BASS LAKE — The 32nd annual Smokey Bear Run/Walk rocked Bass Lake Saturday morning (Sept. 21), drawing hundreds of participants and spectators to the popular fundraising event. This year’s program included a 10K run and two-mile run/walk for adults and children as well as 1/2-, 1/4- and 1/8-mile races for children ages 2 to 12. The Smokey Bear Run/Walk is ...

BASS LAKE — A rare Lotus sports car burst into flames this afternoon, temporarily halting traffic on Beasore Road. The incident occurred Thursday at about 1:40 p.m. According to initial reports, a 60-year-old Oakhurst man was driving northbound on Beasore at McCloud when he noticed smoke coming out from under the hood of his 1984 Lotus Turbo. The driver stated ...

OAKHURST — The board of directors of the Oakhurst Boys & Girls Club made it official Wednesday night: After being shuttered for more than three months, the club will formally reopen in late October. Doug Macaulay, president of the organization’s board of directors, confirmed Thursday the club’s first day back in operation will be Tuesday, Oct. 22. “It’s been a ...

O’NEALS — A collision between a tanker truck and a Jeep on Highway 41 resulted in a hazardous fuel spill — and a multi-hour road closure and detour for motorists traveling on Highway 41. The accident, which occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, snarled traffic, with backups reportedly stretching for miles in both directions along the detour route. According ...

MADERA — A serial arsonist who terrorized Yosemite Lakes Park six years ago has once again been denied parole. Earlier this month (Sept. 9), Kenneth Jackson’s petition for early release was rejected by the Board of Parole Hearings. Jackson was arrested along with his wife Alice Waterman on June 25, 2013, following a month-long investigation into a rash of suspicious ...

COARSEGOLD — A crash involving a car and motorcycle Sunday sent a 42-year-old man to the hospital with multiple injuries. The accident occurred shortly before noon along Highway 41 and Morava Road near the Coarsegold Mini-Storage. According to eyewitness accounts, the vehicle, a 2002 Dodge Stratus being driven by a 92-year-old man, turned into oncoming southbound traffic on Highway 41 ...

YOSEMITE LAKES PARK — A fast-moving fire at a property on North Dome Drive scorched a garage, house and car before firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze Friday afternoon. The cause of the fire, which broke out about 3:30 p.m. at 31207 North Dome Dr., remains under investigation. The fire is believed to have started in the garage near ...

YOSEMITE — The long-time general manager of Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite in Fish Camp, Paul Ratchford, will retire at year’s end after serving in the resort’s leadership role twice for a total of 16 of the past 27 years. For the last eight years, Ratchford has overseen the full renovation of all 302 lodge and cottage rooms plus its Jackalopes ...

BASS LAKE – An early morning crash on Road 222 near the Forks Resort claimed the lives of two eastern Madera County residents. “The occupants of the submerged vehicle discovered this morning in Bass Lake were pronounced deceased at the scene,” said the Madera County Sheriff’s Office in a release posted on the agency’s Facebook page. CHP identified the accident ...

OAKHURST — With escrow now closed and renovation efforts well underway, county officials said this week the new Satellite Government Center in Oakhurst should be open for business early next year. “We’re really happy to be able to bring government services to the people of Oakhurst,” Mary Anne Seay, special projects manager for Madera County, told supervisors at Tuesday night’s ...