Dixie Fix

Have You Seen the Police Blotter on knco.com?

It's on the lower right side of the Web site (after national news) I've been doing it for more than a month now and it's a fun part of my day. First of all I get to notice the underbelly of Nevada County...the calls the police and sheriff go to -- lots that don't get reported. I'm seeing a scary rise of The Repo Man, snatching cars and trucks at a rate of about 3 a day. (The cooperative owners have their vehicle politely taken during the day, very cordial) but the scofflaws' cars are scooped up between midnight and 5 a.m. One day your car's in the driveway, the next it's not.

Secondly, vehicle burglaries are on the rise -- in just about every part of the county. Think you're safe in LWW or LOP? Nope. And some of these are from unlocked cars. Listen up, I know there was a time when you didn't have to lock anything in Nevada County, but in 2009, with this economy, that's not the case anymore. Don't leave your iPod and your wallet in an unlocked car and expect it to stay there very long. And the bad guys are breaking into cars, too, so leave the valuables out of sight.

Domestic violence is up, also a product of this economy, I think.

Read the Police Blotter and be better informed about what's happening here!

Sitting in the Public Hearing on the Mine...

While everyone else was cozy at home...it was me, the Planning Commission, Cartoonist Bob Crabb, Fire Chef Tony Clarabut and about 150 people who HAD to give one last comment on the draft EIR for the mine. Of course, most of them had already commented during one of the 2 zillion hearings that have already been held, but hey, that's democracy in action, right?

Mine hater Greg Martin was applauded -- and then 2 teachers came up to him and asked if he'd speak at their class. Instant celebrity!

Bob Crabb said he played in mine tailings as a child and seemed just fine, thank you very much. Of course those were the days we rode bikes without helmets, sat in the back of pickups going 50 mph, ate the dressing right out of the turkey (!) and let the mayonaise-infested salads sit for hours at a picnic. Nowadays people DRIVE their kids to the bus stop and then sit in the car until the kid gets on the bus. I don't get it. Are child abductions rampant in Nevada County?

Just wondering...

There's a Lot of Good News in Our Community

More and more people are telling me they're eager for good news...certainly there's no shortage of depressing, bad news. You can get that anywhere!

Here's an example -- last night at the Grass Valley City Council meeting there was a ceremony to honor a new sergeant in the police force. He's a local guy, with a lovely wife and 3 young boys who looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Lots of his friends and family came to watch, and 15 or 20 uniformed GV officers came ON THIER OWN TIME -- to support him. He went back to college while working and raising a family. (There's a story about it on KNCO.com) But I wish you could have been there! It was so touching.

I always get a good feeling when I cover these things in Grass Valley.The staff at City Hall are so hardworking...and the council is respectful and take their jobs seriously. 

I just think Nevada County is full of great  people doing wonderful stuff! Tell me about anyone you know who has a positive story because telling those stories uplifts us all.

I forget who said this, but I've always liked this quote: "Folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

And in case you think I'm a Pollyanna (or, My Little Pony) my life isn't all wonderful. I have a daughter who lost her home to foreclosure, another daughter whose husband's cancer has come back 3 times and a granddaughter with a terminal illness. But, on the other hand, I have a daughter who has her health and a great attitude, a son-in-law I love to death who treats our daughter like she's the most wonderful person in the world and a granddaughter, Bleu, who lights up a room with her wit and personality and I'm a better person for having known her these 8 years.

Public Hearings and Us...

I was just thinking, adding up the hours I spent in public hearings yesterday. Two and a half at the Board of Supervisors, two and a half at the GV Planning Commission. Dark Horse/ The Mine. I was almost ready to feel sorry for myself when I thought about Pascale (only needs 1 name, like Madonna) of YubaNet who was at the BOS from 9 to 1, back at 1:30 to nearly 6 after they came out of closed session, then in Grass Valley at 7 for the mine meeting. Now, that's sticktoitiveness!! I would never leave a meeting early where officials were taking action, but I ducked out of the Planning Commission because

1. They were not voting on anything, just listening and

2. I ran out of memory on my recorder after capturing 28 speakers -- enough to give a good cross section of opinions.

One of the Supervisors told me at the break that yesterday's meeting was so horrible, he would rather pull his fingernails out with pliars.

Why do we do it?

Electeds do it out of a sense of helping, making things better, having a say on their town or their county. Many times it's a thankless job. Do you ever call an elected to say "great job!" More likely, you call when something is wrong.

Reporters do it because most of us are actually kind of intrigued with the process, democracy, and watching history being made. We are recording the history of Nevada County and it's an awesome responsibility.

Philippines is The Bee's Problem, Elections Office, Etc.

So...I called The Bee AGAIN -- the 916 number, and talked to Hans Lee. He checked and double checked and talked to his supervisor and ASSURED me that Sac Bee would no longer be delivered in the 95959 ZIP code beginning Nov. 1. I asked about the letter I received from Foothill News saying not to believe what The Bee tells you. He said not to believe what Foothill News tells you. What?! Then it dawned on me..."Where are you, Hans?" He told me The Philippines. I asked for a number in Sacramento and he gave me one -- anxious to get rid of me and my insistance that something was rotten in Denmark. I called Sacramento and got Todd. Told him the whole saga. Todd let out a loooong sigh, and said, "We just can't get them to get this right." Them? The customer service reps in Manilla. Todd said they've called, they've e-mailed, they've talked to the head of everything and the folks in Manilla keep insisting that Nevada City and Grass Valley are being cut off. Todd says they're not. Todd says from Newtown Road out to North San Juan, Downieville, etc. is eliminated. So, we've got Todd, Hans, Foothill News and moi trying to figure this thing out. Todd sounded quite frustrated and at this point I believe him. Unbelievable. I asked him to please tell his superiors that outsourcing is apparently not working well in this case.

There is an underground whisper going around that the Assistant Clerk Recorder was unfairly let go. A reporter friend of mine pulled her child custody file at the courthouse. Lots of it was sealed, but lots was not. Let's just say if you read that file you would believe that Greg Diaz did the right thing. It's public record.

Chaos at The Sac Bee?

Ok...this is weird. Two friends of ours received letters from The Bee saying they were no longer delivering The Bee to their homes, beginning Nov. 1. One lives on Boulder Street in Nevada City, the other on Cement Hill. We subscribe, but haven't received a letter.

So, yesterday I called The Bee to ask if it was true. Yes, the woman in circulation told me. We've eliminated Grass Valley, Nevada City, Portola, Quincy, Truckee, Carson City, Clear Lake, etc.. (about 25 cities were listed, most north of Sac) So I asked if we can still but it at the racks around town? No, she said. So I asked to speak to the Reader's Representative -- oh, he no longer has a job. OK, can I speak to the circulation manager? Not available, but she'd leave a message.

Today I got a phone call from Foothill News -- the Bee's distributor in Nevada County. Gina said she "heard" that North San Juan was eliminated, but nothing about GV or NC. She tried to call every honcho in circulation herself, but couldn't get a live body. (And people wonder why this industry is in trouble?)

Gina "thinks" that they just sent the letters to everyone in the 95959 ZIP Code...when they really meant just North San Juan.

WTF???

So, while I would be shocked that The Bee would surrender all of Nevada County's circulation, it appears no one can tell me what's going on.

Oh, and FYI -- when you call The Bee's 800 number for classified or circulation, you get the Philippines!!

Stay tuned...maybe someone will call me back!

KVMR Hires a News Director & Other Stuff

Except I can't get anyone to tell me anything about him. Maybe they're going to make a "big announcement" with details. Anyway, anonymous news director, welcome to Nevada County!

Foothill Theatre Co., part IV,

1. How much does it cost to rent the Broad Street Furnishings building for a month?

2. If FTC leaves the Nevada Theatre (with all its equipment, which FTC owns) can a community theater put on a play there?

3. If FTC pays nearly $5,000 monthly to rent the Nevada Theatre, do they get any money back when the theatre uses the venue for other stuff, like "On The Waterfront"?

4. After "On Golden Pond" the next play is "Little Women." Where will that be?

5. Are there any full-time tenants in the wings who want to rent the Nevada Theatre?

Just wondering...

KNCO Welcomes Pat Butler to its News Team

Pat started Monday and he will be a great addition! Rita Stevens, Tom Fitzsimmons, Gary Jacobson and I are excited to have him on board.
Pat has 30 years of journalism experience and a thorough knowledge of Nevada County. He's very community minded, which is a perfect fit for our radio station!
Come and meet him -- or stop by to say hello -- at our chamber mixer this Thursday at 5:30. Find out why everyone says KNCO's mixer is one of the best!!

What's New? A Job Promotion, For Starters

Sorry...it has been awhile since I blogged, but I was pouting and now I'm over it. Yea!!

Anyway, I will still report the news for KNCO (Great place to work!) but I am going to be the manager of knco.com as well. It's an exciting opportunity and I have lots of ideas for the Web site. Share any ideas you may have, too! It can be a real community gathering spot.

Did I tell you Ben Barretta's turning 60?!

I might be mistaken, but did gas prices go down a few pennies? Shocking!

Will Broad Street Furnishings EVER close?