Hiking the toughest trail out of the Yosemite Valley provided an outstanding workout but also treated us to some views of snow dusted Clouds Rest and Half Dome that you can see no other way. A bonus was the Merced River reflections on the way home!

MADERA COUNTY – The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians announced nearly $1 million in community grants for 2013 on Tuesday, Nov. 5, during the regular meeting of the Madera County Board of Supervisors. Tribal Council Chairwoman Nancy Ayala announced the 30 grants before the board, awarding funds to 28 different organizations, many in the mountain area. This is the seventh ...

MADERA COUNTY — The biggest shopping day of the year is fast approaching, so Sheriff John Anderson is asking citizens, are you doing your part to protect your family and your property? It’s not even Thanksgiving and already Madera County has encountered a number of burglaries and car break-ins. With that in mind, Sheriff Anderson is releasing his annual list ...

OAKHURST – The Oakhurst Community Center was packed on Tuesday, Oct. 29, as folks from all over the county gathered to learn more about creating emergency access routes in neighborhoods where there is only one way in and one way out. District 5 Supervisor Tom Wheeler hosted the meeting, along with Madera County Road Commissioner Johannes Hoevertsz.

YOSEMITE – Travelers to Yosemite National Park will want to be aware of construction and repair projects throughout the park. Here are the updates from the Yosemite Daily Report: The Hetch Hetchy Road is open to visitor traffic while Hetch Hetchy Water and Power and AT&T conduct utility repair operations along the roadway for the next couple of months to ...

OAKHURST — For students on independent study, the school day can be isolating and boring. We want to give them the opportunity to get out of the house and out of the classroom to take photos of the beautiful area we live in. So, I submitted a request for funding to a website called donorschoose.org. They help teachers get the ...

Last week, we tried to make it up to see Dana Glacier but we were stopped short of our goal by snow and ice. We waited through a week of warmer temperature, hoping to give it another try and we lucked out! We reached upper Dana Lake, full of reflections plus I got to see my first glacier!!

MADERA COUNTY – Madera County Master Gardeners will host a free event for home gardeners on Saturday, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon. Learn how to plant, prune and care for fruit trees at this special workshop presented by Master Gardeners John Bryan and Jim Espinola.

MADERA COUNTY – Two of Madera County’s top public servants were honored Thursday, Oct. 31, at a luncheon sponsored by Madera County Law Enforcement Leaders Association, (MCLELA) at the Madera Golf and Country Club. The MCLELA Board used its monthly “Meeting of the Minds” to pay tribute to Sylvia Rodriguez and Karren Sandusky.

YOSEMITE – With the winter season approaching, Yosemite Conservancy announced today that it is accepting lottery registration forms for the 2013-2014 season at the newly restored Ostrander Ski Hut, the cherished rustic stone cabin used by intrepid skiers and snowshoers who make the 10-mile journey from the park’s Badger Pass Ski Area to Ostrander Lake.