Mother’s Day this year takes place on Sunday, May 12, and the mountain/foothill communities have tons to offer. You don’t even have to wait till Sunday to start celebrating. There’s a whole raft of activities starting on Friday and continuing clear through Sunday evening. Work your way from wineries in Madera up to dinner in Fish Camp. There’s literally something ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES–Owning a pet comes with benefits and challenges. An animal provides comfort and companionship to those who live alone; they are workers for those who have livestock. They offer support to those with medical conditions and are all-around fun to have in a household. Saying Goodbye The hardest part of being a companion to an animal is the goodbye. ...

OAKHURST—On January 9, 2024, Cody Bulow Brown, 19 years old, received the Madera County Sheriff’s Citizen Award from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. MCSO granted the plaque for services he and his company, CB Hauling, rendered during the major snowstorm Madera County experienced in March 2023. Lt. Ian Weaver handed the award to him at the Sunrise Rotary Club meeting ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY–With the lightning that rolled through the area this morning, Sierra National Forest and CalFire fire crews are responding to and chasing lightning fires and smoke reports by ground and air today. We are monitoring these incidents but will not be posting articles for each individual fire unless an incident is growing and/or threatening life or property. Be prepared ...

Sarah “Sally” Ruth Swiecki  August 6, 1929 – June 19, 2023 With sadness, love and profound gratitude, the family of Sarah “Sally” Ruth Swiecki, age 93, announces her departure at the Oakhurst Board in Care on Wednesday, June 19, 2023. Sally, as known to those closest to her, was born August 6, 1929, in Grosnell, Arkansas, to parents Tom and ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — Get out your dancing shoes because it’s time to party! There’s live music (and lots of great food and drink) happening all over the mountain this weekend! Just take a look at what’s coming up on the musical horizon! Axis Grounded Music Series Presents Sound of Hollow Gather outside on the patio in Town Center at AXIS Coffee ...

MARIPOSA — After a 40-month COVID hiatus, the Mariposa Yosemite Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) is back in action with concerts on April 29th and 30th in Mariposa and at Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp, led by its founding Music Director and Conductor Les Marsden. The program for the upcoming concerts will be Beethoven’s “Leonore Overture #3,” the original rarely-heard first version of ...

FRESNO — Domestic Violence detectives with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 52-year-old Jonathan Riester of Cayucas, CA. His bail is set at $35,000. On December 18th, a woman flagged down a motorist for help along Hwy. 168 near Shaver Lake. The woman explained to the driver she was in danger and wished to be taken to a safe ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — Sierra Tel, serving both Eastern Madera County and Mariposa County, announces that its 2023 telephone directory recounts the long history of Midpines Food and Gas. The directory story briefly recounts the times gone by of the 1926 Carstens building, located at the intersection of Carsten’s Road and Highway 140 in Midpines, that is now Midpines Food and ...

OAKHURST — The American Red Cross Central Valley Chapter has opened two evacuation shelters due to flooding in Madera and Mariposa Counties. Red Cross volunteers will provide safe shelter, water, meals, and additional resources to evacuees impacted by these major storms. Shelter Locations: New Life Christian Fellowship (5089 Cole Road, Mariposa, CA 95338) Oakhurst Community Center (39800 Fresno Flats Rd, ...