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 ...

OAKHURST — Spectators lined Road 426 and School Road on Saturday, Sept. 17, to cheer and wave as some 40 entries passed by in the 20th annual Heritage Days Parade. From fire engines to mounted patrols, colorful floats and classic cars, the nearly 90-minute parade kicked off a day of festivities at Fresno Flats Historic Park. We have complied a ...

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). ...

COARSEGOLD — Volunteers behind the monthly charitable dinner, Helping One Woman (HOW) are preparing to honor local resident Amber Tringali, who is struggling financially and emotionally after her husband was diagnosed with a fatal disorder a year ago. “Amber has been living living in the mountains for the majority of her life,” say organizers. “She has been married for ten years to the love of ...

Written by Virginia Eaton — Last week I wrote about Pilates and its ability to unlock the powerhouse that lies within the deep muscles of your torso. These muscles are critical to balance, stability and mobility – which essentially means moving through life with ease. When people think of Pilates, the first thing that comes to mind is that it’s ...