MARIPOSA — This is the fourth year for the Mariposa Go West Festival in the historically charming California gold rush town named with the Spanish word for “butterfly.” This family-friendly event features gold panning, roping contests, gunfight reenactments, live music, traditional native dancing, and much more. “Go back to the days of the Old West and experience what it was like during ...

VALLEJO — U.S. Forest Service investigators have determined the cause of the Ferguson Fire to be vehicle-related. Specifically, investigators believe superheated pieces of a catalytic converter came into contact with dry, roadside vegetation, igniting the fire. The Ferguson Fire started on the evening of Friday, July 13, along eastbound Highway 140 near Savage Trading Post at 8:30 p.m. (South Fork ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – Caltrans crews have cleared the roadway on SR-140 in Mariposa County and it is now open. Crews will continue to patrol for any obstacles that may fall into the roadway, especially in areas that have recently burned during wildfires. Motorists should slow down and use extreme especially in curvy areas where whatever is around the next corner ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is planning a preemptive closure of State Route 140 into Yosemite National Park to protect public safety in the Ferguson Fire burn scar area due to a storm event that they say is likely to impact the roadway. The National Weather Service is forecasting 1-3 inches of rain in a one-hour ...

HANFORD – A Flash Flood Watch has been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for recent burn areas in central California, including the Ferguson, Railroad and Pier burn scars. The Watch has been issued for Mariposa, Madera, Tulare and Fresno County foothills, and the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Kings Canyon. This includes the communities of Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Auberry, ...

By Brian David —  Guided by sonar, night vision and the earth’s magnetic field, the Pallid, Mexican, and California Myotis bats – flying near fifty miles an hour – eat nocturnal insects mid-air. A dining night out delivers over half a bat’s body weight in nutritious insects. Central California crops including beets, citrus, corn, cotton, pecans, peppers, rice, strawberries and ...

Vicki Thomas  Sierra Art Trails 2018 Catalog #85 My love for art, drawing and painting has come from an inner need to create and then to share my passion with others. It’s a wonderful feeling to be totally immersed in the process of painting and experience the surprising and satisfying results. This year, I’m proud to have local artist and ...

MARIPOSA – A Mariposa man is dead after a single-vehicle accident on Highway 140 last Friday. At 5:44 p.m. on Sept. 28, Jonah Thomas, 22, was driving a 2003 Ford F-150 eastbound on SR-140 approaching the east end of Trower Road. According to CHP, Thomas was coming out of a long straightaway at an unknown speed when he entered a ...

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA – The first rains of the fall are forecast to arrive in our area early this week, and PG&E is warning that there is an increased risk of power outages during the first rains following a long dry season. “During the first rainstorm of a season, dust and other particles that have accumulated on our equipment can transform ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The WEA portion of the test commences at 11:18 a.m., and the EAS portion follows at 11:20 a.m. The test will assess the ...