BASS LAKE — Two North Fork men arrested following a violent home invasion robbery in Bass Lake Annex on Nov. 18 appeared in Bass Lake Superior Court on Thursday, Dec. 7, for a scheduled preliminary hearing. Ray Coleman, who turned 24 on the day of his court appearance, and Alvin McDonald III, 18, are charged with attempted murder, strong-arm robbery, ...

MARIPOSA — More than 90 personnel from the Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit (MMU) of Cal Fire have been sent to Southern California to assist with the massive firefighting efforts. They join the ranks of more than 5,700 firefighters currently on the front lines as six major wildfires continue their devastation from Ventura to San Diego County, forcing nearly 200,000 people from their ...

MADERA COUNTY — The Fresno and Madera County Sheriff’s Offices are investigating a series of shootings on public roadways in both Madera and Fresno Counties, which they say may be related. Between Nov. 27 and Dec. 7, there have been four separate reports of vehicles being struck by gunfire. Two occurred in Madera County and two occurred in Fresno County. ...

COARSEGOLD — The woman who lost her life after a near head-on collision on Highway 41 in Coarsegold yesterday has been identified. Billie Williams, 90, died yesterday after being airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center from an accident on the north end of Coarsegold near Morava Road. Billie was a passenger in one of the two vehicles involved in the ...

COARSEGOLD — A two-vehicle crash on Highway 41 near Morava Road has claimed the life of one woman, and injured another. At 3 p.m., reports came in of an accident in front of Mountain Aire on the north end of Coarsegold. According to CHP at scene, a 70-year-old Coarsegold woman was northbound in a Lexus ES330 approaching Morava Road, and ...

OAKHURST — A two-car accident north of town sent two people to the hospital this afternoon, one by ground ambulance and one by Life Flight. Just after 2 p.m. today a Modesto man was northbound on Highway 49 in a 1997 Honda, carrying a male passenger from Santa Maria. The driver rounded the corner just south of Harmony Lane while ...

FRESNO — Driver distractions have always presented challenges to roadway safety. Over the years, it has increasingly become a more serious problem as in-vehicle technology has expanded. To discourage this dangerous habit, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is launching the statewide Adult Distracted Drivers campaign in partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). The year-long campaign, funded by ...

COARSEGOLD — Homeowners who lost everything they own in a house fire this morning are not letting the tragedy break their spirit – they’re just grateful that everyone is safe. Scott and Cindy Varnado live on Miwok Avenue in the Indian Lakes area of Coarsegold. Scott was out working on some plumbing in the garage when Cindy’s mom, Mary Norris, ...

NORTH FORK — A large plume of smoke above North Fork is a fire resulting from last night’s wind event which increased activity on large burn piles on the Sierra National Forest. During the rain about a week ago, several large tractor piles – made up of dead trees from the tree mortaility work done by SNF crews last year ...

BASS LAKE — The Madera County Sheriff’s Office has issued an MCAlert due to high winds in the Bass Lake area. Multiple trees have been reported blocking roadways along Roads 222, 426, 432 and 274. Power lines are also down in some areas, with several reports of trees falling across homes, one sparking a fire. The Sheriff’s Office is advising ...