MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally during the week of Monday, Sept. 14 through Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015. Oakhurst theft from vehicle On Monday, Sept. 14 at 11:26 a.m. a deputy was dispatched to the Oakhurst sub-station regarding a theft of items from an unlocked vehicle. Report taken. Case to ...

MADERA COUNTY – The Madera County Search and Rescue Team (SAR) was activated last night, Sept 20, to search for an overdue hunter. A 37-year-old male, who was said to be in the Iron Lakes area of Eastern Madera County, is the subject of the search. Currently Madera County SAR foot searchers, K-9s, Off-Highway Vehicle teams, and a CHP helicopter ...

Tricia Nickerson Sierra Art Trails 2015 Catalog #51 I have been a lover of nature for as long as I can remember. When we moved to the mountain area, below Yosemite National Park with my family many years ago, I immediately felt right at home. I truly did not begin to appreciate the beauty and wonder of my surroundings until ...

Jeff Grandy Sierra Art Trails 2015 Catalog #45 I’ve been actively photographing the natural world for well over 35 years. So many of my favorite images over that time involve the subject of water in some form or other. From bubbling brooks and wild raging rivers, to still ponds or vernal pools, even clouds and ice. All have a universal ...

By Virginia Eaton — I want to have a frank conversation about why you should do squats as part of your weekly exercise routine. Okay, here goes: if you want to be able to sit on the toilet when you are old, and then get up from that toilet without help, you need to train in your middle age for ...

OAKHURST – Some “serious money” is up for grabs on Saturday, Sept. 26. at the Oakhurst Sierra Rotary Club’s Annual Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament and Bingo. While this is the Club’s 6th Annual Poker Tournament, this year they’ve added Bingo to the mix. The event takes place at the Oakhurst Community Center with registration and dinner at 6 p.m. ...

By Angel Domingo As you may or may not have heard, at the start of the school year, Minarets no longer had an official cheer team. There was no cheer coach or cheer organization, until two of Minarets seniors, Hannah Cockerham and Gianna Sidoti, decided to organize a team together and do it on their own. In order for them ...

OAKHURST — Mountain Heritage Days kicks off on Friday night, Sept. 18 with live music, vendors, silent auction, activities and more at Fresno Flats Historic Village and Park, starting at 5 p.m. The Bryan Vickers Band rocks the neighborhood from 6 – 10 p.m. Entrance to the park is free. On Saturday, Sept. 19, grab your portable chair, some potable ...

YOSEMITE – Four rescued fisher (Martes pennanti) kits were released yesterday north of the Merced River in Yosemite National Park. This historic reintroduction was a cooperative effort between the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW), Fresno-Chaffee Zoo, and the Fresno Wildlife Rehabilitation Foundation. The reintroduction aims to increase the long term viability of the declining ...

By Krysten Siebert — New things can sometimes be scary, especially when one jumps right in without completing a few steps in the process. My transition from homeschool to public school involved three steps and was not a short process. At first I started out completely doing all school at home. Next I took it a step further and went ...