Written by Wendy Kenison Photographs by Steve Montalto – HighMountain Images — OAKHURST — Yosemite High School Music Department’s 8th annual fundraiser, Nite on the Town, played to a sell-out crowd on Saturday, Mar. 5, and was deemed by all to be a smashing success. With over 400 people in attendance, 100 musicians delighted the crowd with choral pieces and ...

Written by Yosemite High School Athletic Director Rusty Oetinger — On Tuesday, Mar. 15 the Yosemite boys Golf at Kingsburg defeated Kingsburg in a close match, while the co-ed swim team competed well against Hoover High and had many personal bests. Yosemite boys tennis team is off to a strong start with their victory against Chowchilla at home. Girls Varsity softball ...

Written by Virginia Eaton — Hockey players aren’t the only athletes whose sport is detrimental to their teeth — the saying goes, if you’re not willing to lose some teeth, don’t play hockey! While hockey players may need frequent dental interventions throughout their career, it turns out that endurance athletes are putting their pearly whites at risk as well. While ...

COARSEGOLD — Grab the kiddos and plan to head over to Rivergold School as Out of the Box Theater presents an original comedy show based on the Wizard of Oz, set for Friday and Saturday, Mar. 18 and 19. The Wizard Of Oz and Friends will take the stage live at Rivergold in the school theater for three shows total, ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Cal Fire is recruiting for their Volunteers In Prevention (VIP) program, made up of citizens who offer their time and unique skills to serve the public through education, communication, patrols and defensible space inspections. Each year more than 5,600 wildfires burn over 172,000 acres of California’s watershed, timber, and grasslands. As a result, millions of dollars in ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Yosemite Area Regional Transportation (YARTS) is celebrating Earth Day by offering free rides on YARTS buses into Yosemite National Park. In 2015, the Park experienced an all-time record number of visitors, welcoming 4,150,217 people. “At YARTS, we want to do our part to help visitors be good stewards of the park and enhance their Yosemite experience by ...

FRESNO — The second of four defendants charged with growing marijuana on public lands in Madera County pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court. Francisco Javier Gomez-Rodriguez, 38, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana grown in the Sierra National Forest in Madera County. According to court documents, co-defendant Humberto Ceballos-Rangel, ...

OAKHURST — Living in a beautiful rural area, as we do, blissfully secluded from the convenience of chain department stores, it can often be tricky to find what you need in new clothing without going to Fresno. This is especially true when it comes to certain, ahem, unmentionables. It would be remiss, then, if we failed to mention that lack-of-wardrobe problems are ...

AHWAHNEE – The Oakhurst chapter of nonprofit organization Helping One Woman (HOW) will meet to honor longtime mountain-area resident Kathy David at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 16, at the Hitching Post in Ahwahnee. Kathy is not only facing overwhelming medical needs for herself, say organizers, she has also had to face those with her husband, John. “These needs began ...

MADERA COUNTY – When someone needs help contacting a County department for non-emergency assistance, they need only know one number – 311. Their call will be answered by a live operator who will address their questions and direct them to the appropriate department for assistance. Based on the success of this program, the County of Madera will apply for a ...