MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally during the week of Monday, Dec. 7 through Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015. Oakhurst person deceased On Monday, Dec. 7 at 00:28 a.m. deputies responded to the 40000 blk of CA-41 for a report of a deceased person. An investigation was conducted and found that ...

YOSEMITE — A new episode of Yosemite Nature Notes entitled “Bighorn Sheep” is now available for viewing. The video features stunning footage of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, interviews with wildlife biologists, and a special focus on the re-introduction of these magnificent animals to the Cathedral Range in Yosemite National Park in March 2015. The video is posted on the park’s ...

SACRAMENTO – The use of a cell phone while driving increases your chances of being involved in a collision by 400 percent, says the CHP. Is it really worth losing a family member or loved one, getting into a collision, increased insurance rates, or getting a citation? For the past four years, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has partnered with ...

SACRAMENTO – As California’s severe drought and bark beetle epidemic has left millions of trees dead, the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection last week voted to extend a drought mortality exemption to the state’s tree removal permitting process. “With massive tree mortality across California, this exemption streamlines the process for landowners who are working to reduce their wildfire ...

Submitted by the Sierra National Forest SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – Following four years of drought, forests throughout the Southern Sierra are experiencing a tree mortality event at a scale unprecedented in recorded history. Locals and visitors to the Sierra National Forest (SNF) are well aware of this event, as dead trees are visible in staggering numbers throughout the landscape. Beyond ...

YOSEMITE — Public scoping for Yosemite National Park’s planning and environmental impact analysis for the Yosemite Wilderness Stewardship Plan is open, and comments will be accepted through Jan. 29, 2016. Yosemite’s Wilderness is currently managed under the 1989 Wilderness Management Plan. The park needs to update this plan to incorporate current information about visitor use patterns, methods of managing visitor ...

BASS LAKE — More than 1,300 dead and dying trees have been taken down along Road 274, eliminating hazards to motorists and providing residents with a wealth of easily accessible firewood. On Wednesday, Dec. 9, crews from Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service completed the last stretch of Road 274 between Marina View and Mono Wind Way, dropping about ...

OAKHURST – Two mountain area residents were transported to the hospital last night after suffering major injuries in a rollover while attempting to evade police, according to CHP. Around midnight on Friday, Dec. 11, officers initiated a traffic stop on a brand new 2016 Nissan Maxima on Highway 41 near 49 in Oakhurst. The Nissan was being driven by Anthony ...

MADERA COUNTY — The last of 15 defendants charged in the attempted armed takeover at the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino in October 2014 has settled his case, according to District Attorney David Linn. Vernon King was charged with  kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, battery causing serious injury, and assault with a stun ...

Submitted by Justine Reynolds NORTH FORK – A project that is expected to play an important role in dealing with the devastating tree mortality in the Sierra and provide much-needed jobs in the area has taken another big step forward. On Friday, Dec. 11, North Fork Community Power closed on New Markets Tax Credit financing with Fresno-based Central Valley New ...