MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — AARP’s popular Tax-Aide service was shuttered in March due to the coronovirus, leaving many taxpayers at a loss for help this tax season. “Unfortunately, we will not be reopening this year,” AARP’s Darlene Kelly confirmed this week, adding the service may not reopen in 2021. Because of COVID-19, there are currently no AARP Tax-Aide sites open in ...

MADERA — Madera County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, raising the total number of cases countywide to 370. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, county heath officials were reporting a total of 138 active cases — and 227 recoveries. Eleven of the active cases require hospitalization. MCDPH is currently “monitoring” 400 other people ...

MADERA — Madera County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) reported 25 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, boosting the total number of cases countywide to 359. Tuesday’s latest numbers represented Madera County’s highest single-day total of new cases since the pandemic began. The spike in new cases around the county came the same day California reported its single-biggest jump in ...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — Park officials are reversing course two weeks after reopening and now say they will hold off on allowing visitor use of half a dozen popular park campgrounds until at least August 1.The decision comes after a spike in new coronavirus cases across the state since the Memorial Day weekend. Late Tuesday evening, park officials issued this ...

OAKHURST — The Madera County Department of Public Health’s mobile testing unit will be in Oakhurst today (Tuesday) performing free COVID-19 testing.The drive-through service will be available from 9 a.m. to noon at the Mountain Christian Center, located at 40299 Highway 49.Testing is available for both symptomatic and asymptomatic adults.No appointment is necessary and testing will be done on a ...

MADERA — Madera County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) reported 20 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, boosting the total number of cases countywide to 334. MCDPH also reported another COVID-19-related death, a man in his 80s who died Sunday night at Madera Community Hospital, the fifth death in Madera County since the pandemic began in March. That man originally ...

COARSEGOLD — Local CAL FIRE crews mobilized Monday afternoon to fight a vegetation fire that sparked in the hills just off Highway 41 at Morava Road.An air tanker and helicopter were also used to extinguish the brush fire before it could threaten any structures. Madera County Fire Chief Matt Watson estimated Monday’s blaze at about 10 acres. “We’ve got the ...

BASS LAKE — The man who died Saturday afternoon at Bass Lake after being pulled out of the water in a nonresponsive state has been identified as Logan Traver Meleskie, 63, of Sacramento.The incident occurred at 3:30 p.m., according to Deputy Sarah Jackson, MCSO’s public information officer.Meleskie and his family were at Bass Lake on a boating excursion. “Their boat ...

BASS LAKE — The Madera County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that a Sacramento area man in his 60s died Saturday afternoon at Bass Lake.The incident occurred at 3:30 p.m., according to Deputy Sarah Jackson, MCSO’s public information officer. A family from the Sacramento area visiting Bass Lake on a boating excursion was docked in a cove east of Lakeview Estates ...

Special to Sierra News Online MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES –Lush lawns, vibrant paint, sparkling windows, charming front porches — homeowners looking to sell in a competitive real estate market need every advantage they can get their hands on. One of the simplest yet most impactful ways sellers can make their home leave a stellar first impression is through upgrading their home’s curb ...