YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park has expanded and improved the Yosemite Museum’s Web Catalog to enhance the public’s ability to experience a wide variety of historically significant items. Visitors are invited to explore more than 2,000 catalog records for objects and images from the Yosemite Museum collection. These records include American Indian basketry, historic objects related to John Muir, and ...

MADERA COUNTY — A Coarsegold woman who crashed her car, igniting a fire that burned over six acres on Road 406 near Jewels Vista Drive yesterday, was arrested on suspicion of DUI. According to the CHP, Laura White, 51, drove her car off the north side of Road 406 just before 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26, plowing through a ...

NORTH FORK – Last winter’s storms brought much needed rain and snow to the Sierra Nevada, creating a significant amount of runoff, causing several roads on the Sierra National Forest (NF) to sustain considerable damage due the runoff from those storms. Sierra NF engineers recently awarded a contract to repair damage to Minarets Road (Forest Road 4S81). The road will ...

MADERA COUNTY — Firefighters responded this afternoon to reports of a vegetation fire just west of Highway 41 along Road 406. Just before 2 p.m. today, CHP reported that a motor vehicle accident near 42399 Road 406 had sparked a fire and requested Cal Fire to respond. The first unit at scene reported the fire at about three acres. Cal ...

TULARE COUNTY — District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against four individuals for starting the Pier Fire by burning a stolen car. The Pier Fire charred nearly 37,000 acres east of Springville, Calif., from Aug. 29 to Sept 24. Isiac Renteria, 19, Richard Renteria, 21, Osvaldo Esparza-Guerrero, 20, and Breane Ojeda, 21, were arrested on Oct. 24. All ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Park Service (NPS) is considering increases to fees at highly visited national parks during peak visitor seasons. In a statement released yesterday, the NPS says the increase is “part of its commitment to improve the visitor experience and ensure America’s national parks are protected in perpetuity. “Proposed peak season entrance fees and revised fees for ...

MADERA COUNTY — When Michael Lapschies was sentenced on Sept. 26 to 12 years in prison for lighting a series of fires in the Bass Lake area in 2015, and making threats against his ex-wife Amanda Skye-Ritchie, she was not at all satisfied that he would actually serve anywhere near the term imposed by the Bass Lake Superior Court. On ...

NORTH FORK – The Sierra National Forest, Bass Lake Ranger District, is preparing for the fall, winter, and spring burning program, said District Ranger Denise Tolmie, and projects will consist of three activities: pile burning, broadcast, and underburning. The objectives will be to reduce fuel loading from recent tree morality, and hazard removal projects within the Wildland Urban Interface and ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Oct. 16  to Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017. Bass Lake mail theft On Monday, Oct. 16 at 9:28 a.m. a deputy was dispatched to a telephonic call of mail theft that occurred at Malum Ridge Road and Marina View Drive. A report was ...

YOSEMITE — Five fires continue to burn in the wilderness areas of Yosemite National Park, with a strong stable air mass over the area bringing warmer than normal temperatures and lower humidity. This has contributed to more fire activity and more smoke production as the 8,000-acre Empire Fire moved through some heavier fuels. The smoke has been flowing into Yosemite ...