NORTH FORK — An engine fire torched a 22-year-old North Fork man’s 1987 Jeep Cherokee Sunday morning. The incident occurred about 9:15 a.m. in the parking lot of La Cabana restaurant, which was closed at the time. Local firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze but the vehicle was a total loss. The driver told first responders that he was going north ...

I finally had a window between house projects, weather and commitments to escape, so Sally and I loaded up the camper and headed to Moss Landing. Just north of Monterey, it was the perfect place to relax and smell that ocean air. As soon as I checked in at the KOA and got the camper set up, there was a ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Sierra News Online is looking to grow our network of local correspondents. Are you a good storyteller who can also write clear, concise reports about community events and area news makers? Or maybe you shoot a good photo and would like to take your photography to the photojournalism level? If you live in the mountain community and ...

BASS LAKE — The Madera County Sheriff’s Office “snow patrol” stayed active as the long, Martin Luther King Day weekend — and abundant recent snowfall — drew throngs of visitors to the high country. MCSO Corporal Ian Roth and Deputy Jose Iniguez spent their holiday weekend teaming with U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Melissa Wise conducting OHV (off highway ...

By Ryan Abner, student journalist for Minarets Press O’NEALS — It’s film season at Minarets High School. Known for its outstanding film making, tech and media programs, which have garnered praise at Slickrock and other California media festivals, it’s no surprise that the high school now has a film festival of its own. The Southgate Film Festival has been a ...

By Therese Righter O’NEALS — We have all been touched by the horrible disease — cancer. It is unrelenting, and nobody wants to hear the word uttered by their doctor. Fortunately, there is a way that you can help fight this ugly disease — join the 2020 Relay for Life: Sierra Mountain Communities for a Cure event, and help us ...

SAN FRANCISCO — The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will hear oral arguments next month in the appeal currently blocking efforts by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians to build a casino near Madera. A court date has been set for Tuesday, February 11 at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom 1 of the James R. Browning ...

MADERA — Madera County Sheriff’s Office Corporal Amy Roussell was awarded the prestigious 2019 Chairman’s Culture of Excellence Award by the Madera County Board of Supervisors at Tuesday’s (Jan. 7) first board meeting of 2020. Corporal Roussell was recognized for her outstanding work overseeing the boat operations unit in Bass Lake. Roussell, a long time Madera County resident, is assigned ...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — The iconic Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park has lost some of its luster — and its long time four-diamond status, according to a story published today by the San Francisco Chronicle. “Guests at the landmark property, where presidents and queens have wined, dined and snoozed at the foot of Half Dome, are reporting bad food, ...

COARSEGOLD — A Clovis man and an Oakhurst woman were arrested earlier this week on multiple felony firearms and drug charges, including committing a felony while out on felony bail, being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition. The arrest followed a routine traffic stop in Coarsegold by a Madera County ...