OAKHURST — North Fork Elementary student Dean Farmer is dedicated to his education and that stick-to-it attitude was rewarded at school’s end this year, when he was given a sweet new trail bike for his efforts. Six local elementary schools awarded bikes donated by Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis for students who achieved perfect attendance this year, according to Kiwanis member Jim ...

MADERA — What can a mountain area property owner do when a neighbor’s grass grows head high or a rusty old junker has been parked out front since the 1990s? Call the Madera County code enforcement department — or better yet, file a complaint online. Madera County receives hundreds of citizen-generated complaints a year, according to Joe Trujillo, the County’s ...

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE – If you look outside your window tonight and see a giant buck, don’t worry — it’s just the moon. The full moon on Tuesday, July 16, at 2:38 p.m. is known as the Buck Moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The full moons have descriptive names that typically come from Native American tribes who use them ...

AHWAHNEE — Join friends and neighbors at the Hitching Post on Wednesday, July 17 as the nonprofit group Helping One Woman (HOW) honors Shay Farias. The event begins at 6 p.m. and you’ll be greeted at the door for sign-in. Your reservation will secure a seat for your meal and tables will be shared as the community gathers to support ...

By Bob Labozetta —  What can home gardeners do to help their plants — veggies, landscape plants, shrubs and trees — survive the intense summer heat? Here are some do’s and don’ts of hot weather gardening: Don’t fertilize plants or trees during the hot summer months. The purpose of fertilizers — especially those high in nitrogen — is to help ...

By Ed Bailey — MOUNTAIN AREA — During the first half of 2019, members of the Fresno Realtors Association Multiple Listing Services primarily in the Yosemite Gateway Branch sold 266 mountain area homes (single family residential properties), compared to 285 sold in the same period of time last year. Boundaries for the mountain area include Oakhurst, Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, North Fork, ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — It’s that time of year again (if perhaps a little later than usual) when local ranchers start moving their cattle up to the high country and summer pasture. This weekend, crews will be driving about 350 head of cattle through the Ahwahnee area, on through Fish Camp and up to the Long Meadow area where they’ll enjoy ...

AHWAHNEE — When the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France was commemorated last month on June 6, Ahwahnee residents John and Jannai Pero attended the ceremonies with family members. Their son, currently stationed in Germany, was part of the paratrooper drop reenactment of the historic day over 12,000 paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines in Normandy to help defeat the ...

SACRAMENTO – Fourth of July is synonymous with sun, fun, barbeque and fireworks. Cal Fire reminds everyone to do their part to have a safe holiday and help prevent wildfires and injuries caused by fireworks. Two out of five fires on the 4th of July are caused by fireworks, more than any other cause of fires. Most of these incidents ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, June 24 to Sunday, June 30, 2019. Coarsegold narcotics  On Monday, June 24 at 6:37 p.m. a deputy was dispatched to 46000 block of Lucky Lane regarding found narcotics. An item was recovered and booked for destruction. The case was closed. North ...