MOUNTAIN AREA – A little bit of rain is likely in the Oakhurst area overnight, says the National Weather Service in Hanford, California, starting after 4 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 28, with a 60 percent chance of precipitation amounting to less than a tenth of an inch. Rain showers are predicted to turn to rain and snow showers, with fairly ...

MADERA COUNTY — If you got pulled over by a Sheriff’s deputy today, you may have gotten a boost of Christmas cheer, rather than a citation. That’s what happened to Melinda Kerby of North Fork, who was on her way to bible study, when she was stopped for a burned out license plate light. Instead of a ticket, she was ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – The first full day of winter was a wet one, and while a flash flood watch expired at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, area residents can look forward to just a little break in the rain on Wednesday, Dec. 23, before another system, colder but drier, moves in on Thursday, ending on Friday. According to the ...

OAKHURST – More than twenty years after local activists fought hard to support the passing of legislation that would guarantee the expansion of higher education in Oakhurst, a new struggle for the town’s share of a facilities bond proposed by the State Center Community College District (SCCCD) is now heating up. At stake is Oakhurst’s piece of a potential $485 ...

SIERRA FOOTHILLS — The National Weather Service in Hanford has issued a flash flood watch for Central California, including Madera, Mariposa and Fresno County foothills through Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 22. This advisory is mainly for the Rim Fire and El Portal fire burn areas, but extends from Yosemite to Kings Canyon. Heavy rain may cause areas of flooding and debris ...

NORTH FORK – Just before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16, residents in the area of Road 223 and Pinchot Drive heard a loud crash, and raced outside to find a Chevy Suburban crashed into the embankment in front of their house. The residents, who live just north of Pinchot Drive on a sharp turn, found a woman unconscious inside ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally during the week of Monday, Dec. 7 through Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015. Oakhurst person deceased On Monday, Dec. 7 at 00:28 a.m. deputies responded to the 40000 blk of CA-41 for a report of a deceased person. An investigation was conducted and found that ...

SACRAMENTO – As California’s severe drought and bark beetle epidemic has left millions of trees dead, the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection last week voted to extend a drought mortality exemption to the state’s tree removal permitting process. “With massive tree mortality across California, this exemption streamlines the process for landowners who are working to reduce their wildfire ...

BASS LAKE — More than 1,300 dead and dying trees have been taken down along Road 274, eliminating hazards to motorists and providing residents with a wealth of easily accessible firewood. On Wednesday, Dec. 9, crews from Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service completed the last stretch of Road 274 between Marina View and Mono Wind Way, dropping about ...

OAKHURST – Two mountain area residents were transported to the hospital last night after suffering major injuries in a rollover while attempting to evade police, according to CHP. Around midnight on Friday, Dec. 11, officers initiated a traffic stop on a brand new 2016 Nissan Maxima on Highway 41 near 49 in Oakhurst. The Nissan was being driven by Anthony ...