Day five and we’re in Verona. We’re here because the maître d’ at my favorite Italian restaurant in New York City is from Verona and said it’s a beautiful city and we had to see it.  Karen, of course, adores me and so was willing to go along with whatever I suggested (I typed that after she proof-read it if you ...

MADERA – All the ballots from the June 5 primary election have now been counted and Tom Wheeler holds onto his position as District 5 Supervisor by earning more than 50 percent of the vote against challenger Marc Sobel. Brian Austin has been elected Superior Court Judge in a very tight race, defeating opponent Carol Moses by just 367 votes. ...

MADERA COUNTY — Heads up, commuters — expect delays as long as 20 minutes on SR-41 north of Oakhurst next week. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with Michels Pipeline Construction, announces one-way traffic control on State Route 41 near the community of Oakhurst in Madera County for five working days as part of a culvert repair project ...

OAKHURST — In a regular meeting of its Board of Trustees on Thursday, June 14, Yosemite Unified School District certified a balanced budget for the next three consecutive school years, through 2020. Proposed 2018/2019 budget. “The adopted budget is a $2.1 million reversal from the negative budget and fiscal oversight imposed in March 2018,” says Interim Superintendent Mike Berg. “Yosemite Unified ...

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE — Here we go! Summer officially kicks off at precisely at 3:07 a.m. PDT on Thursday, June 21, with solstice, marking the point during the year when the sun takes its most northerly path across the sky. Summer solstice is the longest day of the year, with the shortest night, and at noon your shadow will also be the shortest of ...

OAKHURST — A late-night Highway 41 traffic stop by local deputies and their canine companion resulted in the arrest of two suspects for narcotics possession. Just before 2 a.m. on Wednesday, June 13, Madera County Sheriff’s K9 Deputy Eric Grijalva and Corporal Ty Tashiro observed a white pickup truck with no brake lights in the 40000 block of Highway 41. ...

COARSEGOLD — For the third time in 18 months, traveling on Highway 41 in Madera County, Jennifer Christensen desperately needed a fire extinguisher. Coming home from Community Regional Medical Center, where she’s a registered nurse in the Emergency Department, Jennifer spotted black smoke pouring from a vehicle parked at Black Hawk Lodge. She saw flames coming from the hood. Immediately, ...

OAKHURST – Oakhurst Area of the California Highway Patrol will be conducting a DUI/Driver License Safety Checkpoint on Saturday, June 16, within an unincorporated area of Madera County. The CHP notes that the deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is “a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes. Research shows that ...

BASS LAKE – The former manager of Yosemite Bank pleaded guilty today in Madera Superior Court to four felony counts of grand theft. Donald Eric Eaves, 53, of Coarsegold, was arrested on May 15 and charged with embezzling over $115,000 from the Oakhurst bank over a 2-year period. He had been behind bars on an $800,000 bond since his arrest, ...

MADERA COUNTY– Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, June 4 to Sunday, June 10, 2018. Oakhurst missing juvenile On Monday, June 4 at 12:37 a.m. a deputy responded in regards to a runaway juvenile report. A report was written for documentation purposes and the juvenile was entered into the missing persons ...