Sierrabear | Sonora and Tuolumne County News

Pacalolo's, The Little Bong Shop That Could

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:54:50 +0000

Sonora, CA – In January 2009, in the throws of the great recession, a head-shop quietly opened it's doors at 420 S. Washington Street here in Sonora. Offering bongs, pipes, scales and other drug paraphernalia, it quickly filled the niche held long ago by Benjamin Fig's, a little shop whos only links to drug paraphernalia these days are stash boxes. Who would open a smoke shop right in the middle of socially conservative Sonora? Well, that was easy enough to find out.

Are you ready for the flu virus?

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:04:04 +0000

A message from the Tuolumne County Health Department

Being Ready for Flu Season

It is time to make plans for you and your family as the 2009 flu season officially moves into gear. As everyone should know, this year we are expecting to be visited by both the seasonal influenza or “flu” virus, and the pandemic H1N1 influenza, previously known as the “swine flu” virus.

'Little Women' at SRT is sure to delight young and old.

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:45:05 +0000

Enjoy an uplifting family classic this holiday season, when Sierra Rep presents Little Women : The Broadway Musical, the enduring American story of the four March sisters told with warmth, spirit and creative spark. Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, this new musical adaptation comes to Sierra Rep’s East Sonora Theatre from October 30 through December 13.

Why did Tuolumne General Hospital Really Close?

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:06:01 +0000

Editor's note: Here's the outspoken Domenic Torchia commenting on a Union Democrat article "County To forgive $630k in bad debt."

For years, some of us have been preaching that TGH was closed because of incompetent County Supervisors. Now the truth is finally out. A bit smug-"the hospital would have gotten 30 cents on the dollar." Well, that is about $3.3 million, a sizable sum for a County that is broke. And $11,000,000 now you are talking some serious money, at least for some of us. All those employees laid off, why, because the Board of Supervisors failed to do their job.

Do you drive too fast on Soulsbyville road?

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Soulsbyville, Ca -- There’s that sign again, “Driving 25? Or teaching kids to speed?” It’s hard to miss when driving on Soulsbyville road. The admonishment comes as a surprise almost every time as I speed by the dilapidated building that serves as a backdrop for the bluntly worded signage. Who’s responsible for this?

Stand Down For Homeless Veterans Proves To Be A Success

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:18:20 +0000

Sonora, CA -- The Veterans to Veterans Outreach ’09, A Stand Down in the Foothills, sponsored by Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Chapter 391 on September 10-12 proved to be an even bigger success than the first one according to Frank Smart, event chair. The Stand Down was held at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds and aimed at helping homeless veterans. There were 27 homeless veterans attending the Stand Down. The youngest was 26 and the oldest was 65. One of those attending was the wife of a deceased veteran. The 50 volunteers put in over 600 hours.

WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Promotes Tougher Rules on Wall Street to Protect Consumers

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:56:03 +0000

Washington D.C -- Leaders of the world’s largest economies will gather next week in Pittsburgh for the second time this year. The first meeting of the G-20 nations in April came at the height of the global financial crisis – a crisis that required unprecedented international cooperation to jumpstart the world’s economies and help break the downward spiral that enveloped all our nations.

Oct 2nd-Oct 25th: Bank on non-stop laughs with zany British romp at Sierra Rep!

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:00:16 +0000

Columbia, Ca -- Picture a young London bank manager and his new bride, blissfully making a new home in the little apartment above his branch of National United Bank. Now picture what happens when an innocent mistake triggers a flood of off-color goods to start arriving on their doorstep! Panic builds as they discover the “Swedish glassware” they ordered has become a non-stop supply of x-rated photographs, films, books and more!

Jeb's Waffles and Ribs Serves Up Jeb's Hill Country Cooking Instead

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:22:11 +0000

Sonora, Ca – Four long years we have waited since that mysterious sign went up, touting the strange combination of waffles n' ribs. Oh, and what an arduous four years it was; it felt way more like eight. A presidential election, bank failures, foreclosures, job cuts and a faltering economy, made Jeb's at least one glimmer of hope on the horizon. It promised jobs and best of all, the unique marriage of waffles and ribs. The long vacant eatery became a boon for wild speculation and gossip mongers – yours truly. The name itself sparked the imagination and helped 42.25% of Tuolumne County to remember, “Yes, we can.”, and the other ~~64.24%~~ 54.88% to believe in “Change we need.” , giving T.C. locals something fun to look forward to, a hope that something new and better was just about to come our way.

Save the planet : ban cycle helmets

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:49:51 +0000

Editors note: This stylishly written article has more to do with Tuolumne County than one might suspect. Besides, we just love bicycle advocacy here at Sierrabear.

I hope that choosing the bicycle as my preferred product needs little explanation or justification but my proposed ban on cycle helmets might be a little more problematic. For a long time I’ve harboured the suspicion in my more paranoid moments that there’s some kind of collusion between the road/oil lobby and elements of the cycling fraternity to ensure that cycling in Britain remains a marginalized, unpleasant and largely despised activity.