NORTH FORK – A medical emergency on Road 221 on Saturday morning resulted in a bicyclist being airlifted to St. Agnes hospital, but ended with what has been described by the family as a miracle. Mike Nolen, 61, of North Fork was riding his bike about a half-mile north of the Bass Fork Minit Market when he lost consciousness. Passerby ...

NORTH FORK – Emergency personnel responded to reports of bicyclist struck by a vehicle on Road 221 this morning near Bass Fork Minit Market. The call came in at 8:45 a.m., and upon arriving at scene, Cal Fire Engine 4255 and Madera County Station 11 firefighters found a man who had apparently suffered some sort of medical episode while riding ...

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 ...

MADERA COUNTY – A preliminary hearing was held today at Bass Lake Superior Court for Michael Lee Lapschies, 40, who was previously charged with eight felony counts of arson and one felony count of terrorist threats, according to the District Attorney’s office. Lapschies was arraigned Thursday, Oct. 8 on an additional complaint filed for a violation of Penal Code section ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally during the week of Monday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. Coarsegold family disturbance On Monday, Sept. 28 at 2:21 a.m. deputies responded to the 4700 block of Veater Ranch Road for a report of a family disturbance. One of the subjects involved ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – You go for a walk in the forest hoping for a peaceful sojourn through tall trees, with picturesque pine-needle paths leading to a cedar-scented paradise where you contemplate the treasures of nature. Instead, you’re tripping over old tires, making your way through broken-down refrigerators, busted air conditioners, televisions, and “just about anything you can think of.” You’ve ...

NORTH FORK – Fire engines, squads, water tenders, ambulances and patrol units lined Road 222 yesterday as Battalion Chiefs, CHP officers, Sheriff’s deputies, Citizens of Patrol, Auxiliary members and firefighters from as far away as Chowchilla turned out to pay their respects to 43-year veteran of Madera County Fire Department Station 11, Frank Verduzco. The main street of North Fork ...

NORTH FORK – The annual breakfast to benefit the Heifer Project is this Sunday, Sept. 27, at Grace Community Church in North Fork. Sponsored by the Board of Christian Education, and orchestrated by the folks at Grace Community, this yearly pancake breakfast raises money to buy animals or trees to benefit families in poverty stricken areas around the world. For ...

North Fork is mourning the loss of a much-beloved member of this mountain community. Frank Verduzco was just 64 years old when he passed away on Sept. 23. Frank was a life-long resident of North Fork, who joined the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department at just 21 years of age. Since March 1972, he has been responding from Station 11, ...

BASS LAKE – The 28th annual Smokey Bear Run/Walk is this Saturday, Sept. 26. This event is a highlight of the fall season at the lake and is also one of the races in the “Valley Runner of the Year” series. This year’s Run/Walk sets out from Recreation Point on the south shore of Bass Lake. Registration begins at 6:45 a.m., ...