Survey says: Mariposa County is more diverse today than ever before




Mariposa County is one of the more diverse rural communities in America, a major study of U.S. Census Bureau data shows. Since 1980, Mariposa County’s “diversity index” has more than doubled, rising from 19.2 in 1980 to 38.9 percent in 2010. As in rural communities across the country, the change is mainly due to the arrival of Hispanic and Asian […]

Dangerous sparks



Barbecue and music set for this weekend




Visitors to the Mariposa County Fairgrounds on Saturday might feel like they are a little farther south and east. The sixth annual Blazin’ Hog BBQ Competition and Zydeco Music Festival takes place beginning at noon. There are 11 competitors signed up to present the best their grills have to offer. This is no amateur cook-off either. Winners go away with […]

Former county counsel locked out




Former Mariposa County Counsel Tom Guarino has been locked out of his office in Siskiyou County. This latest turn of event follows a month of investigation of Guarino by the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors. THE GAZETTE has been following the story as it developed. According to the Siskiyou Daily News, Guarino was not on duty for the past month. […]

Think it’s unusually hot?–It is




When the clock strikes 10:49 a.m. this Saturday, fall will officially have begun. Too bad it won’t feel like fall. The fall equinox marks the day the sun crosses the celestial equator. From here on out, temperatures begin to drop and the days start to get shorter than the nights. If it seems like this has been an unusually long, […]

County kids are more fit




There are lots of things to do outdoors in Mariposa County. There is also little access to fast food and sedentary activities like going to the movies or sitting in an arcade. Some of those lifestyle factors may be reflected in the recently released results of the physical fitness test for 2010-11. The Mariposa County Unified School District data shows […]

Park employees may be offered free virus tests




Three people who work in Yosemite National Park have experienced flu-like symptoms that prompted them to get tested for hantavirus, health officer Dr. Charles Mosher said at Tuesday’s Mariposa County Board of Supervisors meeting. While initial tests came up positive, a set of second, more-precise tests showed the three had not been exposed to the deadly Sin Nombre strain that […]

SAR’s Thorpe receives prestigious state honor



David Thorpe of Mariposa was honored at the California Search and Rescue annual exercise last weekend in Coloma. Thorpe received the Larry Peabody Memorial Award, given by California Emergency Management Agency Deputy Chief Matt Scharper, the state Search and Rescue Coordinator. Present were members of the Mariposa Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) Team, along with Thorpe’s family. Mariposa County Sheriff […]

Watershed Council gives an update on weed removal



The Upper Merced River Watershed Council looks back on another season of successful weed removal in the Merced River Canyon. Funding for this project has been provided by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, an agency of the State of California. Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service are key partners in this project. They provide coordination and supervision of volunteer […]

Sheriff’s Daily Dispatch Log



Sept. 10: A student had a knife on campus atMCHS. •Roosters were found on Highway 49South. •There was a trailer fire on Live Oak Road.•A verbal dispute and drunk driving were reportedon Highway 140.Sept. 11: •Petty theft was reported on CoakleyCircle. •Vehicles were abandoned on 10th Street. •Ablack cat was missing in Midpines. •Harassing textswere reported in town.Sept. 12: •A […]