Archive - 2011
October 12th
By
Leslie Willoughby, Special to the Mammoth Times
Start with a vision and then develop a plan. Thatâs how Mammoth demonstrates its devotion to recreation. Town Council considered an implementation plan Wednesday for the previously approved vision.
The townâs devotion is unique in its two-pronged approach to recreation as both a quality of life concern and an economic concern, according to Carl Ribaudo, founder of the Strategic Marketing Group.
The group provided consulting services for the visioning and planning projects. He said throughout his 20-year career, he has never seen another town commit to both aspects of recreation.
By
Leslie Willoughby, Special to the Mammoth Times
The Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve may become unbudgeted, but stakeholders will ensure that it never becomes unfriended.
Diverse factions met Thursday to explore strategies for protecting the reserve and continuing visitor services, if State Parks and Recreation should close the park.
A crowd of more than 50 people expressed the importance of keeping the park open Oct. 6. They did, however, disagree on how to manage it.
October 11th
Jeanne Higgins, Humboldt-Toiyabe Forest Supervisor, released her decision for the snowmobile crossing location for the Pacific Crest Trail, just south of Sonora Pass near Bridgeport, California late last week. The Forest Service issued an Environmental Assessment (EA) and Decision Notice/Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Crossing Project this week.
Higgins selected Alternative 4 as described in the EA. The EA describes three action alternatives and a no-action alternative.
October 5th
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Times Staff Writer
Mammoth Lakes, and much of the Eastern Sierra above 7,500 feet elevation, awoke to anywhere from one to four inches of heavy, wet snow this morning, with more snow on the way today. Roads are wet and slippery and visibility is poor, due to wind and blowing snow. Chain restrictions are in place on some roads and the high mountain passes in and out of the Eastern Sierra are closed at this time, including the Donner Pass road/I-80 (westbound at Truckee).
As of this morning, according to Caltrans, the following road restrictions are in force:
September 29th
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Times Staff Writer
A June Lake man, Charles William "Chuck" Daily, has died after an apparent suicide Tuesday.
A close friend of Dailyâs, Alona Kenny, told the MT that friends found Dailyâs body in his home Tuesday afternoon.
Daily, 71, was a long-time June Lake resident, and well known within the community.
September 27th
Investigators with the Mono County Sheriffâs Department arrested Mark Huddleston, 69, on Aug. for theft and possession of stolen property. Huddleston a resident of Milwaukee, Oregon, was taken into custody near Rock Creek Road in the area of Tomâs Place.
September 26th
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Times Staff Writer
A 1,140-acre lightening-caused fire that began Sunday northwest of Bridgeport near Buckeye Campground and Buckeye Hotsprings is 100 percent contained, according to Mark Regan, a spokesman for the regional Incident Command team now in charge of the fire's management.
Buckeye Road is closed, Buckeye Campground is still closed, and the Twin Lakes Road is also closed at this time.
The Buckeye Fire started Sept. 25, 2011 around 11 a.m.
No structures have been lost and no injuries have been reported, the fire management team noted in a press release.
September 23rd
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Times Staff Writer
âItâs been a long time coming.â
Thatâs what Mammoth Elementary School Principal Roseanne Lampariello said after learning that her school had jumped 32 points in their state test scores last year.
For anyone in academics, 32 points in one year is a lot. In addition, the 32 points brought the scores past the magical 800 Academic Performance Index number used to determine whether meeting state educational standards â or not.
By
Leslie Willoughby - For the Times
That historic spike occurred in Mammoth Lakes at the Mono County Department of Social Services this spring. Where normally 15 people seek relief daily, they numbered up to 90, with the majority applying for the CalFresh food program.
Some had never before experienced poverty.
âYouâll see people that are so uncomfortable that I just want to say they break your heart because you know they have really hit a hard time,â said Julie Tiede, Director of Social Services. âYou know they donât want to be there.â
The bear that was tagged in Yosemite but wandered over to the Eastside has an amazing range. Heâs been spotted in Lundy Canyon, Twin Lakes, June Lake and around Mammoth. Heâs easy to spot because of a yellow tag on his ear. Heâs been well behaved say wildlife specialists and has earned the nickname âYosemite Sam.â ...
Says Dan Dawson of the Valentine Reserve: âThere is an abundance of natural food this year.â Berries and currants abound and the bears are lovinâ it. ...
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
âIâd like to try yoga.â
Fido lay at my feet, watching a yoga program on television.
âWell, itâs not unheard of,â I said. âPeople and dogs who do yoga together call it doga. They swear by it.â
âTell me more, please,â Fido said.
âI will, but only if you tell me about this wild-hair of an idea first.â
âOh, I donât know, but I figure winterâs coming up pretty soon. There will be lots of days that just wonât be very pleasant outdoors, so Iâm looking for something to do in here.â
âFair enough, Fido.â
He leapt to his feet.
âHey hey hey hey! When can we start?â
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
Spike Todd likes to tell a story about his brother Bob.
When they were kids in Southern California, Spike says, the two brothers shared a bedroom and a small black-and-white television. They were devoted Angels fans and devoted Lakers fans.
Spike, the owner of Mammoth Liquor, swears that Bob used to do sports play-by-play in his sleep. This when Bob was about 10 or 11.
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
Itâs not as if anyone in his or her right mind would want to make the Everest Challenge any tougher than it already is.
Yet nobody has ever accused Alan Jacoby, of Mammoth, as being in his right mind.
âGoal setting and achievement is like a drug,â said Jacoby, a volunteer at Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra and an entrant in this weekendâs Everest Challenge.
Jacoby, however, said he is going to attempt the ride on a singlespeed mountain bike.
âHelping others erase barriers only makes you want to go out and test your own limits,â he said.
Yeah but âŠ
September 20th
United Airlines on Tuesday did what it said it would do.
That is, the airline announced that it would make a commitment to Mammoth beyond one daily flight from San Francisco.
In addition, the airline tweaked its schedule with SFO in the hopes that it could alleviate a turnback/cancellation rate of over 30 percent last season.
No longer will the jets have to land in the dark and take off from Mammoth in the dark. Rather, the flights have been moved up to earlier in the day
But the big news comes from Down South.
September 19th
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
The union representing about 62,000 Southern California grocery workers on Monday reached an agreement with three major chain food outlets, including the Vons stores in Mammoth and Bishop.
The tentative contract agreement also included Albertsons, Ralphs and Pavillion stores.
Negotiations began in February to compose a collective bargaining agreement that would replace the workers' previous contract, which expired in March.
The workers will be asked to ratify the agreement, which includes protections of health care and pension benefits throughout the life of the contract.
