MADERA COUNTY – Free income tax return preparation and electronic filing, for both state and federal returns, will be available again this year for mountain-area residents, offered by the AARP Tax-Aide program. Services are provided free of all costs and charges. Tax returns are prepared on site by specially trained and certified volunteers, and then electronically filed the same day.

MADERA COUNTY – State Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) announced today he has hired John Anderson, retired Madera County Sheriff, to serve as the 12th district law enforcement liaison, and as a representative of the the Madera and Fresno communities. “I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with John for several years, and throughout that time, he has repeatedly ...

MADERA COUNTY – Two mountain area residents, who were the subjects in an ongoing theft and fraud case, are behind bars after deputies arrested the pair earlier this week in Oakhurst. James Cutter Randrup, 27, of Coarsegold, and Kara Nicole Raynor, 29, of Ahwahnee, face numerous felony charges, which include vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy and fraud. Randrup also ...

MADERA COUNTY – Parts of Madera County have been placed under quarantine by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) after a single Asian citrus psyllid was found in the Madera Lake area. Citrus and curry tree nursery stock may not leave the area. All citrus fruit must be cleaned of leaves and stems prior to moving out of ...

OAKHURST – District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler will host his first Town Hall meeting of 2015 on Thursday, Jan. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Oakhurst Community Center. Firewise Coordinator Roger Maybee will discuss Firewise Communites, and Planning Division Deputy Director Matt Treber will talk about proposed plans for the Austin Quarry near Highways 41 and 145.

OAKHURST – An Oakhurst man has been arrested and was booked into the Madera County Jail last night on suspicion of rape. Timothy Edward Buchholz, 28, who shares his time between Oakhurst and Fresno, has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2009 that includes burglary, grand theft and narcotics. He is being held without bail.

MADERA – An incident involving inmates at the Madera County Department of Corrections yesterday resulted in injuries to several prisoners, but was quickly brought under control by jail staff. On Monday, Jan. 12, at about 8:40 p.m., 11 inmates took advantage of their close proximity to rival gang members to launch an attack against each other.

CLOVIS – In the process of achieving what he once called a dream, Fresno State graduate Antonio Cabrera was recently selected as the new Forest Engineer for the Sierra National Forest. Antonio is a civil engineer who has been with the Sierra National Forest since 2009. Originally from Mexico, Antonio worked as a farm laborer in Reedley from 1990 to ...

CLOVIS – The Sierra National Forest is elated to welcome the new Deputy District Ranger for the High Sierra Ranger District, Sarah LaPlante. Sarah comes from the White Mountain National Forest in Region 9, located across the states of New Hampshire and Maine, where she worked as an Assistant Recreation and Special Uses Manager.

MADERA COUNTY – Residents who qualify and are selected for a new clean-air program could earn between $1,000 to $2,500 for trading in old wood and pellet-burning stoves in favor of new devices designed to reduce environmental pollution. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is currently accepting applications for its Burn Cleaner Program. The program provides incentives to ...