My mom had a big birthday coming up and had a special request. She wanted me, my sister and her to go on a hot air balloon ride. My sister and I had never done this, didn’t know anything about this and had some work to do but we pulled it off! Where: Rancho Murieta Distance: About 10 miles Difficulty: ...

MADERA COUNTY – Madera County will honor the Peace Officers who have died in the line of duty in 2015 at the 9th annual Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony on Tuesday, May 10, at noon. Sheriff Jay Varney will host the event, which will include the California Highway Patrol and other regional law enforcement agencies, and include the laying of a ...

NORTH FORK — Residents in the North Fork area are once again reporting the loss of pets and livestock due to mountain lion predation. Kat Rudd, a resident of Three Springs, contacted Fish & Wildlife due to a brazen attack on Apr. 3, as several people were enjoying an evening just outside a home on the organic farm on Road ...

The best of our gardeners’ water fountains and small ponds, made with old vintage pumps, galvanized tubs, metal auto shop tools and even fire extinguishers!  These are water features you can do. Galvanized Tubs Nancy Carter used a shepherd’s hook to hang the watering can in this simple fountain that she and her daughter made.  This works with or without a ...

by Kellie Flanagan COARSEGOLD — Not long after sunset on a cold December night, a call was made from Deadwood Lookout to wildlife specialist Randy Partch. “The lion is in the trap,” said the homeowner. For Partch, a trapper contracted annually by Madera County, this was good news. He’d just set the lion’s trap that morning, after five goats were ...

FRESNO — Humberto Ceballos-Rangel (Ceballos), 37, of Mexico, pleaded guilty today in connection with his involvement in a large marijuana cultivation operation found by law enforcement last summer in the Sierra National Forest in Madera County, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Ceballos pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture, to distribute, and to possess with the ...

Edgar A. Wilkins “Ed” at age 83 passed on Monday, November 30th surrounded by family. Ed was born on December 25, 1931, in Sacramento, CA, and at an early age his parents moved the family to Fresno, both chemists, to work for Twining Laboratories. He attended Heaton Elementary, Hamilton Jr. High and Fresno High School. After his father passed away ...

MARIPOSA — Defenders of Wildlife, a national conservation organization founded in 1947, has a singular mission: “…the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities.” Dedicated solely to wildlife and habitat conservation and to safeguarding North America’s biodiversity, Defenders holds a vision of diverse wildlife populations that are “…secure and thriving, sustained by a network of healthy ...

MOUNTAIN AREA – Before setting up plans to pitch your tent at a big box store in Fresno for Black Friday this week, consider making it a very happy holiday season for our own friends and neighbors, by dropping your dollars in the mountains. Whether you’re one of those people who likes to spend the day after Thanksgiving deciding how ...

“Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.” – Former General of the Army, Omar Bradley Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and professions. This year thousands of men and women bravely put their lives on the line fighting the fires that engulfed our region. Our local law enforcement officials put themselves in danger every ...