MARIPOSA – The Mariposa Area of the California Highway Patrol will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on Saturday, Sept. 5, between the hours of 7 p.m. and 2 a.m., somewhere within Mariposa County. The CHP says the deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug ...

EARTH – Sure, we get excited about full moons. What’s not to love? This weekend, light will shine brightly over the foothills as the full “Sturgeon Moon” rises above. The full moon on Saturday, Aug. 29 is known as a “supermoon,” because the full phase coincides with its closest approach to Earth, making La Luna seem larger than ever. Wikipedia ...

COARSEGOLD – A multiple-vehicle crash in front of the Broken Bit just north of Coarsegold on Highway 41, tied up traffic for over an hour this evening. Just after 6 p.m., reports came in of several cars involved in an accident, with one of the vehicles on fire. CHP responded to the scene, and a full wildland fire dispatch was ...

MADERA – The juvenile who started 13 fires in the John West Road area of Oakhurst in 2014 appeared with his family in Madera Superior Court today, with bags packed. Immediately following a court hearing this morning, where he faced charges of violating last November’s court orders, the teenage arsonist and his family left the county and moved to southern ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – The Rough Fire continues to smother the Central Sierra in thick smoke, causing at least one false alarm for local firefighters this morning as a fire was called in on Road 224 in North Fork. After making contact with the person reporting the fire, crews determined that the smoke from the Rough Fire was the cause ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – A 27-year-old man has been arrested for illegally growing marijuana after a multi-agency investigation culminates in the Coulterville area. On Aug. 27, deputies and detectives from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, along with officers from the Mariposa County Probation Department and Yosemite National Park Special Response Team, investigated an illegal marijuana growing ring by serving search warrants ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally during the week of Monday, Aug. 17 through Sunday, Aug 23, 2015. Oakhurst theft report On Aug. 17 at 11:46 a.m., a deputy was dispatched to 42000 block of Highway 49 in Oakhurst in regards to a theft report. Information was gathered and items ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – The Rough Fire has now grown to 55,989 acres with 25 percent containment, and continues to blanket the Central Sierra with smoke, especially in the morning hours. With slight changes in weather patterns, expect to see heavy concentrations of smoke in the western foothills and areas within the Kings River Canyon until mid-afternoon. This evening, smoke ...

OAKHURST – Two morning drive time solo-vehicle accidents sent two mountain area women to the hospital today. Zuleima Bernabe, 24, of Oakhurst, was westbound on Road 426 on Thursday, Aug. 27 at approximately 7:25 a.m. Bernabe was just past the mural at the Methodist Church at a stated speed of 35 miles per hour when she lost control of her ...

COARSEGOLD – Nearly a year after its closure following an armed incident that led to 15 arrests and a closure order from a federal court, Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino is expected to reopen in the next few weeks, according to new Chief Operating Officer Christian Goode. While no specific date has been announced for reopening, Goode says some employees ...