OAKHURST – Madera County Libraries are now offering e-book checkouts for Nook, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android devices and other e-readers. Three e-books can be checked out at a time, for 14 days at a time. Not all books available in print are also available as e-books, because some publishers don’t sell some of their e-books to libraries. More information is ...

As we lose yet another small business in Oakhurst with the closing of the Willow Bridge Book Store, it reminds us once again of the impact that our spending choices can have on our mountain communities. Yosemite/Sequoia Think Local First is a campaign that celebrates and supports local economies and the people who make our community unique, happy, and strong ...

Sure, it’s probably savvy advice to use caution when you buy a used car because you may be purchasing someone else’s problems. But adopting a dog or cat from a rescue organization isn’t nearly the same thing. So, if you have that view of pet adoption I am hoping to reduce your concerns, dispel two myths and open your eyes ...

When the Ferguson Rockslide buried a portion of Highway 140 some 6 years ago, the economic impact on Mariposa and the surrounding communities was devastating. Governor Jerry Brown has now signed Assembly Bill 1973, sponsored by Assemblymember Kristin Olsen, to allow the “incidental take of the limestone salamander.” The limestone salamander is a fully protected species under California law, and ...

AHWAHNEE – Plans for a new low cost spay/neuter adoption facility here in the mountain area are now on the fast track. The application for a conditional use permit was submitted to the Madera County Resource Management Agency (RMA) by the Eastern Madera County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (EMC SPCA) on June 11. The proposed building ...

The California Senate Budget Committee has approved the request by the Board of Equalization (BOE) to create 57 new two-year positions at a cost of some $6.4 million, to bill and collect the State Responsibility Area (SRA) fee, otherwise known as the “rural fire fee,” imposed by AB 29X. At the latest in a series of Town Hall Meetings hosted ...

Rich Severson, author, teacher, professional musician and Coarsegold resident, recently hosted a jazz guitar concert at the Queens Inn Wine & Beer Garden in Oakhurst. Twenty guitarists and 10 bass players from across the United States performed at the event. All of these musicians were participating in an annual five-day Yosemite Jazz Workshop at Evergreen Conference Center, hosted by Severson ...

Visitors and campers are reminded that the use or possession of all fireworks and pyrotechnic devices is prohibited on all national forests and national grasslands year-round, regardless of weather conditions or holidays. Regulations are enforced, and violation is punishable as a misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 or imprisonment of not more than six months, or both. ...

Almost on a daily basis, through the media or our own awareness, we are all reminded about the impact, the carbon footprint, we make on our planet. Over the last several decades our neighbors and community businesses have begun to look at ways to reduce their energy use and utility costs. Solar energy has always played a major role in ...