OAKHURST — Crews are working on a section of Highway 41 between Highway 49 and Road 426, making repairs where the recent rains have undermined the roadway. Cal Trans workers are out in force, and hope to complete the project by Saturday afternoon, but the extent of the damage is being determined as they dig out the problem area and ...

KERN COUNTY  — ABC30 is reporting that a SkyLife helicopter which took off from Porterville has crashed in Kern County. According to officials, the helicopter was flying from Porterville Municipal Airport to Meadows Field Airport, and the pilot was not communicating with air traffic controllers as of 7:05 p.m. ABC30 reports that officials have confirmed four people were killed in ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – Cal Fire is called to many home fires this time of year when the response could have been prevented by simple home heating equipment maintenance procedures. To help reduce the number of home fires the Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit is reminding the public that all home-heating equipment should be inspected. The following is a list of heating problems that ...

YOSEMITE — With several major storms coming through the Yosemite Area later this week, Yosemite National Park is closing Tioga Road for the season. Tioga Road typically closes each fall and remains closed throughout the winter months. The road reopens when weather conditions permit in the spring. The incoming storm is expected to drop a significant amount of snow in ...

BASS LAKE — Hazard tree removal along Road 274 on the north side of Bass Lake will continue on Wednesday, Dec. 9, according to Burt Stalter, Fuels Management Specialist on the Bass Lake Ranger District, and one of the fallers on the project. Motorists should expect delays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. as trees that have to be dropped ...

MADERA COUNTY — Madera County’s nationally recognized Search & Rescue Team is currently accepting new applications through the end of the year. Applications can be picked up at either the Sheriff’s main office at 2725 Falcon Drive in Madera, or the Sheriff’s substation at 48267 Liberty Drive in Oakhurst. Interested candidates are urged to complete and submit an application. They ...

BASS LAKE – Multiple agencies were out in force today clearing hazard trees from Road 274 on the north side of Bass Lake. The 3-day project is a cooperative effort between Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service, the Madera County Fire Department, County Roads and the Sheriff’s Office. Some 1,200 trees have been identified as posing a hazard to motorists ...

BASS LAKE — With winter weather approaching, bringing the potential for high winds and heavy snows, the dangers posed by dead trees along mountain roadways has become very real. Cal Fire, in conjunction with the US Forest Service, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office and County Roads, is getting out ahead of this dangerous situation by removing hazard trees that threaten ...

COARSEGOLD – Though not every El Niño brings torrential rain and the resulting disasters, analysts believe with 95 percent certainty that this winter’s event will do just that, says John Kirk of the California Department of Water Resources. Kirk addressed a standing-room-only crowd at the Clubhouse in Yosemite Lakes Park on Saturday, introducing them to new terms and concepts, such ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Effective Monday, Nov. 23, at 8 a.m., the burn permit suspension in Madera Mariposa Merced Unit (MMU) of Cal Fire will be lifted, which will affect State Responsibility Areas within Mariposa, Madera and Merced Counties. Cal Fire MMU Unit Chief, Nancy Koerperich, is formally cancelling the burn permit suspension, with no elevation restrictions, and advises that those ...