NORTH FORK – October is the season of lederhosen and hops and, to that end, the North Fork Chamber of Commerce invites the community to celebrate Oktoberfest at Bandit Town. Live music will fill the air as dance bands The Executive Rocker Show, Three Shades of Blue and others take the stage for this second-year Oktoberfest celebration happening on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 5 – ...

BASS LAKE — It’s that time of year again — fall is in the air and the Smokey Bear Run / Walk returns to the shores of beautiful Bass Lake. Saturday, Sept. 24, runners and walkers of all ages will gather at Recreation Point on the south shore for one of the year’s most anticipated events. Organizers have been working ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Sept. 12 to Sunday, Sept 18, 2016: Oakhurst fraud report On Monday, Sept. 12 at 10:21 a.m. a deputy was dispatched to the 48000 block of Liberty Drive in regards to a fraud report. This report will be closed, due to a lack ...

COARSEGOLD — Here’s an opportunity to get to know local law enforcement in a comfortable atmosphere with no agenda except a chat and cuppa something good. Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney invites the community to join him and the deputies to discuss community issues during monthly events dubbed “Doughnut with a Deputy.” Based on the popular “Coffee with a Cop” format, the ...

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE — The signs are all around us, from the withered buckeye and earlier darkening skies, to little hints of temperatures dropping that send us running to the closet to pull out just one long sleeved shirt, for a change! The autumnal equinox, when days and nights are approximately equal in length, arrives this year on Thursday, Sept. 22 ...

CENTRAL SIERRA — Smoke from the Soberanes Fire in Monterey County and the Canyon Fire burning in Santa Barbara County are affecting air quality in locations throughout the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Sierra, warns the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Unusually high particulate matter levels throughout are prompting Air District officials to issue a health cautionary statement. Air ...

MADERA COUNTY — Good news, travelers, as the long-awaited passing lanes project on SR-41 near the 22 Mile House is now complete. “The new lanes were opened to traffic yesterday,” says Caltrans’ Corey Burkarth, “and we anticipate accepting the project tomorrow once the contractor completes the task of removing signs from the project site that are no longer needed.” Construction ...

Written by Lizz Wiles — O’NEALS — In May 2016, Minarets High School hosted the newly adopted Common Core State Standards method of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. The test was given to me and other juniors over a four-day period. English and Mathematics alternated daily to give us plenty of breathing periods throughout the exam. Teachers monitored their assigned ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — With summer nearly over and many of the crowds dwindling, it’s nice to know that local people are out cleaning up our environment on the weekends. In two separate though not random acts of kindness, a pair of groups stayed busy on Friday, Saturday and Sunday picking up trash: the Girl Scouts of Troop 132 and volunteers with Keep Our Mountains Beautiful (KOMB). ...

Written by Linda Giampa — CALIFORNIA — Whether heading out for a long backpacking trip, local day hikes, or an all-terrain run with our dogs, all of us are consistently aware of the need to pack provisions for varying weather, terrain and potential dangers. However, very few of us would stop to think about ticks or the dangers of tick-borne ...