NORTH FORK – The Bass Lake Ranger District has begun ignition on the Kinsman Flat prescribed burn project this morning, Monday, Apr. 4. “The objective of the prescribed burn program is to protect our local communities from wildfire by not only reducing hazardous fuel conditions but by restoring, enhancing and sustaining a healthy forest ecosystem through reintroducing fire as a ...

NORTH FORK — The ladies arriving to open the Grace Community Church Senior Center in North Fork on Saturday were greeted with evidence that someone had broken into the building sometime overnight. It appeared that whoever broke in did so by managing to jimmy a door open with a small knife or screwdriver, as opposed to breaking something such as ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — If you’re talking on your cell phone, putting on makeup or reaching for something in the back seat, you are guilty of distracted driving, and the CHP will be on the lookout for you. The month of April has been designated as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) will use this opportunity to ...

COARSEGOLD — CHP responding to reports of a crash on Highway 41 near Serpa Canyon last night around 11:30 p.m., arrived on scene to find a Honda Accord on its roof right in the middle of the roadway, blocking both lanes. However, there was no one in the vehicle, and nobody around who may have been driving. A passing motorist ...

A Message from District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler’s Office —  MADERA COUNTY —  Supervisor Wheeler has been working non-stop on the tree mortality issues that we face in Eastern Madera County. Now, he is organizing a Tree Mortality Resource Fair for constituents to get one-on-one time with key partners that may be able to provide resources or educational information. The ...

MARIPOSA — A Mariposa man is behind bars on a million dollar bond after allegedly threatening his ex-wife with a knife and assaulting a police officer. On Mar. 28, at 9:09 p.m., the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a residence in the 5000 block of Italian Creek Road in Mariposa. The caller stated ...

MADERA COUNTY — Sheriff Jay Varney is warning residents of the latest scam designed to gather personal information from unsuspecting citizens. Over the past few weeks, residents in Fresno, Tulare, Sanger, and Madera Counties have been receiving phone calls from a person claiming to be with the Madera County Department of Social Services (DSS). The phone number appearing on their ...

COUNTY — The Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in cooperation with Teichert Construction will commence one-way traffic control on State Route 41 in Madera County, as part of the ongoing passing lanes installation project near the 22 Mile House. The following one-way traffic control will be in effect starting next week, weather permitting, Caltrans reports. Beginning Sunday, Apr. 3 at 9 ...

OAKHURST — A call-out just after 10 a.m. this morning sent firefighters to a home on Pine Ridge Road where the first engine on scene reported a two-story home with flames showing on the roof. The two young men, ages 22 and 24, who were home at the time say they had put a fire in the woodstove. Some time ...

OAKHURST — Firefighters are on the scene of a house fire in the Royal Oaks area of town, where the upstairs of a two-story, single-family residence is fully engulfed in flames. The home, which has a shake roof, is located on the northwest corner of Pine Ridge Road and Pine Ridge Way. The call went out at approximately 10:10 a.m. ...