YOSEMITE — The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office has issues an alert advising that Highway 41 is temporarily closed between Wawona and Yosemite Valley due to snow accumulation. Yosemite West residents and visitors and advised not to leave during closure. The road between the south entrance and Wawona is reportedly open, and R2 chain restrictions are in place throughout the park. ...

CENTRAL SIERRA — The National Weather Service in Hanford has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the Sierra Nevada foothills including Mariposa, Madera, Tulare and Fresno County foothills, and Tulare County mountains, due to recent heavy rains combined with additional rainfall and possible snow melt expected. The Flash Flood Watch will be in effect from 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, ...

MADERA COUNTY — Perhaps the most often-asked question to Sierra News Online concerns accidents on Highway 41 — how many occur each year, and how many are DUI related? The California Highway Patrol in Sacramento provided us with accident statistics from Jan. 1, 2011 through Dec. 31, 2015, for the Highway 41 corridor from Highway 145 to Fish Camp. We ...

CENTRAL SIERRA – Anyone taking to the mountain highways over the weekend should avoid any unwanted delays by making sure there are traction devices in their vehicle. Chain control is now in place on Highway 41 from three miles north of Coarsegold (the bottom of Deadwood) to Yosemite National Park (R2 – see below). The location could change as conditions warrant. ...

MADERA COUNTY — The Board of Supervisors will be considering a resolution to establish a new salary structure for Paid Call Firefighters (PCFs) at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Currently, PCFs, or Volunteer Firefighters, are only paid the minimum wage of $10.50/hour and are only compensated when responding to fires and motor vehicle accidents. They are not paid ...

CENTRAL SIERRA — The National Weather Service office in Hanford has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the southern Sierra Nevada from Yosemite National Park to the Tulare-Kern County Line. Over one foot of new snow accumulations can be expected above 7,000 feet. Snow levels will start high around 8,000 feet at the storm’s onset early Wednesday afternoon, but will ...

OAKHURST – Recent activity at the historic Mountain House has been underway for about a month and many are curious about what’s going on with this beloved landmark. General contractor Steve Gabbard, owner of Oakhurst-based Sun Construction, spoke with Sierra News Online (SNO) and was happy to share that construction and restoration of the Mountain House is back underway after ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Commuters and others who travel the Highway 41 corridor in the Coarsegold area take note: crews will continue work on the hazard tree removal project for the four to five weeks, according to Caltrans. Delays may be up to 30 minutes, depending on the amount of traffic. The massive project, which is expected to last at least through ...

YOSEMITE — The El Portal Road (Highway 140) into Yosemite National Park has reopened to all vehicular traffic, with delays. The road is open one lane, with controlled traffic, and visitors are asked to not stop along the road en route to Yosemite Valley. The road may close again at any time in the event of hazardous driving conditions. The ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Delays on Highway 41 around the Broken Bit in Coarsegold this morning had drivers waiting up to an hour, reportedly, for tree work in the area. We checked in with Caltrans spokesman Cory Burkarth who gave us the answers commuters may be looking for regarding the massive hazard tree removal project that’s expected to continue for quite some ...