OAKHURST – The folks at the Elks Lodge are looking for a few good men. They have reported that some very nice ladies are looking for dance partners. Can you help? Are you game? The Elks host monthly dances, at 7 p.m. on the second Friday of each month at the Oakhurst Elks Lodge, and everyone is cordially invited to ...

OAKHURST – Now that you’ve set your clocks back an hour, it’s time to set your calendar back a hundred years! The Sierra Historic Sites Association will host Christmas at Fresno Flats, an old-fashioned winter holiday celebration, from noon to 4pm on Sunday, Dec. 1.

MOUNTAIN AREA – Firefighters have been responding over the past few weeks to reports of smoke which turned out to be burn piles lit off by residents. These burn piles are illegal, as fire restrictions have not been lifted for any elevations in Madera and Mariposa Counties, or any areas in the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

OAKHURST – The Boys & Girls Club of Oakhurst suffered damage to a vehicle sometime during this past weekend when an unknown number of suspects broke into the Oakhurst compound and smashed a van’s window, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Investigators believe the vandals broke into a fenced area of the property, located on Indian Springs Road, sometime between Friday ...

MARIPOSA – The Yosemite Area Audubon Society will lead a birding field trip to the Merced Falls Reservoir (McSwain Forebay) beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Nov 16. Everyone will meet at the Mariposa rest area adjacent to the Mariposa Museum and History Center just off Highway 140.

NORTH FORK – The Sierra Mono Museum will be holding their annual membership dinner on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the North Fork School from noon to 2 p.m. Everyone is invited to enjoy a turkey dinner with all the fixings, plus family fun, a cake walk and a raffle with a grand prize of an iPad mini.

AHWAHNEE — The Eastern Madera County (EMC) SPCA has announced a fun new way to help build a local animal shelter while you treat your furry friend to a tail-wagging treat. Cat and dog treat manufacturer Cloud Star All Natural Pet Products, whose motto is “wag more bark less,” says they will give the EMC SPCA $1 for every proof ...

OAKHURST — Cool tech news and other info coming out of Oak Creek Intermediate (OCI): Principal Nicole White reports that the local middle school is “going Google.” “The OCI Campus is now a Google campus,” says Mrs. White. “We have gone Google. Our students will all be working in Google Drive and using district filtered individual student gmail accounts for ...

MADERA COUNTY – The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians announced nearly $1 million in community grants for 2013 on Tuesday, Nov. 5, during the regular meeting of the Madera County Board of Supervisors. Tribal Council Chairwoman Nancy Ayala announced the 30 grants before the board, awarding funds to 28 different organizations, many in the mountain area. This is the seventh ...

Our forests, air quality, water quality, food quality, recreational use of public land, energy production, families, communities, counties, jobs, and prosperity are systematically being destroyed. The people closest to the problems—those that actually live and work on the land—are acutely aware of this, yet increasingly have little say in the matter. On October 23rd and 24th Defenders of Rural America ...