YOSEMITE – The 2,100 acre El Portal Fire continues to force road closures and evacuations on the west side of Yosemite National Park. The fire, which began just after 3 p.m. Saturday, July 26, is burning inside the park and on the Stanislaus National Forest and is at 0% containment. The communities of Foresta and Old El Portal have been ...

MADERA COUNTY – First responders were dispatched to the Central Camp area Saturday night after a 911 call about a car in the creek below the bridge near Whiskers Campground. It was reported that a vehicle had crashed through the guard rail and timbers on the bridge, and was lying on it’s top, wedged between two rocks in the granite ...

NORTH FORK – Kids really looked forward to Wednesdays this summer as the North Fork Library let young readers get hands-on during their Summer Reading Program, Paws to Read. Kids from 4 years of age to 12th grade participated every Wednesday afternoon in fun projects with special guests. And of course, they got to explore the wonderful world of books.

YOSEMITE – A wildfire burning near El Portal is threatening homes in the Foresta area, and has promted evacuations and road closures along Highway 140. The fire was reported at 3:19 p.m. on Saturday, July 26. It started just above Old El Portal near Foresta and burned very rapidly up Merced Canyon, consuming approximately 2,100 acres as of 9 p.m., ...

MADERA COUNTY – The Madera County Sheriff’s Office has posted three wanted persons in this week’s Fugitive Friday (#FugitiveFriday) section on the Sheriff’s Facebook page. Anyone with information about Martin Sandoval, Thomas Metzger or James Marlett, is urged to call the Madera County Sheriff’s Office at 559-675-7770. You can follow the Sheriff’s latest posts and information on both Facebook facebook.com/MaderaSheriff ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park is seeking help from the interested people to assist in preserving, restoring, and enjoying Yosemite Valley. The “Drop-In Volunteer Program” provides hands-on experience working in the park. No experience is required and all ages and abilities are welcome to participate in the program.

OAKHURST – A Coarsegold man, accused of swiping a $28 bottle of tequila yesterday, now sits behinds bars with bail set at $15,000. Rainbow Borrego Reed Orozco, 25, was caught shoplifting by loss prevention officers in Oakhurst shortly after 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.

MADERA COUNTY – The danger of having a loved one afflicted with dementia, Alzheimer’s or autism wandering off and becoming lost is clear and present for family members. Since not every family can afford special facilities designed to keep a constant eye on those who are prone to wander, many are forced to handle the full time job alone.

MADERA COUNTY – A Coarsegold couple convicted on a combined 27 counts of arson were back in court on Monday, asking for new lawyers. Kenneth Jackson and Alice Waterman both requested Marsden hearings, whereby they asked that their court-appointed attorneys be dismissed and replaced, either due to ineffective assistance of counsel, or because there is some conflict between lawyer and ...

MADERA COUNTY – A Coarsegold man was back behind bars about three-and-a-half hours after escaping from the Madera County Department of Corrections. Bryan Parry King, 47, was reportedly working in the facility’s kitchen area yesterday, when he went to take the trash out and jumped the fence.