MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — Countless backyards are battlegrounds between die-hard homeowners and squirrels fighting over bird feed. Squirrels need not be an inevitable element of bird feeding; even though keeping squirrels out of bird feeders is an age-old problem, there are ways to thwart these thieves.           One common tactic is stocking feeders with seed squirrels dislike, ...

Mountain Communities – Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of south central Mariposa, southeastern Madera, eastern Merced and central Fresno Counties through 1:45 PM PDT. At 1:05 PM PDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along a line extending from Oakhurst to 9 miles southwest of Raisin City. Movement was east at 25 mph. Radar indicated pea size hail. IMPACT…Minor damage ...

MARIPOSA — Effective Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 8 a.m., the burn permit suspension in the State Responsibility Areas of Madera, Mariposa and Merced Counties will be lifted. CAL FIRE MMU Unit Chief Mike van Loben Sels is formally cancelling the burn permit suspension and advises that those possessing current and valid agriculture and residential burn permits can now resume burning ...

We will continue to update conditions throughout the storm – stay safe!   Alert | Motor vehicle accident Darrah Road / Quail Ridge Drive in Bootjack.   Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of south central Mariposa, southeastern Madera, eastern Merced and central Fresno Counties through 1:45 PM PDT.   https://sierranewsonline.com/special-weather-statement-from-us-national-weather-service/ Alert | Traffic hazard near the William Sell Bridge. Boulders ...

Whether heading to a party, celebrating on social media or greeting little ghouls and goblins at home, getting the entire family – including the four-legged family members – involved in the Halloween festivities can be the biggest treat of all. However, it’s important to take some precautions to avoid spooking your pets, particularly if you’ll be dressing them for the ...

FRESNO — FAM regrets to inform you of the cancelation of A Grave Affair with such short notice but they must reschedule The Killer Dueling Pianos for another time and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. FAM holds these types of events to help raise funds to support all the programming and exhibitions at the Fresno Art Museum. They ...

Emelyn Gonzalez Ceja spent her freshman year at Fresno State taking classes online and helping her dad run his small Fresno pretzel shop on her days off. The pandemic hit the family business hard, shutting it down for a couple months. Business still has not returned to normal. Ceja didn’t know how her dad, the breadwinner in their eight-person family, ...

There is no need to travel far to see fall colors, just a drive or walk where you live will deliver. But I put in some extra miles because I just couldn’t resist heading over to the Sierra’s eastside to do some leaf peeping at Convict Lake, even more beautiful with a dusting of snow up high on those rugged ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — There are so many reasons we love living here in the foothills of the Motherlode, however, there are some risks as well. One of the biggest risks is wildfires, and for the past several months we’ve been living on edge waiting for a wildfire to strike close to home. Now, just like someone turned on a switch, ...

Mountain Communities  –   The U.S. National Weather Service has issued a FLASH FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. The Flash Flood Watch is now in effect for a portion of central California, including the following areas, Fresno-Tulare Lower Sierra, Kaiser to Rodgers Ridge, Mariposa-Madera Lower Sierra, San Joaquin River Canyon, and Upper San Joaquin River. ...