BASS LAKE — Warmer weather and pent-up desire to be outdoors spurred by two months of quarantining has drawn larger crowds than usual to Bass Lake this month, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, public restrooms at the popular recreation spot have been closed and trash service suspended. So MCSO has stepped in to ...

MADERA – On Tuesday, law enforcement agencies from around Madera County gathered to remember fallen officers in Madera County as well as to honor the memories of all of the law enforcement members who died in the line of duty in 2019 in California.Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s ceremony — the 13th annual — was a bit different, ...

By Carol Moses The Law Day Yosemite 2020 celebration was scheduled to be held May 8 at the Curry Village Amphitheater in Yosemite Valley. Law Day is like a holiday for attorneys… it is a national day to celebrate the Rule of Law and its contributions to the freedoms Americans enjoy. May 8 was last Friday. Yosemite National Park is ...

MARIPOSA — The creator of one of the country’s most memorable viral nature videos has died. Paul L. Vasquez, the burly, bearded mountain man whose emotional, awestruck reaction upon seeing a double rainbow propelled him to internet stardom and turned him into a folk hero, passed away over the weekend. He was 57.Vasquez, who called himself Yosemitebear on social media, ...

A little more mileage on my adventure took me up to the Lone Sequoia and it is called that for a reason. But it wasn’t alone. It was accompanied by snowplants, wildflowers and dogwoods getting ready to bloom. . . and gnats. Distance: 12.37 Miles (but you can go shorter or longer)Difficulty: Easy to ModerateElevation Range: 3,418′ to 4,619′Date: April ...

MOUNTAIN AREA –Because a logging crew will be working on a hazard tree removal project and will likely be felling trees adjacent to the Lewis Creek National Recreation Trail, the trail will temporarily close near Cedar Valley on Wednesday and Thursday (May 6-7).“In order to provide the maximum amount of safety to visitors to the trail, it is necessary to ...

You might wonder what walking up a dirt road, an American Black Bear and Yogi Berra might have in common. Made perfect sense to me as I walked up a dirt road close to home to a high point to check out the views. Distance: About 8 Miles (but you can go shorter or longer)Difficulty: Moderate to StrenuousElevation Range: 3,418′ ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — You have probably seen and heard a lot about the coronavirus — and how to keep you and your family safe. But what about the other, furrier members of the family — your pets? Here’s the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s answers to some questions that will help keep you, your family, and your pets safe during ...

FRESNO — McCaffrey Homes and McCaffrey Home Mortgage have been honored with The Fresno Bee’s People’s Choice Awards, which celebrates the best of the best. McCaffrey Homes was honored for the 13th time as a favorite “New Home Builder” and McCaffrey Home Mortgage was honored as “Favorite Mortgage Company” for the 9th time. The awards are tallied from an annual poll of ...

CLOVIS — The Closure Order issued on March 25 for all developed recreation sites across the Sierra National Forest remains in effect through Thursday (April 30) — and will “likely stay in place through the middle of May.” Additional details regarding the timeline for lifting the Closure Order “will follow later this week,” according to a press release issued today ...