Submitted by Monika Moulin OAKHURST – For the sixth consecutive year, upwards of 50 singers from local area church choirs will come together for a beautiful Christmas program, including choristers from New Community United Methodist Church, Oakhurst Lutheran Church, Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church, and others. Two performances on will be held on Sunday, Dec. 13, at Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church ...

KERN COUNTY  — Calling the tragedy a catastrophic loss, the CEO of American Ambulance in Fresno has confirmed the names of three men who died in the midst of transporting a critically ill patient last night when the SkyLife helicopter crashed after leaving Porterville; the name of the female patient they were transporting remains confidential and undisclosed at this time. ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – The National Weather Service in Hanford is confirming more wet weather as a Winter Storm Warning has been issued from noon on Sunday, Dec. 13, through noon on Monday, Dec. 14, for the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite National Park to Kings Canyon. Several inches of snow is expected, with localized amounts up to 14 inches in the ...

OAKHURST — Local California Highway Patrol Office Kaci Lutz wants the community to know that the Oakhurst Area Office located at 40500 Redbud Drive, off of Highway 49, is now an official drop-off site for the Eastern Madera County Toys For Tots.  The box is prominently placed in the lobby, and all the toys donated to Madera County are distributed ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally during the week of Sunday, Nov. 29 through Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. Coarsegold assault On Sunday, Nov. 29 at 2:52 p.m. a deputy was dispatched to a residence located within the 45400 block of Meadow Brook Road regarding a report of an assault. This ...

MADERA COUNTY — Sheriff Jay Varney‬ wants to remind the community that with the holiday season upon us, mail and package thefts increase. Thieves steal mail for identity theft purposes all year long and, near the holidays, the Sheriff’s Office sees an increase in these crimes. This is primarily due to packages and checks being delivered for the holiday season. ...

OAKHURST — Yosemite High School student Katie Thompson is a featured artist in the 2016 Healthy Air Living Kids’ Calendar, a bilingual, full-color wall calendar just released by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. The annual educational calendar showcases a total of 15 original works of art chosen from hundreds of entries by children in each of the ...

OAKHURST – Seats have been filled and some shows have been sold out at Sierra Pines Church for our local production of the Charles Dickens 1843 classic, now re-envisioned as A Christmas Carol — A New Musical, and just a couple of shows remain. With book and lyrics by Keith Ferguson and Music by Bruce Greer, the same duo who ...

Submitted by Kim Lawson OAKHURST – The Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau gets a fresh start to 2016 with a new name, new website and new location. As the marketing arm for tourism in Madera County, the visitors bureau has recently voted to do business under the name of Visit Yosemite | Madera County. “Madera County is home to a very ...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK – Great news skiers! Yosemite National Park’s Badger Pass Ski Area will open on Saturday, Dec. 12 for the 2015-16 season. Badger Pass Ski Area’s snowtubing hill will open at a later date, say park rangers, as more snow is needed. Badger Pass Ski Area, operated by park concessioner Delaware North at Yosemite, is California’s original ski ...