By Helen Willoughby-Peck —  Most home gardeners who grow tomatoes have experienced  problems with tomato diseases.  Tomatoes can suffer a variety of diseases and environmental factors contributing to poor production, foliage damage, or plant death. Here are a few of them that you might be seeing on your tomato plants this summer with possible solutions to ‘cure’ your plants. Tomato ...

O’NEALS – Calling all photographers and artists! This is your chance to showcase your art to thousands of people. Ponderosa is on the hunt for the perfect image to grace their 2019 directory cover. The family-owned company which has been in business for more than 100 years is seeking images that reflect current rural life in the Sierra foothills and ...

MARIPOSA – Smoke from the Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County and other fires surrounding the Valley is affecting air quality in locations throughout the entire San Joaquin Valley, prompting local air pollution officials to issue a health cautionary statement Valley-wide. Smoke from wildfires produces particulate matter which can trigger asthma attacks, aggravate chronic heart and lung diseases, and increase the ...

NORTH FORK – A driver who says he fell asleep at the wheel escaped without serious injuries in a single-vehicle rollover crash on Road 200 this morning. Just before 9 a.m., a Cal Fire engine on its way to assist Fresno County with a structure fire reported an overturned vehicle just south of the Finegold Creek bridge. When CHP arrived ...

Written by DJ Becker – OAKHURST – A third little brown bat in Madera County has tested positive for rabies, according to authorities. This one was found in a backyard on Evergreen Drive off Road 426 in Oakhurst. Madera County Animal Services Director Kirsten Gross said the bat was found still alive but died shortly after the resident’s three dogs ...

SAN FRANCISCO — With soaring temperatures in the next few days, California’s grid operator has called a statewide Flex Alert this week. PG&E is urging customers to conserve energy as triple-digit heat will impact much of the company’s service area. The California Independent System Operator (ISO) issued a Flex Alert, a call for voluntary electricity conservation, from 5 p.m. to ...

Written by Naomi Flam – MARIPOSA – Even firefighters need help with their pets! Tom from Yucaipa, Calif., is helping at the Ferguson Fire. His dog Boss is being taken care of during the day at Mariposa SPCA while he’s working at the fire. At night, Tom will have his pup with him. Thank you Tom for your hard work ...

When I look out my window and see poor air quality, the smoky haze is made more disheartening by bits of gray ash floating in the air before coming to rest on the ground. The oppressive heat adds insult to already injured lungs and makes moving through my day challenging. The stress of fire, drought and ashy-air is showing in ...

OAKHURST — As part of his commitment to making communities safer, Madera County Vector Control District assistant biologist Trinidad Reyes will present a workshop at the Oakhurst Branch Library. The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, July 28 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Reyes will lead the workshop, with a presentation about the lifestyle and habitats of mosquitoes. The workshop will take place in ...

Submitted by Tony Misner — OAKHURST — Want to work hard, get dirty, and travel across the country in an exhilerating position that’s a meaningful career and not just a job? Here’s an opportunity to become a wildland firefighter — and the classes are free. Yosemite Adult School, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, will be offering two Wildland ...