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PAGE A6 Saturday, January 12, 2013 M A D E R A T R I B U N EMadera Tribune, Madera, Calif.Local Weather ForecastLocal Rainfall andWeather AlmanacProvided by MaderaIrrigation DistrictJanuary 11, 2013High: 46Low: 30Rain: 0.00This Season: 6.83Last Season: 1.68Normal: 4.54Forecast for Maderaand surrounding areaToday...Mostly sunny. Widespreadfrost in the morning. Highs 43 to 48.Tonight...Partly cloudy. Widespreadfrost after midnight. Lows 23 to 29.Sunday...Sunny. Widespread frost inthe morning. Highs 46 to 51.WENDYALEXANDER/THEMADERA TRIBUNEA gust ofwind touslesleaves in theair Friday inMaderaCounty.Today’sforecastis mostlysunny witha high of48 andlow of 23.Inspection station protects farms, angers driversBy Tim O’ReillyLAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNALYERMO, Calif. — When atruck with a boat pulled intothe right lane of this highdesert outpost’s border inspectionstation, it was literallyhands on deck for Greg DuBose.And on the sides of the hull,the stern, the intake and exhaustpipes, the outboard motor’spropeller and the shortladder next to it.Du Bose, the station manager,and another inspector hadto rub their hands over theboat in their search for tiny,fast-breeding and resilient babyquagga mussels — high onthe California Department ofFood and Agriculture’s mostdreaded pest list.Less than a minute later, aU-Haul truck in the adjacentlane triggered a standard openthe-backinspection.“Just like that, we’re downto one lane,” Du Bose told theLas Vegas Review-Journal.“If we get another box truck,traffic comes to a standstill.”On a recent Wednesday afternoon,it didn’t matter much.There was no backup duringthe few minutes required topronounce the boat and the U-Haul clean and to let theirdrivers continue southward onInterstate 15.But when tourist hordes decampLas Vegas on a Sundayor after a holiday weekend, thecar lines quickly grow tolengths best measured by anodometer. Ten-mile backupsare not unheard of.“We hear more complaintsabout Yermo than anyplaceelse,” said Lance Todd, programdirector for HighwayRadio, a Barstow, Calif.-basedoperation that closely monitorsI-15 traffic. “It is theworst bottleneck on a regularbasis. There’s no place elsewhere you are required to stopor slow down to see if you aresupposed to stop.”When Las Vegas officialslook at Yermo, nearly 140miles southwest of the Strip,they see an economicheadache.“If I were caught in that line,especially when the temperatureis 115 in the summer, Iwould think long and hardabout when I am going backto Las Vegas,” Las VegasMayor Carolyn Goodmansaid. “To me, the best thingthey could do is just flatten it.I don’t see what good it does.”Traffic increasesBuilt in 1964 to handleLAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOUR-NAL, JERRY HENKEL/AP PHOTOSonia Flores,dressed in a protectivesuit, looksinto a truck haulingbees at theCalifornia agriculturalcheck stationin Yermo. Ownerand driver ChadRagland of ApisHive Company inColorado waits forthe okay from Floresto continuehis trip to Madera.1 million vehicles a year, theYermo border inspection stationsaw 6.4 million in 2011,split between 1.1 million trucksand 5.3 million private cars.And even as traffic volumehas grown, Du Bose said,state budget woes have reducedthe staff to 10 permanentand two temporary inspectorswhere there oncewere 18 to 20 permanent positions.While the hard-pressed inspectorscheck most commercialtrucks, many private vehicleswith Nevada and Californiaplates routinely arewaved through without even aquestion about fruits, vegetablesor plants they might carry.That leaves some locals towonder how the place theycall “the bug station” contributesanything to Du Bose’smission of “minimizing thespread of invasive and evasivespecies that could find a homehere in California’s agriculturalindustry.”Nevada transportation consultantTom Skancke, recentlynamed president and CEOof the Las Vegas RegionalEconomic DevelopmentCouncil, doubts the need forthe station. But, he adds, “Wehave to respect other state’slaws.”You’re not a number,you’re a neighbor.OPEN8 AMDAILY4 HOT PICKSSAT., SUN. & MON. ONLY!Madera MedicalPharmacyWelcomes You.At Madera Medical Pharmacy we take the time to get to know our customers.We believe personalized attention combined with competitive prices and acomfortable environment are what people are really looking for in a pharmacy.We take care of our patients and our community. Let us take care of you.WELCOME YOSEMITE PHARMACY CUSTOMERSTRANSFER YOUR PRESCRIPTION TODAY#1#2#3RED APPLES5 LB. BAGVICKS NYQUILCOLD AND FLU16 oz.Liquid CapsWESSONCOOKING OIL48 oz.$279$699$449Rodney MelikianMadera Medical Pharmacy402 South Madera AvenueMadera, , CA 93637559.674.8553 | Fax: 559.674.0833www.mygnp.com/MaderaMedRxHours: Mon-Fri: 9:00am-6:00pm,Sat: 9:00am-1:00, Sun: ClosedSe Habla Espanol#47 oz. (assorted)YONIQUEYOGURTS2/ $ 1748 North “D” Street • Shopping CenterMadera, CA • 674-7846Prices effective for: 1/12/13 thru 1/14/13WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIESWE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PRINTING ERRORS.