MOUNTAIN AREA — Poet Heinrich Heine said, “Where words leave off, music begins.” And this is also where Circle of Hearts comes in. Be it for sickness, while regaining wellness, or even on the threshold of death, a group of local women are opening their hearts and singing together for others, to provide love and comfort in transitional times. The ...

OAKHURST — Get ready for Shake It Up Shakespeare, the newest production out of the Yosemite High School Theater Arts Department, designed for your entertainment and playing two nights only at a theater near you. Tickets are $3 for all ages, and the show starts at 7 p.m., for Shake It Up Shakespeare, as it opens on Thursday, Jan. 25 ...

It had been 27 years since I walked the area around Foresta, not since I was assigned as a Strike Team Leader on Structure Protection at Foresta and El Portal on the lightening caused A-Rock Fire that burned 17,700 acres and 45 structures back in 1990. I was way overdue to spend some leisurely time exploring the waterfalls, old barns, ...

SACRAMENTO – Residents of the Central Sierra will soon see more crews on county roadways as new funding from Cal Fire helps with the removal of hazard trees. Six million dollars have been awarded in a one-time grant to aid high-priority counties impacted by California’s historic tree mortality. Cal Fire’s Local Assistance for Tree Mortality (LATM) Grant Program will provide ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST — Prescribed burning operations have resumed on the Ponderosa fuelbreak east of Cascadel Point near North Fork. Smoke has been visible for the last few days. “We still have a fair amount of acreage of tree mortality burn piles to finish up, and have a contract burn crew with a Forest Service representative on scene each day ...

We sure got in a good workout with the over 3,000′ elevational gain on this hike and saw Yosemite from some famous viewpoints along the way. Stanford Point, Crocker Point and Dewey Point delivered many ooohs and awes. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 10.40 Miles Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Elevation Range: 4,384′ – 7,387 Date: January 12, 2018 Maps: El ...

YOSEMITE — Tuolumne Winter Rangers Laura and Rob Pilewski are celebrating their seventh season in the park. Here’s their third blog post of the season. Tuolumne Meadows Winter Conditions Update for January 10, 2018 New snow [as of Jan. 10]: 14 inches Total settled snow depth: 10 inches (at 8,600 feet) High temperature: 47°F (January 7) Low temperature: 17°F (January 7) ...

YOSEMITE  – In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the entrance fee to Yosemite National Park is being waived, and transportation to the park is free that day, as well. Monday, Jan. 15 is a fee-free day at Yosemite National Park, as are three other days this year, through the National Park Service. The entrance fee waiver for fee-free ...

AHWAHNEE — Yosemite Audubon invites members of the community to come along for a bird walk around Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park on Saturday, Jan. 13, starting at 9 a.m. Participants can meet at the main parking lot for the park. The entrance is just north of Wasuma Elementary School on Highway 49. “We expect to see residents such as woodpeckers ...

COARSEGOLD — A Coarsegold woman was transported to a Valley hospital after a single-vehicle rollover crash on Highway 41 this morning. Just after 9:30 a.m., reports came in to the CHP that a vehicle had left the roadway and overturned near the Broken Bit just north of Coarsegold. An 82-year-old woman was northbound in a Chevy SUV, at a stated ...