MADERA - Local historian and newspaper columnist Bill Coate was honored by Madera South High School Friday when he was selected to be Grand Marshall of the 2015 Homecoming parade. Coate drove through the streets of Madera towards Madera South High School in a convertible Mustang from Silva Ford with his grandson and daughter Friday afternoon. Then later that night in the middle of Lee DaSilva Field at Memorial Stadium, flipped the coin with the officials to start the football game.
After leaving his native state of Florida, Bill Coate enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1959. While he was stationed at Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento, he met and married Mary Ann Judge. They have been married for 54 years. Bill and Mary have two children, Debbie and John. They have five grandchildren, Jordan Scott, Sara Coate, William Coate, Emily Coate, and Kristine Kemmer. They also have two great grandchildren, Milo and Grace.
MADERA RANCHOS - In what may prove to be a lesson for all school boards in the Central Valley, three Golden Valley Unified School District Trustees have been removed from office. The recall movement in the Madera Ranchos that started when the school board fired a popular superintendent, Andy Alvarado, resulted in an over-whelming percentage of the voters saying goodbye three members.
MADERA - After a year and a half the Madera County District Attorney's Office has dropped all charges against a Madera man accused of brandishing a firearm at an off-duty CHP officer who was following him in a road-rage incident through the city of Madera.
ROSEVILLE, CA -Wanted fugitive Kyle Snipes has been captured by the Roseville Police Department and is sitting in a Placer County jail awaiting transfer back to Fresno. The arrest took place Monday afternoon the community located north/east of Sacramento, where Snipes has family. According to Lt. Bill Ward of the Madera County Sheriff's Department, Snipes will be transported back to the valley tomorrow.
