OAKHURST – Sheriff John Anderson received a warm welcome as the featured speaker at this month’s meeting of the Mountain Democrats in Oakhurst. When the group gathered at the Sweetwater Steakhouse for a breakfast meeting on Saturday, Mar. 2, Anderson was there to talk about the challenges facing law enforcement in Madera County.

MADERA COUNTY – A San Jose resident was killed on Wednesday, Feb. 27, when the car he was driving was struck by a 2009 Dodge, driven by a resident of Oakhurst, according to the CHP. Charles Mark Hagood, 57, of Oakhurst, was eastbound on SR-152, just east of Road 7 at approximately 65 mph when, for unknown reasons, he allowed ...

RAYMOND – District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler will hold a town hall meeting tonight from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Raymond-Knowles Elementary School Cafeteria. Topics of discussion will include:

CLOVIS – The public is invited to give their input on the Sierra National Forest’s 2013 State Off-Highway Motor Vehicle (OHV) grant application during an open house on Mar. 14 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 1600 Tollhouse Rd. This year the State has funds available for education, operation and maintenance, law enforcement and restoration projects, and the Sierra National ...

COARSEGOLD – Residents of Indian Lakes who were headed home this evening were met with a virtual wall of law enforcement at Road 417, allowing in only those who live in the area. Both Road 417 and Lucky Lane near the Chukchansi Casino had CHP officers and sheriff’s deputies stationed at the entrances from Highway 41, showing a strong presence ...

CALIFORNIA – Homeowners in designated State Responsibility Areas (SRA) throughout the state will soon be receiving another bill for what has become known as the Rural Fire Fee. Beginning in 2012, anyone living in an SRA is required to pay $150 per habitable structure on their property. An SRA is an area where the state bears the primary responsibility for ...

MADERA COUNTY – A Fresno woman, convicted on Mar. 24, 1983 of first degree murder has been denied parole for at least the next three years, according to Madera County District Attorney Michael R. Keitz. Jackie Skeels, 53, was convicted of drowning her boyfriend’s 9-year-old son, Steven Brown, in the San Joaquin River on Aug. 23, 1982.

MADERA COUNTY – Even with the major reductions in staff and budget, the Madera County Sheriff’s Department reports that crime was down in most areas during 2012. Several staff positions were not funded in the current budget, and therefore the department lost two sergeants, one clerical position and 12 deputy sheriffs. These were in addition to three deputy positions eliminated ...

COARSEGOLD – Power was knocked out to a swath of homes along Road 400 near Yosemite Lakes Park on Saturday, Feb. 23, when a pickup crashed into two power poles. Tamara Gurgel, 50, of North Fork, was driving a Ford Ranger pickup north on Road 400 at what is presumed by CHP to be an unsafe speed. For unknown reasons, ...

MADERA – A Madera man is facing 59 years to life in state prison after being convicted of attempted murder. Carlos Gene Maldonado, 37, of Madera, was convicted on Feb. 14 by a Madera County jury of one felony count of attempted first degree murder, and three additional felony counts of assault with a firearm, according to District Attorney Michael ...