MARIPOSA —  The Mariposa County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD) has a new program to assist residents in need of financial support to remove hazardous dead trees that threaten their homes. Assistance is intended to first serve low income households who are unable to afford the cost of removing hazardous trees with their own resources. Assistance will be provided to moderate ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Feb. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017: Fish Camp lost firearm On Monday, Feb. 13 at 4:33 p.m. a deputy was dispatched via telephone for a reported;y lost firearm. There are no leads in this case, and report was written and the ...

AHWAHNEE —  Robin and the crew at Coolwater Ranch are kicking off their 2017 concert series with guitarist extraordinaire Mike Dowling, on Saturday, Jan. 21. When the late, great Vassar Clements heard Mike Dowling play guitar back in 1975 he did the sensible thing. He hired him. Mike was the guitarist in Vassar’s first touring band and can be heard ...

OAKHURST – The Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the list of honorees for service to the community in 2016, and invite the public to attend the Installation Dinner & Award Ceremony at the Tenaya Lodge on Friday, February 3, 2017. This year’s Man of the Year is Victor Weitzel of Idea Print Work, Inc. Owner of Idea ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — It’s looking wet and wild for the next couple of days, with a winter storm warning for the high country and flash flood warnings in the lower elevations. A Pacific storm system will make its way over central California on Thursday, Dec. 15 and stay through Friday, Dec. 16., according to the National Weather Service in Hanford. Rain ...

MADERA COUNTY — Twenty-eight County employees were honored on Tuesday for their more than 20 years of service to the citizens of Madera County. Tuesday’s presentation marked the 25th annual presentation of Service Credit Awards. Each year’s awards are given to employees who achieve five-year milestones of twenty years or more of County service, and the Board of Supervisors gives ...

It was a warm November day and Tioga Road had just re-opened. We had the trail and amazing views all to ourselves of Half Dome, Clouds Rest, Tenaya Canyon and the snow covered peaks beyond. It was a perfect day in my book! Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 11.77 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Elevation Range: 7,437′ – 8,497′ Date: ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST – The Bass Lake Ranger District, Sierra National Forest, is preparing to implement the fall/winter burning program, says District Ranger Denise Tolmie. Projects will consist of three activities: pile burning, broadcast, and underburning. “The objective of these prescribed burns are to reduce fuel loading from recent tree mortality fuel projects within the Wildland Urban Intermix and high ...

Sally and I hiked some new country, full of yellow aspens along the South Fork of Bishop Creek and when we reached the high points of our climb, we had magnificent views of colorful high mountains. Where: Inyo National Forest, John Muir Wilderness Distance: 8.09 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 9,052′ – 11,592′ Date: October 11, 2016 Maps: Mount Darwin ...

FISH CAMP — CHP is on scene of an accident involving a bus on Highway 41 just north of the 4,000 foot level between Lewis Creek and Sugar Pine (Road 630) north of Oakhurst. At 5:40 p.m. reports came in that a 25-passenger charter bus had hit a tree and then the embankment, with several occupants of the bus in ...