COARSEGOLD — A Coarsegold man is behind bars, accused of sexually abusing a minor. Earlier this morning sheriff’s detectives arrested Travis Wright, 45. This arrest was the culmination of several months of investigation into crimes which occurred years earlier and were just recently reported, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. Wright is employed by the California Department of Corrections ...

Written by Dave Hubbard — Yosemite Comes Of Age The “Mather Tioga Road” is a story of inspiration and perseverance! Mather recognized  early on that the popularity of the automobile would be the key to bringing future visitors to the National Parks. In Yosemite, he quickly identified the  derelict Old Tioga Road as the perfect solution to his dilemma. As ...

OAKHURST — New advertiser Yosemite Gateway Restaurant is celebrating and, for a limited time, offers Sierra News Online members a 10% discount on a meal. For the next four weeks, from Thursday, June 16 through Thursday, June 14, just let your server know that you’re a Sierra News Online member by showing your weekly newsletter on your smart phone, and ...

YOSEMITE — Searchers in Yosemite National Park continue to try to locate an Oakhurst man who was lost in the Merced River on Monday. A group of people from the Oakhurst area were floating down the Merced River in their own private rafts on Monday afternoon when a 60-year-old man got separated from the group. According to Park spokesman Scott ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — Crews continue their suppression work on the Dove Fire, burning in the Jerseydale area of Mariposa County. The fire is now reported to be 50 percent contained and holding at just over 70 acres, according to the Incident Commander. The fire, which started just after noon on Tuesday, June 7, is burning on the Sierra National Forest, ...

MADERA COUNTY — Two separate crashes on Highway 41 today caused traffic delays and detours, one road closure and one arrest for driving under the influence. At about 1:15 p.m., CHP received reports of a white SUV weaving in and out of traffic northbound on Highway 41 from SR-145. Just minutes later, new reports began coming in — this time ...

Written by Bill Ritchey — Realistic Training for Real Emergencies MADERA COUNTY — On a Sunday morning in March, the time had come for twelve Madera County Fire Department Paid Call Firefighter (PCF) recruits to finally get their hands dirty. Nearly halfway through their 200-hour academy, they gathered at a Madera wrecking yard among dozens of mangled cars. Their mission: ...

SACRAMENTO – Cal Fire is increasing its firefighting staffing as windy conditions are predicted to elevate fire danger across many areas of California. With many Californians planning to recreate outdoors for the Memorial Day weekend, Cal Fire is asking the public to take steps to prevent sparking a new wildfire. According to the National Weather Service many parts of California ...

Submitted by Dave Smith —  NORTH FORK — North Fork Scout Troop 357 has been busy throughout this winter and spring. Along with weekly meetings where Scouts practice various skills such as first aid, fire building, and map and compass, the Scouts have participated in a number of weekend events. In January, the troop spent an afternoon at Boomers! in ...

Submitted by Wendy Denton — When my husband Ken was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, we pledged to be conscious and awake throughout the journey together. Through images, we captured feelings, ideas, sadness, humor, and outright fun along the way. Our hope is to inspire others to be creative, talk about the experience of cancer more openly, and even have moments ...