NORTH FORK –Residents and visitors on the Bass Lake Ranger District may see smoke in the coming months as Sierra National Forest fire managers implement their 2018/2019 fall/winter/spring burning program. The projects will consist of two activities: pile burning and understory burning. These burn projects are widely dispersed throughout the Ranger District, with many located at the higher elevations. Some ...

There are two elected top law enforcement officers in Madera County. They are the District Attorney and the Sheriff. The top reason to elect Sally O. Moreno as District Attorney is that she is endorsed, not only by the current Sheriff Jay Varney, but also by three of his predecessors, former Sheriffs John Anderson, Berk Berkeley, and Ed Bates, as ...

OAKHURST — Bring the whole family to National Night Out on Tuesday, Oct. 2, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Old Mill Shopping Center (Vons) in Oakhurst, and meet your local first responders. This is a community awareness-raising event designed to highlight the important relationship between community members and our local emergency programs, first responders, non-profits and law enforcement, ...

First responders of all stripes are being recognized with a new commemorative stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service. The stamp features an image in red, white and blue of a firefighter, a paramedic and a police officer. “Fires, medical emergencies, accidents, and violent crimes require us to look to those who possess the training and knowledge to treat the ...

OAKHURST — In response to the recent and dramatically increasing wildfire threat across the state, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has announced that it is accelerating its vegetation management work in the central and southern regions of the Sierra Nevada mountains “to further reduce the risk of wildfire and keep our customers, their families and our communities safe.” The ...

FISH CAMP — Mother nature may have canceled summer plans in Yosemite, but the park is back open and Tenaya Lodge, recent winner of Sunset Magazine’s 2018 Travel Awards for Best Park Classic hotel, has all the makings for a big fall getaway. Just minutes from the newly renovated Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, Tenaya’s fall season includes everything from ...

FISH CAMP – With the crowds of summer preparing to dwindle, now is the perfect time to spend a day with friends and family at the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad. Just 15 minutes from Oakhurst and 4 miles south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad offers excursions with authentic, historic Shay locomotives ...

OAKHURST – We’ve received quite a few inquiries about the little buildings filling the lot on the west side of Highway 41 just south of 47th Place Carpet One in Oakhurst. The folks at the Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp are happy to announce that the little “cabins” are waiting to be transported to their new home on a 30-acre ...

CLOVIS – Hunting season for the archer will begin in California Hunting Zone D7, on the Sierra National Forest (SNF) on Saturday, Aug. 18. Forest officials would like to inform the public of closures and restrictions that are in place due to the Ferguson and Lions Fires. The Ferguson Fire has burned 96,824 acres and is close to being fully ...

“The song of the river ends not at her banks, but in the hearts of those who have loved her.”  — Buffalo Joe MARIPOSA — The first time Steve ever set foot on the property, he didn’t really set foot. He was just a baby, one year old, riding on his father’s shoulders. That was nearly 70 years ago. Ever ...