News

MADERA – In order to keep patients, families and healthcare providers as safe as possible from the spread of respiratory viruses – including COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) – additional screening precautions, visitor restrictions, and program changes are in effect at all Valley Children’s Healthcare locations – including Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, and our specialty care, primary care and urgent care practices throughout Central California. It is important to note that as of today, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in any of the 12 counties we serve.

“In all we do at Valley Children’s, the safety of our kids – and the safety of our staff who care for them – are our top priorities,” says Valley Children’s President and CEO Todd Suntrapak. “We are committed to creating the safest environment possible for children to receive care and keeping our own staff safe is essential to ensure that we can continue to provide the care needed by so many Valley families.”

MADERA – After nearly two months of delays, Madera County welcomes its latest truck stop to the area.   Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is now open. The nation’s industry-leading travel stop network, Love’s is located off Highway 99 at Avenue 17.  With the Pilot Truck Stop open at Avenue 20, Madera County will soon be the truck stop capital of Central California with two more truck stops scheduled to open on Highway 99 at Avenue 12 this month and at Avenue 7 within the year.

Love’s opened their doors last Wednesday to the public adding 94 jobs to the community and 95 truck and 57 car parking spaces. “We’re excited to add another location on the West Coast and our 12th location in California,” said Tom Love, founder and executive chairman of Love’s. “Professional and four-wheel drivers now have another safe, clean and well-maintained stop in this vital corridor to help get them back on the road quickly.”

MADERA - Madera County elected it’s third female supervisor in the county’s 126 years history yesterday. Leticia Gonzelaz, the chief of staff for current district four supervisor Max Rodriguez, was a head all evening and right now sits with a two to one lead of her closest opponent Ric Arredondo with 25.19% of the votes counted.

Both Gonzlaez and Arredondo moved into District Four from Madera County’s District Three to run for this seat. Arredondo also resigned his seat on the Madera Unified Board of Trustees.  In District Three, incumbent Supervisor Robert Poythress ran unopposed and scored over 3500 votes, more votes that all of the candidates in District Four received. 

FRESNO -  On Feb. 20, a federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment against Heather Christiansen Stanley, 47, of Bakersfield, charging her with five counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and one count of attempt to evade and defeat the assessment of a tax, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. The indictment was unsealed following Stanley’s arraignment on Wednesday.

According to court documents, Stanley, a divorce attorney in Bakersfield, represented to her clients that she could hold funds for them in a bank account for safekeeping during the pendency of their divorce proceedings. These monies were her clients’ funds and were not owed to Stanley for legal fees or otherwise.

FRESNO -  On Friday, Feb. 21, Justin Deger, 28, of Fresno, pleaded guilty to two counts of access device fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to the plea agreement, from Dec. 5, 2018, through March 28, 2019, Deger broke into mailboxes at various Fresno area residences.

He stole over 2,000 pieces of mail, including 26 credit cards or account access devices. He subsequently activated some of those devices and made unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals at retailers and casinos totaling thousands of dollars. As part of the plea agreement, Deger agreed to pay full restitution to the victims and forfeiture.

VACAVILLE – Inmate Roy Lewis Norris, 72, died of natural causes at 8:40 p.m. on Monday, February 24, 2020, at California Medical Facility.  Norris had been serving a 45-year-to-life sentence from Los Angeles County for four counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, two counts of forcible rape, and robbery.

Between June 24 and Nov. 20, 1979, Norris and his crime partner Lawrence Sigmond Bittaker, kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered five teenage girls. Norris was on parole at the time after serving time for a conviction from San Diego County for assault with a deadly weapon and rape.