October 8 2026

[news jingle] The fourteenth Mariposa Farms and Ranches tour is coming up this Saturday, October tenth, from ten AM to five PM, with five locations on the schedule: Foxtail Farm, Sierra Foothill Conservancy, Folktale Country Homestead, Betty Massey's Water Catchment, and Orem Vineyard.

Folktale Country Homestead is described as a diverse two hundred and twenty acre ranch and family homestead that is regenerative, sustainable, and one hundred percent organic.

Maebow raises cattle, a pig, goats, and chickens there, with composting and animal manure playing a key role in the farm's soil system.

The ranch also includes an orchard producing fruit for drying, jams, and jellies.

And the homestead focuses on working in balance with local wildlife by growing crops the wildlife generally avoids, including arugula, mustard greens, kale, collard greens, sorrel, green onions, garlic, tomatoes, chili peppers, mint, oregano, sage, nasturtiums, calendula flowers, and lavender.

The article also highlights the water catchment system on Betty Massey's property as part of the tour.

In another local brief, New Life Calvary Chapel in Bootjack received a check through Pioneer Market's receipt program.

The church says the donation will support its missionaries, including some churches in Nepal.

Pictured with that contribution were Tommy and Jody Ellison of New Life.

Madera County elections officials are reminding voters about key deadlines and return options for the upcoming November third election.

Clerk, Recorder, and Registrar of Voters Rebecca Martinez announced that official ballots and county voter information guides began mailing October fifth to all registered voters in Madera County, with delivery taking up to seven days.

Martinez also said free ballot tracking is now available through the state's Where's My Ballot service, which notifies voters when a ballot is mailed, received, and counted.

Voters can return ballots by US mail without postage at official county ballot drop boxes or at any vote center in Madera County.

Officials are also urging residents not to hand ballots to strangers, to use only trusted people if someone else returns a ballot, and to remember to sign the blue return envelope.

Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before election day and received within the time allowed by law.

Also in public affairs, local supporters are taking reservations now for the United States Marine Corps two hundred and fifty-first birthday celebration on Saturday, November seventh at the Episcopal Conference Center, or ECCO, in Oakhurst.

Dinner options are chef carved prime rib or citrus salmon, with tickets priced at fifty dollars per person.

Organizers say military uniform or semi-formal attire is required, and specifically note no shorts, flip-flops, or T-shirts.

Reservations must be made in advance by October twentieth, with checks payable to MCL number one thousand one hundred and twenty-one and mailed along with a name, dinner selection, phone number, and seating preference to the MCL Griswold Mountain Detachment number one thousand one hundred and twenty-one post office box in Oakhurst.

For more information, residents can contact Anne Dedmond or Dennis Osentowski.

Organizers are also asking supporters to save the date for the MCL and VFW Christmas party on Thursday, December tenth at Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino in Coarsegold.

[news jingle] The fourteenth Mariposa Farms and Ranches tour is coming up this Saturday, October tenth, from ten AM to five PM, with five locations on the schedule: Foxtail Farm, Sierra Foothill Conservancy, Folktale Country Homestead, Betty Massey's Water Catchment, and Orem Vineyard.

Folktale Country Homestead is described as a diverse two hundred and twenty acre ranch and family homestead that is regenerative, sustainable, and one hundred percent organic.

Maebow raises cattle, a pig, goats, and chickens there, with composting and animal manure playing a key role in the farm's soil system.

The ranch also includes an orchard producing fruit for drying, jams, and jellies.

And the homestead focuses on working in balance with local wildlife by growing crops the wildlife generally avoids, including arugula, mustard greens, kale, collard greens, sorrel, green onions, garlic, tomatoes, chili peppers, mint, oregano, sage, nasturtiums, calendula flowers, and lavender.

The article also highlights the water catchment system on Betty Massey's property as part of the tour.

In another local brief, New Life Calvary Chapel in Bootjack received a check through Pioneer Market's receipt program.

The church says the donation will support its missionaries, including some churches in Nepal.

Pictured with that contribution were Tommy and Jody Ellison of New Life.

Madera County elections officials are reminding voters about key deadlines and return options for the upcoming November third election.

Clerk, Recorder, and Registrar of Voters Rebecca Martinez announced that official ballots and county voter information guides began mailing October fifth to all registered voters in Madera County, with delivery taking up to seven days.

Martinez also said free ballot tracking is now available through the state's Where's My Ballot service, which notifies voters when a ballot is mailed, received, and counted.

Voters can return ballots by US mail without postage at official county ballot drop boxes or at any vote center in Madera County.

Officials are also urging residents not to hand ballots to strangers, to use only trusted people if someone else returns a ballot, and to remember to sign the blue return envelope.

Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before election day and received within the time allowed by law.

Also in public affairs, local supporters are taking reservations now for the United States Marine Corps two hundred and fifty-first birthday celebration on Saturday, November seventh at the Episcopal Conference Center, or ECCO, in Oakhurst.

Dinner options are chef carved prime rib or citrus salmon, with tickets priced at fifty dollars per person.

Organizers say military uniform or semi-formal attire is required, and specifically note no shorts, flip-flops, or T-shirts.

Reservations must be made in advance by October twentieth, with checks payable to MCL number one thousand one hundred and twenty-one and mailed along with a name, dinner selection, phone number, and seating preference to the MCL Griswold Mountain Detachment number one thousand one hundred and twenty-one post office box in Oakhurst.

For more information, residents can contact Anne Dedmond or Dennis Osentowski.

Organizers are also asking supporters to save the date for the MCL and VFW Christmas party on Thursday, December tenth at Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino in Coarsegold.