OAKHURST – It’s going to be a perfect day for an outing of this sort, agree the dog, the cat, the lizard, the snake, the bunny and the chicken. Once again, it’s time to put your paws together for the upcoming Animal Faire at Oakhurst Community Park on Sunday, Oct. 2, starting at 10:30 a.m. and running to 3 p.m. The exciting ...

Written by Jazmin Neri — Minarets High School came into existence in 2008, intended and succeeding to be an educational and fun environment for the students attending. For eight years, it has helped students develop professionalism in a subject or skill they enjoy. Our culture at Minarets has become a wonderful thing. Our teachers are remarkable and truly have a great ...

Mount Dana is the second highest mountain in Yosemite (after Mount Lyell), reaching 13,061 feet tall. “Slow but steady” was our motto as we climbed the 3,000′ gain in elevation over 2 1/2 miles. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 5.21 Miles Difficulty: Strenuous Elevation Range: 9,930′ – 13,061′ Date: September 15, 2016 Maps: Falls Ridge and June Lake Topographic Quads ...

OAKHURST — Artists are often influenced by their surroundings, and Monique Wales is no exception. The printmaker is inspired by the natural world, including the majesty of Yosemite National Park; its towering trees, monumental rocks, abundant wildlife and exceptional vistas. She’s also affected by the more intimate surroundings of the home she and husband Tim built in the foothills, from the ground up. ...

Written by Virginia Eaton — Earlier this month some researchers took a look at historic documents of the Sugar Research Foundation from the 1960s, in order to better understand how the medical community could have missed the mark so disastrously in identifying the cause of heart disease. What they found, Hollywood could easily make into a corporate greed sort of movie. ...

Written by Annabelle Lowndes — O’NEALS — Over the past few years, the Minarets Volleyball program has made a name for itself, not only in the mountain community, but in the entire Central Valley. They have proved that, with excellent coaching staff and hardworking players, they can rise up to any challenge. Each year, there is a tremendous turnout of ...

OAKHURST — October is breast cancer awareness month and soon the world as we know it will be awash in pink. Right now, though, it’s still September, and one local survivor wants to remind all women of another cancer and a different color: teal represents awareness for ovarian cancer. “I am so passionate about this disease because I am a survivor going ...

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE — The signs are all around us, from the withered buckeye and earlier darkening skies, to little hints of temperatures dropping that send us running to the closet to pull out just one long sleeved shirt, for a change! The autumnal equinox, when days and nights are approximately equal in length, arrives this year on Thursday, Sept. 22 ...

Sally and I searched for the footprints that miners made in the Tioga Pass area long ago. We found a few of them but also discovered beautiful reflections in high lakes and caught a few trout while we wandered in the high country. Where: Hoover Wilderness Distance: 8.74 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 10,094′ – 10,524′ Date: September 7, 2016 ...

Written by Linda Giampa — CALIFORNIA — Whether heading out for a long backpacking trip, local day hikes, or an all-terrain run with our dogs, all of us are consistently aware of the need to pack provisions for varying weather, terrain and potential dangers. However, very few of us would stop to think about ticks or the dangers of tick-borne ...