By Sal Maccarone — Preceded by the Georgian era, the Victorian era refers to the reign of Queen Victoria. At 63 years-plus years (1837-1901), her reign in the United Kingdom was the longest of any monarch until recently as her great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II now holds the new record. In terms of progress and architecture, though, Queen Victoria ushered in ...

YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park (YNP) is proud to announce that Thomas (Tom) Karl Standen III is the recipient of the 2018 Barry Hance Memorial Award. A ceremony in his honor was attended by approximately 400 Yosemite National Park employees, retirees, volunteers and park partners including several past Barry Hance Memorial Award recipients. The Barry Hance Memorial Award is a ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST — Travel up the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway with USFS Archaeologist Erin Potter, who will provide fascinating insights along the way. Interested parties will want to meet at the Forest Service Office in North Fork at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 20 and then explore parts of the Scenic Byway (4281) as far as Fish Creek. Erin ...

By Andy Roberts — MARIPOSA — On Friday, July 19 the Mariposa County Arts Council presents the progressive rock fusion act Grok Rock for Music on the Green. The band is led by Mariposa local and guitar aficionado Cary Greenamyere, who has been immersed in the Mariposa and Los Angeles music scene for many years. His band consists of musicians ...

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE – If you look outside your window tonight and see a giant buck, don’t worry — it’s just the moon. The full moon on Tuesday, July 16, at 2:38 p.m. is known as the Buck Moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The full moons have descriptive names that typically come from Native American tribes who use them ...

I try my best to hike up to Helen Lake while there is a smidge of ice still on it. There is something special about how a bit of white snow sets off the red colors of the surrounding mountains and it is a lovely hike up a historic Native American trail and mining route. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: ...

By Anne Guynn — OAKHURST — Yosemite High School (YHS) junior Nicolas Guynn returned on June 30 from a ten-day wrestling tour in Japan with Team USA California’s Cultural Exchange Program. From Tokyo, the thirteen-member team and three coaches flew to Okinawa where they trained and competed for three days. Next, they flew to Kagoshima where they boarded chartered buses, ...

COARSEGOLD — Coarsegold is about to have its own local drugstore again. Yosemite Drug, a new, family-run pharmacy will open next month in the Coarsegold Historic Village across from Wild Fig Kitchen, according to the owners of the new business. “We’re going to do a soft open on Monday, August fifth and will hold our official grand opening on August ...

MADERA — The county’s newest fire station had its formal grand opening celebration Thursday, July 11. But Madera County Station #7 — already nicknamed “Lucky 7” — officially went online last fall. Located at 4150 Town Center Blvd., just off Highway 41 and Tesoro Viejo Blvd. via the development’s roundabout, it’s the first new fire station to be built in ...

By Greg M. Stock — YOSEMITE — Recent earthquakes centered near Ridgecrest, CA, were strongly felt in and around Yosemite Valley. The largest of these, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake at 8:19 p.m. on Friday, July 5, caused shaking of the floor of Yosemite Valley that lasted ten seconds. Despite this shaking, it seems that there were not any rockfalls triggered ...