NORTH FORK — Work on Madera County’s first public roundabout, a $1.9-million project that will dramatically transform the intersection of Roads 225 and 274 in North Fork, kicked off this week. Ahmad Alkhayyat, Madera County’s public works director, reported the construction work, which began Monday, is starting out “smoothly.” “No issues thus far,” Alkhayyat said Thursday afternoon. One of a ...

LONG BEACH — Former Oakhurst resident and 2012 Yosemite High School (YHS) valedictorian Riley Cooks has emerged as a top contender to make the 2020 U.S. Olympic heptathlon team. Riley, 25, is now living in southern California and working as a substitute school teacher while training to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. Her next major hurdle — and javelin throw ...

MARIPOSA — PG&E will host the first in a planned series of public meetings to let area residents know more about the utility’s new ‘Public Safety Power Shutoff’ plan, which allows PG&E to shut off electric distribution and transmission power lines that pass through high fire-threat areas during periods of high winds, extreme low humidity or other potentially dangerous conditions. ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Amanda Steen, co-owner with her sister Alison of Graydon Kennels in Coarsegold, offers some tips to area pet owners when traveling with pets during the scorching heat of summer. “Whether your pet rides inside the car or truck or outside in the truck bed, higher temperatures mean even more precautions need to be taken,” Amanda says. The ...

COARSEGOLD — Graydon Kennels has been family-owned and operated since 1975, but with the untimely passing of longtime owner Michael Steen in January 2018, his 30-year-old twin daughters — Amanda and Alison — were left with the challenge of keeping the family business running. “It’s been a stressful time for us but we’re trying very hard to carry on my ...

COARSEGOLD — Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino will host a job fair on Tuesday, June 11 to fill over 70 part- and full-time positions. The job fair, scheduled from noon to 5 p.m., is open to the public and will take place in the Firehouse Lounge at the casino, located at 711 Lucky Lane. Casino managers will be making “on ...

OAKHURST — Twenty-five summers ago, when the Yosemite Jazz Band first began playing on the patio at The Pizza Factory, Berl Howell and his buddies Ted Strauss and Jimmie Kirin had no idea their Thursday night gigs would become an Oakhurst tradition. “Back then, we just enjoyed getting together and practicing our music in public,” Howell says. “They used to ...

NORTH FORK — Construction activity will soon begin at the intersection of Road 274 and Road 225 in North Fork, the site of Madera County’s first public roundabout. According to a message posted on the Madera County Public Works Department’s Facebook page and electronic signs near the site, construction will begin on the project starting Monday, June 10. “Barring any ...

AHWAHNEE — Well known local artist and former landscaping contractor Ronna Adler is leaving the area — and on Sunday, June 9, friends and fans are gathering at Rev’s Farmhouse in Oakhurst to give her a proper send-off. Ronna, 83, has lived in Ahwahnee since 1990 and now she’s moving to Oklahoma next month to live with her daughter. “This ...

MADERA — Representatives from law enforcement agencies across Madera County will participate in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics on Tuesday, June 11 in Madera and Chowchilla. This year’s opening ceremonies, hosted by Madera County Probation, begin at 7 a.m. at Courthouse Park in Madera. The mission of the Law Enforcement Torch Run is to raise awareness ...