MADERA COUNTY – Just a few weeks remain before the election, but Jay Varney is still working hard on the campaign trail, getting his message out and meeting residents of the county he hopes to serve as Sheriff. One of the things Varney wants to emphasize before voters cast their ballots, is his depth of support and strong endorsements from ...

MADERA COUNTY – With the election just weeks away, and absentee ballots in the mail, we asked the two candidates running for Sheriff of Madera County for the most important things they want voters to know before casting their ballots. Michael Salvador, current Undersheriff, didn’t hesitate. “Go to the polls,” he said.

O’NEALS – “Bandits! Bandits! Bandits robbed the stage to Hildreth! Get a posse! They got the gold!” So began the story as another piece of local history was preserved and commemorated by the hard-working members of the Grub Gulch Chapter 41-49 of E Clampus Vitus. Their latest monument was dedicated on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Ryan Ranch in O’Neals, ...

MADERA COUNTY – The discovery of 200 marijuana plants growing near the Berenda Slough in Chowchilla gave new meaning to the phrase “weed abatement” early yesterday morning. On Tuesday, Sept. 30, Water District employees, clearing bamboo from the banks of the slough, discovered two separate marijuana plots, and alerted the Sheriff’s Office. Due to the enormity of the crop, deputies ...

MARIPOSA – ​The Mariposa Symphony Orchestra opens its 13th Season on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Fiester Auditorium of Mariposa High School with a concert of crowd-pleasing classics. The concert will be led by the MSO’s founder/conductor Les Marsden​. ​The ​orchestra is a program of the Mariposa County Arts Council,​ and Mariposa is regarded as the smallest ...

NORTH FORK – A North Fork man sits behinds bars today, accused of attempted murder and burglary, after storming his ex-girlfriend’s house last night, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. Charles Ray Shipp, age 62, reportedly walked into his ex-girlfriend’s home, armed with a shotgun, and said, “This is how it’s gonna end.” The woman was able to fend ...

OAKHURST – A family medicine physician and a clinical psychologist, who was displaced by the most recent wildfire in Oakhurst, have joined Adventist Health / Community Care – Oakhurst.

OAKHURST – An arrest has been made in the case of 13 fires, believed to have been intentionally set, that burned in the Oakhurst area in the past few months. A 15-year-old Oakhurst resident was arrested on Friday, Sept. 26, when Cal Fire executed a search warrant on his home.

BASS LAKE – It was a perfect morning for the 27th Smokey Bear Run/Walk on the beautiful shores of Bass Lake last Saturday, with cooler temperatures and a nice cloud cover. There were 532 registered participants, from tiny athletes as young as age 2, to the most seasoned – a 79-year-old entrant from Madera. As racers gathered to register and ...

MADERA COUNTY – The Madera County Sheriff’s office is asking for assistance in locating as many as five men who broke into a home in rural Madera County this afternoon. A marijuana crop was their intended target. At approximately 1:28 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, the Sheriff’s office received word of a home invasion on Avenue 6 near Road 20. ...