MADERA — Madera County Department of Public Health reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases so far countywide to 66. Officials said the four newest cases are all females, ranging in age from under 20 to 50s. All are in home isolation. Three of the four new cases were contracted through person-to-person transmission ...

MADERA — A North Fork man charged in the July 2019 murder of prominent Mono tribal elder Gaylen Lee made another preliminary court appearance on Friday. Robert Eugene Moye, 47, appeared in Department 23 of Madera County Superior Court Friday afternoon to formally hear all of the charges against him. Moye was found competent earlier this year to stand trial ...

OAKHURST — A suspect has been taken into custody after he barricaded himself inside an apartment in the 48900 block of River Park Road. According to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, just after 5:30 p.m. Thursday, MCSO deputies responded to a domestic violence call at the River Park Apartments in Oakhurst. Edward “Tom” Becker, 26, of Oakhurst, reportedly had assaulted ...

MADERA — Madera County Department of Public Health reported seven new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases so far countywide to 62.Health officials are reporting that 23 of the cases remain “active” while 37 people have recovered and two people, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 70s, have died. Both of ...

MONO COUNTY — “The Loop,” a murder mystery set in Mono County, has garnered the Book Excellence Award for Suspense Fiction for first-time author Nicholas Holloway, who based his novel on his childhood summers at the Silver Lake Resort at June Lake. Holloway, 29, who lives in Austin, Texas, grew up in Yucaipa in San Bernardino County and told SNO ...

CEDAR VALLEY — A logging crew will be working on a hazardous tree removal project and are expected to be felling trees that are adjacent to the Lewis Creek Trail. Work on this portion of the project will continue through today, May 7. In order to provide the maximum amount of safety to visitors to the trail, it is necessary ...

Karen Thomas died April 12, 2020, at the age of 82. She grew up at Bass Lake and attended Sierra High School and Fresno State. She was a children’s librarian in Oakland, CA for many years. She is survived by her daughter Margaret and son-in-law Dave, grandchildren Karen and Thomas and sister Loretta.

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is reminding customers who live or work in a high fire-threat area that the utility will “contact you multiple times before initiating a Public Safety Power Shutoff due to hot temperatures, high winds and dry vegetation that foretell elevated wildfire conditions.”“That’s why it is crucially important that PG&E has your updated ...

NIPINNAWASEE — The Miami Mountain Fire Lookout Volunteer Meeting scheduled for Saturday (May 9) has been canceled “due to social distancing measures,” according to Franny Adams, U.S. Forest Service fire prevention technician with Patrol 52.“At this time we will not be allowing new volunteers to staff this year, but if things do get better we will reassess,” Adams added. “We ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — A trade group representing California restaurants has drafted a plan to allow the industry to reopen for sit-down dining. The new proposal would include a number of safeguards for diners and staff while avoiding possible requirements imposed in other states that customers have their temperature taken or the number of tables in the restaurant be dramatically limited, ...