RENO, NV – Researchers at Nevada’s Desert Research Institute (DRI) want to hear your wildfire stories, and they’ve provided an app for your smartphone to do it. As part of a research collaborative with the Wildland Fire Management Research, Development and Application (RD&A) program, the newly launched “Fire Stories” project is an effort to understand extreme and unexpected wildfire behavior ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – When the Junction Fire broke out in the heart of the Oakhurst community, concerns over what was happening on the French Fire near North Fork fell by the wayside as everyone focused on this new and immediate threat. Now with the danger passed in Oakhurst and the approach of the fall hunting and camping season on ...

FRESNO – The woman charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of Yosemite High School graduate and former Oakhurst resident Matthew Harkenrider, was arraigned today in her hospital room, reports ABC30 in Fresno. Roberta Lynn Soto, 45, of Kingsburg, pleaded not guilty to the charges as a judge, officers and attorneys gathered in her hospital room.

Submitted by Peter Cavanaugh and the Oakhurst Democratic Club OAKHURST – The Oakhurst Democratic Club kicks off its “New Fall Season” on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Denny’s on Highway 41, with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting at 9:30. In keeping with this year’s effort to maximize political candidate exposure to membership regardless of party affiliation, the featured speaker ...

MADERA COUNTY – While most people think of a DUI as being someone driving drunk, it also applies to other drugs, including marijuana. If you are “driving under the influence,” you may very well be considered legally impaired due to the effects of drugs other than alcohol, such as pot and prescription medications. On July 31, a Madera County Superior ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and the 30th Anniversary of the California Wilderness Act on Wednesday, Sept. 3. Special events will take place throughout the day in Yosemite Valley and are designed to honor and celebrate the signing of these two acts, engage the public to better understand and appreciate wilderness, ...

MADERA COUNTY – Sheriff John Anderson wants to make sure Oakhurst residents, who suffered damage or total loss, know there is help available to them through the Red Cross. Next week Red Cross staff will be in Oakhurst assisting families impacted by the Junction Fire. Be sure to bring identification that verifies your address.

OAKHURST – The Junction Fire is now 90% contained at 612 acres. Crews were demobilized throughout the day, returning to their units all over the state, or being reassigned to fires in other areas. There are now 885 personnel assigned to the incident, with 45 engines, 29 fire crews, 9 water tenders and 5 dozers. There will be no helicopters ...

AHWAHNEE – Students arriving at school this morning in Ahwahnee, after an unplanned vacation due to the Junction Fire, were temporarily displaced once again when fire alarms sounded. Just before 8 a.m. this morning, a report came in of a burning smell and alarms going off at the Wasuma Elementary School. Firefighters were immediately dispatched and arrived on scene within ...

OAKHURST – On Aug. 14, the Board of Directors of destination marketing organization Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau named current Director of Marketing Rhonda Salisbury as the bureau’s Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Dan Cunning in that position. The change becomes official on Sept. 1. A longtime travel marketing expert, Salisbury has been with Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau since 2011, but her ...