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, ...

NORTH FORK – The Whiskey Creek Band will be entertaining audiences during two fall events this week. On Saturday, Oct. 6, the band will be performing at the North Fork Town Hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of the North Fork Fall Festival and the Grizzly Bike Run. Lunch and dinner will be served at the Town ...

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 ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – With flu season approaching, now is the time to get your flu shot at either of two local clinics provided by Madera County Public Health. There will be a walk-up clinic in Oakhurst at the Mountain Christian Center, 40299 Highway 49, on Tuesday, Oct. 9, from 9 to 11 a.m. In North Fork, the walk-up clinic will ...

MADERA COUNTY – All registered voters in Madera County will be receiving their Official Ballots in the mail for the upcoming Nov. 6 general election beginning Oct. 8, says Rebecca Martinez, County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters. As a Voter’s Choice Act county, voters have more choices for voting and returning their ballots, Martinez says. “Great news! Starting with this ...

OAKHURST — Get ready for the sheer beauty and excitement that is Sierra Art Trails. The Preview Exhibit is open to the public, featuring a representative piece by each artist in Sierra Art Trails. Viewing the Preview Exhibit is a great way to plan your Art Trails weekend, discover the work that you most want to see, and plan your route to ...

OAKHURST — When she was younger, Linda Hancock and her siblings often played under the native oaks trees that grew on their parents’ property in North Fork. Today, Hancock is a Master Gardener in Madera County who volunteers to teach people about oak trees native to the mountain area and how to landscape under them. On Saturday, Oct. 13, Hancock ...

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 ...

NORTH FORK – Eastern Madera County voters will now have more ways to return their ballots during the general election. Rebecca Martinez, Madera County’s Registrar of Voters, has announced that a fifth drop box will be available, with the latest being installed in North Fork. And for those returning their ballots by mail, postage-paid envelopes will be provided so you ...

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 ...