Written by Nicki Tempesta — MOUNTAIN AREA — Hinds Hospice is currently recruiting Patient Volunteers in the Coarsegold/Oakhurst and surrounding areas. The mission of Hinds Hospice is to uphold the dignity and ease the suffering of the terminally ill while supporting loved ones, and those who are grieving. At Hinds Hospice, we provide care in remote areas that are not ...

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today warned taxpayers to stay vigilant against an increase of IRS impersonation scams in the form of automated calls and new tactics from scammers demanding tax payments on iTunes and other gift cards. The IRS has seen an increase in “robo-calls” where scammers leave urgent callback requests through the phone telling taxpayers to call ...

MARIPOSA – Due to the “extreme menace of wildfire and its potential to destroy life, property and natural resources,” Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit (MMU) Chief Nancy Koerperich has suspended certain activities within the State Responsibility Area (SRA), including campfires and outdoor smoking. Due to current and predicted fire weather, the lack of precipitation, the dryness of vegetation, and the increased fire activity, ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Yosemite Unified School District is offering a K-12 hybrid independent study program through Yosemite Falls Education Center. Interested families are invited to an orientation night at John Muir Academy on Wednesday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. The District will provide a program overview, intake procedures, and address questions from those who are present. Questions? Call the registrar for alternative education: Lawnna Porter ...

OAKHURST — The mountain area will be bidding farewell to our local CHP Commander Jason Daughrity as he accepts a new position in Sacramento as CHP Academy Director. “I’ve never been one to sit still for very long,” says Cmdr. Daughrity, who will be reassigned to the CHP Academy on Sept. 1. “In fact, I remember my 7th grade math ...

OAKHURST – The Oakhurst Office of the California Highway Patrol invites the community to be part of “National Night Out,” an annual event meant to bring together law enforcement officers, first responders, and the communities they serve in an informal setting. The festivities will take place in the parking lot of the old Blockbuster store in the Old Mill Shopping ...

SAN FRANCISCO — As woody debris piles up from dead trees killed by drought and bark beetle infestation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has launched an expanded debris management program to support its customers in 10 counties severely impacted by California’s growing tree mortality emergency. PG&E is offering the expanded debris removal program to customers in Kern, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, ...

COARSEGOLD — Crews are currently on scene of a fire burning in vegetation in the 30000 block of Longview Lane in Coarsegold, at the intersection of Longview and the Flying O Ranch Road. Evacuation warnings have been issued for residents two miles on either side, immediately east and west of the fire. The Longview Fire was called in just after 1 p.m. today, and ...

COARSEGOLD — Crews rushed this afternoon to the scene of a grass fire burning on Hidden Knolls Road just south of Road 415. At 1:18 p.m. the first engine on scene reported the Knolls fire at about two acres, burning in grass with a moderate rate of spread. As resources continued to arrive, reports came in of structures threatened and vehicles involved. CHP and ...

CENTRAL SIERRA — Smoke from the Soberanes Fire burning in Monterey County is 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 and ozone levels throughout the area are prompting Air District officials to issue a health cautionary statement Valley-wide. The wildfires ...