HELP WANTED:
MUSEUM SECRETARY/TOUR DIRECTOR/STORE MANAGER
Work days, Wed. thru Sat. 9-5. General office skills to include knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Publisher computer programs, typing and telephone bookings for tours. Must have superior organizational and supervisory skills, and enjoy working with the public. Send resume and references to Mariposa Museum and History Center, P.O. Box 606, Mariposa, Ca. 95338

Grouse Fire Evening Update:
The Grouse Fire in Yosemite National Park is approximately 1500 acres. It is located south of Yosemite Valley and north of Glacier Point Rd. Transition to a Type 2 organization (Central Sierra Type 2 IMT) occured July 3, 6:00 a.m. Management objectives remain the same. They include preventing fire spread outside defined management areas, restoring fire dependent forest systems, managing smoke production, protecting wildlife habitat and preserving cultural and natural resources. Please expect brief road delays along Wawona Road, (Hwy 41). Personnel are preparing to implement management ignitions along Glacier Point Rd. Temporary closures may be enacted for visitor safety. All park facilities are open
Mariposa News - Yosemite Fire Update #17 July 3, 2009

See the smoke in Yosemite
Yosemite NP Web Camera
AND
Yosemite Association | Live Yosemite Web Cam Views

Groundhog Meadow Damage Near Herring Creek Destroys Habitat, Sets Back Study
Sonora, Calif., July, 2009 – Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Susan Skalski announced today that scientists discovered serious damage to a high elevation meadow undergoing a five year study which included monitoring the habitat of the Yosemite Toad.
Mariposa News - Groundhog Meadow Damage Near Herring Creek Destroys Habitat, Sets Back Study

Tuolumne County Residents Invited to Discuss Fire Protection Strategy
Fire Safe Council President Jerry Tannhauser today announced that on Thursday, July 9, the Highway 108 FireSafe Council is inviting Tuolumne County residents to meet and discuss fire protection, emergency preparedness, and fire prevention measures needed to protect life, property, and resources from wildland fires.
Mariposa News - Tuolumne County Residents Invited to Discuss Fire Protection Strategy

Grouse Fire now at 1,302 Acres with 335 personnel on duty and 17% containment. Planned actions: Continue to burn along Steamboat Ridge to the Glacier Point Road and Turtleback Dome. Hold containment lines. Estimated containment date: Saturday July 11, 2009.
It is located south of Yosemite Valley and north of Glacier Point Rd. Management objectives include preventing fire spread outside defined management areas, restoring fire dependent forest systems, managing smoke production, protecting wildlife habitat and preserving cultural and natural resources. Please expect brief road delays along Wawona Road, (Hwy 41). Personnel are preparing to implement management ignitions along Glacier Point Rd. Temporary closures may be enacted for visitor safety. All park facilities are open.

Sixth Street Cinema will present no films from July through September as the funding from the State still has not come through as of June 30. 2009. This is a temporary closure and when they re-open in the Fall the Sixth Street Cinema will have live broadcasts from the Lincoln Center of the Metropolitan Opera on Saturday matinees.

Summer Breeze Social
Everyone loved the firefighters last summer when the smoke hung heavy on the hills and the eerie glow could be seen at night.  Once again, the warm, dry weather is upon us.  Show our firefighters you haven't forgotten.
Mariposa News - Summer Breeze Social

Happy One Year Anniversary to the Mariposa Marketplace!
The Mariposa Marketplace is celebrating it's One Year Anniversary all this week.
Be sure to stop by for some refreshments and store specials. Thanks go out to Marci & John Perez, for a great year! May you have many more.

Plan Your Holiday Weekend Today
Goldrushcam  Out And About Weekend Edition Covering Yosemite National Park, Mariposa, Eastern Madera County, Tuolumne County and Calaveras County

In the Area News:
UC Merced outlines cost of first lady's commencement speech,
Flood maps broaden insurance requirement,
Arnold Prepares For 27th Annual Independence Day Parade
and more...
Area News

Sheriff Report
During the later morning hours suspicious circumstances was reported  from 10th Street in Mariposa.
A petty theft report was filed from Holtzel Road and from Hirsch Road.
During the evening hours a verbal dispute was taking place at Dawn Lake while a domestic dispute was taking place on Colorado Road.
(Gotta' love the Summertime!)
During the evening hours suspicious circumstances were observed on Carstens Road also trespassing was reported from Watt Road...
MARIPOSA COUNTY DAILY SHERIFF REPORT

A Fabulous Weekend on tap as the high temps should be inline with what we have enjoyed the past couple of days.
Weather Report 
Another Gorgeous Day:
Friday's Forecast
92-102 Today: Sunny with the high temps within a couple of degrees of Thursday's high temps.
Yosemite: SUNNY IN THE MORNING THEN BECOMING MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 81 TO 91 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...62 TO 72 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
 TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY IN THE EVENING THEN BECOMING CLEAR. LOWS 52 TO 62 IN YOSEMITE VALLEY...42 TO 52 IN THE HIGH COUNTRY.
Time to Tune-Up Your Water Cooler & Check Your Air Conditioner!
Sierra Sun Times - Weather Forecast For Mariposa / Madera County Foothills / Yosemite

Real Estate News
U.S. Mortgage Rates Drop to 5.32%, Freddie Mac Says
The average 30-year rate dropped to 5.32 percent from 5.42 percent, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac of McLean, Virginia, said today in a statement. The 15-year rate was 4.77 percent. 
Sierra Sun Times Real Estate - Homes and Land For Sale In Mariposa County

Governor Holds Press Conference in Fresno to Discuss State Budget Crisis
"But in the last four weeks, instead of negotiating and coming to an agreement on a budget, the legislature has decided to hold hearings, to have an endless amount of debates, to do finger-pointing and to assign blame. At the end of the day, nothing was accomplished, absolutely nothing. As a matter of fact, the only thing they did accomplish was partial solutions that lack both the necessary cuts and the long-term reforms."
Governor Holds Press Conference

New State Fiscal Year Begins with Budget out of Balance
July 1 came and went without a resolution to the state budget crisis. Democrats, Republicans, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now remain staked out in scattered positions. Little clarity exists on how a political and fiscal chasm - appearing at times as wide as the Grand Canyon - can be bridged. City funding remains vulnerable through a variety of pending budget proposals and scenarios. Legislative leaders and Governor continue discussions, while legislators headed home for the holiday weekend.
On a positive note for local governments, the Assembly did not take up the bills passed by the Senate that include the three-year $350 million annual redevelopment agency (RDA) funding seizure or the proposed $1.7 billion Highway User Tax Account (HUTA) gas tax grab.
League of California Cities

California Economy
How California's Fiscal Woes Began: A Crisis 30 Years in the Making
...They begin with the 1978 property tax revolt and the victory of Proposition 13. As California experienced a dramatic escalation in home values, property tax assessments skyrocketed. Especially vulnerable were seniors on fixed incomes.
TIME

United States and World Economy
‘Buy China’ Pesticide Withers Those Green Shoots: William Pesek
China isn’t turning out to be an engine of growth for Asia.
One possible explanation is protectionism, as China works to encourage exports while curbing imports. The country objects to the “Buy American” provisions in U.S. stimulus efforts, yet it is using similar tactics. Another reason may be that China’s revival is more spin than reality.
Either way, talk that China would feed the “green shoots” dynamic that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke introduced into Wall Street’s lexicon four months ago isn’t working out. Nor will the Asia-decoupling theory that’s being resurrected.
Bloomberg.com

More News on Page 2