COUNTY — The 35th Annual Madera County Academic Decathlon competition begins on Friday, Jan. 27.  High School students will compete in the interview and essay competitions at Madera County Office of Education, located at 1105 CA-145 in Madera. Chawanakee Academy, Mariposa, Minarets, Yosemite, Chowchilla, Liberty, Madera, and Madera South high schools will be compete to be named county champion. Mariposa County ...

MADERA COUNTY — In a vote of 5-0, the Madera County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a resolution to raise the pay of Paid Call Firefighters (PCFs) to a base of $15/hour, and Paid Call Driver Operators to $18/hour, effective Jan. 1, 2017. PCFs, or volunteer firefighters, in Madera County are currently paid minimum wage, now set at $10.50/hour ...

OAKHURST — Anyone with a stake in the community will want to know about an upcoming meeting the public is invited to attend, to provide input and oversight for the future of the district including Oakhurst Community College Center. Reedley College will host three Strategic Alliance Community Feedback Forums in an effort to involve the community in their 2017 – 2021 ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Snow fell, classes were canceled, some businesses closed, and people posted pictures of their various views on the Sierra News Online Facebook page. We pulled those photos into a community album. Thank you, for sharing your photos and a little chilly slice of your life with the rest of us. Click on images to enlarge.

MARIPOSA — With mountain area residents experiencing power outages, some may decide to use alternate means to produce heat. Cal Fire reminds everyone that a bad choice can be deadly. You can’t see or smell carbon monoxide, but at high levels it can kill a person in minutes. Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced whenever any fuel such as gas, oil, ...

CENTRAL SIERRA — A winter storm warning is now in effect for the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Kings Canyon National Park, and the Tulare and Kings County mountains, until 8 p.m. this evening. The warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for areas above 3,000 feet, but heavy snow is falling at lower elevations, causing accidents and ...

OAKHURST — As of 9 a.m., Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is reporting 11 power outages in the Oakhurst/ Bass Lake area, affecting 3,881 customers. Heavy snow is bringing down trees and power lines across the area, blocking roads and causing major traffic problems. Chain control is in place over Deadwood on Highway 41 just south of Oakhurst. Restrictions are ...

CATHEYS VALLEY — Local ranchers are invited to attend a workshop hosted by Fadzayi Mashiri, University of California Cooperative Extension’s Livestock & Natural Resources Advisor for Mariposa and Merced Counties, at McCay Hall in Catheys Valley on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The presentations will focus on profitability and will cover topics including financial tools for ...

CENTRAL SIERRA — The National Weather Service in Hanford has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the Sierra Nevada foothills including Mariposa, Madera, Tulare and Fresno County foothills, and Tulare County mountains, due to recent heavy rains combined with additional rainfall and possible snow melt expected. The Flash Flood Watch will be in effect from 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, ...

MADERA COUNTY — Perhaps the most often-asked question to Sierra News Online concerns accidents on Highway 41 — how many occur each year, and how many are DUI related? The California Highway Patrol in Sacramento provided us with accident statistics from Jan. 1, 2011 through Dec. 31, 2015, for the Highway 41 corridor from Highway 145 to Fish Camp. We ...