First-grader Paige Gillett has a new book-writing project that she hopes will raise money for a community playhouse at the original site of her family's business, Cressman's General Store. The iconic business and Paige's Shaver Lake-area home were wiped out in the devastating Creek Fire in September 2020 that...
Federal Judge Denies Environmentalists’ Bid to Stop Sierra Fire Prevention Projects
Update: U.S. District Court Judge Dale A. Drozd ruled on Friday, May 28, against three environmental groups trying to block planned fire protection projects in the Sierra and Sequoia National Forests. Drozd denied a preliminary injunction sought by the environmentalists seeking to stop the U.S. Forest Service from activating 31 different projects....
On Heels of Creek Fire, Environmentalists Sue to Stop Sierra Forest Management
A relative of minks and otters, the Pacific fisher is a medium-size carnivorous mammal – about the size of a house cat – that once roamed the West Coast from British Columbia to Southern California. The Trump administration in May of 2020 denied Endangered Species Act protection to the Pacific...
Creek Fire Book Expands into Junior Authors Literacy Project
After the Creek Fire ripped through neighborhoods in Big Creek, Auberry, and other nearby Sierra locations, Susie Harder thought immediately of the kids who had lost their homes and possessions and decided to write a book. That book project soon blossomed into an interactive publishing activity, with children from around...
Evacuation Warning Issued in Madera County Ahead of Incoming Storm; Power Outages Possible
The Madera County Sheriff’s Office is issuing an evacuation warning for Road 225 between Cascadel Road, including the area within Sierra National Forest, due to an incoming storm with possible debris & mud flow concerns. The weather event is expected to include gusty south winds, significant mountain snow and prolonged...
They Made Fresno’s News in 2020. Who Is No. 1?
As we toast to the hope that 2021 is better than the year just endured, let's take a quick look in the rear-view mirror at the people who made the news in 2020: 25. Fresno Grizzlies COVID robbed them of their season, then Major League Baseball's cost-cutting agenda robbed the Grizzlies...
Sierra Ski Resort China Peak is Making Snow, Readies for Weekend Opening
China Peak Ski Resort is making new snow over the next couple of nights in preparation for a planned Saturday opening. The popular Sierra ski and snowboard spot has invested millions of dollars in upgrades and is readying its runs as the winter sports season gets underway. And, despite the...
High Wind and Blowing Dust Expected Valley-Wide Tuesday. Rain Expected Overnight.
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued a health caution statement for Tuesday due to high winds and expected blowing dust in some areas. Elevated concentrations of particulate matter 10 microns and smaller (PM10) Valley-wide could occur. Residents in the counties of Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and the...
Hail Falls in Fresno as Local Freeze Warning Continues
Yosemite, Shaver Lake, and the Grapevine all received varying amounts of snowfall over the weekend. On the Valley floor, overnight temperatures in Fresno fell to 32 degrees Monday morning, down to 31 degrees in Lemoore and 30 in Madera, the National Weather Service office in Hanford said. Forecasters issued another...
First Significant Storm of the Season Arrives Saturday. Creek Fire Area in Risk Zone.
The first significant storm system of the wet season will impact Central California this weekend, according to the National Weather Service's Hanford office. The majority of the projected precipitation will fall Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Weatherwest.com says this system will *not* be a moist atmospheric river-type storm. Instead, a...