Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

My nephew’s college football team, Iowa State, is going to play in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 30 in New York against Rutgers at 12:30 p.m. Though we’re not going, I did order pastrami from the famed Katz’s Deli in New York, and we’ll gather with the in-laws to watch the game in front of the tube with the sandwiches. Steele is home this week but has to fly back for the game before Christmas. Tonight we’re all getting together at our house for fresh Dungeness Crab (scarce in Ames, Iowa), Butternut Squash Soup and salad — our extended family Christmas celebration. Happy Holidays to your family from ours!

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

“The South Carolina Republican Party is denying Stephen Colbert’s contention Thursday that they had reached an agreement with the comedian to sell naming rights to its presidential preference primary,” according to the L.A. Times.

“So who’s telling the truth? Or is this a case of ‘truthiness’?

“Colbert, the host of ‘The Colbert Report’ on Comedy Central, writes in the Columbia State newspaper that there was in fact a done deal between the two sides.

“After learning three months ago that the South Carolina GOP and local officials were at odds over who would pay for the Jan. 21 election, Colbert says he reached out to the party to offer to subsidize the cost, through his ‘Colbert Super PAC.’

“The cost, Colbert says he was told, was $400,000.

“I said, ‘I can cover that. No strings attached,’ Colbert writes. ‘Of course, I can’t offer that kind of no-strings-attached-money without getting something in return.’

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Editor’s note: I received this press release from the courts. McManus’ term will be filled by appointment by the governor from an established process, the courts told me. “As with appellate court appointments, prospective nominees must first be investigated by the commission on judicial nominees evaluation.

“The vast majority of superior court judges initially reach the bench via gubernatorial appointment, and once on the bench, incumbents are rarely challenged for reelection,” according to JudicialSelection.US

Nevada City, CA– Nevada County Superior Court Judge Julie McManus filed for
disability retirement with the Commission on Judicial Performance on December 15,
2011.

McManus was appointed to the Nevada County Superior Court in December 2005. She ran unopposed in June, 2008. Her term expires in 2014.

Judge McManus has been on medical leave since March, 2011, and was subsequently found to have sustained a traumatic brain injury in a fall. McManus will require further treatment, the duration of which is unknown at this time.

Although McManus hoped she would be able to return to work, she acknowledged her medical leave of absence has created difficulty for the Court. McManus felt it was in the best interest of the citizens and taxpayers of Nevada County to retire so the Court may proceed with the steps necessary to fill her position.

The Court acknowledges Judge McManus’ commitment to the children and families of Nevada County. Prior to appointment to the bench she was a Deputy District Attorney for 15 years, handling cases involving child sexual and physical abuse, and child homicide. Additionally, she was Deputy County Counsel for 5 years, representing Child Protective Services. Her dedication and exemplary work-ethic are a small part of her efforts to serve the citizens of Nevada County.

Filed under: Uncategorized | 10 Comments »

Filed under: Uncategorized | 65 Comments »

As the number of signatures grows to keep South Yuba River state park open, people are talking more openly about the outcome.

I’m hearing from more and more people that if the park is to remain open, that it will impose fees.

Under the circumstances, I’d support that. We’ve watched the day-use fee climb at parks that we frequent — $8 per day at D.L. Bliss state park in Tahoe, for example.

Other examples: Auburn State Recreational Area, $10 for parking; Big Basin Redwoods State Park, $10; Bolsa Chica, $15.

A list of state park day-use park fees is here.

Filed under: Uncategorized | 11 Comments »

The Union is planning to erect a “paywall” in January, joining other newspapers in its Swift newspaper chain, as I reported the other day.

One observation that was made about the Swift plan in the Colorado Independent: “The paywalls will also restrict the reach of Swift publications, effectively sealing off content from millions of web surfers around the world, who may not care to read daily news from the Greeley Tribune, for example, but who may well land on the site when seeking to read on specific topics or people Greeley Trib reporters happen to cover.“

The Sacramento Bee, however, continues to expand its free content, tapping the region’s bloggers and other “citizen journalists.”

Here’s an example: On Wednesday morning, I wrote an item about the 128th Donation Day Parade on Sierra Foothills Report. The Bee editors contacted me and asked about posting the item on their website and Facebook page. I updated the post with more photos and that’s what happened. The Bee’s website has broad reach.

The Bee is doing this routinely — providing people in the Sacramento metro area (and beyond) with free access to expanded content that promotes our region beyond our “cul de sac.” (Our western county is experiencing aging, declining population).

As the Colorado Independent concludes: “Analysts are viewing the move with skepticism, pointing out that in the wake of a decision this past spring to suspend comment features at its sites, Swift might be betting on a short-term cash-raising strategy in a shifting media environment that rewards the long play.

Filed under: Uncategorized | 3 Comments »