MADERA — You may soon be able to “attend” a Madera County Board of Supervisors or Planning Commission meeting without traveling to Madera.
    A proposed video-teleconference project would electronically link an Oakhurst teleconference location with the board’s chamber in Madera.
    Spearheaded by Supervisor Gary Gilbert [District 5-Mountain Area] the project would be funded by a grant from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
    The district is currently accepting funding applications for projects that will reduce motor vehicle emissions.
    “The project application is being prepared now,” says Supervisor Gilbert. “It will be submitted to the district by September 7.”
    The project would be a collaboration between the county, the State Center Community College District (SCCCD) and Sierra Telephone.
    “If funded, the county will oversee implementation of the project,” says Supervisor Gilbert. “The SCCCD will provide an Oakhurst site where a dedicated portable trailer for teleconferencing will be located. Sierra Telephone will assist in the installation of the video network.”
    The project would equip the board’s chamber as essentially a television studio — an Oakhurst location would be similarly equipped, allowing interactive two-way audio and video transmissions between the two locations.

    Wrapping up its first year, the Oakhurst Community Advisory Council will be focusing on some internal organization matters at its Thursday [August 31] meeting.
    The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Oakhurst Community Center, and everyone is encouraged to attend.
    Of the nine members appointed by the Madera County Board of Supervisors, four “drew straws” that resulted in one-year terms, yet the bylaws do not specify the ending date of those initial terms. Future terms for all council members will be for two years.
    In addition to clarification of terms, the council will also consider electing a new chair following the resignation of Eric Wilkins after the July meeting.
    As always, the public is invited to participate in the “public comment” portion of the meeting.
    Usually the first order of business, public comment is an opportunity for Oakhurst area residents to bring to the attention of the council items that are not listed on the agenda. Though no immediate action can be taken during the meeting, the council has the option of placing such items on future agendas.
    The council was appointed as a vehicle for improving communication between the community of Oakhurst and county agencies. It meets on the last Thursday of the month.

    NIPINNAWASEE — The fatal shooting of an armed suspect by a Madera County Sheriff’s Department deputy last week reminded officers and citizens alike that the Mountain Area is not exempt from the potential dangers of law enforcement.
    A team of officers converged on an area northeast of here at approximately 5 a.m. last Thursday to eradicate a marijuana garden.
    An investigator says an anonymous tip led to a search warrant and the plan to raid the property along historic Worman Road, off Highway 49 approaching the Mariposa County line.
    When the officers arrived, they were confronted by a man who pointed a handgun at a deputy.
    The officer fired a single shot, fatally wounding the man.

    MADERA — Non-emergency calls to 9-1-1 are a major problem for the Madera County Sheriff’s Department — they cost money, cost time, and may endanger lives.
    Patricia Crews is the dispatch supervisor at the Sheriff’s Department Office.
    Ms. Crews, a 10-year veteran with the department, oversees the communications center, which receives 9-1-1 calls, as well as many other calls.
    “We receive all emergency and non-emergency calls for law enforcement services in the unincorporated areas of Madera County,” says Ms. Crews.
    The cities of Madera and Chowchilla have their own police departments.