MARIPOSA COUNTY – A 27-year-old man has been arrested for illegally growing marijuana after a multi-agency investigation culminates in the Coulterville area. On Aug. 27, deputies and detectives from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, along with officers from the Mariposa County Probation Department and Yosemite National Park Special Response Team, investigated an illegal marijuana growing ring by serving search warrants ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – The Rough Fire has now grown to 55,989 acres with 25 percent containment, and continues to blanket the Central Sierra with smoke, especially in the morning hours. With slight changes in weather patterns, expect to see heavy concentrations of smoke in the western foothills and areas within the Kings River Canyon until mid-afternoon. This evening, smoke ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – “Give an oak a chance,” said Mariposa County Master Gardener Coordinator Kris Randal, for whom oaks are a passion. That chance includes giving them some water during our record drought, contrary to most previous advice. She and Greg Giusti, a forest and wildlands ecology advisor for Lake and Mendocino counties, are offering guidelines for keeping oaks from ...

MARIPOSA – This is the last weekend of the 2015 season of Mariposa Evenings – the free, live summer concert series brought to you by The Mariposa County Arts Council and its many fine sponsors – on the green, at The Art Park in historic, in downtown Mariposa. This weekend will feature the debut of two unique and eclectic groups: ...

MADERA – The juvenile who was charged with two felonies for starting the Willow Fire appeared in court today while in custody of the Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility. The minor, through his attorney, waived time for the jurisdictional hearing originally scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28, for the purposes of obtaining a psychological evaluation for the Court. The minor will ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – Smoke from the Rough Fire continues to impact the Central Sierra, and has now grown to 51,794 acres with 17 percent containment. There are currently 1,984 personnel assigned to the incident, including 24 crews, 138 engines and 10 helicopters. With slight changes in weather patterns, expect to see heavy concentrations of smoke in the western foothills ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – A Mariposa man has been arrested in connection with the death of a bicyclist after he allegedly struck the rider and then fled the scene. Wayne Harrison Ruport, 72, was northbound on Highway 49 just south of French Camp Road on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 12:25 p.m., in a 2000 Ford F-150. Shannon Shipman, 46, also of ...

Edgar Allen “Al” Fitzgerald died Aug. 20, 2015, at the age of 83. He was born Dec. 21, 1931 in Philadelphia, Penn., to Kathryn Stutts and Wyatt E. Fitzgerald. He joined the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, flying rescue missions in the Pacific, stationed in Alaska and Washington. After the service, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department ...

BASS LAKE – District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler will hold the next in his series of Town Hall meetings on Thursday, Aug. 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Pines Resort on Bass Lake. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Troy Cheek will be one of the featured speakers, along with Firewise Coordinator Roger Maybee. This is a good chance for ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park will celebrate Founders’ Day on Tuesday, Aug. 25, the 99th birthday of the National Park Service (NPS). In commemoration of this special day, entrance fees will be waived and the Park will conduct special events throughout the day. In partnership with REI, a premier sponsor of the “Find Your Park” NPS Centennial campaign, an interactive ...