CLOVIS – The Sierra National Forest will resume selling Personal Use Wood Cutting Permits next Friday for the Apr. 1 through Nov. 30 season. All permits will be valid only for Sierra National Forest lands and do not include private property, and will be available at the North Fork, Prather and Clovis Forest Service offices beginning on Friday, Apr. 1. ...

SACRAMENTO – With spring now taking hold in California, Cal Fire is already staffing up for fire season, while focusing the efforts of its crews on preventing large and damaging wildfires. Recent rains have been a welcome sight to drought parched California, but Cal Fire says their firefighters are not letting their guard down; instead they are training for another ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Sunday, Mar. 13 to Sunday, Mar. 20, 2016: North Fork assault On Sunday, Mar. 13 at approximately 12:49 a.m. deputies were dispatched to the 57000 block of Road 225 for a report of an assault. A case was generated and charges were filed ...

Written by Lexey Jenkins — COARSEGOLD — LCORT leadership conference was last month at Wonder Valley Ranch in Sanger, for kids age 12-14. LCORT had several sessions on different topics. Some of the topics this year were how to dress and act on an interview, how to think positively, how to introduce a speaker, and how to work well in ...

Written by Wendy Kenison Photographs by Steve Montalto – HighMountain Images — OAKHURST — Yosemite High School Music Department’s 8th annual fundraiser, Nite on the Town, played to a sell-out crowd on Saturday, Mar. 5, and was deemed by all to be a smashing success. With over 400 people in attendance, 100 musicians delighted the crowd with choral pieces and ...

Written by Yosemite High School Athletic Director Rusty Oetinger — On Tuesday, Mar. 15 the Yosemite boys Golf at Kingsburg defeated Kingsburg in a close match, while the co-ed swim team competed well against Hoover High and had many personal bests. Yosemite boys tennis team is off to a strong start with their victory against Chowchilla at home. Girls Varsity softball ...

COARSEGOLD — Grab the kiddos and plan to head over to Rivergold School as Out of the Box Theater presents an original comedy show based on the Wizard of Oz, set for Friday and Saturday, Mar. 18 and 19. The Wizard Of Oz and Friends will take the stage live at Rivergold in the school theater for three shows total, ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Cal Fire is recruiting for their Volunteers In Prevention (VIP) program, made up of citizens who offer their time and unique skills to serve the public through education, communication, patrols and defensible space inspections. Each year more than 5,600 wildfires burn over 172,000 acres of California’s watershed, timber, and grasslands. As a result, millions of dollars in ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Yosemite Area Regional Transportation (YARTS) is celebrating Earth Day by offering free rides on YARTS buses into Yosemite National Park. In 2015, the Park experienced an all-time record number of visitors, welcoming 4,150,217 people. “At YARTS, we want to do our part to help visitors be good stewards of the park and enhance their Yosemite experience by ...

FRESNO — The second of four defendants charged with growing marijuana on public lands in Madera County pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court. Francisco Javier Gomez-Rodriguez, 38, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana grown in the Sierra National Forest in Madera County. According to court documents, co-defendant Humberto Ceballos-Rangel, ...