Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

Sierra Business Council President Steve Frisch posted an interesting comment here:

“Hey Guys, I am in a long running pi**ing match with George Rebane over on his blog about the amount of ARRA funding coming in to Nevada County projects.

http://rebaneruminations.typepad.com/rebanes_ruminations/2010/08/cue-the-eternal-emergency.html#comments

I have pointed out to him on several occasions that the figures he uses, which he is getting from the County but only counts direct grants to county agencies, is inaccurate. He is stating $2M in ARRA funding, when the actual figure is closer to $28,000,000 direct funding, and that does not count regional funding that funds projects here but went to regional entities.

George has told me that if I post any more questioning his sources he will delete my posts–so I am posting my last response here to make sure it lives.

‘George you can cut all you want but the figures are wrong. I have posted several other sources and you have continued to ignore them. One is right here.

http://www.recovery.ca.gov/viewCountyTable.do?county=Nevada

In short our ARRA funding is not $2,000,000 it is closer to $28,000,000, and that does not count REGIONAL awards that serve several counties that we access some portion of the funds from.

You are using the county figure to illustrate the ineffectiveness of ARRA–if that is the case you have a responsibility to post real numbers.’

This is a classic example of why I detest the Tea Party movement–declared leaders lie about information and try to use it to propagandize their positions.”

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“Weed goes mainstream,” the Sacramento Bee reports on Sunday.

It cited John Wade, 43, a San Francisco commercial lighting specialist, who “takes a quick hit from a marijuana cigarette on the golf course to steady himself before putting.”

Or Sarika Simmons who “sometimes unwinds after the kids are asleep with tokes from a fruit-flavored cigar filled with pot.”

Or 78-year-old retiree Robert Girvetz who “recently started anew — replacing his occasional martini with marijuana.”

According to the Bee: “As California voters prepare to decide in November whether to become the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, a new Field Poll conducted for The Sacramento Bee reveals that weed already is deeply woven into society.”

More than 3.4 million Californians smoked pot in 2008, according to the latest research by the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health.

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“White stuff” in New Zealand is common this time on year — in fact, it did snow there yesterday — but it’s supposed to be warm and sunny on our side of the hemisphere. However, the West Shore of Lake Tahoe was hit with more than an inch of hail late Saturday, blanketing the ground with white overnight. The temperature dropped into the 40s.

The day started off like just another “Endless Summer”: bright sunny skies and mild wind, ideal for a trip out on the lake. But the clouds rolled in around dinner time and unloaded the hail for more than 45 minutes. Then it rained.

Some minor flooding was reported. Summer flowers and plants, including tomatoes, were nailed by the hard, white pellets. The streets were covered with hail, making driving dangerous for a while. The storm was just a reminder of the unpredictable summer weather in the Sierra.

Here’s a video of enjoying the warm, sunny weather during the day and then hunkering down for the hail storm:

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