LATEST NEWS

TUOLUMNE COUNTY, Calif. — Two women were found dead in the river over the weekend in Tuolumne County. Search and rescue teams with the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office responded to the area of Clavey River off Cottonwood Road Saturday after a woman's body was spotted downstream of Clavey Bridge.

Tuolumne County, CA — A significant prescribed burn is scheduled to get underway in the Dry Meadows Area, north of Beardsley Lake, next week. 1,500 acres will be burned in the Strawberry Prescribed Burn area starting on June 13. Prep work within the Summit Ranger District is already underway. The burning is part of the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

Update at 5:40 p.m.: PG&E reports that all the power has been restored to customers in Tuolumne County and all but 23 in Calaveras. Those customers are along Highway 4 between Cottage Springs and Ganns. The utility gives a restoration time of 11:15 p.m. Further details on those outages are below.

Valley Springs, CA – There is new information regarding a Valley Springs house fire that broke out this weekend, and fire officials report one person escaped the flames but several pets perished. The blaze ignited at a residence located in the 500 block of Highway 12 and Lime Creek...

Sonora, CA — With fast-flowing rivers and icy waters, authorities warn residents and visitors to exercise extreme caution. The hazardous conditions are expected to persist throughout the summer due to the heavy snowfall experienced earlier this year. Tuolumne County Sheriffs posted on social media “We can’t say it enough, be extremely cautious around waterways in Tuolumne County. The rivers are flowing fast, high and the water is cold.” and have used weekend events to emphasize these points.

Sonora, CA– The closure of Old Priest Grade road due to storm damage continues, as the Tuolumne County Public Works Department works towards resolving the situation. On March 21, engineering staff and geotechnical engineers conducted an assessment of the site, revealing significant concerns for public safety and the need for repairs before allowing vehicles to use the roadway. Proactive measures were already in motion before the assessment, with the Public Works team securing consultant services and requesting expedited federal emergency funding.

Jamestown, CA — An action in response to a request made by the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians will go before the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. We reported in April that Tribal Chair Lloyd Mathiesen was growing concerned about the amount of time it was taking for the county to review a proposal to waive various construction permits. The action would symbolize a partnership where Chicken Ranch would then enter into an automatic aid agreement so that their new fire resources could be utilized in other parts of the county as well, boosting fire response capabilities.

Traffic in the area may also be affected.

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Sonora, CA — Tuesday is decision time for the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors to determine what the future contract with Visit Tuolumne County will look like. Visit Tuolumne County, which oversees tourism marketing, currently receives about 20% of the annual Transient Occupancy Tax revenues (tax paid on lodging), totaling around $1.75 million annually.

Sonora, CA–In order to improve road conditions and ensure long-lasting infrastructure, crack sealing operations will be taking place on certain County-maintained roads. The upcoming maintenance work may cause delays for residents and motorists who travel through these areas. Global Road Sealing Inc. will be conducting crack sealing on Mono...

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has confirmed that multiple sightings of what is believed to be the same wolverine occurred in May in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. Two sightings were in the Inyo National Forest in Inyo and Mono counties. A third sighting occurred in Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County.

Angels Camp, CA — A groundbreaking celebration was held Monday morning in Angels Camp for the new M.A.C.T. Miwuk Cultural Museum and Administration Building. The site is at 64 South Main Street behind its existing medical building. M.A.C.T.’s Executive Director John Alexander and Chairman of the Board Justin Baugh welcomed the nearly 100 in attendance at the event, and noted that the idea of the museum started about 16 years ago when the healthcare group was contacted by the family of Dr. Cooper of Angels Camp who would receive baskets from many Miwuk people as a form of payment back in the sixties.

In April, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education approved Adventist Health Tulare’s application to launch an Internal Medicine residency program that will help train up to 12 residents. This is in addition to the current Family Medicine Residency Programs in Hanford, Tulare and Sonora. Having to wait a...

VALLEY SPRINGS – Investigators are looking into what started a fire at a Valley Springs home Saturday morning that killed several pets. Calaveras Consolidated Fire crews responded to the scene and were immediately met by large flames. One person was waiting outside the home, firefighters say. Numerous pets couldn't evacuate in time, however. Firefighters say one dog, two cats, and four parrots died in the fire. 

Sonora, CA — Two suspects found driving a truck that the Sonora CHP was looking for led to their arrests, but not for stealing the pickup. A CHP officer recently spotted on Hospital Road near South Washington Street near the old Tuolumne General Hospital a 1999 white Dodge Ram pickup where a “Be On The Lookout” had been issued. It stemmed from a trailer theft in a local grocery store parking lot. Near the pickup, a man and woman were rummaging through a dumpster.

Sonora, CA – Chicken Ranch Casino is setting the record straight regarding a drag queen show that will also be held at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora. It centers around the Sonora Pride Vaccine Clinic being held this weekend at the fairgrounds. Tuolumne County Public Health is offering free monkeypox and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines during the event from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 4th.

Update at 3:15 p.m.: CAL Fire reports that fire crews have stopped the forward spread of the Hurst Fire burning in the Jamestown area of Tuolumne County. The flames broke out just after 2:30 p.m. in the 17400 block of Highway 108, between High School and Bell Mooney roads. The flames spread was stopped at an estimated one acre in size. A small crew will remain on scene, working towards full containment and mopping up for the next couple of hours. What ignited the grass fire is under investigation.

Mountain Ranch, CA — One person has died after a morning crash in the Mountain Ranch area of Calaveras County. The CHP remains on the scene, with officers surveying the area to determine exactly what happened. The collision happened around 6:45 a.m. on the 6200 block of Quartz Mine Road, between Swiss Ranch Road and Banner Road. The CHP reports that an SUV smashed into a tree, causing major damage to the front end of the vehicle. One person was pronounced dead at the scene.

Update at 3:55 p.m.: Tuolumne County Sheriff’s officials update that the “pair has been located safe.” No further details regarding where or how they were found were released. Further details on their disappearance are below. Original post at 11:45 a.m.: Sonora, CA – The public is being...