Latest News Headlines

Fatal crash closes 395 in Bridgeport

May 14, 2013

4:30 P.M. TUESDAY – The Mono County Sheriff's Department announced that, per Caltrans at 3:45 p.m., U.S. 395 at the bridge of State Route 182 in Bridgeport is now open.

9:30 A.M. TUESDAY – An as-yet unidentified truck driver was killed early this morning when he drove his rig off a bridge and into the East Walker River.
According to both the California Highway Patrol and Mono County Sheriff’s Department, the tractor-trailer appears to have failed to negotiate the curve at the south end of Bridgeport, driving through the bridge railing, striking an embankment and erupting into flames.

SR 120 West/Tioga Pass Road re-opened to park entrance gate

May 9, 2013

Caltrans re-opened State Route 120 West – more widely known as Tioga Pass Road – to the east Yosemite National Park entrance gate on Thursday afternoon. The road was closed over the weekend due to recent storms.
Tioga is still closed beyond the park entrance but Yosemite officials indicated to Caltrans the road could be opened all the way through the park as early as this Saturday, May 11, depending on the weather.

ESLT names its new director

May 8, 2013

New leadership has taken the reins at Eastern Sierra Land Trust.
The ESLT Board of Directors announced this week the successful completion of its Executive Director search with the appointment of Kay Ogden.
Ogden left her position as associate director of the Sierra Nevada Alliance in South Lake Tahoe to begin work as ESLT Executive Director on May 1. “She brings great passion for the Eastern Sierra landscape and experience in project management, strategic planning, building connections, and leading effective programs,” a press release from ESLT states.

Court rules on LADWP lawsuit

May 3, 2013

The City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s high-profile lawsuit against the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District and other environmental agencies was dismissed this week by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
The City’s federal court lawsuit, filed in Fresno last year, attempted to prevent Great Basin from issuing more dust control measures on Owens Lake.

Traffic stop nets three on felony drug charges

April 29, 2013

A traffic stop for a “minor traffic infraction” has landed three Southern California residents in jail on felony charges.
The Bishop Police Department announced late Monday afternoon the early-morning arrests of Raymond Louis Rodriguez, 25, of Upland, Toni Lorell Zarate, 27, of Azusa, and Ky Ta, 38, of Alta Loma, on numerous drug-related charges – including transporting and possessing controlled substances for the purposes of selling them.

A High Sierra tradition

April 29, 2013

Team Sierra, a group of friends and family members from Southern California, has made Convict Lake their annual vacation destination every Opening Day for the past several years. The group arrives early, setting up at its favorite spot on the south shore at midnight and waiting until sun-up to cast a line. This year the group saw record numbers (top), with 21 attending the annual fishstravaganza. Shown at bottom left are Jeff and John Diaz with Jeff’s 4.1-lb. rainbow; and at far right are Tom and Jesse Diaz with their healthy stringers. For more Opening Day photos, see pg.