By Paige Bartlett —  OAKHURST — We have a fabulous teacher at Oak Creek Intermediate (OCI); his name is Mr. Erik Peterson. We wanted to ask him a few questions about his teaching career and background. Mr. Peterson has taught for 28 years. Before his move to Oakhurst, he taught at Simi Valley High School, McKinley Elementary, Spencer V. Williams ...

HANFORD – A Flash Flood Watch has been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for recent burn areas in central California, including the Ferguson, Railroad and Pier burn scars. The Watch has been issued for Mariposa, Madera, Tulare and Fresno County foothills, and the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Kings Canyon. This includes the communities of Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Auberry, ...

By Brian David —  Guided by sonar, night vision and the earth’s magnetic field, the Pallid, Mexican, and California Myotis bats – flying near fifty miles an hour – eat nocturnal insects mid-air. A dining night out delivers over half a bat’s body weight in nutritious insects. Central California crops including beets, citrus, corn, cotton, pecans, peppers, rice, strawberries and ...

MADERA COUNTY – All registered voters in Madera County will be receiving their Official Ballots in the mail for the upcoming Nov. 6 general election beginning Oct. 8, says Rebecca Martinez, County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters. As a Voter’s Choice Act county, voters have more choices for voting and returning their ballots, Martinez says. “Great news! Starting with this ...

AHWAHNEE — Wasuma Elementary School is holding its first annual Color Run fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 5. Students will be collecting pledges and jogging around the Color Run course to raise money for Wasuma PTA. These funds will go back to the school in the form of assemblies, field trips, and other fun special events for the kids. The day ...

OAKHURST — Get ready for the sheer beauty and excitement that is Sierra Art Trails. The Preview Exhibit is open to the public, featuring a representative piece by each artist in Sierra Art Trails. Viewing the Preview Exhibit is a great way to plan your Art Trails weekend, discover the work that you most want to see, and plan your route to ...

OAKHURST — When she was younger, Linda Hancock and her siblings often played under the native oaks trees that grew on their parents’ property in North Fork. Today, Hancock is a Master Gardener in Madera County who volunteers to teach people about oak trees native to the mountain area and how to landscape under them. On Saturday, Oct. 13, Hancock ...

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA – The first rains of the fall are forecast to arrive in our area early this week, and PG&E is warning that there is an increased risk of power outages during the first rains following a long dry season. “During the first rainstorm of a season, dust and other particles that have accumulated on our equipment can transform ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The WEA portion of the test commences at 11:18 a.m., and the EAS portion follows at 11:20 a.m. The test will assess the ...

OAKHURST — Bring the whole family to National Night Out on Tuesday, Oct. 2, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Old Mill Shopping Center (Vons) in Oakhurst, and meet your local first responders. This is a community awareness-raising event designed to highlight the important relationship between community members and our local emergency programs, first responders, non-profits and law enforcement, ...