BASS LAKE — It’s that time of year again — fall is in the air and the Smokey Bear Run / Walk returns to the shores of beautiful Bass Lake. Saturday, Sept. 24, runners and walkers of all ages will gather at Recreation Point on the south shore for one of the year’s most anticipated events. Organizers have been working ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Sept. 12 to Sunday, Sept 18, 2016: Oakhurst fraud report On Monday, Sept. 12 at 10:21 a.m. a deputy was dispatched to the 48000 block of Liberty Drive in regards to a fraud report. This report will be closed, due to a lack ...

COARSEGOLD — Here’s an opportunity to get to know local law enforcement in a comfortable atmosphere with no agenda except a chat and cuppa something good. Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney invites the community to join him and the deputies to discuss community issues during monthly events dubbed “Doughnut with a Deputy.” Based on the popular “Coffee with a Cop” format, the ...

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE — The signs are all around us, from the withered buckeye and earlier darkening skies, to little hints of temperatures dropping that send us running to the closet to pull out just one long sleeved shirt, for a change! The autumnal equinox, when days and nights are approximately equal in length, arrives this year on Thursday, Sept. 22 ...

CENTRAL SIERRA — Smoke from the Soberanes Fire in Monterey County and the Canyon Fire burning in Santa Barbara County are affecting air quality in locations throughout the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Sierra, warns the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Unusually high particulate matter levels throughout are prompting Air District officials to issue a health cautionary statement. Air ...

MADERA COUNTY — Good news, travelers, as the long-awaited passing lanes project on SR-41 near the 22 Mile House is now complete. “The new lanes were opened to traffic yesterday,” says Caltrans’ Corey Burkarth, “and we anticipate accepting the project tomorrow once the contractor completes the task of removing signs from the project site that are no longer needed.” Construction ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — With summer nearly over and many of the crowds dwindling, it’s nice to know that local people are out cleaning up our environment on the weekends. In two separate though not random acts of kindness, a pair of groups stayed busy on Friday, Saturday and Sunday picking up trash: the Girl Scouts of Troop 132 and volunteers with Keep Our Mountains Beautiful (KOMB). ...

COARSEGOLD — Volunteers behind the monthly charitable dinner, Helping One Woman (HOW) are preparing to honor local resident Amber Tringali, who is struggling financially and emotionally after her husband was diagnosed with a fatal disorder a year ago. “Amber has been living living in the mountains for the majority of her life,” say organizers. “She has been married for ten years to the love of ...

Written by Linda Giampa — CALIFORNIA — Whether heading out for a long backpacking trip, local day hikes, or an all-terrain run with our dogs, all of us are consistently aware of the need to pack provisions for varying weather, terrain and potential dangers. However, very few of us would stop to think about ticks or the dangers of tick-borne ...

Here is a classic example of how Owner Mitigation + Firefighter Hard Work = Success. Though the official fire season may be winding down in the next few months, finger crossed, preparation to ensure that your home is fire ready and fire safe is an ongoing task that is best accomplished in the wet and cooler weather. This dramatic photo ...