MARIPOSA — After a destructive fire season in 2016, conditions in California are already drying out, prompting Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., to declare May 7 – 13, 2017 as “Wildfire Awareness Week.” During Wildfire Awareness Week, Cal Fire is stressing the critical role all residents play in preparing for fire season now. Approximately 90 percent of all wildfires in ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Apr. 24 to Sunday, Apr. 30, 2017: Coarsegold motor vehicle stop On Monday, Apr. 24 at 2:16 a.m. a deputy made a traffic stop in the area of CA-41 and Lucky Lane regarding false tabs. The driver was cited and the vehicle ...

MADERA COUNTY — Motorists who travel the Highway 41 corridor in Madera County to and from the foothills can expect intermittent delays of up to 20 minutes on at least a handful of occasions in the coming weeks. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announces that one-way traffic control will be in effect for several days over the next two weeks on ...

NORTH FORK – A bit of overcast didn’t stop students at North Fork Elementary School from learning about, and being amazed by the power of the sun. On Friday, Mar. 24, students and teachers, administrators and Chawanakee School Board members gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new solar arrays now providing power at the North Fork School. The ...

NORTH FORK — The Squirrel Cage Theatre Co. presents its annual Spring Fling on Saturday, Apr. 29, at the North Fork Town Hall. The show will be one night only, and will be an evening of music and laughs featuring the return of the “Blues Brothers,” backed up by the horn section of Josh Freeman, Aaron Kern, Dan Rosenberg and ...

O’NEALS — For anyone who has served or remains active in the military, or just wants to see some baseball, stop by Minarets High School on Friday, April 28 starting at 4 p.m. for a very special event as Minarets takes on Fowler on behalf of the U.S. Military. Click on images to enlarge. Minarets Baseball will hold its second annual Military Appreciation Game of ...

OAKHURST — If you want to apply for a spot in Sierra Art Trails (SAT) open studio tour, held the first weekend in October, you still have about two weeks to get your online application turned in. The last day to submit an application to participate is Wednesday, May 17th. This is the first year the SAT application process is on-line ...

NORTH FORK —  The mountain community is invited to enjoy local wines, hors d’oeuvres and live music by Sugar Pine at “Wine and Cheese in the Garden” on Sunday, May 7, from 2-5 p.m. in the North Fork School Garden. Tours will be conducted by master gardener Hansel Kern. Child care will be provided at no charge, and you must be ...

Submitted by Scoutmaster Dave Smith — NORTH FORK — The combination of continued exceptional drought and epidemic numbers of bark beetles have greatly impacted the conifer forest in the Bass Lake area. Forest Service contractors have spent many months removing dead trees from the campgrounds and day use areas around Bass Lake. In April 2016, Scouts of North Fork Boy ...

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 ...