MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, July 8 to Sunday, July 14, 2019. Oakhurst burglary On Tuesday July 9 at 9:54 a.m. a deputy was dispatched to the Oakhurst substation regarding a report of a burglary. It was recommended the case be closed due to a lack of ...

MADERA — After serving less than seven years of a 20-year sentence, convicted arsonist Kenneth Jackson is once again being considered for early parole — and the Madera County District Attorney is going on the record with her opposition to Jackson’s release and asking Madera County residents to voice their opinions, as well. Jackson was arrested along with his wife Alice ...

OAKHURST — North Fork Elementary student Dean Farmer is dedicated to his education and that stick-to-it attitude was rewarded at school’s end this year, when he was given a sweet new trail bike for his efforts. Six local elementary schools awarded bikes donated by Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis for students who achieved perfect attendance this year, according to Kiwanis member Jim ...

MADERA — What can a mountain area property owner do when a neighbor’s grass grows head high or a rusty old junker has been parked out front since the 1990s? Call the Madera County code enforcement department — or better yet, file a complaint online. Madera County receives hundreds of citizen-generated complaints a year, according to Joe Trujillo, the County’s ...

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE – If you look outside your window tonight and see a giant buck, don’t worry — it’s just the moon. The full moon on Tuesday, July 16, at 2:38 p.m. is known as the Buck Moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The full moons have descriptive names that typically come from Native American tribes who use them ...

By Bob Labozetta —  What can home gardeners do to help their plants — veggies, landscape plants, shrubs and trees — survive the intense summer heat? Here are some do’s and don’ts of hot weather gardening: Don’t fertilize plants or trees during the hot summer months. The purpose of fertilizers — especially those high in nitrogen — is to help ...

By Ed Bailey — MOUNTAIN AREA — During the first half of 2019, members of the Fresno Realtors Association Multiple Listing Services primarily in the Yosemite Gateway Branch sold 266 mountain area homes (single family residential properties), compared to 285 sold in the same period of time last year. Boundaries for the mountain area include Oakhurst, Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, North Fork, ...

NORTH FORK — Nate Hodges has wanted to be a lumberjack since he was four or five years old. “I was a little mountain boy. When I was a kid, you couldn’t get me inside,” says the North Fork native. “My grandpa bought me my first axe when I was four and I was always out in the woods chopping ...

CALIFORNIA — Mark your calendars for the first of two 2019 Free Fishing Days in California, when anyone can try their hand at angling – no fishing license required. If you would like to fish the rest of the year, you can purchase a license online through CDFW’s website. “Free Fishing Day is a great opportunity for seasoned anglers to ...

SACRAMENTO – Fourth of July is synonymous with sun, fun, barbeque and fireworks. Cal Fire reminds everyone to do their part to have a safe holiday and help prevent wildfires and injuries caused by fireworks. Two out of five fires on the 4th of July are caused by fireworks, more than any other cause of fires. Most of these incidents ...