Anthony Garcia is in custody, female accomplice still on the loose. MADERA COUNTY – Sheriff John Anderson announced this afternoon that 34-year old Anthony Garcia (aka avid Garcia), wanted in connection with a residential burglary in the Madera Ranchos, has turned himself in. The second suspect, an unidentified female, remains at large.

NORTH FORK – Folks on their way into North Fork on Road 200 this afternoon were witness to a large plume of smoke and quite the airshow. The “Acorn Fire” was called in at 1:14 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, and engines from the Rancheria and Sierra National Forest in North Fork were on the scene in minutes.

MADERA COUNTY – Sheriff John Anderson credits a TV viewer for providing the identity of a man wanted in connection with a residential burglary in the Madera Ranchos. 34-year old Madera resident, Anthony Garcia, who also goes by the name David Garcia, has been identified as the subject captured on surveillance video during a 4-day shopping spree, using credit and ...

Unfair Tax? You can protest your bill, but you still have to pay CALIFORNIA – Property owners across the state have been receiving bills for what is being called the “rural fire fee.” Anyone living in what has been designated a State Responsibility Area (SRA) is being required to pony up $150 per habitable structure on the property. An SRA ...

Reform bill was nearly two years in the making SACRAMENTO – Public safety must come first. That’s the thinking behind a new law that makes it easier for cities and counties to make minor roadway safety improvements without having to go through a long process of environmental studies and jump through other costly and time-delaying hoops.

MADERA COUNTY – Two men are behind bars – one for stealing a truck, and the other, his roommate, for cultivation. An early morning call for service sent Deputy Darrell Swengel to Road 30 ½. A prowler could be heard lurking in the neighborhood.

Governor agrees to halt abuse of disability access law SACRAMENTO – California’s business owners have been plagued for decades by lawsuits aimed at getting cash for lawyers and their handicapped clients. It’s been especially hard on small businesses in towns where most buildings were constructed long before the Americans with Disabilities Act became federal law in 1990. In fact, nearly ...

OAKHURST – Madera County Libraries are now offering e-book checkouts for Nook, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android devices and other e-readers. Three e-books can be checked out at a time, for 14 days at a time. Not all books available in print are also available as e-books, because some publishers don’t sell some of their e-books to libraries. More information is ...

Credit card skimmers rip off at least 50 victims, Sheriff believes there may be more MADERA – If you used a credit or debit card to gas up at the Shell station on Avenue 12 in Madera Ranchos, you might want to check the charges on your monthly bill. Madera is the third county hit so far by what authorities ...

Central Valley CHP announces “zero-tolerance” cell phone use campaign CALIFORNIA – The California Highway Patrol is not fooling around with people texting and driving. From Sept. 17 – 21, the CHP intends to send a strong message: If you’re caught using a cell phone or texting while driving, you will be cited. Due to the increase in the number of ...