MADERA COUNTY – The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, otherwise known as the Clampers, is always in search of a grand time and any random reason to make merry, but their mission is the promotion and preservation of western history. Next on the agenda for the Grub Gulch Chapter 41-49 is the dedication of a plaque and ...

Submitted by Diane Mello – MADERA COUNTY – It was 1993, and Nancy Clute had an idea, the realization of which became legendary. Nancy was one of the founders of the Madera County Arts Council and served as its executive director until her death in 2002. Her concept was to combine her passion for and love of art with this ...

What do you do to celebrate the first day of Fall? Head to the east side of the Sierra to check out the early fall color at the higher elevations. We didn’t know what we would find but hoped we would find some Aspens turning their pretty fall colors. Distance: About 300 miles roundtrip Difficulty: Easy Elevation Range: 7,200′ to ...

MADERA COUNTY – The two Coarsegold teens charged with starting the Sundance Fire, that burned 13 acres along Road 420 on Sept. 13, appeared in court on Wednesday for a detention hearing. Both boys, ages 13 and 14, were ordered to be placed under strict house arrest with electronic monitoring, are only allowed to go to and from school under ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST  – As firefighters gain significant ground on the Rough Fire, demobilization continues and crews are being released to return to their home units or for reassignment to other incidents across the state. The state’s largest wildfire is holding at 143,599 acres, and is now 79 percent contained.  There are currently 935 personnel assigned to the incident, including ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The Coulterville CoyoteFest is Saturday, Sept. 26, featuring a parade, car show, live music, vendors, food and refreshments, petting zoo and Kids Korner, 50/50 horseshoe contest and goods overflowing onto the sidewalks throughout Historic Main Street. There will also be a truly unique 30th Annual Coyote Howling Contest. Make this a great day in Historic Coulterville… the ...

NORTH FORK – The annual breakfast to benefit the Heifer Project is this Sunday, Sept. 27, at Grace Community Church in North Fork. Sponsored by the Board of Christian Education, and orchestrated by the folks at Grace Community, this yearly pancake breakfast raises money to buy animals or trees to benefit families in poverty stricken areas around the world. For ...

MADERA COUNTY – District Attorney David A. Linn has announced the formation of a Political Corruption Unit (PCU) within the District Attorney’s Office. The purpose of the unit will be to investigate and prosecute corruption within all of Madera County’s governmental agencies, says Linn. The unit will be headed by Captain Paul Hornick, formerly of the Judge Advocate General Corps ...

North Fork is mourning the loss of a much-beloved member of this mountain community. Frank Verduzco was just 64 years old when he passed away on Sept. 23. Frank was a life-long resident of North Fork, who joined the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department at just 21 years of age. Since March 1972, he has been responding from Station 11, ...

MARIPOSA – The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will be set up at several locations in Mariposa County  on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., allowing local residents to return their unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal. Bring your medications for disposal to the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office located ...