire, but then weran out of water (carried on the engines).So I sent two of the engines back toMadera for water. I had requested five en-gines and only got the three paid andstaffed engines. We dispatched six watertenders but only got two. One from a vol-unteer station at Cedar Valley above BassLake and one from a volunteer station atAhwahnee, with probably about an hourand a half travel time for water tenders (toarrive)," Watson said.

Engines typically carry about 500 to600 gallons of water on board for grass andspot fires. The over-an-hour-long water ten-der response time did affect the ability offire crews to stop the progress of this fire,he said.

"We were out of water, until the CalFire(wildland) engine from Raymond showedup on scene," Watson said. Horrified arearesidents and fire crews had to watch thehouse burn, until more water arrived.

Inadequate fire funding and staffing ofCounty engines is also a serious issue,which critics and residents alike have com-

plained about for decades. Several countyhomes, some very close to fire stations, havebeen complete losses in the last five yearsdue to the lack of fire personnel and the un-availability of trained water tender drivers.A home three doors down from the MaderaRanchos fire station burned severely in 2014while the water tender sat full, waiting for adriver, in the station yard. That family washome at the time of the fire.

"The county is currently able to fundonly one paid person, the (fire engineer)driver, on any Madera County fire engine,with any remaining assistance being sup-plied by paid call volunteers, who often areaway at their day jobs,"Watson said. "Morelocal fire volunteers are needed. TheCounty has started a recruitment program.Staffing is the number one issue and num-ber two is water. We have added three newvolunteers (able to drive water tenders thisyear), but they work and are often not avail-able.

"This is a 30-year-old situation. The(economic) downturn was hard ... we are ac-tively looking for all (funding) solutions.The board of supervisors and CFO EricFleming have been very helpful and arelooking at everything to try and improve thissituation," Watson said. "Had we had morepersonnel at this scene, we wouldn't havebeen there (a total of) 12 hours and thehouse would have had less damage."

Watson also said public safety is im-pacted when fire crews are not initially ableto make safe entry into a burning house tocheck for trapped or injured occupants untilmore fire personnel arrive.

"The first firefighters on scene made anexternal check for occupants, pounding ondoors and windows, but were not able toenter and sweep the house until later," hesaid.

Critics and residents alike wonder ifsomeone has to actually die in a house firebefore supervisors will take the funding andstaffing situation more seriously, and finallyremedy it.

“Maybe the supervisors have to see thaton the six o’clock news before somethingwill get done about it,” said one resident.

"We had another fire in the City ofMadera tonight, in the 300 block of Stin-son. It was about a 1,200-square-foothouse, with the fire involving two roomsand the attic. With the City response andthe County engine response, we had eightpaid people on scene within five minutes.We saved the house and were in and out ofthere in an hour. But we had a hydrant infront of that house. The cause of that firewas a makeshift fireplace inside the home,being used for heat by the residents," Wat-son said.

Another Home Lost; Lack ofWater

Page 8


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SAY YOU SAW IT INthe Ranchos Independent

Before I start my article, I want tothank the Sierra 4-H group for the twopans of their homemade cookies theybrought into the office. We served them atthe Chamber of Commerce Christmasmixer and the cookies were a big hit. I in-vited the group and their leader, Mrs.Christofferson, to give me some of theirrecipes and I would dedicate the whole ar-ticle to their group. I am really looking for-ward to that.

Do you fix a big dinner for Christmasafternoon or do you fix a big breakfast andthen spend the afternoon relaxing after ahectic few weeks getting ready for Christ-mas or spend the afternoon visiting friendsand family that are shut-ins and can’t getout? I’ve talked to people this week thatare going to relax Christmas afternoon andserve appetizers or sandwiches instead ofa big dinner.

My niece Rachael makes a dip that isyummy and usually goes fast.

Rachael’s Spinach Dip1 Box (10 oz.) Frozen chopped

spinach, cooked, cooled and squeezed dry.1 container (16 oz.) Sour Cream1 C mayonnaise1 pkg. Knorr vegetable mix2 or 3 ribs celery, chopped 2 or 3 green onion, chopped (op-

tional)1 loaf round French breadCombine all ingredients except bread

and chill for at least 2 hours. Cut the topoff the bread and hollow out, saving thebread to use as dippers. When ready toserve put chilled dip in hollowed bread loafand serve with the reserved bread that hasbeen cut into bite size pieces. When the dipis gone, tear up the “bowl” and eat it.

Have you ever made pinwheels –easy to make and delicious.

Pinwheels1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese1 (16 oz.) container sour cream1 pkg. ranch dip (dry)Chopped bell pepper (any color)Chopped olivesChopped green onions (optional)1 lb. sliced deli meat – ham, turkey or

beef. 8 large flour tortillas.In large bowl mix together cream

cheese, sour cream and dry ranch dip mix.Beat until smooth. Spread a thin layer ofmix on each tortilla. Sprinkle choppedpeppers, olives and onion if you are usingany of them on the mix. Top with a layerof the meat. Roll each tortilla up tightlyand wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate

until ready to serve. When ready to serve,using a serrated knife, cut each roll into ½inch to 1 inch slices. Place on serving plat-ter.

Last year I made a dip that was ex-tremely easy. It only takes two ingredientsand unless you want to serve it in a fancybowl, microwave it in the bowl you willserve it in and you only have one bowl towash. It is a little warm with spice, but weall enjoyed it.

Two Item Dip1 lb. Velveeta, cut up into 1 inch

cubes1 can (10 oz.) Ro*Tel diced tomatoes

and green chilies (Do not drain!)In a microwave safe bowl combine

cheese and tomatoes. Cover and mi-crowave on high for 5 minutes. Stir it aftercooking 3 minutes. Be Careful, dish willbe extremely hot! Use hot pads to take outof microwave. This can also be made ontop of the stove by placing cheese andtomatoes in medium pan and cooking overmedium heat until cheese is melted andmixture is combined (about 5 minutes). Besure not to have the heat too high and stiroften to avoid scorching. Serve warm withtortilla chips or raw vegetables – zucchini,broccoli or cauliflower would be goodchoices.

And of course you will want some-thing sweet on your table. How about abowl of sugared walnuts? My aunt anduncle who lived in Hanford had a hugewalnut tree in their front yard and everyyear after the walnuts were harvested shewould bring a big bowl of sugared walnutswhen they came to our house. They are re-ally simple to do.

Sugared Walnuts1 C Sugar7 T milk2 or 3 cups shelled walnutsPrepare a pan or cookie sheet by cov-

ering with a sheet of wax paper. Boil thesugar and milk 4 minutes. Pour mixtureover the walnuts and stir to coat the nuts.Spread on the wax paper. Let cool thenbreak in bite size pieces.

Regardless of what you serve for din-ner or snacks, I want to thank each of youfor being loyal readers and thank you foryour comments, suggestions and recipes. Ipray that you and your families have aBlessed Christmas and a happy, healthyand prosperous new year!

by Jean Briner

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Page 9

Hello again 93636,Lately I've heard a lot of radio com-

mercials stating how the advertiser canchange your vehicle’s oil and filter, pre-form a visual inspection and get youback on the road in less than 30 minutes.If you went to your physician for yourannual checkup and physical, how con-fident would you be that your checkupwas comprehensive and accurate if youwere in and out in less than 30 minutes?An oil change and inspection should beyour vehicle’s checkup time. It's not arace! It's an opportunity to check thestate of health and condition of your ve-hicle and its systems also. The inspectionshould include a test drive, active loadtests on the electrical and cooling sys-tems as well as a comprehensive visualinspection. The inspection should be de-signed to prevent break downs, educatethe customer, answer questions and com-municate concerns and/or recommenda-tions. At my NAPAAutoCare Center, wealso look at the vehicle’s history andcompare it to the manufacturer’s recom-mendations. We evaluate the vehicle’scurrent condition, future concerns andmake recommendations accordingly. Wealso preform our inspections digitally sowe can email or text a colorful detailedreport with pictures of any faults or con-cerns we find.

In the U.S., the average vehicle isdriven 15,000 miles per year. My rec-ommendation is 4,000 mile service in-tervals. For the average vehicle that’s3.75 times per year. It's easier to remem-ber it as "once per season." Many manu-facturers today recommend EXTENDEDmaintenance and service intervals fortheir vehicles. Here's why. If you haveever purchased a new vehicle (I havenot) you will notice the estimated vehiclemaintenance and service costs for thefirst 100,000 miles included on the win-dow sticker. That information is requiredby law. In order to decrease that esti-mate, many manufacturers have in-creased service intervals and deferredcostly maintenance and services until105,000 miles. Many have eliminatedthe more costly services altogether. Gen-erally new vehicle warranties expireafter three years or 36,000 miles so there

Maintain Me

is little or no risk for the manufacturer.The manufacturer’s priority is to build avehicle that drives 100,000 miles reliablywith as little maintenance cost as possi-ble then sell you a new one. My indus-try’s priority is to take your vehicle from100,000 to 300,000 reliably and save youthe expense of purchasing that new vehi-cle. I question the wisdom of extendedintervals as a long term cost savingsstrategy for the benefit for the consumer.I think it's more of a short term strategyfor the benefit of the manufacturers.

GM, for example, was recommend-ing a regular service interval for somevehicles at 7,500 miles. They have sincerevised that (not included in the originalmaintenance cost estimate) to every5,000 miles. If you are driving a GM ve-hicle, make sure you make that correc-tion or you may soon be dealing with apremature timing chain failure. Somemanufacturers, like BMW, extend all theway to 15,000 miles for some vehicles.With extended service intervals, manytimes synthetic oils and long-life oil fil-ters are required, not to mention the in-spections that were not preformed. Thisincreases cost per service and the poten-tial for failures.

Another cost benefit to regular 4,000mile service intervals is the vehicle canbe more accurately monitored for wearand tear so maintenance and repair costscan be better managed. Let me give youan example. If I see a vehicle every threemonths, I may let the brake pads weardown to 5 percent before I recommendreplacement. If I only see that vehicleonce a year, I'm inclined to recommendreplacement at 20 percent to prevent thepotential for greater damage and highercosts. Same with belts, hoses and air andfuel filters. Waiting can save money ifmanaged properly.

Consult your vehicle’s Owner’sManual for specific information andmaintenance schedules. Follow it, exceptfor a couple of recommendations frommy experience. If you drive a Fordpickup with a Triton engine (especiallythe 5.4L three valve), do not wait until100,000 miles to replace the spark plugs.Although they will perform fine, theplugs can become seized in their boresand often break coming out. If that hap-pens you will need a special tool to ex-tract them. Get ‘em out at 60,000. It willsave you money. If they are stuck, tryusing penetrating oil and work them backand forth. DO NOT FORCE THEM!Take your time. Replace with MotorcraftSpark Plugs. I also recommend you serv-

Please see HANDS on P. 1012/15

Page 10


Room Additions & General Contracting • Commercial & ResidentialDiscount Steel Buildings: Sales & Erecting

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Plans for a New Year at Senior CenterSenior Report

By Patti Groh

What a great December it has been.We’ve had rain and beautiful sunshine. It isgreat to live here in Madera Ranchos.

The Ranchos/Hills Seniors welcomesfour new members to our group: ThomasBaum, Jo Chase, Rita Selmon and SheilaMarrs.

The Seniors’Thanksgiving dinner wasa culinary delight. The turkey and gravy(prepared by Rigo) was terrific as were thepotluck items. I had some corn puddingwhich was out-of-this world.

I hope you enjoyed this year’s Christ-mas boutique on the first two Saturdays ofDecember. There were a lot of pretty thingsfor sale at great prices. Thank you to every-one for supporting the Center with yoursaleable contributions, your buying and yourvolunteering. Remember, we can always usenew merchandise for the Treasure Houseand boutique.

We had awonderful Christmas party onDec. 14.We had ham and potluck items andit was a lot of fun. There were 10 tables and10 different members provided the center-pieces. Theywere just beautiful with differ-ent colors and lights. The guests voted ontheir favorites and first place went to CarolWood, second place to Nancy Palazzo andthird place to Eva McAtee. Speaking ofbeautiful, the Christmas tree was just gor-geous, donated by B&D Trees and deco-rated by members. Thanks to you, B&D.The highlight of the evening was a singingprogram by The Mitchell Sisters (Gerri,Celetta and Alice). These women sing pro-fessionally and are also members of Ran-chos/Hills Seniors. A huge thank you fromall of us. The winner of our 50-50 is thewoman who says she never wins anything,Shirley Tickel.

Many of the Seniors contributed to the

Madera Ranchos Chamber of Commercedrive to provide Christmas gifts to veteransat the VA Hospital. The feeling one getsfrom giving to others is almost better thanreceiving yourself. It gave me a nice, warmfeeling. I know our help is appreciated.

New Year’s Eve will be celebrated atthe Center (before 12 o’clock), then NewYear 2016 will be here with the usualmonthly events. The monthly board meet-ing will be the first Tuesday of the month at6:30 p.m. (Jan. 5). The monthly generalmeeting has been changed to the secondTuesday of the month at 6:30 (Jan. 12). Theplanning meeting has been changed to thefourth Tuesday of the month at 12:30 (Jan.26). Please bring ideas for what you wouldlike to see happening at the center. Pleasesee the Newsletter for Center activities,times, birthdays and anniversaries of mem-bers. It is available at the Center (37330Berkshire Drive) and at business locationsthroughout the Ranchos.

A fundraising luncheon is planned forJanuary 30 to raise funds for solar shades re-insulating the roof.We plan on a full lunch-eon with wonderful food and service frommembers.Wewill be providingmore infor-mation and tickets for sale shortly. Pleasecheck at the Center, talk to a member andread your email, if you have one, for all thedetails.

If you don’t want to fix yourself lunchandwould like the companionship of eatingwith others, you are invited to the CentereveryMonday through Friday at 11:30. Theonly requirement is that you let Joann knowyou are coming the day before, calling herbefore 11 a.m. on the previous lunch day at645-4830. There is nomembership require-ment for this.

The Center will be closed for MartinLuther King, Jr. Day on January 18. I hopeto see you soon.

Golden ValleyBaptist Church

Merry Christmas to the Ranchos and Beyond

Sunday School 9 a.m. • Sunday Worship Service 10:30 a.m.Wednesday Life Apps 6:30 p.m. • www.goldenvalleybaptistchurch.org

12414 Road 37 · Madera Ranchos · 559-645-170012/15

Celebrating the birth of ChristChristmas Eve Candlelight Service

December 24, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.12414 Road 37 · Madera Ranchos

“For unto you is born this day in thecity of David a Saviour, which isChrist the Lord.”

Luke 2:11

ice cooling systems, automatic transmis-sions and gears every 100,000 to 150,000.Do not accept manufacturer’s "No Serv-ice Needed" recommendations for thosecomponents. All components need serviceif you want them to last.

BOTTOM LINE: If your vehicle isless than eight to 10 years old, has lessthan 100,000 miles and driven responsi-bly, you shouldn't need much in the wayof maintenance or repairs besides tires,brakes, brake fluid exchange, wiperblades, oil and filters. If your vehicle ismore than 10 years old or has more than

100,000 miles, preventive service andmaintenance is very important. I own anddrive four trucks on a regular and semi-regular basis. Their mileage ranges from186,000 to 331,000 miles. Regular serv-ice and maintenance is the key and helpsavoid breakdowns while mitigating timeand costs.

Please send any comments or sugges-tions to the Ranchos Independent or emailme at [email protected].

God Bless and Merry Christmas,Warren ParrARD 117312 (Automotive Repair

Dealer License)EO139887 (Smog License)

HANDS cont. from P. 9

Page 11

www.The Ranchos.com

Say you saw it inthe Ranchos Independent

The Bookshelf

ByAmanda Judd

Reflecting on my past year in theRanchos Library, a lot has happened dur-ing these past 12 months. I have madesome really great friends. Ranchos Li-brary has some really amazing patrons.Thank you for allowing me the opportu-nity to be a part of your lives and embrac-ing me in your (our) community.

We have brought in some really greattitles this past year. Remember that we al-ways take donations of new bestsellers. Ifyou have questions about donations,please contact the library. Please don’tleave donations in the book drop or unat-tended outside of the library.

What an astounding group of volun-teers the library has. These incredible in-dividuals come in and do whatever ittakes to help keep this library lookinggood and running efficiently. I am thank-ful for each and every one of you andyour commitment to making the RanchosLibrary the very best that it can be.

I had my first taste at Flatlander’s –what a whirlwind. It was really some-

thing special to watch this big emptyparking lot turn into a hub of activity thatwas buzzing with energy.

Our summer reading program wasextraordinary. I was amazed at the vol-ume of participants that completed theprogram. This fall it was refreshing tosee the excitement toward returning toschool and obtaining those AcceleratedReading points.

We have such a wonderful time duringour Preschool Story Time each Thursday at11 a.m. Thank you Mrs. Maxfield, youmake Thursday mornings an event to belooked forward to and we appreciate you.

On an ending note, I want to thankyou all for your continued support of theRanchos Library. Thank you for makingour library a successful entity. Continue tocome in and check out all of the newthings that are coming through. Continueto support the Ranchos Library throughour SHARES program, donating recycles,donations of new best sellers, Bucks forBooks and Amazon Smiles rewards.

The Ranchos Library wishes you all aHealthy and Happy New Year!

Reflections on the Past 12 Months

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Your Chamber at WorkWith the community’shelp, over 100 bags ofneeded supplies forour veterans at theFresno VA hospitalwere collected anddistributed as the re-

sult of the Chamber’s An-nual Christmas Tree lighting event. Find out how youcan be a part of this vital Ranchos group. Call 645-4001.

Be a Crab Feed “500” Sponsor

Is your business going to the Crab Feed? For $500 you get a table for10, get to put your company banner up at the event, have your namelisted at every table, have your table introduced at the event and belisted in the Ranchos Independent. Call 645-4001.

Friday,March 4 • 6 p.m.

At the beautiful DANTECLUBNo-Host Bar • Music • Auctions

Your $45 ticket includes Crab, Salad, Pasta, Bread andDessert!Tables of 10 are available for your Business or Group. Business Sponsorships are also available. Call for info.

Proceeds go to the Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce. TheAnnual CrabFeed always sells outso get your tickets early! You can get your tickets at the Chamber office, theRanchos Independent,

Ranchos PizzaFactory or theRanchos Café. 12/15

The 13thAnnualChamber

The Golden Valley Chamber of Commerce would love to see you atour next meeting, always the secondWednesday of the month at 6:30p.m. 37167 Ave. 12 Suite 5C. Call us at 645-4001.

Call the Chamber for more information. 645-4001

Page 13

www.The Ranchos.com

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Works Director, since the October departureof Johannes Hoevertsz, introduced himselfand invited residents to contact him withtheir concerns. Norman Allinder, PlanningDirector for Madera County, also introducedhimself and said, in referenced to the pro-posed consolidation project for VTR andMD-10a that the, “… net effect is a bettersystem.”

Alvina Prakash, Engineer I with MaderaCounty Public Works Department, Munici-pal Services Division, then gave a brief sum-mary of recent efforts by the County for theMD-10a — VTR Consolidation Project, theMD-10a Pipeline Replacement/Water MeterProject and a potential project to consolidatethe Golden Valley Unified School District(GVUSD) water system with MD-10a’s thatwas also reported on in the August 2014issue of the Ranchos Independent (“WaterHose” Offered to MD-10a). Regarding aMD-10a — GVUSD consolidation, she saidthat since MD-10a would not be eligible forgrant funding, the County would not pursuean application. But she had been told by theState on Dec. 9 that if GVUSD applied, theywould be eligible for grant funding.

One Million Gallon Storage Tank offthe Table for Now

Prakash, who provided a two-page sum-mary hand-out on the three projects, said that

the MD-10a — VTR Consolidation Projecthad gone through much iteration since its in-ception in June of 2014, including beingtransferred from VTR to the County as thelead agency and potentially including a 1million gallon storage tank for the consoli-dated system. But, Prakash said, the Statedoes not currently have a program to includesuch a tank. (The potential tank was previ-ously part of an incentive program throughthe California Department of Public Health,which is no longer managing the State Re-volving Fund of grant monies for infrastruc-ture improvements). Prakash also said thatby itself, MD-10a does not qualify for grantfunding but only low-interest loan fundingbecause, according the U.S. Census, the Me-dian Household Income of MD-10a resi-dents is $75,480, which is well aboveaverage for the State of California, and there-fore cannot be classified as a disadvantagedcommunity based on income.

MD-10a System StatusAfter Prakash spoke, Kassy Chauhan,

with the State Board, introduced herself andalso quickly covered some of the history ofthe State’s recent reorganization and fundingmechanism machinations, which she ac-knowledged were quite confusing. Chauhanthen gave a report on the status of the MD-10a water system. Referring to her own two-

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page hand-out, she said that her agency, theState Board’s Division of Drinking Water,regulatesMD-10a and that it had issued a re-vised Water Supply Permit in November2015, which has several special provisionswith which the County must comply, in-cluding ongoing water production monitor-ing of the system’s four active wells – NewFender, Charlton, Kensington and Dublin –to ensure that both maximum day demandand peak hour demand, in gallons per minute(gpm) are being met. In 2015, during Stage3.5 water use restriction, MD-10a had a peakhour demand of 1,481 gpm. This, she said,was just slightly less than the system capac-ity, minus the highest producing well of1,490 gpm. But, in 2014, without water userestrictions, the peak hour demandwas 2,300gpm, far above the high well-absent systemcapacity.

Chauhan gave all the background andsystem details to say that, despite its newDublin Well, MD-10a would likely fall outof compliance with its permit conditionsshould one of the four higher-producing ac-tive wells go down. And that could result inenforcement actions from the State such asprohibiting further system connections or de-velopment. The simple and nearly costlessand risk-free solution, Chauhan said, was toallow Valley Teen Ranch, with its 30 resi-dents, to connect its upcoming new well tothe MD-10a system.

Joel Greathouse,Associate Sanitary En-gineer and Region 3 Project Manager whoworks for the State Board in Fresno in theDivision of Financial Assistance, answered

a question from resident Jeff McGrath to saythat the State has provisions to cover over-ages on what has been estimated to be a$2,955,000 project to install a new 800 gpmwell and lay about two miles of distributionpipe. MD-10a would not be held liableshould any overages in the projected budgetoccur, he said. And while both Greathouseand Chauhan acknowledged that the Countywould need to continue to assess its rates toensure adequate funds to operate and main-tain the water system, they said there wouldbe very little additional maintenance but agreat many benefits associated with a newwell.

Everyone BenefitsFor Valley Teen Ranch, a facility lo-

cated two miles west of the Ranchos offAv-enue 12, the benefits would be having aconsistent source of clean water and nolonger being responsible for maintaining itsown water system. Considered a disadvan-taged community, or DAC, VTR has beenguaranteed a new drinking water well, withor without consolidation withMD-10a, at nocost.According to JohnAdams, a resident ofthe Ranchos who works at VTR, the facilityis made up of three buildings each of whichhouse 10 boys and contains two bathrooms,two showers, two toilets and a dishwasher.



Page 14

www.The Ranchos.com

Page 15

12/1

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EmbraceWhat?

You know the warning printed on yourcar’s side-view mirror: “Objects in the mir-ror are closer than they appear?” Well, Ithink our calendars should come with a De-cember warning: “Dates on the calendar arecloser than they appear.”

I know this is nothing new. It sneaks uponus every year—but really.Where didOc-tober andNovember go?Herewe are gettingvery close to Christmas and some are gettingvery close to crashing.Before you crash,mayI recommend something that may help saveyour sanity? Embrace imperfection!

Which is better — to relax with yourcompany when they arrive, or to have spot-less blinds and baseboards with you franti-cally getting ready at the lastminute?Whichis better — to have your gifts wrapped andready a week before Christmas, or fightingthe crowds still looking for the “perfect” gifton Christmas Eve? When perfection is thegoal it slows and sometimes even stopsprogress. We don’t realize that we can con-trol the pressure and reduce the stress simplyby embracing imperfection.

If you’re preparing for company, makea short list of the non-negotiables — thestuff you feel absolutely needs to be done.Such as: De-clutter the living room; cleanthe guest bath and kitchen; and prepare thetable and food. Schedule specific times forthe tasks you’ve deemed essential. Considerdone is better than perfect. I can almostguarantee no one will be putting a whiteglove on your blinds or baseboards.

Don’t be afraid to temporarily hide amess.Yes, I said it. If de-cluttering the living

room means cluttering a closet, laundryroom or bedroom, do it and close the door.Of course I don’t recommend you leavingit that way indefinitely, but the holidaysmean extra stuff like bags and bows andboxes of decorations that we didn’t havetime to get to. Remember, we’re not goingfor the perfect house award; we just want toenjoy our family and friends, so let it go.

Get others involved. I know the saying,“If you want something done right, do ityourself,” but I’ll let you in on a little secret— you can’t do it all, at least not with agood attitude. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’mpreaching to myself when I say, “Delegate.”

The kids can vacuum and dust, or ifyou have a cleaning service, don’t cleanafter they’re done (I know some of you do).Maybe someone else can make Grandma’specan pie recipe this year, or just send out anemail and have people sign up to bringwhatthey want. Make a list of last minute thingsthat need to be done so that as your guestsarrive you’re prepared to enlist their help.Maybe the forks won’t be positioned per-fectly by the plates, but remember our newmantra — done is better than perfect.

Samewith gift giving:Most of uswouldprefer sharing a Christmas celebration witha loved one who didn’t arrive home ex-hausted at midnight Christmas Eve becausetheywere still searching for the “perfect” gift.If you have that perfectionist tendency, con-sider giving a gift card with a coupon for ashopping day with you. That way you knowthey’ll get what they want and you can bepart of it without all the stress. Or give themthe gift of peace and productivity – an Or-ganized by Choice gift certificate.

When it comes down to it, there is re-ally only one perfect gift. It’s a one-size-fits-all. “For God so loved the world that Hegave His one and only Son … thanks be toGod for His indescribable gift!” MerryChristmas!

ContactOrganized byChoice (becausethings don’t always fall into place) at P.O.Box26152,Fresno,CA93729, call 559-871-3314 or email [email protected] can also visit their website at www.organizedbychoice.com.

MERRY CHRISTMASFrom Our Family To Yours!

12/15

Thank Youfor making our1st YEAR

so successful!

645-8918


Page 16

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VTR has no plans to build, expand, acceptnew residents or to begin irrigating, he said.Therefore, they would need only about 10percent of the capacity of a new 800 gpmwell.

ForMD-10a, the benefits of consolidat-ing with VTR would include a new well, a25 percent increase in system capacity andincreasing the buffer for risking an ex-ceedance of maximum day demand and peakhour demand and any associated penalties orenforcement by the State.An additional ben-efit for MD-10a, Chauhan said, would be tohave funds earmarked for a new systemwellavailable for other purposes.

Supervisor Frazier said that theMD-10aresidents would soon vote, according toProposition 218 procedure, in a simple elec-tion as to whether or not to accept the State’soffer of a free well in conjunction with con-solidating withVTR. The steps prior includea further analysis on the best location for thewell and also a rate analysis for operationsand management and capital improvements.After the studies are done, a notice will goout and voting will be conducted 45 daysthereafter. Both County and State represen-tatives at the meeting agreed that all of thiscould happen as quickly as in three-month’stime.

Some residents at the meeting remainedskeptical and concerned about the State’soffer.Although Frazier said, as he had in Oc-tober during the two meetings he held forresidents of MD-10a, which were reportedon in the October issue of the Ranchos Inde-pendent (MD-10a Ratepayers get a “do-

over”) that there will have to be a rate in-crease regardless, Seth Thomas, a Ranchosresident present at the Dec. 9 meeting ex-pressed concern that his fellow MD-10aratepayers would not accept a rate increasetogether with consolidation with VTR, evenif the two things were not related.

Chuck LaRue, another Ranchos resi-dent, expressed a great deal of concern aboutthe County, due to a high attrition rate of itsemployees, the current state of the MD-10asystem and budget, and the relative newnessof the current County employees involved.LaRue asked the State representatives if theycould provide some kind of guarantee inwriting and also urged them to thoroughlyanalyze the pros and cons of installing a newwell at the VTR site versus within the cur-rentMD-10a assessment boundary where upto six lots previously earmarked for wells re-main available.

In response, Greathouse and Chauhansaid that the State would ensure that onlyqualified contractors with adequate insur-ance and performance bonds would be used,the State would oversee the expenditure offunds and that a new well would be an in-surance policy in and of itself for MD-10a,adding the State would consider installingthe well in the Ranchos. Another Ranchosresident, Linda Bresee, said that she had at-tended many such meetings in the past forMD-10a, none of which had accomplishedanything and would like a summary of themeeting. Chauhan responded by saying thebenefit of the project is an insurance policyof additional capacity with little or no risk—



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rected to build out Liberty High Schooland Ranchos Middle School. This op-tion is closing quickly and we need toact NOW if we want to preserve thischance. According to my mentor, DocBuchanan, it takes 2,400 students togenerate the revenue needed for a com-prehensive high school.

I'd like to explain the ClovisModel, if I may. Each module (thereare five) has one four-year high school(2,400 students) supported by one two-year middle school (1,200 students)and six elementary schools (600 stu-dents each). When a module is full,7,200 students, they start a new one.Here’s how the Buchanan/Clovis modelworks: Each elementary school has sixgrades with 100 students in each grade.Every year 600 sixth graders graduateto the middle school. The middleschool has two grades, 7th and 8th,each with 600 students. Each year themiddle school graduates 600 studentsto the high school. The high school has600 students in each grade for a total of2,400 students. If 2,400 students at oneschool sounds like a lot, we can mod-ify the model but it won't be a compre-hensive high school. We would have tofinancially supplement the district if

the goal is comprehensive schools.The third way is to utilize the dis-

trict revenue we already receive moreefficiently. At present, 85 percent of thedistrict’s revenue is spent for laborcosts. If we can decrease our labor costas a percentage of budget by 10 percent,for example, that would free $1.4 mil-lion per year at present levels. If we cansupplement that with available grantmoney, I think we can create many real,new opportunities for our students whilekeeping our school enrollments low.

The fourth option I see is any com-bination of the three. I think I can sup-port any of the four options if it's thecommunity’s choice. The only option Icannot support is DOING NOTHING.

93636, if you know of another orbetter way to bring CVT and/or otheropportunities to GVUSD, please takethe time to write a Letter to the Editorand explain. I'd like to start a commu-nity dialog concerning this topic withthe intent of advancing the ball. I'mlooking for suggestions and advice. Anyhelp is appreciated. If anyone wouldlike to contact me directly, please emailme at [email protected].

God Bless 93636

Warren ParrMadera Ranchos

LETTERS cont. from P. 4

... Don’t Drink and Drive!Remember to Call a Cab or Designate a Driver!

Remember ... If You’re Going to Do This ...

Wishes You the

Safest and Happy Holiday Possible!

HAPPY HOLIDAYSPISTORESI

AMBULANCE

12/1

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PISTORESI

the only risk being the possibility of a slightincrease in operations andmanagement cost.Also in summary, JohnAdams ofVTR char-acterized the project as getting “anotherhorse to pull the cart.” Supervisor Frazierthen said, “With a pebble added to the cart.”In closing, Chauhan said, “Hope to see youat the Proposition 218 hearing.”

(Editor’s Note: The MD-10a Ratepay-

ers get a “do-over” story in October’s issueof the Ranchos Independent contained anerror on page 3 in stating that Engineer IAlvina Prakash gave an update about theLiberty Village Development Project. In fact,former Public Works Director Hoevertsz andDeputy Public Works Director Jared Cartersummarized that project at the two Octobermeetings, respectively. Any questions aboutthe Liberty Village Shopping Center shouldbe directed to the Planning Department at675-7821.)



Page 18

ARanchos resident for over 30 years, I am a full-time professional agent working Madera,Fresno and Clovis. We offer first class service for sellers and buyers. Unable to sell atcurrent prices? We offer full property management and will rent your home for topdollar and handle all the details. Call me today! 490-1989 • DRE#: 01323109 12/15

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Alteration Services

Madlin's Alterations - 45 years ex-perience - Tailoring, repairs andleathers. Fast service. NEW AD-DRESS & PHONE NUMBER:36027 Ruth Ave. Call 559-645-4583.

Child Care

Child Care - Susan Ryan Day Care.Newborn to 5 years old. Licensed. Call661-4725 or 706-0424.

Chimney Sweep

Paul the Chimney Sweep Guy - 28years experience. Wood Stove inserts,pellet stoves and fireplaces. Also cleandryer vents. REMEMBER THINKSAFETY, BURN SAFELY! Call 559-908-9332.

Construction

New construction, remodels, room addi-tions, barns and patios. Call 559-970-4476.

Fo r Sa l e

F i r e w o o d - S e a s o n e d A l -m o n d f i r e w o o d . R o u n d o rs p l i t . C a l l 2 5 9 - 7 1 2 2 o r6 4 5 - 5 5 2 3 .

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G u t t e r S e r v i c e s

The Gutter Doctor specializing inboth continuous and standard raingut ters . General Contractor - Re-pair Maintenance. 32 years work-ing in the area. Call 559-822-2759.

Housecleaning

Housecleaning - Get ready for theholidays. Call Linda or Staci at559-458-3248.

Housecleaning Service - Have yourhouse spring-cleaned all year long.Experienced, Responsible, Honest.

Fair prices. Call 416-2585.

Painting Services

Paint ing Services - 40 years ofexperience . Licensed. FrankKramer Exteriors . Lic . #273099.Call 645-4113.

Recyclables Pick Up

KEEP IT LOCAL - FREE RECY-CLABLE PICKUP - KIDS 4 RECY-CLING offers pickup of allrecyclable materials including paper,plastic, glass, aluminum and card-board. Call Diana at 999-6832 or645-1048, Funds support Ranchoscommunity organizations and schools.

Tractor/Trenching Services

BOBCAT WORK - DRILLING POSTHOLES - Trees - Trenching - Clean Up.TRACTOR WORK Discing - Rototilling- Mowing - Scraping - Stump Grinding -Roll-off Bins. Call John at 908-1066.

TractorWork-HousePads, lot leveling,drive-ways, trenching, concrete work and under-ground utilities installed.Call 559-970-4476.

WindowCleaning Services

Most windows $5 inside/out -Screen, track, sills included. Removehard water stain on home windows,shower doors and car windows. Cobweb

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Let us celebrate Christ’s birth, give thanks for His death, rejoice inHis resurrection and share in His eternal peace. May the Prince of

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We couldn’t have asked for a finer communitywith which to do business. May your home be blessed with

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Page 20

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Business Directory

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) At this time you might want to resist that otherwise admirable Ariespenchant for getting to the heart of amatter quickly. Keep inmind that a delicate situation calls for patience.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your aspects favor more diplomacy and fewer direct confrontationswhen dealing with a relationship problem.Avoiding hurt feelings can help in your search for the truth.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Positive aspects are strong this week. Although you might still haveto deal with some problems caused by a recent period of turmoil, importantly you are making progress.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A family matter could benefit from your counsel. But don't comeinto it unless invited, and don't stay if you feel uneasy. Just remember to reassure one and all that you'llbe there for them.

LEO (July23toAugust22)As the truth about an ongoing situation emerges, you could find that you wereright to defer judgment before you had all the facts. Nowwould be a good time to move on to other matters.

VIRGO (Augus t 23 to Sep t ember 22 ) Your plans to take control of a personal situationbecause you feel you are best qualified could create resentment. Best to hear what everyone elseinvolved in the matter has to say about it.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Uncovering some surprising background facts about thatongoing personal matter could make you reconsider the extent of your involvement. A neutral familymember offers advice.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Religious or spiritual themes start to dominate your aspectthis week. This can serve as a counterweight to the mounting effects of the season's growingcommercialization.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Taking on that recent challenge impresseda lot of important decision-makers. Meanwhile, proceed with your holiday plans, and don't forget toinclude you-know-who in them.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Disagreeing with an opinion you can't accept couldbe dicey, and your motives might be questioned. Best to wait to mount a challenge until you havesupport for your position.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Getting involved in helping others in this increasinglyhectic period not only makes the generous Aquarian feel good, but you could also gain a moresubstantive benefit from your actions.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) The Piscean way of thinking clearly and objectively helps youresolve a complex situation without creating any ill will. Don't be surprised if your counsel is requestedon another matter.

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Page 22

1. MOVIES: What was the 1953 film forwhich Frank Sinatra received a BestSupporting Actor Oscar?2. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What is anatatorium?3. FAMOUS QUOTATIONS: Who oncesaid, "I have not failed. I've just found10,000 ways that won't work"?4. CHEMISTRY: What is the symbol forthe element copper?5. LITERATURE: What was the name ofthe captain in Jules Verne's "TwentyThousand Leagues Under the Sea"?6. MUSIC: What pop artist had a No. 1 hitwith "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"?7. GEOGRAPHY: What is the highestpoint in the United States east of theMississippi River?8.AD SLOGAN:What company's productwas featured in ads with the slogan "theultimate driving machine"?9. FOOD & DRINK: What flavor is theliqueur Cointreau?10. LANGUAGE: What is a courgette?

1."FromHeretoEternity"2.Buildingcontaininganindoorswimmingpool

3.ThomasEdison4.Cu(Latin"cuprum")5.CaptainNemo6.RupertHolmes7.MountMitchell,NorthCarolina8.BMW9.Orange10.Zucchini

Answers

TRIVIATESTBy Fifi Rodriguez



Page 23

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SSuuppeerr Crossword

12/1

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Documents

PRSRTSTD ECR U.S.POSTAGEPAID Independent MADERA, … · The PRSRTSTD ECR U.S.POSTAGEPAID MADERA, CA. ... Ranchos resident, Amy Louise Chavoya, 42, has been charged by the Madera County