MADERA COUNTY — Oakhurst and Coarsegold Firefighters Cal Fire Local 2881 will hold a “Fill-the-Boot” to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Central California Chapter. Firefighters will Fill the Boot Saturday, May 24, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Highway 41 & 49 intersection in Oakhurst, and and Highway 41 & Road 415 intersection in Coarsegold. ...

FISH CAMP – For the second year in a row, students of the Bass Lake Unified School District got the chance to attend a special field science camp at the Jack L. Boyd outdoor school, Camp Green Meadows. The weather was chilly in late March, but hearts were warmed by the new alliances formed between kids, educators, and mother Earth.

MADERA COUNTY – A North Fork man accused of unlawful sexual contact with a minor was back in count today for a bail review hearing and to set the date for trial. Ed Lyons, 85, was arrested on Feb. 28 and was held to answer on 9 counts of child molestation after a preliminary hearing on Mar. 14. An amended ...

MADERA – The Madera man responsible for the deaths of Gary and Laura Smalz in May, 2012, was sentenced today in Madera Superior Court. On Feb. 19, Gary Ragsdale, 43, entered a plea of “no contest” to one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and one special allegation of personally inflicting great bodily injury in the commission of a ...

OAKHURST – The Oakhurst Community Center was filled with the friends and families of Madera County’s volunteer firefighters on Sunday, Apr. 27, as current members were honored for their service and new volunteers were welcomed to the ranks. For over 25 years, Paid Call Firefighters (PCFs) in Madera County have been recognized with a luncheon, prepared and served by Cal ...

NORTH FORK – With the shortage of volunteer firefighters across the country, it was encouraging to see some 35 new recruits participate in a training day at the North Fork Mill Site on Apr. 13. The day’s trainees included students from Glacier High who completed the EMT training earlier this year, young people from the Explorer program and even a ...

MADERA – May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the Madera County Workforce Investment Corporation invites the community to attend a free Brown Bag Lunch Series on the subject. “Break the Silence & Reduce the Stigma” includes three one-hour workshops designed to educate, and to create a dialog around serious mental health issues including depression, anxiety and bi-polar disorder. All ...

MADERA COUNTY – Reports of attempted witness tampering led both sheriff’s deputies and CHP officers to a home in Eastern Madera County where two men were arrested. One is a self-admitted white supremacist from Torrance, Calif., and the other is an Oakhurst man found to be in possession of methamphetamine, according the the Sheriff’s Office.

SACRAMENTO – Fatal collisions involving motorcyclists have been increasing in California over the past few years. ln an effort to change this disturbing trend, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) are hoping to save lives through a month-long motorcycle safety and awareness campaign during May.

MADERA COUNTY – After three months of testimony and five days of deliberation, the jury in the Kenneth Jackson/Alice Waterman arson and conspiracy trial has reached its verdict. Jackson was found guilty on 21 counts of arson, one count each of assault on a peace office and resisting arrest. Waterman was found guilty on 6 counts of arson. Both defendants ...