MADERA COUNTY — Madera County residents can now welcome more than two dozen new volunteers to the ranks of those who are ready, willing and very able to respond to Search & Rescue missions. Twenty-nine individuals completed the arduous four-month training to become Madera County Search & Rescue (MADSAR) team members, and proved their mettle on Saturday in a mock ...

Written by Joanne Freemire —  NORTH FORK — With a 90 percent die-off of Ponderosa Pines and PG&E sub-contractors hard at work felling those that threaten power lines, my Cascadel Woods home feels and sounds more like a lumber mill operation than a residential community – chainsaws whining, huge pines crashing down, chippers and splitters roaring, burn piles smoking, and ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — If you have yet to sign up for emergency alerts from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, now is the time to do so. On Monday, May 16, the Sheriff’s Office will conduct several tests of the Emergency Notification System, NIXLE. The series of tests will allow residents to verify they are signed up properly and what methods ...

Submitted by Wendy Denton — When my husband Ken was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, we pledged to be conscious and awake throughout the journey together. Through images, we captured feelings, ideas, sadness, humor, and outright fun along the way. Our hope is to inspire others to be creative, talk about the experience of cancer more openly, and even have moments ...

Written by Elizabeth Gabriel — MARIPOSA — Mariposa Master Gardeners have been sprouting seeds and transplanting up a storm since February to get ready for the annual plant sale on May 7. Because of our now-it’s-spring, now-it’s-winter-again weather, you may be wary of getting a start on your summer garden. Remember, Mariposa’s historic “last frost date” can come in early ...

COARSEGOLD — A crash between a motorhome and a pickup on Thursday night resulted in one person being charged with driving under the influence, and two others with minor injuries. Just after 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, a family from New York was northbound on Highway 41 in a rented Cruise America RV just south of Coarsegold near Coyote ...

BASS LAKE — Paddle your way to cash and prizes on beautiful Bass Lake as Bass Lake Boat Rentals hosts their first annual “Paddle Palooza” on Saturday, May 7. “This is a great day for everyone who wants to have some fun on a paddle board — referred to as a ‘SUP’ in our biz — kayak or canoe,” says ...

Written by Elizabeth Gabriel —  MARIPOSA — There will be much more than hundreds of plants at the annual Mariposa Master Gardener Plant and Garden Art Sale on Saturday, May 7, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Amigo Picnic Area at the Mariposa County fairgrounds. Master Gardener Jay Higbee will teach you how to hone your tool-sharpening skills ...

YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park, through Yosemite Conservancy, recently received a donation of 26 examples of Julia Parker’s basketry. These pieces were collected through the years by Elvira “Ellie” Nishkian, from San Francisco, who was active in many charitable causes and was instrumental in the formation of the Yosemite Fund, which is now known as Yosemite Conservancy. Nishkian’s family felt ...

COARSEGOLD — A bust at a marijuana grow in the Coarsegold area on Wednesday resulted in the arrest of one individual and the seizure of thousands of plants. Just before 7 a.m. on Wednesday, May 4, law enforcement officers from Madera County Sheriff’s Office, the D.E.A. and the Madera County District Attorney’s Office raided a pot grow near the 37000 ...