By Scott Lange — The 2015 Perseid meteor shower is upon us, and this is a great year to view the show because it falls at the same time as the new moon, meaning the sky will be very dark so the meteors are easier to see.  At its peak, the Perseids can rain down up to 100 meteors per ...

COARSEGOLD – The Coarsegold Rodeo Association (CRA) wants to let the community know about the availability of grant applications for — donation or funding — open to any local nonprofit youth group, or individual kid. The CRA calls the mini-grants “bump bids,” and young people don’t necessarily have to be affiliated with the rodeo to receive one. “Every year we ...

COUNTY – Two wildfires, Willow Fire in Madera County and Cabin Fire in Tulare County, have prompted local air officials to issue a health cautionary statement for smoke impacts throughout the eight-county air basin: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and the Valley portion of Kern counties. As any local resident can attest, currently smoke impacts are concentrated ...

EARTH – You know that phrase, “once in a blue moon,” that people say when something comes around infrequently? Well, do whatever it is you’ve been putting off, because that blue moon — the second full moon in a single month — is happening on Friday, July  31 at 3:44 a.m. PST. That’s basically tonight, or tomorrow morning, depending on ...

OAKHURST – The Oakhurst Community College Center will be participating in a State Center Community College District-wide Extreme Registration event: it’s a one-stop-shop to assist students in completing registration for the Fall 2015 semester. All new and returning students are encouraged to take advantage of the services offered at this special event. This year the Extreme Registration event will take ...

CLOVIS – The Gilbert Marshall Memorial Team Branding is held each year to raise money for scholarships awarded to graduating high school seniors in the surrounding mountain area, who are pursuing an education in Agriculture and/or Forestry. The 3rd annual event was held this year on Mar. 7, and raised $8,000 for student scholarships and school program grants. Organizers are ...

O’NEALS – A vegetation fire closed a portion of Highway 41 this morning from Road 200 to just south of the Rocky Cut (north of the 22-Mile House). The fire was reported just before 9:30 a.m. burning along the highway near Road 406, finally consuming about 1.5 acres before forward progress was stopped at 9:53 a.m. All incoming resources not ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – Residents and visitors may soon see stormy skies, as a hazardous weather outlook and flash flood warning has been issued for the higher elevations of the southern Sierra Nevada, with the prospect of isolated thunderstorms continuing late Monday night and possibly through Tuesday. The National Weather Service reports from Hanford that moisture from tropical storm Dolores in ...

O’NEALS – Minarets High School teacher Bob Kelly is the choice the High School Teacher of the Year for the 2014-15 school year, as determined by the San Joaquin Council for the Social Studies (SJVCSS). Minarets Principal Daniel Ching agrees that SJVCSS made an excellent pick. “Bob Kelly is the AP US History teacher, AP Econ and Gov teacher, Psychology ...

O’NEALS – More than two dozen engines, two helicopters and two air tankers, plus water tenders and ground crews, responded to reports of a vegetation fire south of O’Neals on Sunday, June 21, about 12:20 p.m. The Red Fire is burning in the vicinity of Road 211 between Red Tail Road and Sierra Oaks Lane.