Mountain Communities – Smoke impacts from wildfires in northern California and in Tuolumne and Mariposa Counties will continue as winds bring smoke into the San Joaquin Valley. The health caution will remain in effect for San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Kern Counties until the fires are extinguished or until smoke is no longer affecting the Valley. ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has completed the process of dislodging overhanging rocks at the site of the Ferguson rock slide and will begin removing more than 100,000 tons of rocks this month as it continues the Ferguson Rock Shed project on State Route 140 in the Merced River Canyon. Approximately 20 trucks, each with 20 ...

OAKLAND — Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated, nonprofit health care organization, announced it will make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all its employees and physicians. This is another step in the organization’s ongoing effort to protect the health and safety of its workforce, members, patients, and communities. “As the country’s largest integrated care delivery system, we feel it is our responsibility ...

OAKHURST – Today, the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians celebrated the execution of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Madera County that will expand Sheriff and fire services to Chukchansi tribal land and the surrounding community. Under the new MOU, the Tribe will increase funding to the Madera County Chukchansi Station 8 Fire Station to increase staffing and ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will conduct various work next week on State Routes 49 and 140. Work is scheduled to occur as follows: Route 49 • One-way traffic control from the Madera/Mariposa County Line to Varain Road In Mariposa for road striping operations from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. beginning Sunday, August 1, through Friday, ...

MADERA COUNTY — Rebecca Martinez, County Clerk-Recorder & Registrar of Voters announced today that all registered voters in Madera County will be sent their Official Ballots for the upcoming September 14, 2021, California Gubernatorial Recall Election in the mail. Ballots will be mailed to voters beginning August 16th. Allow 2-5 days for delivery. You can track your ballot! Ballot tracking ...

OAKHURST – Robert Macaulay wants your vote. In January 2020, Macaulay filed paperwork to pursue a candidacy for County Supervisor of Madera County District 5, the seat Tom Wheeler has held for the past fifteen years. That paperwork was approved in February. But that decision wasn’t made just then. “The first time it really crossed my mind was after I won ...

Tuesday afternoon we received confirmation that Kenneth Allen Jackson’s release has been pushed back to January 15 of 2022. This happened because of the quick response of the YLP community to our request for signatures and victim services requests. Although no reason has been given for this change it seems likely that the support of Senator Anna Caballero who assisted ...

SACRAMENTO – Senate Bill 254, introduced by Senator Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno), was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday, July 16, 2021. Senate Bill 254 encourages public elementary and secondary schools to observe a moment of silence when September 11th falls on a school day. This effort originated last year when Senator Borgeas introduced SB 911. September 11, ...

YOSEMITE  – Mr. Fred Zalokar, 61, of Reno, Nevada, was found deceased and his body recovered on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, near the summit of Mount Clark. Missing since Saturday, July 17, from Happy Isles to the summit of Mount Clark – Mr. Zalokar used an off-trail route from Bunnell Point. He did not return to Yosemite Valley. If you ...