MOUNTAIN AREA — It was a busy night for Madera County Sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday, starting with a chase on Highway 41, and ending with a stabbing in North Fork. Yesterday afternoon, employees at two different businesses in Oakhurst called in reports of a man making threats to people inside their establishments. The first report came in at about 2:30 ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Yosemite Area Regional Transportation (YARTS) is celebrating Earth Day by offering free rides on YARTS buses into Yosemite National Park. In 2015, the Park experienced an all-time record number of visitors, welcoming 4,150,217 people. “At YARTS, we want to do our part to help visitors be good stewards of the park and enhance their Yosemite experience by ...

AHWAHNEE – The Oakhurst chapter of nonprofit organization Helping One Woman (HOW) will meet to honor longtime mountain-area resident Kathy David at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 16, at the Hitching Post in Ahwahnee. Kathy is not only facing overwhelming medical needs for herself, say organizers, she has also had to face those with her husband, John. “These needs began ...

Guest Column written by Bill Ritchey —  NORTH FORK – Sitting at the end of the cul-de-sac of Chipo Poyah Road in Teaford Lakes Meadow stands a 3-story house that 87-year-old retiree George Hathaway has called home since 1986. Like other homes in the cozy neighborhood, Hathaway’s sits nestled among dozens of dense pines. Similarly as well, many of his ...

OAKHURST – Visit Yosemite Madera County is pleased to announce the addition of Therese Williams to their team as the new director of public relations and sales. Therese was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, but it was the bright lights of New York City that caught her attention to study for her master’s in international communications and public relations. ...

Guest column by Bill Ritchey — RAYMOND – It was said by Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States, “If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.” In agreement with President Wilson is Raymond resident, Betty Fisher, an accomplished dog trainer and expert in ...

BASS LAKE – Voted Cycle California! Magazine’s Best Olympic Distance Triathlon for 2015, The Bass Lake Classic Triathlon returns in 2016 with a new name and a new challenge. “Yosemite National Park is Bass Lake’s playground and our course reflects the beauty of the area,” said Jonathan Grinder, owner of Tucson Racing. “We wanted the name of the triathlon to ...

AHWAHNEE — Animal-lovers are rejoicing as the Eastern Madera County SPCA (EMC SPCA) is about to realize a long-awaited dream: after more than 25 years of saving dogs and cats through fostering and adoption, while also saving money for the project, they’re now breaking ground on the EMC SPCA no-kill shelter. The public is invited by the EMC SPCA Board ...

MADERA COUNTY — The Madera County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with the Madera County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to boost the number of K9 teams available to assist patrol deputies in their work. “The existence of a patrol K9 Unit at the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division greatly enhances our agency’s capability to track down, ...

OAKHURST – Looking for a family-friendly evening of outstanding entertainment in support of arts for kids, served with a side of baked potato? Look no further, and plan to attend the Vision Academy of the Arts Showcase of Artists, set for Saturday, Mar. 12, at Oakhurst Elementary School, in the multi-purpose room, from 6:30 – 9 p.m. The evening of entertainment, arts ...