BUDGET CUTS

Three county post offices face closure

Post offices at Hornitos, Fish Camp and Yosemite Lodge are under review by the U.S. Postal Service for possible closure. The three offices join more than 3,600 post offices nationwide being considered for closure to help the federal agency gain ground on an operation that lost close to $8 billion last year alone. The postal service says it would move […]

Small town Saturday night



San Jose man drowns in Merced River



The swift, cold water of the Merced River has claimed the life of a 33- year-old man. It is the first fatality of its kind this year. According to Mariposa County Sheriff Doug Binnewies, Ngoun Moun of San Jose was tubing with friends on the river on Saturday. He reportedly fell off the tube and slipped under water. Moun did […]

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Yosemite spotlight is on solar power

Yosemite officials last week unveiled an array of solar panels that will generate close to 800,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. That’s enough to power 100 typical American households—or 1,200 computers. With a unique but practical layout, the 2,800 solar panels cover large portions of the roof, walls and parking area at the El Portal Administrative Complex. The project […]

PUBLIC WORKS

County hires interim director

Mariposa County has an interim public works director in place, less than a week after the board of supervisors dismissed former Director Alan Toschi. County Administrative Officer Rick Benson announced on Monday that Peter Rei is serving the County in the interim capacity. He started work on Monday. Benson said Rei has more than 20 years of experience in the […]

Woman falls to her death



At approximately noon on Sunday, July 31, Yosemite National Park’s Emergency Communication Center received a 911 phone call reporting a fall of a hiker on the Half Dome cables. Hayley LaFlamme, a 26-year-old female from San Ramon, had gone to the top of Half Dome and was descending when she fell 600 feet off the cables. National Park Rangers pronounced […]

Hospital CEO leaves JCF



John C. Fremont Healthcare District’s Chief Executive Officer Chuck Bill is no longer serving in that capacity. Staff was notified in a brief email from the Board Chairperson Suzette Prue last Friday. “Effective today, Mr. Chuck Bill is no longer serving as the CEO of the district,” Prue wrote to all employees. Tish Miller has been named interim CEO, and […]

WEATHER

Rare summer thunderstorms spark wildland fires

By Dan Tucker GAZETTE PUBLISHER The weather in Mariposa County Sunday morning started out muggy and warm, unusual for late July. It got worse. Around 9 a.m., a flurry of thunderstorm cells battered Mariposa and Madera Counties, sparking a total of 14 lightning strike blazes. The same scenario happened two years ago, mainly in northern California, that sparked two of […]

Milky Way magic comes alive from Glacier Point



Glacier Point is famous for sunsets— dramatic scenes as pink light fades from Half Dome. Summer visitors get curious as astronomy buffs set up their contraptions on Fridays and Saturdays. Sometimes the astronomers tune their telescopes on Half Dome, where a glance shows hikers celebrating the last light on the summit. The real show, however, happens after dark. Here at […]

Griz prepare for gridiron campaign



It’s almost crunch time, literally, for the Mariposa Grizzlies. Players who want to join the football program must be signedup and approved by Monday, Aug. 8. At 1 p.m. that afternoon, all players and coaches will gather in the breezeway of the cafeteria on the MCHS campus in an informal get-to-know gathering before two-a-day practices start that afternoon and evening. […]