NORTH FORK – A determined couple and a lot of help from social media helped track down a stolen vehicle and put two suspects behind bars last Friday. When Chad Williams drove over to his shop on Wilcox Drive at about 8:30 a.m. on Friday morning, Apr. 14, he was just planning to get ready for a trip up 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 ...

NORTH FORK — As always, the North Fork Boy Scout Troop 357 has had a busy winter. In January, the Scouts spent the afternoon at Boomers! in Fresno, and before returning to North Fork, stopped at In-N-Out for dinner. In February, the Scouts headed up to Shaver Lake for a day in the snow, and in March, traveled to Morro ...

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 ...

NORTH FORK — The public is invited to attend a presentation by well-known wildlife biologist Phil Bartholomew on Wednesday, Apr. 19, at the North Fork School. The presentation will be part of the annual Sierra Vista Scenic Byway meeting. In 1928, Orland Bartholomew made a 300-mile trek in mid-winter from Yosemite to Mount Whitney, which included the first winter ascent ...

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 ...

OAKHURST — Sierra Tel is offering up pizza and cookies as part of their customer service plan today, after more than 30 hours of interrupted internet for some customers. Many residents began to experience technical problems with internet connections on Monday morning, Apr. 10, and the number of people having difficulties grew throughout the day. “We are currently experiencing an issue that could ...

OAKHURST — The Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary School District Board of Trustees has selected Leadership Associates’ executive search advisor Sally Frazier, assisted by Juan Garza, to conduct the recruitment and comprehensive search process for the selection of the next district superintendent. In March, current Superintendent Glenn Reid announced his retirement, effective in August of 2017. Community input will be ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Apr. 3 to Sunday, Apr. 9, 2017: Oakhurst theft On Monday, Apr. 3 at 12:07 p.m., a deputy at the Oakhurst substation was dispatched to speak to a reporting party concerning a petty theft, said to have taken place on the 47000 Block of Road 620. ...