Local News

AFTER COURT: No Winner, No Loser, No Decisions on MUSD Area 5 Trustee Race - Just Extended Deadlines

MADERA COUNTY – The election which seems it will never end between Lucy Salazar and Steve Duncan for the Madera Unified School District Area 5 Trustee position will have to wait a few more months for a winner to be decided.

This morning Madera County Clerk Rebecca Martinez along with Attorney Michael Linden of the Madera County Counsel’s Office (Lozano Smith) went to court in order to extend the deadline for certification of the November 6^th election from December 6^th 2018 to June 6^th, 2019. The matter was heard before the Honorable Judge James Oakley in Department 45 of the Madera County Superior Court.

TJ Cox Declares Victory in CA-21

SELMA – Today, TJ Cox, Democratic candidate for the 21^stCongressional District, extended his lead over Republican Congressman David Valadao. When Kings County released its final vote totals, Mr. Cox gained a net 70 votes and now leads Congressman Valadao by 506 votes.

Previously, votes in Kings County heavily favored Congressman Valadao who received 62.7%, compared to 37.3% for Mr. Cox. In the recent update, Mr. Cox won 52.4% of the 1,438 remaining votes. While there are outstanding ballots in Fresno and Kern counties, these votes have heavily favored Mr. Cox in the updates since Election Day.

Mexican National Pleads Guilty to 15-Pound Methamphetamine Deal in Kern County

FRESNO - Oscar Ivan Salazar-Avalos, 28, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Salazar and his co-defendant Jose Manuel Sotelo-Mendoza, 26, of Ceres, delivered 15 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Delano after Salazar negotiated with the officer to sell the drug for $3,400 per pound. In pleading guilty, Salazar acknowledged that he and Sotelo had met his source of supply in Castaic in the northern part of Los Angeles County to obtain the 15 pounds of methamphetamine. In addition, Salazar indicated that they intended to make $51,000 on the deal.

Modesto Man Sentenced to Prison and Another Pleads Guilty to Burglarizing Fresno Firearms Store

FRESNO - Johnny Sanchez, 22, of Modesto, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill to 11 years and eight months in prison for stealing 50 firearms from a Fresno gun store last year, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Co‑defendant Nathan Creel, 22, also of Modesto, pleaded guilty today to conspiring with Sanchez and three others in connection with the burglary of the firearms store.

According to court documents, on October 20, 2017, Sanchez, Creel, and co-defendants James Britt, David Avina, and Luis Galvan broke into the Fresno firearms store by cutting a chain and lock with bolt cutters and prying open the door. The defendants stole 50 firearms, including numerous foreign and domestic rifles. After the theft, the defendants sold most of the firearms to others.

MUSD Area 5 Trustee Race Goes to Court For Possible Run-Off

MADERA – The Madera County Elections Department is headed to court over the Madera Unified School District Area 5 election between Steve Duncan and Lucy Salazar. Thursday morning Madera County Clerk Rebecca Martinez will ask Judge James Oakley to extend the deadline to certify that election from December 6^th, 2018 to at least six months from now.

On November 26^th, 2018 Attorney Michael Linden from Lozano Smith Attorneys at Law, Madera County’s contracted County Counsel, said in a letter to both candidates that Ms. Martinez does not feel she can certify the election at this time because of an error in the mail ballot merging process that allowed voters outside of the MUSD Area 5 boundaries to improperly vote in this elections.