MADERA COUNTY – In what is called “the Passing of Colors,” newly elected Sheriff Jay Varney and outgoing Sheriff John Anderson together gave a command performance outside the Madera County Sheriff’s Office yesterday. This long-standing military tradition was shared with hundreds of citizens looking on, and was bittersweet for the team of sworn personnel at the Sheriff’s Office, who are ...

MADERA – Learn how to care for your camellias at a free workshop hosted by Madera County Master Gardeners on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Master Gardener Carole Chavin will demonstrate the care and feeding of these beautiful flowering plants at the Madera Community College Center, 30277 Avenue 12, Room 3A, located at the rear of ...

OAKHURST – Wanted! Team Captains, committee members, sponsors and survivors for Relay For Life 2014, scheduled for May 17-18. This year’s event will be held at Yosemite High School. The first Team Captain meeting of the new year will be Monday, Jan. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at Oakhurst Medical Group. Immediately following that meeting, at 6:30 p.m., there will be ...

MADERA COUNTY – A head-on collision on Highway 41 just north of Road 207 near Blackhawk Lodge closed Highway 41 for nearly two hours during the evening commute on Monday, Jan. 6. Just after 6 p.m., Tuohan Yin, 26, of Fullerton, CA, was southbound on SR-41, when he drifted off the right shoulder of the road and struck a large ...

MADERA COUNTY – Finding a panel of 20 citizens who are able to commit to a trial anticipated to last anywhere from three to six months is no easy task. Kenneth Jackson, 40, and Allison Waterman, 47, have been in custody awaiting trial in connection with a series of suspected arson fires in the Coarsegold area since late June, 2013.

California Braces for Possible Third Dry YearSACRAMENTO – As California’s dry weather pushes into the new year, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced that its first snow survey of the winter found more bare ground than snow. Manual and electronic readings record the snowpack’s statewide water content at about 20 percent of average for this time of year.

MADERA COUNTY – Influenza activity is increasing in California, including Madera County, according to the Madera County Public Health Department. Many areas are reporting patients who are critically ill with influenza, including healthy young adults. The primary strain of influenza circulating so far is the H1N1 strain, which emerged during the 2009 pandemic. This strain causes more illness in children ...

Submitted by Brittany Dyer AHWAHNEE – Residents of Eastern Madera County have been anxiously awaiting the opening of what is sure to be a favorite destination for hikers, bikers, horseback riders and families looking for the perfect place to picnic and recreate. Now, the opening of the Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park is just around the corner. Just how much time, ...

MADERA – Staff has been busy at the Madera County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office processing property tax payments, including a surprising number of over-payments by many taxpayers. “We collected over $79 million, consisting mostly of first installments and some second installments of property taxes,” reports Madera County Treasurer-Tax Collector Tracy Kennedy Desmond.

SACRAMENTO – With the New Year just around the corner, the California Highway Patrol is reminding motorists of several new laws or changes to existing law that go into effect in 2014. The following are summaries of some transportation-related laws that, unless otherwise stated, go into effect on January 1, 2014.