OAKHURST — Camarena Health’s new urgent care clinic officially opened Thursday in Oakhurst. The milestone was announced on the healthcare organization’s Facebook page. “Not everything that’s urgent is an emergency. For everything from sniffles to stitches, earaches to X-rays, Camarena Health Urgent Care is here for your non-emergency needs!” the post said. Camarena remodeled the old Sierra Star building (at ...

OAKLAND — California’s Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing policyholders — helping at least 800,000 homeowners in wildfire disaster areas across the state. The commissioner’s action is the result of Senate Bill 824 — authored last year by Lara while serving as state senator — in order to give temporary relief ...

MADERA — Lawyers and investigators are still trying to coordinate a visit to the crime scene in the case of a 47-year-old North Fork man charged with murder in the July shooting death of prominent Mono tribal elder Gaylen Lee. Robert Eugene Moye Jr. made another appearance in Madera County Superior Court on Monday (Dec. 2) morning. Handcuffed and wearing ...

MADERA — The Madera County Board of Supervisors held a rare special meeting Monday to choose a health care services provider for adult and juvenile inmates in county correctional facilities. The special meeting began at 8:30 a.m. at the County Government Center in Madera. (Supervisors will not hold their regular meeting on Tuesday this week because they will be traveling ...

Yosemite National Park had plans to close Tioga and Glacier Point Roads temporarily due to a storm rolling in. What “temporarily” meant was yet to be seen but I had this need to get somewhere where I could see and feel that storm coming in but had to move quickly to beat that road closure. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: ...

NIPINNAWASEE — A powerful early season storm pounding California was causing hazardous travel conditions across the mountain area Friday morning, making roads wet and slushy — and in some cases very slick. “Vehicles are sliding all over the roadway,” one person reported to CHP after a collision just off Highway 49 near Nipinnawasee pitted a Kia Optima against a very ...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — Yosemite National Park officials announced Wednesday that Glacier Point and Tioga Roads are now closed to all vehicular traffic for the winter season. Glacier Point and Tioga Roads typically close each fall and remain closed through the winter season, reopening in spring when weather and road conditions are safe for vehicular traffic. “Yosemite National Park is ...

NORTH FORK — Mountain area residents awoke Wednesday morning to a chilly, wintry landscape, with the season’s first dusting of snow creating challenging travel conditions but a scenic backdrop for the Thanksgiving holiday. Residents in the North Fork and O’Neals area reported more than an inch of the fluffy white stuff had fallen overnight but as Wednesday morning dawned, the ...

COARSEGOLD – Minarets students Rhett Samper and Tati Guerra made their senior project about helping their school and their community. On Sunday, the two produced a gymkhana at Coarsegold Rodeo Grounds to raise funds for the Minarets Equestrian Team and gather donations for Manna House of Oakhurst. The event drew an unexpected 62 horse and rider teams, raised $2,000 for ...

OAKHURST — After 34 years in business, eastern Madera County’s oldest established fine arts gallery is closing its doors. The decision to shutter the popular Timberline Gallery was confirmed this week by Wendy Denton, president of  Timberline’s board of directors. “After much brainstorming and soul searching,” Denton stated, “it has become obvious that Timberline Gallery will have to close. Although ...