OAKHURST — On Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, a structure fire was reported at the Creekside Apartments, located at 49484 Road 426, in Oakhurst. As stated in a previous article, a family of four was displaced. There was much damage to their apartment and personal belongings. The family was being helped by the American Red Cross, who has provided them with ...

OAKHURST–The California Highway Patrol in conjunction with VFW Post #8743 offers the second of two senior driving classes, called Age Well, Drive Smart, on Saturday, February 5. A few slots remain for signups. To get your name on the list, contact VFW Post Commander Maryann Enciso at 559/676-6848.  The class is free, but reservations must be made no later than ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — Yes, it’s the dreaded word wildfires. I’m sure it feels like the wrong time of year to be talking about wildfires for many people, but for me, it’s a year-round conversation as a reporter for our Mountain Communities. One of my responsibilities is to monitor and report on wildfires and emergencies on social media. Many in our ...

WISHON — Virginia Walton Pilegard of Wishon, California, passed away January 13, 2022, at the age of 79.  She was born on December 21, 1942, in Fresno, California, to Ralph and Helen Walton and was raised in foothills of Hildreth, California. While working in Jones Store at Beasore Meadows, she met the love of her life, Richard Pilegard, and they ...

HANFORD — The National Weather Service Hanford Office has issued a Wind Advisory and High Wind Warning for areas of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Yosemite National Park and the surrounding foothills beginning Friday morning and continuing until Saturday afternoon. This has people’s attention considering it was one year ago almost to the day that our communities experienced a highly destructive Mono Wind ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — We made it! The past two weeks have been very busy with the holiday season and a rare winter storm with very low elevation snow.  There have been traffic collisions, hazards and many disabled vehicles on our roads.  There were also some power outages sprinkled in too.  For me this has meant that I’ve been furiously posting ...

Mountain Communities – In continued preparation for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) adoption of 988 as the new three-digit number to be used nationwide to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline, 11-digit dialing is being implemented. However, callers must continue to dial 1-800-273-TALK to reach the Mental Health Crisis Lifeline until July 16, 2022. For 988 ...

Mountain Communities – Year-end summary of homes sold in our mountain area in 2021 taken from California Regional Multiple Listing Service Statistics shows an increase over 2020. We had 731 homes (single-family residential properties) in 2021, up from 711 in 2020. Our local median selling price was $400,000 compared to $345,000, up 15%. Prices ranged from $100,000 to $3,850,000. The ...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The ushering in of a new year brings with it the anticipation of a fresh start, positive changes, and healthy resolutions.  What it should not bring are headlines of tragedies caused by drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol. To encourage safe travel for those who are out on the road, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) ...

OAKHURST — It was the day after Christmas 12-26-21, and our area had been receiving some much-needed snow. Families were very excited for the chance to play in the snow together, even though officials had been recommending against travel into the Sierra Nevada Mountains for the week leading up to Christmas, as we reported here. I had spent the day ...