About 10 months ago a dream was born. Robin Ralston, music presenter and host of the Coolwater Concerts house concert series in Ahwahnee since 2007, mentioned she’d like to do something to support the completion of the Eastern Madera County SPCA animal shelter. She asked musician Bob Kaspar if he’d consider doing a benefit concert. Despite some misgivings, he agreed. ...

AHWAHNEE — Here’s a riddle: what do horses, mountain-climbing, and spectacular music have in common? Answer: Robin Ralston. She’s the dedicated patron and mastermind behind the Coolwater Ranch House Concerts. Robin brings top-notch musicians known for entertaining audiences worldwide to play intimate shows in her living room. Following a winding path marked by mixed fortune while maintaining a forward gaze, Robin ...

Greetings Earthlings. This is to notify you that at noontime on August 21 along a 70 mile wide path extending from Oregon to South Carolina, sunlight will be unavailable for about two-and-a-half minutes. Do not panic, this is a scheduled outage. In fact, it has been scheduled for millions of years. If you are not in the path you will ...

OAKHURST — Bob Kaspar has always been ahead of the curve. He built his first telescope at the cusp of his teenage years. When he was 14, the Massachusetts native rode a bicycle alone from southern California to Yosemite. At 15, he spent six weeks solo off-trail hiking and climbing through the High Sierra. Turning 16, Kaspar rebuilt his first car, ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – These people could have said no. When we asked the community to step up and show financial support for local news, these folks became subscribers, advertisers, partners and friends. To each we say: Thank you! Sierra News Online would not exist without you. We love you! If you’d like to join in, subscribe here or advertise here. ...

The road up 8,500 foot Relay Ridge in eastern Utah was recommended for 4-wheel drive or rental vehicles only. So, hoping for an outcome more high-minded than high-centered, I dropped the rugged VW Passat, painted seriously technical Candy White, into low gear — and put the pedal to the plastic. It had been 26 years since I had had observed ...

COARSEGOLD — An ATV accident sent a Coarsegold woman to the hospital last night, and ended in an arrest for suspicion of DUI after she rolled the quad on Highway 41. Just before 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 31, Mary Jane Lomier, 78, was southbound on Highway 41 just south of Road 416 on a 2016 Kawasaki quad — a ...