By Sharon R. Ince — Restorative Yoga is not exotic or sexy. It doesn’t require spandex hugging your bottom or youthful exuberance. It is a practice to strengthen muscles and improve flexibility and balance, using the weight of the body with alignment practices in gentle yoga asana, which simply means: pose. What does this look like in practice and everyday ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – Bird lovers, photographers and others are invited to join the National Audubon Society’s 116th Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The CBC is an annual international bird census that began on Christmas Day in 1900, and now takes place in more than 1,500 locations throughout the Americas. This season the Christmas Bird Count will be held in the foothill ...

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 ...

OAKHURST – The community is invited to a free Christmas dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 23 from 3 – 8 p.m. at the Oakhurst Community Center. Organizers promise food, fun, and fellowship, and are currently looking for volunteers to help provide food teams and entertainment. This will be the seventh year for Oakhurst Outpouring, a free community feast open to everyone. ...

Submitted by Monika Moulin OAKHURST – For the sixth consecutive year, upwards of 50 singers from local area church choirs will come together for a beautiful Christmas program, including choristers from New Community United Methodist Church, Oakhurst Lutheran Church, Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church, and others. Two performances on will be held on Sunday, Dec. 13, at Sierra Vista Presbyterian Church ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – The National Weather Service in Hanford is confirming more wet weather as a Winter Storm Warning has been issued from noon on Sunday, Dec. 13, through noon on Monday, Dec. 14, for the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite National Park to Kings Canyon. Several inches of snow is expected, with localized amounts up to 14 inches in the ...

OAKHURST — Crews are working on a section of Highway 41 between Highway 49 and Road 426, making repairs where the recent rains have undermined the roadway. Cal Trans workers are out in force, and hope to complete the project by Saturday afternoon, but the extent of the damage is being determined as they dig out the problem area and ...

OAKHURST – Sugar Pine Christian Camps is sponsoring its 7th Annual Family Christmas on the Mountain for the community that has supported them for over 60 years. This is a no-cost event. “We love the opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ with family and friends in the valley and mountain areas by providing a ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – Cal Fire is called to many home fires this time of year when the response could have been prevented by simple home heating equipment maintenance procedures. To help reduce the number of home fires the Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit is reminding the public that all home-heating equipment should be inspected. The following is a list of heating problems that ...

OAKHURST — Local California Highway Patrol Office Kaci Lutz wants the community to know that the Oakhurst Area Office located at 40500 Redbud Drive, off of Highway 49, is now an official drop-off site for the Eastern Madera County Toys For Tots.  The box is prominently placed in the lobby, and all the toys donated to Madera County are distributed ...