Recent Event Highlights: Walk to school may get safer with street fixes in Nevada City, Layoffs on the agenda at tonight's Pleasant Valley School District meeting, The Monk Who Blogs to visit Nevada County, Analyst: Climate bill could cost Calif. jobs, and 12 more...
Created by dipity on Mar 10, 2010
Last updated: 04/07/10 at 11:14 AM
Saving $1 million in energy costs is the idea behind Nevada County's plan to retrofit the Rood Center and adjacent Wayne Brown Correctional Facility.The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to accept a California Energy Commission loan for almost $1.5 million for the project.Another $350,000 in grant funds are expected soon to help pay for new lighting, along with new heating and air conditioning units."It's a good green project," said Chief Information Officer Steve Monaghan. The energy savings are projected to be $2.7 million over 15 years. Minus the $1.7 million in loan payments and interest, "We're expecting to see $1 million in net savings over 15 years," with the new equipment, Monaghan said. "The utility savings will pay the loan off." The project cost of $1,840,000 is also anticipated to be around $50,000 less with Pacific Gas and Electric rebates given for the energy-saving upgrades, Monaghan
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100310/NEWS/100319988/1066/RSS
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that he vetoed the largest piece of legislation in a package of budget bills because it did not take immediate steps to cut spending.Democratic lawmakers said the bill would have shaved $2.1 billion from the $20 billion shortfall projected for California's budget through June 2011. So far, the Legislature and governor have agreed to just $200 million in spending cuts."It's extremely important that we immediately jump into action and make midyear cuts," Schwarzenegger told reporters on Tuesday. "We're spending, right now, $600 million a month more than we're taking in. It's irresponsible."Schwarzenegger vetoed the Assembly bill Monday evening. He explained Tuesday that the bill targeted potential cuts in the fiscal year that begins in July, but he wants those cuts to be made in the current fiscal year."I know this is very tough," Schwarzenegger said. "I know this is difficult for some of the programs t
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100310/BREAKINGNEWS/100319989/1066/RSS
LOS ANGELES - Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob for his roles in "Lucas" and "The Lost Boys" whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38.Haim died at 2:15 a.m. Wednesday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.An autopsy will determine the cause of death and there were no other details, she said. Police Sgt. Michael Kammert said there's no evidence of foul play.Haim had flulike symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, Police Sgt. William Mann said. The cause of death is unknown, Mann said."He could have succumbed to whatever (illness) he had or it could have been drugs. Who knows?" Mann said. "He has had a drug problem in the past."Haim was taken by ambulance to the hospital from an apartment in Los Angeles near Burbank. The enormous complex is known as Oakwood and is pop
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100310/BREAKINGNEWS/100319990/1066/RSS
Parents might rest easier about letting their children walk to school after Nevada City officials engineer a better pedestrian crossing and sidewalk at the busy Ridge Road and Zion Street intersection.The next step of the project is set for discussion at Nevada City's City Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. today.Motorists hurrying to work and to get children to class along Zion Street can spell trouble for children who are walking to school."They know they're supposed to stop and look both ways," said longtime Deer Creek crossing guard Debbie Sturgill, "but they assume as soon as they step in the crosswalk, the cars will stop. Sometimes people don't see them."The plan is to install a sidewalk along Zion Street between Fudenjuice and the Imaginarium building, and add a crossing at the Ridge-Zion intersection.Nevada City already won a federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant for $36,000 to start planning the improvements, bu
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100310/NEWS/100309712/1066/RSS
If you want to know what it takes to pursue your dream, talk to Bear River High School graduate Dustin Spence about his fledgling film career.With a bit part and research recently completed for the upcoming HBO mini-series "The Pacific," Spence, 25, is starting to carve out his own personal niche in Holly-wood."I want to be a filmmaker," Spence said in a recent interview. "I've just got to keep working at it."I live cheaply in L.A., and I do extras, stand-in and double work and commercials."Spence also has attended screen-writing school at the UCLA, and has completed a 10-minute Western with his new production company.Four years ago, Spence appeared in actor-director Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers," about the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima. His role was done in a fleeting instant when he played a sailor cheering the famous flag raising at Mt. Surabachi from a ship.Iwo Jima has proved
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100310/NEWS/100309714/1066/RSS
The school year is about to get shorter by four instructional days and one staff development day after the high school district's teachers union voted in favor of furloughs.After a few leaders from the union and the Nevada Union Joint High School District signed a tentative agreement Friday, 128 union members voted to ratify it Tuesday. The measure passed by a significant majority, union president Jim Drew said."If we had taken the vote last fall, it would have been the exact opposite," he said, pointing to a shift in teacher opinion on the cost-cutting measure, which will save $500,000 each year if all district employees participate. Furloughs are only a fraction of the fix for the district, which plans to cut $2.1 million from a $31 million budget. Much of the problem comes after the cash-strapped state pulled back funding.It's an eleventh-hour save for a few jobs, since the board is set to approve the list of preliminary layoffs this afternoon
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100310/NEWS/100309713/1066/RSS
Furious parents erupted at Tuesday night's Pleasant Valley School District meeting when the district's board announced they would be firing Pleasant Valley School Principal Clint Johnson.One woman hurled a string of obscenities at the board, which caught even the most vehement parents by surprise and stunned the crowd into a temporary silence. Others threatened the board's jobs, warning them they'd be voted out when their terms expire. Two women in the audience nearly came to blows over the decision.And the district's administration offered what they could to the crowd, a simple "no comment.""It's the law. We cannot discuss personnel decisions with the public," district Superintendent Debra Sandoval said. Johnson will serve as principal through the end of the year after the board voted unanimously to terminate him.Parents charged that the board hid their intentions to fire Johnson, an eight-year principal at th
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100310/NEWS/100309701/1066/RSS
A budget report and resolution calling for teacher layoff notices is on the agenda at the Pleasant Valley Elementary School District meeting tonight.The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Williams Ranch School Colt Library, 14804 Pleasant Valley Road in Penn Valley.For coverage, see Wednesday's edition of The Union.
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/BREAKINGNEWS/100309715/1066/RSS
Terry Lamphier has pulled nomination papers to run against incumbent John Spencer for the 3rd District supervisor spot in the June 8 primary election.Lamphier will be an official candidate if he turns the papers back in by Friday at 5 p.m., and is expected to do so."There are people I respect who are encouraging me to do this," Lamphier said Tuesday afternoon. The announced candidate said his run against Spencer for the Grass Valley area supervisor's spot in 2006 was closer than he expected, and gave him encouragement to try again.For the full story, see Wednesday's edition of The Union.
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/BREAKINGNEWS/100309717/1066/RSS
The intersection of the environment and local businesses are in focus at a Sierra Commons panel discussion Thursday.Representatives from South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), The Sierra Fund and Sierra Watch will be on hand 6 p.m. at Sierra Commons, located in the Old Brewery Building in Nevada City.Topics include conservation and general issues nonprofits and businesses face.Sierra Commons is a nonprofit that provides shared office space to business start-ups. The panel is open to the public, with a suggested donation of $15.
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/BREAKINGNEWS/100309719/1066/RSS
At 3:35 p.m. Monday, a caller from a business in the 100 block of West Main Street in Grass Valley reported a man rambling about Castro and knocking over items. He was advised to stay away from the business.For more from the police blotter, read Wednesday's edition of The Union.
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/BREAKINGNEWS/100309720/1066/RSS
Sierra Friends of Tibet and Tibetech.org announces a rare visit by the present abbot of Gaden Shartse Norling University, exiled in India.Khen Rinpoche Jangchup Choeden was appointed abbot by His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet in 2009.He will hold a free, public talk at 7 p.m. Monday, March 22, at St. Joseph's Hall in St. Joseph's Cultural Center, 410 S. Church St., Grass Valley. Call (530) 272-4725 for more information.Khen Rinpoche was born in the north Indian State of Himachal Pradesh. In 1979, he joined the prestigious Gaden Shartse Norling University in Mundgod, Karnataka, India, and embarked on an extended course of Buddhist studies.Rinpoche studied under guidance of the great masters and attended debate meetings and religious discourses at various renowned Tibetan Buddhist monastic universities across the Indian subcontinent. Earning special recognition in the Tibetan Buddhist community, Rinpoche studied Buddhist logic and epistemology, Pragyanaparamita
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/BREAKINGNEWS/100309721/1066/RSS
SACRAMENTO -California's nonpartisan legislative analyst says the state's landmark global warming law likely will lead to modest jobs losses in the near future.Businesses will face higher electricity and fuel prices, as well as costly investments to improve building and heating standards. The Legislative Analyst's Office did not calculate average costs to businesses nor say how many jobs might be lost.It did say the effect on the state's overall economy is expected to be small compared to the size of California's economy.The findings were included in a letter the office sent to Sen. Dave Cogdill, a Modesto Republican who has been critical of the 2006 law. He released the 10-page letter this week.
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/BREAKINGNEWS/100309722/1066/RSS
NEW YORK (AP) - Guns. Religion. Abortion. These are the no-win arguments that spoil family gatherings - and the stuff of retailers' nightmares.Starbucks has found itself in the middle of just such an argument as its stores became forums for demonstrations by both pro-gun and gun-control advocates. All for a firearm policy that hasn't changed and is the same as most retailers': follow the local law. If it's legal to carry a firearm in town, it's allowed in the stores.In recent months, the "open-carry" arm of the gun-rights movement, which advocates that gun owners carry visible weapons as they go about their daily business, have been exercising their rights. They've been proudly displaying their sidearms in public places, sometimes meeting up in groups.Starbucks' association with a politically liberal, "latte sipper" ethos, made it a tempting target for gun-control advocates. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence attracted more than 2
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/BREAKINGNEWS/100309723/1066/RSS
SACRAMENTO -The California Legislature approved a Democratic bill Monday aimed at ending three-day-a-month furloughs for nearly 80,000 state employees.However, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was expected to veto the measure."The governor cannot support any measure that would limit the state's ability to respond to a fiscal emergency," Schwarzenegger's spokesman Aaron McLear said.The bill by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, would reverse some of the 200,000 state employee furloughs imposed by Schwarzenegger.The reversal would apply only to those workers whose wages are paid from sources outside the general fund such as the federal government or user fees.Democrats argued that the furloughs cost the state more than it saves in wages because state auditors and money collectors are spending less time at work."We are losing $10 million per month in federal funds, just for failing to process disability claims," said Assemblywoman Alyson Hube
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/BREAKINGNEWS/100309725/1066/RSS
Nevada County Supervisor Hank Weston will hold a town hall meeting for North San Juan area residents at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 18, at the lodge at Oak Tree School, 18847 Oak Tree Road.The agenda includes a presentation on the Draft North San Juan Area Plan, and an update on local efforts to establish a Park and Recreation District on the Ridge.Opportunities for Ridge residents through the Housing Rehabilitation Program will also be discussed. Weston will be joined by staff members from the Nevada County Community Development Agency. - The Union Staff
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/BREAKINGNEWS/100309726/1066/RSS
After dropping an extra-innings season-opener to Ponderosa last week, Bear River's three-time Sac-Joaquin Section championship softball team bounced back with a 10-0 win over Center Tuesday.Sophomore Erin Nichol, who took a perfect game into the seventh inning of last week's loss, struck out seven while allowing one hit and two walks over seven innings for the win."She just did an outstanding job of controlling her pitches and keeping hitters off balance," Bear River coach Duane Zauner said. "It was also our second game - 14 innings in all - without an error. "(Second baseman) Katie Mathis and (shortstop) Courtney Ceo really did a good job up the middle defensively. They turned a double play late in the game and they probably had nine assists between them."The two four-year starters also had a strong day at the plate. Ceo went 3-for-4 with a triple and 2 RBIs, while Mathis was also 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/SPORTS/100309700/1066/RSS
Editor's note: Dr. Angela Ingendaay is a physician who has blended her training in Western medicine with traditional Chinese medicine at her practice in downtown Grass Valley.What is your specialty?I am a holistic physician integrating Western medicine with classical, five-element Chinese medicine.Describe your services. I strive to help patients lead physically thriving and emotionally fulfilling lives, primarily using five-element acupuncture to address all levels of health, the body, the mind and the spirit with depth and efficacy.We carry the magic of our own healing within us; this inner intelligence can be activated by stimulating acupuncture points with very fine, disposable needles. My practice also is well-founded in Western-style, allopathic medicine. I provide my patients with all the diagnostic testing and medications indicated for their condition, always striving for a comprehensive approach.What sets you apart from other providers? With the help of
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/FEATURES/100309755/1066/RSS
Bear River hosted cross county foe Nevada Union for its season-opening swim meet Tuesday, and it has been rumored the two teams might sharing the pool on Combie Road on a more permanent basis.The Nevada Joint Union School District has considered closing the Nevada Union pool due to budget shortfalls. But according to NU swim coach John Sultan, his program and the water polo team will have a chance to fund the pool themselves."The district has agreed to keep the pool (at NU) open," Sultan said. "Water polo and swimming will need to come up with six to ten thousand dollars. The pool will not close."In Tuesday's meeting between the two teams at Bear River, which was considered to serve as both teams' home pools if the Nevada Union pool was to be closed, the Miners swept the Bruins, 90-51 in girls competition, while the boys meet ended in NU's favor, 89-80. "We won every event on the boys side except the 100 free and the 200 f
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/SPORTS/100309699/1066/RSS
After months of precarious predictions for school budgets, the impact will be felt this week for some local districts.The county's public and charter schools are in the hole at least $5.6 million dollars, and for many districts, slashing payroll is inevitable.Districts face a March 15 deadline to notify teachers they are being laid off per their statewide union contract. The contract binds a district's hands, some local administrators said, forcing them to send layoff notices to teachers who may not ultimately be laid off as the budget picture becomes clearer.In the Grass Valley School District, that means nearly six full time and seven temporary teaching positions could be eliminated when trustees meet tonight, said Superintendent Jon Byerrum.The district employs people in about 100 full-time-equivalent teaching positions at four campuses in kindergarten through eighth grade.If board members approve the cuts, they also would approve reducing two administrative posi
http://www.theunion.com/article/20100309/NEWS/100309730/1066/RSS
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