EASTERN MADERA COUNTY – After nearly a week of smoky days, Bass Lake residents Kelly and L-Jay Fine decided to take a Sunday evening drive, tooling along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, to safely get a better view of the growing Aspen fire. “Our journey started before 9 p.m. as it was starting to get dark on that windy road,” ...

FRESNO COUNTY – The search for four women in the Sierra Mountains near Lake Italy has been suspended, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. On July 24, Search and Rescue mountaineers made contact with hikers who had been in contact with the four females on the John Muir Trail near Silver Pass.

MADERA COUNTY – Shane Anthony Shaffer, 35, of North Fork remains jailed at this hour, accused of trying to bury a stolen car. He was taken into custody Sunday afternoon, July 28, after authorities received a tip at around 12:30 p.m. The anonymous caller stated subjects at a residence on Wyle Ranch Road in North Fork were trying to bury ...

NORTH FORK – Traditional dances, food and crafts will be on display at the 43rd Annual Indian Fair Days & Pow Wow, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 3 and 4, at the North Fork Recreation Center. This much-anticipated event, always held the first weekend in August, is a showcase for native dancers and costumes, and an opportunity for the public to ...

OAKHURST – Auditions for “The Ladies of Tin Pan Alley” will be held Monday and Tuesday, July 29 and 30, from 6 – 9pm, at the Golden Chain Theatre, located at 42310 Highway 41 in Oakhurst. This is a musical tribute to the music of 1900-1949, with a focus on the women composers and lyricists of the golden age of ...

MADERA COUNTY – Deputy Sheriff Richard Gonzales was honored by his peers for the third time as Officer of the Year during Madera County’s annual Law Enforcement Appreciation banquet held at the Elk’s Lodge in Madera on Thursday, July 25. Sheriff John Anderson proudly introduced Deputy Gonzales as Madera County Sheriff’s Deputy of the Year. “It’s unprecedented,” noted Sheriff Anderson ...

…plus updates on bears and the closing of raft rentals. YOSEMITE – On Monday, July 22, crews began mobilizing equipment and materials to begin improvements to the South Entrance Station area. The project includes replacing the existing fee collection booths with three new ones, placed approximately 350 feet south of the their current location.

MADERA – Christopher Norris, 25, of Mariposa, was sentenced to life in prison for murder on Friday, July 19. In September, 2011, a Madera County Superior Court jury found Norris guilty of the first degree murder of Alonso Herrera.

MARIPOSA – Several agencies working together were able to locate and eradicate two huge pot grows in Mariposa County this week. On Thursday, July 18, Mariposa County Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted by law enforcement officers from the Mariposa County Probation Department, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) with ...

MADERA COUNTY – A banquet room filled with the sworn personnel and volunteers who make up Madera County Sheriff’s Office’s nationally recognized Citizens on Patrol (COP), paid tribute to a veteran volunteer on Wednesday, July 17. COP Everett Macy – radio ID V3 – was honored for more than a decade of service to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. Macy’s ...