OAKHURST — The community and all interested stakeholders are invited to a public meeting on the reforestation efforts in the French Fire area on Wednesday Jan. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Oakhurst Community Center. The French Fire burned nearly 14,000 acres on the Bass Lake Ranger District of the Sierra National Forest in late July and early ...

OAKHURST – As winter weather moves in and presents more challenging and dangerous driving conditions, the Oakhurst Area CHP Office encourages you to start the New Year right by making your driving safety a priority. Saturday, Jan. 26, is Safety Saturday at the Oakhurst office, with Officer Luis Lugo hosting two important classes for new drivers and for senior citizens. ...

WASHINGTON, DC — A new superintendent will soon take over the leadership of Yosemite National Park. Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced that he has selected Michael T. (Mike) Reynolds to be the superintendent of Yosemite. Reynolds, a 31-year NPS veteran and a third-generation NPS employee, grew up in Yosemite and later returned to the park as ...

NORTH FORK — Just a few weeks after Slim’s Koffee Shak closed its doors in downtown North Fork, a group of locals has purchased some of the business’ equipment and furnishings and is breathing new life into the location. A partnership has been formed between Lisa Clark, Art and Mary Ellen Cruz, and Jacob and Heather Vitalec-Perry, to redesign the ...

Madera — During their regular board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23, the Madera County Board of Supervisors approved a letter in support of the Madera County Transportation Commission (MCTC) Trade Corridor Enhancement Program Grant Application request for funding for the construction phase widening State Route 99 from four lanes to six lanes from Avenue 12 to Avenue 17 in the ...

NORTH FORK — Reports of a mountain lion near the North Fork Elementary School this morning prompted a lockdown of the campus for nearly three hours. At about 9 a.m., four students reported seeing a mountain lion near the perimeter of the school campus. The school was put on lockdown, and a phone message was sent out by principal Jared ...

OAKHURST — Senior drivers are invited to register now for a free class at the Oakhurst CHP Office. Driving is a complex skill that may diminish as a person ages. The ability to drive safely is affected by changes in one’s physical and mental conditions. Many of these changes take place as we get older, though in different ways and ...

YOSEMITE — National Park Service employees will be back on the job in Yosemite National Park now that congress has agreed to fund the government for a few more weeks. All NPS services were halted on Saturday morning, including the staffing of the Visitors Centers, entrance gate fee collection and information, campground reservation management, trash collection, and maintenance of such ...

YOSEMITE — As we head into the first full day of the government shutdown, employees in Yosemite National Park are busy implementing the guidelines set out by the Department of the Interior as to how the Park will operate going forward. The gates are open, but there is no National Park Service (NPS) staff on duty for the most part. ...

SACRAMENTO – Residents of the Central Sierra will soon see more crews on county roadways as new funding from Cal Fire helps with the removal of hazard trees. Six million dollars have been awarded in a one-time grant to aid high-priority counties impacted by California’s historic tree mortality. Cal Fire’s Local Assistance for Tree Mortality (LATM) Grant Program will provide ...