BASS LAKE – More than 1,600 runners flocked to the mountain area last weekend for the first-ever Yosemite Half-Marathon around Bass Lake, bringing in about $1.5 million tourist dollars for local communities, according to early estimates. That makes the Yosemite Half-Marathon, starting 10 miles up Beasore Road and coming down through The Pines Resort and around Bass Lake to Rec ...

MADERA COUNTY – Longtime Yosemite High School teacher Steve Browning was recently presented with an Excellence in Education Award naming him Teacher of the Year for Madera County, according to the County Office of Education. Also known as Señor Browning, the gifted and beloved educator teaches Spanish at YHS. “The selection of Senor Browning as Madera County’s Teacher of the ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park and Google Maps have partnered on a groundbreaking project that uses cutting-edge technology to allow visitors to explore Yosemite National Park’s iconic features. This program allows people to explore Yosemite’s features, learn about the history and geology of the park, and experience first-hand what it is like to rock climb and explore the beauty of ...

By Glenn Raggio — AHWAHNEE – Let’s set the record straight about two local golf courses, since there’s been ample discussion on the subject after it was announced last month that one of them would close permanently on October 31: we’re talking about Sierra Meadows closing, and River Creek taking up the slack. I own a house directly on the ...

With Hensley Lake water levels down most of the lake bed is now exposed. Grub Gulch Chapter 41-49 E Clampus Vitus has been doing a research project mapping the location of several historical sites on the dry bed of Hensley Lake and the actual Flume Route on the Fresno River. The preliminary results have been presented to the Army Corps ...

AHWAHNEE – They held back as long as they could, and finally, had no choice but to let nature take its course. “We couldn’t wait any longer so we introduced the new Wasuma mascot during lunch time instead of waiting for the next assembly,” says Wasuma Elementary PTA rep Lanie Suderman.  “It was absolutely amazing and the kids loved it!” Organizers ...

We were curious if those dogwoods had started turning those beautiful red fall colors yet in Nelder Grove. I could tell the dogs were also looking forward to the adventure! Distance: 6.5 miles (but you can go more or less if you want to) Difficulty: Easy to moderate Elevation Range: 5,242′ – 6,043′ Date: October 5, 2015 Topographic Quad Map: ...

MADERA COUNTY – It was just a regular Wednesday for Codee Cardoza and her young kids. They were driving back home from a doctor’s appointment, headed south on a little stretch of Highway 99 that’s under construction, around 3:15 in the afternoon. Baby Ethan, 2, was safely secured in his car seat, and Codee’s daughter Paiden, 9, was buckled up ...

YOSEMITE – A series of fires are being prescribed in the park, according to Yosemite National Park Fire Managers. The prescribed burns would start in mid-October depending on weather and fuel conditions. Shorter days and cooler temperatures provide fire managers optimal prescribed burning conditions. The Taft Toe project is the first of the scheduled prescribed fires, located along Southside Drive between El ...

YOSEMITE – The National Park Service signed a concession contract with Yosemite Hospitality, LLC, a subsidiary of Aramark, to provide concession services within Yosemite National Park. The 15-year contract, the largest single contract in the National Park Service, will begin on March 1, 2016. The current concessioner, DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc., a subsidiary of Delaware North Co., ...