MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, July 22 to Sunday, July 28, 2019. Oakhurst coroner’s case On Tuesday, July 23 at 5:11 a.m. MCSO was called to a coroner’s case on a resident in a home on Highway 49. The death appeared to be natural. Oakhurst found property ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for some of our local area, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), as isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms remain possible in the Sierra through Friday, July 26. A large area of high pressure maintains widespread triple digit heat across the San Joaquin Valley, West Side Hills and Kern County ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — Even local insurance agents are calling it a “crisis” — the sky high price tag attached these days to homeowners insurance in large parts of eastern Madera County. Many area residents have recently been notified their homeowners insurance is going up — for some, by as much as 450 to 500 percent. And lately, according to local ...

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST — The Sierra National Forest (SNF) is in the process of performing environmental analysis on the proposed Kamook Staging Area Project on the Bass Lake Ranger District (BLRD) and would like the public’s input. Kamook Staging Area Project Currently all amenities are in need of updating and replacement at this location. The purpose of this project is ...

Wild azaleas were showing off their white flowers and we caught a whiff of their scent before we saw them. This was the perfect time to see them blooming between Fish Camp and the Mariposa Grove plus got a nice workout as we wandered through Mariposa Grove to Wawona Point. Where: Sierra National Forest, Yosemite National Park, Mariposa Grove of ...

OAKHURST — “We have a lot of people working in this area and really want to be involved in the community,” says Chriso Lee, director of operations for ArborWorks Inc., a tree care company that in just the past few years has become one of the area’s largest employers. Every day, the company sends dozens of crews out around the ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — The return of much warmer weather Sunday through Tuesday will cause an increase in snowmelt over the higher elevations of the Sierra — leading to a rise in water levels on rivers and streams during the early part of the week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The normal water rises each night will heighten the ...

Our beloved Miwuk/Paiute elder, Jay J. Johnson, passed away peacefully on May 26, 2019, at his home in Mariposa, California, with family by his side. Jay was born on November 29, 1931, in Yosemite National Park, CA, his ancestral home, to Harry and Sarah (Tom) Johnson. Jay lived at the Indian Village across from Yosemite Lodge until he was sent ...

BASS LAKE — Motorists on Road 274 could experience 20-30 minute delays for the next several months as crews conduct the largest tree mortality mitigation operation in the county’s history. Beginning Monday, June 3 and continuing through Aug. 1, some 5,600 dead or dying trees will be cut down and removed along Road 274, which borders Bass Lake’s scenic north ...

COARSEGOLD — Rain or shine, the annual Peddlers’ Fair is a Memorial Day weekend tradition that draws hundreds to the Coarsegold Historic Village to shop, eat and browse an eclectic selection of antiques, collectibles and one-of-a-kind treasures. This year, the weather clearly played a starring role at the Coarsegold Antique & Collectibles Show. Rain late last week — and predictions ...