Around Nevada City

It's good to be back

DavidMirhadi — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:26:00 GMT

It always amazes me how and why people comment on stories we write. Generally, as journalists, we've been conditioned to believe that people don't really care whose name is signed on to the story.

I recently returned after a month out of the office for health issues. I'm getting better, though I might have to return to the doc's office for more follow-up. I was in the hospital for over a week.

What amazed me is that people from a lot of walks of life that I've dealt with -- including some sources of mine, in addition to friends and family -- went out of their way to ask how I was doing. I appreciate that very much. Sometimes, we ask a lot of our sources -- sometimes, they'd say, too much. But I do appreciate the kind words, thoughts and sentiments.

As always, I welcome story ideas, tips, suggestions, even a chance to teach me a thing or two about this business.

Media frenzy surrounds presidential pooch breed

DavidMirhadi — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:44:00 GMT

The media will be descending upon the home of Chuck and Susan Teasley today, one day after different media came to the couple's Nevada City home to talk about the couple's dogs -- Portugese water dogs, to be exact.

The Union is no exception, as we will follow the pack to the Teasley household as well, to get our paws in on the story.

Chuck and his wife are animal lovers, to be sure, as they are frequent participants and guests at the annual Labor Day dog show at the Nevada County Fairgrounds.

Apparently, crews from "Access Hollywood" and "Entertainment Tonight" have been in on the fun as well, seeing as how it's not every day that Nevada City and "president of the United States" are mentioned in the same sentence.

We'll have a story with photos in tomorrow's paper. Though the Teasleys didn't give the Obamas a dog of their own, Chuck is, according to the Sacramento Bee, vice president of the Portugese Water Dog Club of America.

Check back tomorrow for the story. It's sure to be a woofer.

A quiet apology

DavidMirhadi — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:47:00 GMT

On Wednesday night, tucked in between all of the video cameras filming a documentary and the announcement that Nevada City might get a community garden and the fact that -- perish the thought -- a paving project was approved that didn't go to local contractor Hansen Brothers, but to a much larger, presumably more efficient contractor with a lower bid -- was this.

Councilman David McKay, in comments made before all of this began, offered an apology to people he might have offended -- the opponents of the city's recently renewed Business Improvement District -- during a meeting to renew the effort last fall.

McKay offered his apology and said he meant no disrespect to any of the BID's opponents. During the meeting, he had wondered aloud if the BID opponents needed a form of counseling to settle their differences with the City Council.

Opponents of the city-mandated assessment fee for downtown businesses have taken to labeling the assessment a "tax" and have gone to some lengths to announce their displeasure with the assessment by papering the windows of their business with anti-BID material.

The opponents of the BID -- who include National Hotel owner Tom Coleman, Toad Hall Book Shop owner Gary Stollery and Nevada City Traders owner Barry Costello -- did not attend the meeting, and the apology given by McKay, a veteran of the Nevada City Council, was not on the agenda.

Nevertheless, we have to commend David McKay for offering up a heartfelt mea culpa to those he might have offended -- the same people who called for his resignation 30 days after he made those remarks.

Now, we have to hope that the opponents of the BID attempt to extend the same olive branch to McKay. Nevada City, with several empty storefronts, a shrinking sales-tax base and resorting to work furloughs -- needs all the help it can get when it comes to attracting shoppers to its historic downtown.

Rubbing elbows with Obama -- almost

DavidMirhadi — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:35:00 GMT

Miles Baker and Taylor DeGraw, both students at Seven Hills Middle School, wowed the Nevada City Council recently with a presentation on their trip to Washington, D.C. to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Baker and DeGraw attended the inauguration as part of the Junior Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference, a four-day conference where, in addition to seeing Obama sworn in, they heard speeches from former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former vice president Al Gore and toured the nation's capital's landmarks.

Baker and DeGraw were just two of 2.3 million people who lined the Capitol Mall -- and, according to Baker, sat in treetops or walked miles from the highway just to witness history.

In comparison, DeGraw said just 300,000 attended George W. Bush's second inaugural in 2005.

DeGraw and Baker held the Nevada City Council in rapt attention recently as they talked about their experience, and what they heard and saw.

DeGraw said she was moved by the fact that Obama told the nation that "starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and work together."

Baker said he was impressed how Obama, the son of a Kenyan father, reached out to the Muslim world in his remarks.

Baker, who was elected class president while he was in Washington, said he simply felt fortunate to be a part of the experience.

Mayor Barbara Coffman thanked the students, not before putting in a plug for her city.

"I hope that before you run for president," she said, looking at both students, "you consider running for Nevada City Council first."

In the effort of transparency

DavidMirhadi — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Last night, the Nevada City Council announced they were doing a number of things to help close a $200,000 budget shortfall. They will be instituting closure of City Hall one Friday a month beginning in April, and will be laying off four employees -- two full-time employees and two part-time employees. In addition, police and fire employees will have their pay cut by eight hours each month, while others will be furloughed.

We're trying to get to the bottom of this and see how it will affect the residents of Nevada City. City leaders, including Mayor Barbara Coffman, have not said which departments will be affected by the layoffs.

It's important that the residents of Nevada City are given as much information as possible about how these layoffs will affect their town. The city has also frozen unfilled positions and is experiencing less sales-tax revenue from a sagging economy.

Coffman said no one should notice a reduction in services, but it's important to let people know from where these cuts are being taken place.

We're working on a story for Friday's paper. Feel free to comment on this and tell us what you think.