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 ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – Are you ready for some softball? Online registration is now open for Yosemite Girls Softball League (YGSL), and all girls ages 5 – 15 are invited to participate. No experience is required and Opening Day is March 14 at Yosemite High School (YHS).

Hey Instructors! Are you ready for some fun? This Friday, January 9th, will be the start of the 2015 ski season. The weather should prove to beautiful with just enough snow to keep the beginning students happy. The cooler temperatures have allowed the snow to maintain a decent texture. The maintenance experts at Badger Pass due a great job keeping ...

OAKHURST – A pair of crashes involving the same vehicle, on either side of Highway 49, sent the driver to the hospital after he rolled his car near the Jack-in-the-Box. Just after 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, Richard Emerick, 84, of Coarsegold was driving a silver Lexus ES350 north through the parking lot of Raley’s. John Miller, 76, of ...

MADERA COUNTY – The man accused of starting the Courtney Fire that destroyed some 30 homes along Road 426 in the Bass Lake Annex in September 2014 appeared in Madera County Superior Court today. Oscar Bustillos, of Apple Valley, was arrested shortly after Cal Fire asked for a warrant on Nov. 17, and was arraigned on Nov. 25.