MARIPOSA COUNTY–The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will conduct the following one-way traffic controls next week on State Route 49 (SR-49), and SR-140: State Route 49 • Between Bootjack/Darrah Road and Silva Road/Indian Peak Road for tree work, on Monday, June 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Tuesday, June 27, 2023, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. • ...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK–Yosemite Fire and Aviation has postponed the planned prescribed burn in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias we had previously written about here. Originally scheduled to begin this evening, this burn has been postponed until Fall 2023. Yosemite Valley prescribed burns and pile burning will continue this week, starting Wednesday evening along Southside Drive in Sentinel Meadow, just ...

SACRAMENTO — Today, the State of California will roll out a first-of-its-kind approach to curbing the state’s catastrophic wildfire problem by providing new protections for prescribed fire and cultural burning practitioners. The $20 million allocated for the “Prescribed Fire Liability Claims Fund Pilot” will cover losses in the rare instance that a prescribed or cultural burn escapes control. California Senator ...

OAKHURST–The local American Red Cross in Oakhurst has been selected to participate in a pilot “Wildfire Assessment” program for the residents of Eastern Madera County. This program is to assess Zone Zero (0 to 5 feet from your residence). Most structures that burn during a wildfire are the result of burning embers igniting combustible vegetation and other combustibles within Zone ...

MARIPOSA– After another wet winter and above average snowpack, warming temperatures and winds are quickly drying out the abundant annual grass crop. The increasing fire danger posed by the high volume of dead grass and hotter, drier conditions in the region is prompting CAL FIRE to suspend all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Area of ...

PRATHER — A new figure has stepped up and into the public eye. Announcing his candidacy for the state legislature representing District 8, David Tangipa says, “I am running on the platform to bring back common sense for California. I believe we need to get back to the basics and get the basics right. Let’s lower the cost of living, ...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK–Yosemite Fire and Aviation plans to begin ignitions on a 120-acre prescribed burn in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park on Tuesday, June 20th. Two days of live firing operations followed by multiple days of patrol and mop-up for this prescribed burn are planned. UPDATE This burn has been canceled due to predicted winds. ...

MARIPOSA—CAL FIRE Law Enforcement Officers arrested 71-year-old Edward Fredrick Wackerman on Friday, June 16, 2023, in Mariposa County. Through an extensive investigation, Wackerman, a local Mariposa resident, has been identified as the suspect responsible for igniting the Oak fire in July 2022. The Oak fire occurred in the Midpines area in Mariposa County. The Oak fire burned 19,244 acres of ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will conduct the following road construction projects on State Route 49 (SR-49) and SR-140 during the week of June 18-24, 2023. State Route 49 • One-way traffic control from Tiptop-Usona Road to Hirsch/Woodland Road for tree work on Monday, June 19, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Tuesday, June 20, ...

OAKHURST–The California Highway Patrol is reporting a traffic collision has taken place on Highway 41 near Road 630 (in the Cedar Valley area). A single vehicle is involved and has gone off the roadway. Injuries are unknown at this time. Emergency Responders are on scene. Please use caution in the area. We will update this article when more information is ...