MADERA COUNTY – Sheriff John Anderson has announced that a man wanted by the Sheriff’s Office in connection with an attempted murder is now behind bars. Adrian Joseph Reyes, 29, was captured shortly after 10 a.m. this morning in Richland, Wash. The Madera County Sheriff’s Office had been searching for the Ahwahnee man following what they describe as a violent ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – Firefighters made good progress overnight on the Haigh Fire, burning north of Coulterville off Highway 49 and Haigh Road. Fire officials report 75% containment on the 130-acre blaze, which was reported on Tuesday, June 10, and minimal growth and fire activity since last evening. The smoky conditions experienced yesterday by residents in Eastern Mariposa and Madera Counties ...

OAKHURST – A single vehicle accident blocked Road 426 for about 45 minutes this evening, sending drivers on a detour around Yosemite High. At about 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11, Elfie Slayton, of Oakhurst, was westbound on Road 426 at Hangtree Lane, when she apparently dozed off and lost control of her 1998 Lexus LS.

MARIPOSA/MADERA COUNTIES – The Yosemite Area Audubon Society (YAAS) and Lowell Young have received another “Citizen Volunteer of the Year” award. in 2013, the honor was given by the National Audubon Society. This year, the work of the organization and Lowell Young have been recognized by the environmental research organization, Point Blue Conservation Sciences. Point Blue’s stated mission is to ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – Last night’s spectacular lightning storm let U.S. Forest Service firefighters know they would likely be busy today. There were 173 confirmed lightning strikes across the Sierra National Forest, sparking some 10 fires, according to SNF Headquarters. The Cattle One Fire, burning on the Bass Lake Ranger District just below Clover Meadow, was reported by the lookout ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – A fire burning near Coulterville off Highway 49 at Haigh Road has now grown to 111 acres, and is causing smoky conditions in Eastern Mariposa and Madera Counties. The Haigh Fire, which was reported at 3:11 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, is 20% contained, and is burning in heavy brush. Cal Fire is reporting that extreme temperatures ...

OAKHURST – Residents on Jean West Road were once again alerted to a fire in their area as engines headed to Taylor Mountain Road early this morning. At 12:27 a.m., on Tuesday, June 10, firefighters responded to a fire burning in grass and brush piles at the very end of Taylor Mt. Road. Five Cal Fire engines, two from the ...

NORTH FORK – Long-time North Fork resident Rikk Hansen has decades of experience helping people take the next step on their lifework path. This weekend, Hansen will hold a free workshop at the North Fork Studio, on Sunday, June 15, designed to “Reignite Lifework Purpose and Passion.”

The great people at the Fäsi Estate Winery wanted to find a worthy organization that they could give back to and they didn’t have far to look. Since the Fäsi Estate Winery is located in the foothills of the Sierra National Forest and neighbors to the Yosemite National Park, the Yosemite Conservancy was just the organization they were looking for. ...

MADERA COUNTY – A man piloting a small plane made an emergency landing along an orchard on Highway 41 shortly before 5 p.m. this afternoon. The pilot whose name is not being released at this hour, walked away unscathed, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. The pilot, who was heading north to Reno, NV, from Carlsbad, Calif., reportedly smelled ...