O’NEALS -Training is underway at Minarets High School for anyone wishing to earn their qualifications as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). “This is a great opportunity for anyone just starting out, or wanting to make a career change,” says Gina Hartley, local EMT who teaches the course along with paramedic, husband Bill. “The medical field is fairly recession-proof.” (Pictured is ...

OAKHURST – Anyone driving by El Cid Mexican Restaurant in the past few weeks may have noticed the construction happening on the north side of the building. They have torn down the patio-type area, and are building a brand new 1,600 sq. ft. addition, completely enclosed, and with room to add another bar area in the future.

OAKHURST – Two Oakhurst residents were transported to the hospital yesterday after a rollover accident on Road 425B in Oakhurst. Stacey Vogel, 20, of Oakhurst, was driving a 2006 Ford Fusion westbound on Road 425B at 2:08 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at what was described by CHP Officer Dominici as “an unsafe speed for the narrow and curved roadway.”

MADERA COUNTY – Applications for the 2013 Community Grant Program of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians and Madera County are now available and due on or before Mar. 1, 2013. “I cannot begin to explain how beneficial the Community Grant Program has been to Madera County,” said Max Rodriguez, Chairman of the Madera County Board of Supervisors. “These ...

AHWAHNEE – A head-on collision on Highway 49 yesterday sent one area resident to the hospital, and closed down one lane of traffic for over an hour. Shastalei Nelson, 20, of Ahwahnee was driving a 1997 Dodge pickup southbound on Highway 49 just north of Lauri Lane on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at about 6:43 p.m. Nelson stated to officers that ...

NORTH FORK – The long-awaited cell tower project planned for the Cascadel Woods area is moving forward at last. The Madera County Planning Department reports that plans were submitted by Complete Wireless Consulting, contractor for Verizon Wireless, on Jan. 29. Everything is now under review by the various County Departments, including Planning, Special Districts, Fire, Roads, Building and Environmental Health.

Agents Clamp Down on a Drug Trafficking Ring with Ties to the Bay Area CALIFORNIA – Three brothers with Bay Area connections are behind bars following a coordinated, tri-county drug raid in Madera, Santa Clara and Stanislaus Counties, launched in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Feb. 5, and ending at nearly midnight. Ten agents assigned to SCCSET (Santa Clara ...

NORTH FORK – The residents of Cascadel Woods have voted against having Madera County establish a Road Maintenance District (RMD) in their community. At their regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 12, the Madera County Board of Supervisors heard the results of the Proposition 218 election wherein the residents of Cascadel voted down the proposed RMD, with 82 votes against, and ...

MADERA COUNTY – A bizarre case of found property, and perhaps a bit of cattle rustling, is causing a bit of confusion in Coarsegold. The Sheriff’s Office is reporting that someone barreled through a cattleman’s barbed wire fence, and instead of stealing anything, they apparently left behind a bull, that has yet to be identified.

COARSEGOLD — A traffic enforcement stop in Coarsegold ends with three suspects in custody, a stolen car recovered and nearly $1,000 of crystal meth seized, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. Three people were arrested Friday, Feb. 8, in the area of Skyline Ridge Road and Skyline Ridge Court. Melissa Mae Johnson, 32 of Ahwahnee, Summer Marie Addington, 23, ...