NORTH FORK – A fire on a power pole at the transformer behind the North Fork School caused classes to be cancelled this morning. At about 6:30 a.m., a staff member working at the school noted that the power was out, and went to investigate. That’s when it was discovered that water had gotten into the conduit of a line ...

MADERA – The only defendant to reject a plea deal from the District Attorney’s office in connection with the October 2014 attempted take-over at the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino, is headed toward trial. District Attorney David Linn announced yesterday, following a hearing in Department 22 of the Madera Superior Court, that his office will be proceeding to a preliminary ...

MADERA COUNTY – The last in a trio of men convicted of kidnapping 26 school children and their bus driver near Chowchilla in 1976 will appear before the California Parole Board on Nov. 19. Frederick Woods, along with his two conspirators Richard and James Schoenfield, pleaded guilty to the crime in Alameda County Superior Court in 1977, and were all ...

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA – The Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument, and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are announcing today the 100 percent containment of the Rough Fire. For nearly three months the Rough Fire has burned in some of the most rugged terrain in North America. Started by a lightning strike on July 31, ...

YOSEMITE –  It’s time to celebrate the incredible creativity of youth in Yosemite’s remarkable gateway communities during the Gateway Expressions Student Art and Poetry Contest awards ceremony, to be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Ansel Adams Gallery from noon to 3 p.m. Yosemite National Park and the Ansel Adams Gallery sponsored a Gateway Expressions Student Art and Poetry ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park’s entrance fee has been reduced to $25 for a seven-day pass for private vehicles from November through March. The reduced entrance fee aims to encourage visitation to Yosemite National Park outside of the busy summer season. The private vehicle entrance fee is $30 from April through October. “Fall, winter, and early spring are beautiful times ...

CLOVIS – The Bass Lake Ranger District, Sierra National Forest, is preparing to implement the fall/winter burning program, says Acting District Ranger Denise Tolmie. Projects will consist of two activities: pile burning and broadcast burning. “The objective of burning is to reintroduce low intensity fire to the ecosystem,” said Tolmie. “Prior to European settlement, lightning and Native Americans provided ignition ...

COARSEGOLD – The victim of a single-vehicle accident that occurred just after 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, has been identified as 40-year-old Ramon Castillo, of Fresno. Castillo was driving a Rockstar delivery truck southbound on Highway 41 just south of Road 416, when he drove off the right side of the road, rolling several times down a steep embankment. ...

Submitted by Noel Morrison TEDxYosemite Organizer MARIPOSA – Speakers have been announced for the inaugural TEDxYosemite event taking place Nov. 14 at the historic Richard D. Fiester Auditorium at the Mariposa County High School. The 2015 event brings together dynamic speakers and performers from a broad spectrum of disciplines – from outdoor education to pioneering wildlife protection projects and ground-breaking ...

MARIPOSA – The American Association of University Women (AAUW) invites the community to hunt for wildlife on the African plains of the Mariposa Fairgrounds on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 3 to 6 p.m. at its annual fashion show fundraiser. This year’s theme is “On Safari with AAUW” and features community members modeling fashions provided by local merchants in an African ...