Do you have a favorite dirt road that you like to walk on? I stayed close to home for this one and I feel weird calling this a hike because it was more of a brisk walk up a dirt road lined with pretty wildflowers and singing birds. Distance: 11.82 Miles (but you can go shorter or longer) Difficulty: Easy ...

OAKHURST — This week the Eastern Madera County Rotary Club, the Mountain Area Youth Organization, The Manna House, the Soroptimist Club, The Elderberry House, Larry Smith and his crew from Custom Design Construction and the Madera County Board of Supervisors partnered with Madera County Food Bank Director Ryan McWheter and his team to have food both available for pickup — ...

BASS LAKE — It’s no secret the hospitality industry has been hit extremely hard by the COVID-19 crisis. Direct health concerns as well strict restrictions and directives from health officials, including social distancing, sheltering in place and closing the area’s main attraction – Yosemite National Park — has resulted in a significant drop in all tourism-related business. In just the ...

OAKHURST — State Center Community College District (SCCCD) officials have announced the district will continue to offer all classes online-only through the remainder of the spring and summer semesters. “In keeping with our goal of assisting in the efforts to decrease the spread of COVID-19, we will cancel all campus gatherings through June, including graduation,” said Dr. Paul Parnell, SCCCD ...

OAKHURST — Yosemite Unified School District Nutrition Services will provide an opportunity for families with students to pick up lunch and breakfast beginning Monday (March 16), district officials announced Saturday. “We will be providing meals Monday-Friday through a mobile drive through or walk up service for children up to 18 years of age,” said a release from the district, issued ...

OAKHURST — A swift, skilled response by a deputy and corporal from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office saved the life of a local diner Wednesday night. Around 7 p.m. last night, Madera County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an Oakhurst restaurant to assist a male subject complaining of chest pain. MCSO Corporal Chris Williams and Deputy Ryan Vermeulen responded to ...

MADERA — At their regular meeting today (March 10), the Madera County Board of Supervisors postponed a discussion about a potential ballot measure to hike the County’s Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) rate. Supervisors have been considering asking voters to approve the TOT hike as a means to fund stepped up wildfire prevention efforts within eastern Madera County. But at Tuesday’s ...

MADERA — Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno took to social media this week to shine a spotlight on new, more lenient California sentencing laws, especially as they apply to major drug offenses. The new laws, the DA warned, are allowing serious offenders with multiple convictions to spend much less time behind bars. To illustrate her point, Moreno highlighted the ...

MADERA — The Madera County Planning Commission is set to review a request tomorrow (March 3) from a local company that wants to construct a new, 149-foot-tall “monopole” cell tower in Oakhurst. In their application to the County, the project proponent says the new tower would dramatically improve cell phone service in Oakhurst and surrounding areas. “The proposed installation of ...

FRESNO — Deputies from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office were among a contingent of well wishers greeting Army Specialist Ella Campbell at Fresno Yosemite International Airport as she returned home Thursday night from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. SPC Campbell is from Coarsegold and previously attended school at Yosemite High. “It was a privilege to help welcome you home ...