NORTH FORK – A bit of cloud cover this afternoon over the Willow Fire slowed fire activity enough for crews to make good progress on the day shift, and hold some crucial lines, especially on the north. There has been no update from this morning’s 3,383 acres with 30 percent containment, but there will be new numbers after this evening’s ...

NORTH FORK – As residents in the Cascadel Woods and Douglas Ranger Station areas move out following this morning’s mandatory evacuation notice, firefighters have been rolling in. Their job is to go to each home and prepare it to be defended in the event that the Willow Fire does come through. Firefighters are moving flammable debris away from homes including ...

EARTH – You know that phrase, “once in a blue moon,” that people say when something comes around infrequently? Well, do whatever it is you’ve been putting off, because that blue moon — the second full moon in a single month — is happening on Friday, July  31 at 3:44 a.m. PST. That’s basically tonight, or tomorrow morning, depending on ...

MADERA – Due to the expanding acreage and uncertain nature of the Willow Fire, Madera County District Attorney David Linn has announced that formal charges will not be filed this week as his office may not receive official reports from the US Forest Service until sometime next week. Formal charges will not be filed until all reports have been received ...

YOSEMITE – A historic rededication ceremony on the Tioga Road, conducted exactly 100 years after the original dedication ceremony, was held in Yosemite National Park yesterday. Former First Lady Laura Bush, Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher, and Yosemite Conservancy Vice President Jerry Edelbrock participated in the reenactment ceremony. Highlights of the event included a rechristening of the road, a ...

NORTH FORK – The Willow Fire ran another half-mile to the south in the last 24 hours, continuing it’s push across Peckinpah Mountain, and running to the east toward Whiskey Falls. The fire stayed mostly to the top of the mountain, and didn’t come down the slope. There was also a fairly healthy run on the northern perimeter in the ...

MADERA COUNTY – Charges have been filed against a San Jose man in connection with the death of a young boy on Bass Lake on June 27. The boy died after being run over by a wave runner, reportedly operated by Phat Chau. Chau, 55, has been charged with misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter after allegedly running over 13-year-old David Flores of ...

NORTH FORK – Today, United States Forest Service Law Enforcement Investigators have stated that the Willow Fire on the Sierra National Forest, which started July 25 and has charred over 1,700 acres between North Fork and Bass Lake, Calif., was human caused. USFS Law Enforcement Officers, working in conjunction with the Madera County District Attorney’s Office, have identified a juvenile ...

NORTH FORK – The 45th anniversary of the Sierra Mono Museum’s Indian Fair Days and Pow Wow, one of the longest running Pow Wows in California, has been cancelled this year due to the Willow Fire burning near North Fork. The event was scheduled for this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 – 2 at the North Fork Recreation Center. ...

YOSEMITE – A small school house tucked away in the big outdoors offers nearly unlimited possibilities, with an emphasis on environmental science, art, project-based and multiage learning, and flexibility. Yosemite Wawona Charter School serves grades K-8 and is now open for enrollment to students in Madera and Mariposa Counties. School starts August 17. “There are many reasons families looking for ...