Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

Editor’s note: Here’s the latest on the snow storm from the sources on my website – PG&E, Caltrans, CHP. There are outages, spinouts and I-80 eastbound is closed to trucks at Applegate. You can add your own comments below. BTW, it’s snowing in Reno.

PG&E -
Nevada City:
11 outage(s) affecting 500 to 4999 customer(s)
Cause: Unknown
Status: Awaiting assessment
Start Time of Outage: 02/25/2011 05:28:00 AM
Est. Time of Restoration: Not Available
Last Updated: 02/25/2011 06:14:32 AM

Grass Valley:
9 outage(s) affecting 500 to 4999 customer(s)
Cause: Unknown
Status: Awaiting assessment
Start Time of Outage: 02/25/2011 05:35:00 AM
Est. Time of Restoration: Not Available
Last Updated: 02/25/2011 06:14:41 AM

Alta Sierra:
2 outage(s) affecting 1 to 49 customer(s)
Cause: Unknown
Status: Awaiting assessment
Start Time of Outage: 02/25/2011 12:24:00 AM
Est. Time of Restoration: Not Available
Last Updated: 02/25/2011 05:47:39 AM

Caltrans -

SR 20
[IN THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
CHAINS ARE REQUIRED ON ALL VEHICLES EXCEPT 4-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLES WITH SNOW
TIRES ON ALL 4 WHEELS FROM 9 MI WEST OF GRASS VALLEY TO THE JCT OF I 80

[IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA & THE SIERRA NEVADA]
**FOR EASTBOUND TRAFFIC:
IS CLOSED TO ALL TRUCKS AT APPLEGATE (PLACER CO) – DUE TO SPINOUTS

CHP -
0323 6:19AM Traffic Hazard – Vehicle NB SR49 JNO E MC KNIGHT WY Grass Valley

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“The central issue in our political life is not being discussed. At stake is the moral basis of American democracy,” according to an article in TruthOut.org.

“The individual issues are all too real: assaults on unions, public employees, women’s rights, immigrants, the environment, health care, voting rights, food safety, pensions, prenatal care, science, public broadcasting and on and on.

“Budget deficits are a ruse, as we’ve seen in Wisconsin, where the Governor turned a surplus into a deficit by providing corporate tax breaks, and then used the deficit as a ploy to break the unions, not just in Wisconsin, but seeking to be the first domino in a nationwide conservative movement.

“Conservatives really want to change the basis of American life, to make America run according to the conservative moral worldview in all areas of life.”

The rest of the article is here.

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“Bank failures look to increase across the nation in 2011 as a report on troubled US banks shows that our financial institutions are at the highest level in 18 years,” according to Examiner.com.

“Already 22 banks have closed their doors in less than two months this year, and this does not take into account the 160 that failed for all of 2010.

“Bank failures will increase this year, but this new report by the FDIC of soaring banks entering the troubled list is not very good for the economy, or for business going forward.”

The rest of the article is here.

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A majority of Americans favor stricter limits on air pollution, according to a new survey by the American Lung Association.

The findings coincide with the pro-environment sentiment that helped defeat Prop. 23 and contradict some of the high-pitched political rhetoric about less government and fewer regulations. They also are relevant when it comes to public policy decisions, such as reopening the Idaho-Maryland Mine in Grass Valley.

•69 percent of Americans say they favor the EPA updating standards with stricter limits on air pollution. 16 percent oppose – a 43 point difference.

•68 percent believe Congress should not stop the EPA from updating these standards. 28 percent say Congress should stop the EPA – a 39 point difference.

•79 percent support stricter limits on the amount of Mercury that power plants and other industrial facilities can release. 18 percent oppose – a 61 point difference.

•77 percent favor stricter limits on the amount of smog that power plants, oil refineries and other industrial facilities can release. 21 percent oppose – a 56 point difference.

•77 percent favor stricter limits on the amount of carbon dioxide that power plants and other industrial facilities can release. 21 percent oppose – a 56 point difference.

The survey is here.

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“The Athens Banner-Herald in Georgia reports that a shocking question was asked at a town hall event held by Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) on Tuesday,” according to the Huffington Post. “According to the article, an audience member asked the Congressman, ‘Who is going to shoot Obama?’”

“Broun’s press secretary, Jessica Morris, confirmed that the question was indeed, who is going to shoot Obama? ‘Obviously, the question was inappropriate, so Congressman Broun moved on,’ she said,” according to the Georgia newspaper.

“However, rather than confronting the questioner or condemning the question, Broun instead conceded ‘frustration’ with Obama, according to the Banner-Herald,” the Huffington Post observes. “The paper reports that Broun responded to the stunning inquiry as follows”:

“The thing is, I know there’s a lot of frustration with this president. We’re going to have an election next year. Hopefully, we’ll elect somebody that’s going to be a conservative, limited-government president that will take a smaller, who will sign a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.”

The Huffington Post article is here, and the Athens Banner-Herald article is here.

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