MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, May 15 to Sunday, May 21, 2017: Coarsegold violation of court order On Monday, May 15 at approximately 9:28 a.m. a deputy was dispatched to the 45000 Block of Road 415 in regards to a violation of a court order. A report was taken and ...

MARIPOSA – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) will be conducting a live fire training exercise at Eastman Lake on Monday, May 22, and Wednesday, May 24. The training will be in cooperation with Madera County Fire and the Army Corp of Engineers. If conditions are conducive, approximately 170 acres of grass and oak understory will ...

COARSEGOLD – Family members and law enforcement continue the search for a Coarsegold man who has been missing for nearly a month. According to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, Keith Allen Bendz, 45, was reported missing on Tuesday, Apr. 25. He was last seen on the morning of Monday, Apr. 24, say family members. Mr. Bendz is described as 5′ ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — A head-on collision on Highway 140 in the Catheys Valley area has claimed the life of a Mariposa man. At 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, Dale Giantomasso, 62, of Peotone, Ill., was westbound on Highway 140 just east of Chase Ranch in a 2006 Newmar Ventana motorhome, when for unknown reasons, he drifted across the center ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Smoke from the Elm Fire near Hwy 198 in Coalinga is affecting air quality in the western portion of the San Joaquin Valley and has the potential to impact Fresno, Kings and the western portions of Kern County. Currently, smoke impacts originally concentrated in the foothill areas to the west of the air basin have moved to the ...

MADERA COUNTY — Firefighters are on scene of a vegetation fire burning on the east side of Highway 41 between Children’s Blvd. and Avenue 12. The fire was reported at 4:37 p.m. Though the roadway is still open, smoke is affecting visibility and people are stopping to look. As of 5:57 p.m., forward progress of the fire had been stopped. ...

MADERA COUNTY — The Madera County Tax Collector’s office is in the process of the final drive for collections of taxes owed to the County, and all entities for whom they collect, in preparation for fiscal year-end closing. “Last month we sent out over 4,000 delinquent notices, and we have been putting bank levies on unpaid unsecured taxes,” said Tracy ...

CLOVIS  – The Sierra National Forest (SNF), High Sierra Ranger District, Fuels and Fire Management staff are planning to ignite a prescribed fire on the Vincent Fuel break on Tuesday, May 23, as part of an ongoing hazard fuels reduction plan. Smoke will likely be visible around the mountain area and the Valley. “Using the advantage of favorable weather conditions, ...

MADERA COUNTY — The Madera County Board of Supervisors learned first-hand the capabilities of the new T-Rex, the articulating platform ladder fire truck, soon to be put into service at Station 8 in Coarsegold. During today’s regular Board meeting, MMU Cal Fire Division Chief Dave Allen gave the supervisors a close-up look at the new truck, which was acquired to ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, May 8 to Sunday, May 14, 2017: Coarsegold Coroner’s case On Monday, May 8, a deputy responded to a delayed Coroner’s case with the primary physician stipulating to the decedent’s cause of death. This is a natural death case involving only a Coroner’s referral ...