Would you rather pay a huge increase in your homeowner’s insurance, or a half-cent sales tax that would build out fire department services in Madera County? That is the conversation taking place at the Board of Supervisors. With homeowners across the area experiencing huge bumps in their insurance rates due to Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings, Madera County is exploring ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – When the devastating earthquake struck Nepal last week, the massive destruction and loss of life tugged at heart strings all across the world. Here in the mountain area, three young men decided to follow the irresistible urge to help. Brothers Jacob and Sam Tallmon, along with Kory Nuñez, are on their way to Kathmandu to assist in ...

CHOWCHILLA – Blue Jeans and Country Dreams is the theme for the 2015 Chowchilla Fair. The excitement begins Thursday, May 14, and will run through Sunday, May 17. This year’s action packed entertainment kicks off with bull riding, mutton busting, and an FFA greased pig competition on Thursday evening in the grandstands.

SACRAMENTO – Nine CAL FIRE firefighters recently received the prestigious State of California Governor’s Medal of Valor award for acts of heroism extending above and beyond the normal call of duty, and one of the honored recipients is a local firefighter with the Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit.

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA – On April 25, two managers from Nacionalni Park Una (Una National Park), Bosnia i Herzegovina in eastern Europe, began a study tour to visit national forests and national parks of the western United States. The goal for the study tour is to increase the knowledge base, skills, and capacity for the Director and Assistant Director of Una ...

COUNTY – Reader Sondra Costa wrote in to let the community know there’s a very good chance a regional bike park could win $100,000 to build an extreme downhill mountain bike trail as part of the already open Exchequer Bike Park.

COARSEGOLD – District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler will host the next in his series of Town Hall meetings on Thursday, Apr. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Coarsegold Community Center Speakers will include Dave Wolin, president of the Coarsegold Chamber of Commerce, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Chris Christopherson, and Firewise Coordinator Roger Maybee.

MADERA COUNTY – Following a retabulation of scores, it was firmly established that Coarsegold Elementary School’s 8th grade team took top honors in their division for the 2015 Madera County Academic Pentathlon, despite earlier reports. Awards were originally given out on Saturday, Mar. 21, when Ranchos Middle School’s 8th grade team were named winners of the competition.

When Carey Smith heard a tiny thump outside the window, she didn’t expect to see a little tiny living creature that probably weighed in at less than a penny. Carey was home with her school-age, animal-loving son, Brady. “We looked out to find this little baby hummingbird upside down and breathing hard,” explains Smith. “We rushed out and Brady lifted ...

FRESNO – Anyone traveling north out of Fresno this afternoon should be prepared for a complicated ride home with delays, for two reasons. A major gas explosion and a separate signal outage will be causing problems that may last well into the evening. People driving Highway 99 between Madera and Fresno will want to be aware of reports that workers ...