YOSEMITE — The Half Dome Cables in Yosemite National Park will be in place for visitor use on Friday, May 11. The trail will be wet and icy in places, say officials, and visitors planning to ascend Half Dome are encouraged to be prepared for wet and cool hiking conditions. There is a daily lottery for a limited number of ...

OAKHURST – Visit Yosemite Madera County reports that tourism was instrumental to the County’s success in 2017, with visitor spending reaching $283.7 million in Madera County. According to the Dean Runyan Associates report released today by Visit California. The tourism industry supported 4,040 jobs and generated $25.8 million in local and state tax revenue last year. Statewide, visitors spent a ...

BASS LAKE – Residents and anyone visiting the Bass Lake area on Saturday, May 12, will want to be aware of activities that may disrupt travel during the morning hours. Vacation Races, an event company that produces half-marathon and ultra-marathon races, will be holding its annual Yosemite Half Marathon on the Bass Lake Ranger District. The race will take place ...

YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park has adopted two mustangs that were trained in the Sacramento Sheriff’s Wild Horse Program to assist Park Rangers perform a variety of duties. The six year old geldings, Drifter and Sandman, arrived in the park in early April after four months of training by inmates at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove, CA. ...

SACRAMENTO — California’s wet winter created a sizable crop of new growth grass, but don’t let the wet weather fool you as the abundant grass dries into fuel-ripe tinder. Now is the time to act to prevent wildfires. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. declared May 6-12 “Wildfire Awareness Week” to urge homeowners that Fire Defense is Self Defense, Get Ready ...

Our plan was to take a blooming Dogwood adventure in Yosemite Valley. First stop were the Half Dome Village dogwoods, then the Mirror Lake Loop dogwoods and the finale was the pink dogwood near the employee housing but we also had a few surprises along the way with a trail issue and some romantic critters. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Want to listen to your news on SNO? Across the Bridge airs regularly on KRYZ Community Radio 98.5 in Mariposa. Hosted by Kellie Flanagan, Managing Editor of Sierra News Online, the community service segment features news and information of interest to the people of the Central Sierra. The program is engineered and produced by Ron Iudice. You ...

OAKHURST — If you’re one of the people who’ve been wondering what business would land in the historic Mountain House building at the junction of Highway 41 and the Road 222 turnoff to Bass Lake — wonder no more. Locally owned, newly expanded and rebranded, Sierra Nevada Motorsports is now the building’s sole occupant. The business previously known as Sierra ...

This month’s mystery is one I am often asked about. When and where did President Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir first meet on their trip to Raymond and on to Yosemite? They traveled in May of 1903 so we celebrate the historic trip 115 years later. There are several theories, so it will be fun to see what folks come ...

MARIPOSA — Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental illnesses are common and treatable. So much of what we do physically impacts us mentally – it’s important to pay attention to both your physical health and your mental health, which can help you achieve overall wellness and set you on a path to recovery. May ...