MADERA COUNTY – A suspect has been arrested in connection with a rash of fires in the Bass Lake area yesterday. According to Cal Fire, there were eight separate ignitions, with the first reported just before 3 p.m. on Road 222 near Pettitt Road. Crews responded to a second fire about 30 minutes later on Road 222 near Miller’s Landing, ...

Submitted by Lexey Jenkins — COARSEGOLD – The month of October is a beautiful time in the foothills, traditionally, and now supporters of local students and education invite the community to a special event as Coarsegold 4-H partners with the Coarsegold School PTO for their 2015 Country Fair.   On Saturday, Oct. 10 the annual Coarsegold School Country Fair will ...

Submitted by Cassandra Melching COUNTY – Do you know a Madera County foothill student from kindergarten through high school age who loves to create? Help them showcase their work in the annual Healthy Air Living Kids’ Calendar. The deadline for entries is Monday, Oct. 5 for the annual, four-color, bilingual, wall calendar. It’s produced with the help of students who ...

OAKHURST – An Oakhurst woman was arrested for Driving Under the Influence after a head-on collision on Highway 41 yesterday morning in which four people were injured, according to the CHP. Sherry Lynn Abraugh Getchell, 40, crashed head-on into Debra Essary, of Coarsegold, just after 7 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, about two miles south of Oakhurst. She was reportedly ...

COARSEGOLD – A man taken into custody after being pulled over by a CHP officer in Yosemite Lakes Park earlier today is not Jason Derek Brown, according to the CHP. The man was pulled over when his vehicle was spotted in the area, and matched the description of a car that was reportedly being driven by Brown, who is wanted ...

MADERA COUNTY – The two Coarsegold teens charged with starting the Sundance Fire, that burned 13 acres along Road 420 on Sept. 13, appeared in court on Wednesday for a detention hearing. Both boys, ages 13 and 14, were ordered to be placed under strict house arrest with electronic monitoring, are only allowed to go to and from school under ...

NORTH FORK – A mountain lion that has repeatedly preyed on local livestock since last spring was euthanized overnight in the vicinity of Wyle Ranch Road near North Fork, according to Federal trapper Randy Partch. The lion’s remains have been transported to Fresno where authorities with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will perform tests including a necropsy. ...

MADERA COUNTY – With newly-hired employees furloughed, and the resignations in recent days of all three members of the Picayune Tribal Gaming Commission, the prospects for reopening the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino any time soon are looking bleak. The Tribe is now facing not only a lack of confidence from the National Indian Gaming Commission (NGIC), but also what ...

MADERA – Two mountain area juveniles have been arrested by Cal Fire Battalion Chief Bernie Quinn, and are now booked in Madera County Juvenile Detention Facility. The pair are suspected of starting the Sundance Fire near Oakhurst that closed Road 420 and prompted the evacuation of dozens of residents on the afternoon of Sept.13. The District Attorney’s Office will file a ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally during the week of Monday, Sept. 14 through Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015. Oakhurst theft from vehicle On Monday, Sept. 14 at 11:26 a.m. a deputy was dispatched to the Oakhurst sub-station regarding a theft of items from an unlocked vehicle. Report taken. Case to ...