Editor’s Note: We first wrote about Bob Kaspar’s exploits last summer, calling him The Man Who Climbs In Jeans, after he solo-summited Mount Whitney at the tender age of 65. Now, the experienced climber, world traveler and longtime Oakhurst resident is on the road with plans to ride his bike across the United States from a starting point on the beach in ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Apr. 17 to Sunday, Apr. 23, 2017: North Fork narcotics arrest On Monday, Apr. 17 at midnight, a deputy was dispatched to the 34000 block of Road 221 regarding a suspicious person. Upon arrival a male subject was contacted while walking in the ...

CENTRAL SIERRA —  Recent rains have been a welcome sight to drought parched California, but the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) firefighters are not letting their guard down. Cal Fire’s Defensible Space Inspectors (DSI) will be visiting homes within the State Responsibility Area (SRA) to enforce the Defensible Space code, Public Resource Code (PRC) 4291. It requires ...

By Roger Maybee — One way or the other, by now you have probably heard the terms “firewise” and “harden your home.” But what does it really mean? Being firewise is being knowledgeable on how wildfire behavior affects you. Hardening your home against wildfire just means taking steps to improve the chance of your home and structures withstanding ignition by ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — The Coarsegold Resource Conservation District (CRCD) anticipates that they will have some money to help qualified homeowners who need to fell dead trees within 100-feet of their dwelling. “The money comes from the Cal Fire Department of Forestry and Fire Protection – Tree Mortality grant,” explains Anne Melrose, Executive Director of the CRCD. “We are hoping to offer funds to ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Apr. 10 to Sunday, Apr. 16, 2017: North Fork warrant citation On Monday, Apr. 10 at 9:34 a.m. a deputy contacted a male subject in the 32000 block of Road 222 who was cited and released for an outstanding misdemeanor warrant. Case ...

SACRAMENTO – Being Ready for Wildfire has never been easier with Cal Fire’s new Ready for Wildfire app. This new tool puts a whole library of step-by-step checklists in the palm of the user’s hand. It allows homeowners to track their progress while creating Defensible Space, hardening their homes with fire-resistant construction, assembling an emergency supply kit and creating a ...

OAKHURST/MARIPOSA — When thousands of people were suddenly unable to connect to the internet this past week, phones began ringing at Sierra Tel — the local internet provider hit with a malicious hack of one brand of modems. The service interruptions reportedly began as early as last Friday evening for some, and Sierra Tel became aware of the problem on ...

AHWAHNEE — Highway 49 was temporarily closed again today, after a collision resulted in downed lines blocking both sides of the road. This is the third closure of Highway 49 in the last week due to truck accidents. At approximately 12:20 today, CHP received a report of unknown types of lines blocking both lanes of the roadway following a solo-vehicle accident in ...

BASS LAKE — Last week, the County of Madera hosted its two-day Management Workshop in Bass Lake, Calif., which was titled, “United into the Future.” The annual workshop, held this year on Apr. 5 and 6, gives County staff a chance to share the challenges and successes of the past year, and plan the way forward in providing better service ...