MADERA COUNTY– Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Jan. 9 to Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018. Raymond domestic dispute and emergency protective order On Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 1:15 a.m. a deputy was dispatched to a residence located within the 32000 block of Front Street, regarding a report of a domestic dispute. ...

BASS LAKE — North Fork resident Mary O’Keefe was back in Bass Lake Superior Court today, this time for a long-awaited preliminary hearing on the charge of first degree murder with an enhancement of elder abuse in the killing of beloved North Fork citizen Bonnie Hale. Hale was found deceased on the back patio of her home on Road 225 ...

OAKHURST — Firefighters were called out just after 5 a.m. this morning for reports of a structure fire in the 38000 block of Golden Ball Drive just off Road 426. The first engine at scene reported heavy smoke and flames on one end of the single-story, 1500 square foot home. The two residents were asleep when the fire broke out, ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST — Prescribed burning operations have resumed on the Ponderosa fuelbreak east of Cascadel Point near North Fork. Smoke has been visible for the last few days. “We still have a fair amount of acreage of tree mortality burn piles to finish up, and have a contract burn crew with a Forest Service representative on scene each day ...

MADERA — Bobby Kahn has been elected board president of the State Center Community College District (SCCCD). Kahn was voted in at the board’s December meeting. Deborah Ikeda was elected vice president and Richard Caglia was elected secretary. SCCCD is governed by a board of seven trustees. The executive committee is joined by trustees Miguel Arias, John Leal, Ronald H. ...

COARSEGOLD — Thanks to Facebook tips, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate the man who reportedly brandished a knife at CVS employees in Oakhurst last night. The incident was reported at about 6:30 p.m., and the suspect, Nathaniel Follette, was located and taken into custody at the Chukchansi Casino in Coarsegold just a few hours later. He ...

OAKHURST — The Madera County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying a subject who reportedly brandished a knife at CVS employees in Oakhurst tonight. The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. at the CVS in the Old Mill Shopping Center near Vons, located at 40044 CA-49. The subject is described as a heavy-set, adult male Caucasian wearing ...

YOSEMITE — Tuolumne Winter Rangers Laura and Rob Pilewski are celebrating their seventh season in the park. Here’s their third blog post of the season. Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for January 10, 2018 New snow [as of Jan. 10]: 14 inches Total settled snow depth: 10 inches (at 8,600 feet) High temperature: 47°F (January 7) Low temperature: 17°F (January 7) ...

MADERA COUNTY — Madera County Treasurer-Tax Collector Tracy Kennedy reports that over $86 million in property tax payments were collected and posted following the Dec. 10 property tax deadline. All payments were posted and balanced by Friday, Dec. 15. “That’s amazing,” says Kennedy, “given that we had an extra day for taxpayers to make their payments on Monday, December 11; to ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST — The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region has announced Temporary Wildland fire employment opportunities for the 2018 field season, including numerous opportunities with duty locations of North Fork, Oakhurst, Mariposa, Fresno, Trimmer, Prather, and Big Creek, Calif. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 15. Candidates are encouraged to apply to any or all positions in which they ...