MADERA COUNTY – For the 22nd year in a row, Yosemite High School has won the Madera County Academic Decathlon. The competition for 2015 was held on Feb. 7 in Madera. The Academic Decathlon team from Yosemite High School will compete in the California Academic Decathlon State Finals on Mar. 20-22 in Sacramento. Yosemite High School scored 35,952.3 points out ...

NORTH FORK – A prescribed burn of over 60 acres near Kinsman Flats has been successfully completed, accomplishing the goals of reducing fuels near homes in the area, and improving habitat for wildlife. The Sierra National Forest, Bass Lake Ranger District, Fuels and Fire Management staff, ignited the burns on Thursday, Feb. 5 and Friday, Feb. 6, on the Source ...

NORTH FORK – An arrest attempt at a residence near North Fork ended with a standoff between the suspect and deputies, that went on for several hours yesterday. Madera County Sheriff’s deputies had taken a statement from a victim concerning a domestic violence incident, and responded to a home on Road 225 on Thursday, Feb. 5, to take the suspect ...

Beaver Dam, AZ – Ralph Douglas (Doug) Reese, 76, passed away on January 28, 2015, in St. George, Utah. He was born on August 5, 1938, in Long Beach, Calif., to Ralph and Violette Reese. Doug spent his childhood in Long Beach. As a teenager in the 50s, his rebellious nature prompted his mother to enroll him in military school. ...

BASS LAKE – A single vehicle roll-over accident near Bass Lake yesterday blocked traffic but the fortunate driver escaped with no injuries. At around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, Rudy Sandoval, 32, of North Fork, was eastbound on Road 274 approaching the Willow Creek bridge.

In two minutes you can ride an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building or make a pot of coffee. It’s also the amount of time it takes to get out of your house alive in a fire. Fire can spread rapidly through your home, leaving you as little as one or two minutes to escape safely once ...

MARIPOSA – Midway through 2012 the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office deployed a new K9 program. The Sheriff’s K9 program was initiated under grant funding and anticipated to enhance Mariposa County law enforcement services in the community. The Sheriff’s Office currently deploys two well-trained Belgian Shepherd (Malinois) male K9s, named Arthur and Zeus. “The Sheriff’s K9 program continues to be a ...

Submitted by Jannai Pero OAKHURST – The public is invited to the February Tea Party Action Meeting on Thursday evening, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Best Western Yosemite Gateway Inn Restaurant.

MADERA COUNTY – The Oakhurst office of the California Highway Patrol has a new Commander. Lieutenant Jason Daughrity stepped into the job on Jan. 2 when Lt. Sandra Adams retired after serving in the post since 2003. Daughrity, 41, comes from a law enforcement family, and knew from a very early age that this was his calling. “I had a ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – Those who hike along the Lewis Creek Trail have likely been surprised and a bit saddened to see that the bridge nearest the parking lot north of Cedar Valley on Highway 41 is gone. A call to Steven Beri, National Resources Specialist and Trail Supervisor for the Sierra National Forest, shed some light on why the ...