Submitted by Scoutmaster Dave Smith — NORTH FORK — The combination of continued exceptional drought and epidemic numbers of bark beetles have greatly impacted the conifer forest in the Bass Lake area. Forest Service contractors have spent many months removing dead trees from the campgrounds and day use areas around Bass Lake. In April 2016, Scouts of North Fork Boy ...

BASS LAKE — The murder trial of George Taylor-Windsor got underway this afternoon in Bass Lake Superior Court. Taylor Windsor, 26, who recently moved to the area from Wyoming, is charged in the Nov. 15, 2016, death of Jessica Nelson, 23, of Foresthill, Calif. He is also charged with stabbing Reid Kallenberg, the driver of the pickup in which they ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Apr. 17 to Sunday, Apr. 23, 2017: North Fork narcotics arrest On Monday, Apr. 17 at midnight, a deputy was dispatched to the 34000 block of Road 221 regarding a suspicious person. Upon arrival a male subject was contacted while walking in the ...

CLOVIS – The Sierra National Forest (SNF), Bass Lake Ranger District, Fuels and Fire Management staff are planning to ignite a prescribed burn on the Source Kinsman Fuels Project on Saturday, April 22. Using the advantage of favorable weather conditions, SNF says extra fire personnel and equipment will be committed to the project until the treatment is extinguished as burn ...

NORTH FORK — North Fork Boy Scout Troop 357, along with Cub Pack 357, will be holding a recruitment evening at the Scout Building in North Fork (next to the Town Hall) on Thursday Apr. 27 at 7 p.m. In addition to weekly meetings, Scouts of Troop 357 participate in once-a-month weekend activities including camping at Morro Bay and Yosemite ...

CENTRAL SIERRA —  Recent rains have been a welcome sight to drought parched California, but the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) firefighters are not letting their guard down. Cal Fire’s Defensible Space Inspectors (DSI) will be visiting homes within the State Responsibility Area (SRA) to enforce the Defensible Space code, Public Resource Code (PRC) 4291. It requires ...

By Roger Maybee — One way or the other, by now you have probably heard the terms “firewise” and “harden your home.” But what does it really mean? Being firewise is being knowledgeable on how wildfire behavior affects you. Hardening your home against wildfire just means taking steps to improve the chance of your home and structures withstanding ignition by ...

NORTH FORK – A sure sign of spring is the annual Tri-tip BBQ, put on by the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary. It is scheduled this year for Saturday, Apr. 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the North Fork School, alongside the local Earth Day celebration. This is the major fundraiser for the Auxiliary, who work hard ...

BASS LAKE — The first murder trial to take place at the Bass Lake courthouse in several years was delayed today due to a lack of jurors. Jury selection began yesterday in Bass Lake Superior Court in the murder and attempted murder trial of George Taylor-Windsor, 26, who moved to California recently from Wyoming. He faces 30 years to life ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — The Coarsegold Resource Conservation District (CRCD) anticipates that they will have some money to help qualified homeowners who need to fell dead trees within 100-feet of their dwelling. “The money comes from the Cal Fire Department of Forestry and Fire Protection – Tree Mortality grant,” explains Anne Melrose, Executive Director of the CRCD. “We are hoping to offer funds to ...