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Triumphs, tragedies of Laguna, Page 1
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Object Description
|Triumphs, tragedies of Laguna
|Cummings, John
|Type of object
|Laguna de Santa Rosa (Calif.)
|Sonoma County (California)
|Original source
|Sonoma Historian: The Journal of the Sonoma County Historical Society, (2007): 1
|Place of publication/Origin
|Santa Rosa, California
|Date created
|Location ID
|Source collection
|Environmental History Collection
|Digital collection
|Environmental History Digital Collection
|Sonoma State University Library, Rohnert Park, California
|Related links
|Restrictions may apply. For more information see http://library.sonoma.edu/specialcollections/usingcollections/rights/
|Corporate copyright
|© Sonoma County Historical Society
|Triumphs, Tragedies of Laguna—Its County's Biological Goldmine By John Cummings Travel by land in the spring in the early days of Sonoma County was often severely limited by the horrible conditions of the roads after the winter rains. In the spring of 1860, passengers on Bill Tibbett's bone-jarring stage from Petaluma to the "potato mines" at Bodega could get off at Sebastopol and board the little steamer Georgina to continue their journey down the Laguna to the redwood logging region of the lower Russian River. It was announced in early 1887 that when the water in the Laguna became high enough, a beautiful steam yacht called the Pride of the Laguna would begin tri-weekly service between Sebastopol and Guerneville. The Laguna lake by Sebastopol was initially named Lake Sebring. Thomas Sebring was an early settler who lived next to the Laguna until he sold his property in the fall of 1875. One of the recommendations made in the summer of 1898 to protect Sebastopol from being captured during the Spanish-American War was to station gunboats and "torpedo destroyers" at strategic points along the Laguna. Promotional articles about the newly incorporated town of Sebastopol in 1902 describe the recreational possibilities of Lake Jonive: a beautiful body of water within a mile of town; a mile long and 20 to 30 feet deep in places; bounded by oaks, willows and ash; a favorite place for bathing, boating and fishing; with vast hop fields extending along both sides of the lake. Numerous pictures and postcards of bathing and boating on Lake Jonive have survived. Most of the boats were undoubtedly rented at Joe Moran's place at the north end of the lake adjacent to Molino Road (now Occidental Road), next to the ranch of Santa Rosa banker Frank Doyle. Depending on the season, boaters and swimmers on Lake Jonive would have found the scene less than idyllic. They might have found themselves splashing among peach skins from Sebastopol's cannery and its other industrial wastewater discharges into the Laguna. In the fall of 1906, Sebastopol added to the discharge soup entering the upper end of Lake Jonive with the year-round septic tank effluent from its new sewer system and sewer farm next to the Laguna. (Santa Rosa also used its nearby waterway to dispose of its domestic sewage and industrial wastewaters, and had a sewer farm next to Santa Rosa Creek by the spring of 1890. At least six sewage lawsuits were filed against the city in the 19th century. One of the plaintiffs was Mrs. M. A. Peterson, a Laguna resident next to Santa Rosa Creek, who won an essentially permanent injunction in state court in the late 1890s that prohibited Santa Rosa from polluting the creek with sewage. The injunction, however, was never enforced.) A remnant of Lake Jonive remains today south of the Don Head Bridge on Occidental Road. The large expansion of the Laguna shown on 19th century property maps south of Santa Rosa Creek to just above present-day Occidental Road represents a large area of swamp and marsh and was not a lake during the early settlement period of the county. (Only a very small remnant of the large marsh remains today.) The artist's sketch accompanying an article in the Sonoma Democrat in the winter of 1897 startlingly shows a small sailboat marking the spot where the body of 19-year-old Ed Stump from Fulton was recovered from the swollen Laguna near present-day Guerneville Road. The boat was sailed by John Bailiff Jr. and likely came upstream from his father's ranch in the lower Laguna rather than downstream from Sebastopol. A lower Laguna lake once existed between present-day Guerneville and River roads. In the spring of 1885, Petaluma's Argus staff and a large party of Petalumans repeated a successful fishing trip of a few years earlier to Gray's Lake, named after E. Gray, who owned the land adjacent to the lake in 1867. Gray's Lake, "a fine body of water, about one-half mile long and 100 yards wide" and 25 feet deep in places, was a "paradise for catfish hunters." While some of the group fished in the deep pools of lower Santa Rosa Creek, most of the party fished on the lake on John Bailiff's part of the Laguna, and were most successful, catching a large number of fish. For many years, local newspapers routinely reported on the cool weather and the fishing successes on Gray's Lake, where there were many boats for hire and good accommodations for campers. By the end of the 1890s, Gray's Lake was called Ballard Lake. About 60 children from the Sunday school and other members of Santa Rosa's Congregational church, filled three large wagons to go to a picnic at the Ballard place in the spring of 1898. Boating on the lake was a favorite activity at the church picnic. Henry Ballard's resort, Laguna Farm, is described in a 1903 railroad vacation guide of resorts with instructions to get off the train at the Mt. Olivet station. Laguna Farm offered bass fishing, swimming and boating, and other diversions. Ballard Lake and an estimated several hundred acres of wetlands no longer exist. The demise of the Laguna lake and the periodic diversions of the lower reach of Mark West Creek has been documented by the current owner and Laguna "old-timer" Stan Denner, and by numerous other sources. The Denners, with the concurrence of Exchange Bank's Frank Doyle, used dynamite and a backhoe to breach the plug in the Laguna. The plug formed a lake heavy with sediment coming down Mark West Creek. Operations on the Denner ranch continued over the years to move Mark West Creek further south in stages, and use the creek's sediment to fill in most of the lake and the marsh areas of the ranch (the "low spots"), effectively improving the ranch and abating its mosquito problems. The confluence of Mark West Creek with the Laguna today is nearly two stream-miles south of its historic location above present-day River Road. The Laguna lake which Stan Denner fished and swam in is no more. (The movement of Mark West Creek southward may create an historical confusion since the site of Cooper's mill was on Mark West Creek, but this section of the waterway is usually now known as the Laguna.) Richest soil? In early 1878 at a meeting in Santa Rosa's Ridgeway Hall, a Laguna de Santa Rosa Reclamation Company was formed to render arable several thousand acres"of the richest land in the county." Apart from making a gross exaggeration of the productivity of soils in the Laguna, the company appears to have accomplished nothing. In early November 1879, the county supervisors responded to a petition and formed a Laguna Drainage District for 561.5 acres of overflowed land unfit for cultivation. The drainage district area was downstream of Sebastopol to approximately where River Road is today. While details of the proposed drainage project are not available, preliminary surveys showed that it was feasible to drain surplus waters into Lake Sebring. A decade later in1889, the county supervisors responded to another petition and formed a second Laguna Drainage District, but, like the first district, it appears to have accomplished nothing. In the spring of 1915, noting that drainage projects in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys had led to numerous prosperous towns and districts, A.B. Swain, Hugh C. Ingle, Frank P. Doyle, William Evans and L.C. Cnopius formed a preliminary organization of the major property owners in the Laguna. The organization proposed taking advantage of new state laws to form a drainage district, convert about 1,600 acres of pasture land worth $10 per acre to cultivated land worth between $150 and $300 per acre – "the best investment ever made in the county." The process would involve ditching the entire length of the Laguna from Cotati to the Russian River, based on the surveys and plans of Santa Rosa engineer J.E. Williams. Despite the prospect of major financial gains, nothing came of this drainage proposal. (Early state laws had permitted one man to hold out and stop implementation of the drainage district proposals.) Another proposal to reclaim the "practically valueless" land along the Laguna downstream of Sebastopol was made in 1924 by UC Berkeley's extension services. The organization's preliminary plans included two new features: first, to make possible more intensive development of the entire Santa Rosa Plain and second, to build an artificial lake in the Laguna north of Sebastopol where a previous natural lake once existed (the swamp and marsh area downstream of present-day Occidental Road.) The funding process continued for many years. By November 1929, L.C. Cnopius and E.L. Finley, two Laguna land owners and members of Sebastopol's chamber committee, successfully demonstrated that a ditch dug between their properties had lowered Lake Jonive 18 inches and had made available hundreds of acres of land for agriculture. The success of their relatively small private drainage project renewed interest in draining the entire Laguna. In the spring of 1929, landscape architect Howard Gilkey of Oakland presented the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce with an alternative to agricultural drainage of the Laguna. The visiting architect declared that the Laguna adjacent to Sebastopol was a valuable potential park site which could ease pressure on the overcrowded resorts of the lower Russian River. All that was required for several miles of boating and other recreation was some dredging and beautifying of the stream banks and surrounding properties. Most of the chamber audience would have recognized that Sebastopol itself was a main contributor to the blight of the Laguna adjacent to the city. Since the summer of 1926, the city's sewer farm had been used as its municipal garbage dump and old car bodies had been placed along the Laguna to act as a dike for the dump. Cleaning up and beautifying the banks of the Laguna was not going to be a simple or inexpensive project. Despite the Great Depression, Sebastopol responded to the state Board of Health's report of "deplorable sewage" conditions of the city in September, 1930, by replacing its antiquated septic tank with a modern sewage treatment plant. To the east, Santa Rosa used its sewer farm as a garbage dump between 1909 and 1926. While having an incinerator at its municipal dump, there continued to be numerous reports in the city council minutes of unsightly fire hazards and illegal dumps, including rejected hides from the city's tanneries, on the banks of Santa Rosa Creek. With luck, high winter waters helped clean up the illegal dumps. The extension service's Laguna drainage plans became part of the county's application for depression-era funding from the State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA) for drainage improvements of the entire Santa Rosa Plain. The Laguna portion of the county's application for state funding was not successful. Polio problems A polio epidemic that broke out in California in the summer of 1943 was considered to be more severe in Sonoma County than elsewhere in the state. County health authorities closed the Laguna at Sebastopol to swimming and contracted with a consultant to report on the sanitary conditions in the county. The consultant found numerous appallingly poor conditions. The recommendations relevant to the Laguna were: to form a Central Sonoma Mosquito Abatement District; to improve Sebastopol's handling of its sewage; to move Sebastopol's municipal garbage dump away from the Laguna; to expand the Gold Ridge Soil Conservation District's boundaries to include properties on the east side of the Laguna; and to channelize the Laguna in order to more rapidly drain sewage-polluted storm waters from the farms along the Laguna. The consultant also found that Santa Rosa's sewage handling was very poor and contributed to the pollution of flood waters in the Laguna. The eastern boundary of the soil conservation district was soon expanded to include properties on the east side of the Laguna but it was not until soon after the end of World War II that the conservation district completed its new preliminary plans to drain the Laguna. The district's plans were detailed and specific: to drain in three days by May 1, before the growing-season, about 1,300 acres of Laguna land downstream of Sebastopol. It included a new benefit to wildlife by having fewer fish in the Laguna going "bottoms up" every late summer. After adopting a drainage plan for the entire Laguna downstream of Cotati, the county supervisors held a public hearing, established boundaries, and formed a controversial Laguna Storm Water District. A few months after the election of the new district's board of directors in the fall of 1946 (Alvin Frati, Carson Whitlach and Russell Denner), the board received a petition from the majority of land owners in the area to dissolve the district. When a special election was called, the county district attorney ruled that only registered voters in the district could vote. The proponents won by a narrow margin. However, state law at the time did not provide the procedures for disincorporating an existing storm water district. State Senator F.P. Abshire introduced a senate bill requiring that a two-thirds majority vote of landowners was necessary to dissolve an existing storm water district. The bill was referred to an assembly committee which held hearings in Santa Rosa in 1950 at which time pros and cons were presented. The opponents of the district plan appear to have realized that they could not get a favorable vote of landowners in the district, withdrew their opposition and ended the controversy. In the fall of 1951 the Laguna district began digging a channel in the lower Laguna. In late 1957, Santa Rosa's council authorized sponsorship of the storm water district's application for funds under the federal Watershed Protection and Prevention Act, but the success of the district's application for federal funding is unknown. The district made slow progress in channelizing the Laguna. After about six years, the channel was only about one mile south of present-day River Road. Apparently, most of the funds were spent on clearing the debris from their previously excavated channel rather than being used to dig more new channel. 1955 storm More than 6.5 inches of rain fell in one day in late December 1955, causing much damage throughout Northern California and a major flood in the Laguna. Extensive flood damage also occurred in Santa Rosa and in the urbanized areas of the Santa Rosa Plain, which led to the large local, state and federally funded Central Sonoma Watershed Project of the Sonoma County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, the forerunner of the today's Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA). Adequate flood control of the Santa Rosa Plain eventually resulted in channelizing the Laguna upstream of Llano Road and almost every tributary of the Laguna. To provide for proper drainage of the watershed, it was considered necessary to improve the drainage of the Laguna, and the county water district took over and completed the channel project. While usually functioning as a drain, the water district's Pilot Channel was designed to contain growing-season flood waters in the Laguna from the Russian River within its channel (a 6- to 8-foot deep groove within a 100-foot right-of-way). The economic analysis supporting the project indicated that the expected increase in crop and improved pasture grass value exceeded the expected project costs. The Pilot Channel was completed downstream of Occidental Road by late summer of 1966, but the channel was connected to the storm water district's channel in the lower Laguna rather than going all the way to the Russian River as planned. The section between Occidental Road and Sebastopol Road, the former Lake Jonive section, was not done; it was only cleared of brush in the summer of 1968. The connection of the southern section with the Pilot Channel appears to have lowered the remnant of Lake Jonive by as much as five feet. (If its money had held out, the county flood control district planned to continue the channel project upstream of Sebastopol to about opposite Todd Road). The Laguna downstream of Sebastopol was finally channelized 90 years after the Laguna Reclamation Company was formed, just before new and complex state and federal environmental protection acts and laws of the late 1960s and early 1970s came into play. In May, 1977, a group of Sonoma State students documented that the Laguna was a "unique living museum" of biological diversity and noted that SCWA's routine maintenance of its Pilot Channel was destructive to wildlife habitat. A select citizen committee appointed by the supervisors essentially agreed with the students, and, after pointing out that SCWA's annual maintenance of its Pilot Channel benefited only a few landowners, called for review of the agency's channel maintenance. SCWA soon quit maintaining its channel in the Laguna and declared that the channel served no flood control benefit to the Santa Rosa Plain. In the mid-1990s, SCWA transferred ownership of the channel and its right-of-way to the state as part of the Department of Fish and Game's Laguna Wildlife Area. The Laguna Foundation, created in 1989, coordinated the completion of a project a few years ago on state property west of the Sanford Road elbow. The project included alteration of the eastern bank of the Laguna channel to restore the historic swale and hummock conditions of the site. When the 1955 rainstorm flooded Sebastopol's municipal dump, cans and garbage drifted into the Laguna. Only parts of Sebastopol's sewage treatment plant towered above the flood waters, and the plant was not functional for days. The county district health officer inspected Sebastopol's municipal dump in early 1966 following the retreat of the Laguna flood waters and strongly urged its closing. Sebastopol subsequently agreed and began a more than 30-year process of building the park and ball field complex we know today off Morris Street. In the summer of 1963, Sebastopol used its own drag line to dredge the Laguna to fill and then sell the Industrial Park lands between Morris Street and the Laguna. A boundary line dispute erupted between Sebastopol and Santa Rosa in 1965 when Santa Rosa announced its intention to annex several thousand acres of land westward to the center of the Laguna. The dispute also included a proposal to build 1,000 homes south of Piezzi Lane and annex the development to Sebastopol – doubling Sebastopol's population of about 3,500. While previous agricultural pumping for irrigation water from Santa Rosa Creek and the Laguna had kept treated sewage effluent discharges to the Russian River negligible in the summer, in 1968, water quality consultants for the state determined that nutrients in the effluents were causing algal production in the Laguna, and turning the Russian River green below the river's confluence with the Laguna. They determined the situation would only get worse with growing urban areas discharging more sewage into these areas. About 60,000 people in urban areas were discharging their treated sewage effluent in the Laguna at the time, and the waterway was estimated to be more than 50 percent effluent in the summer. The consultants to the state and regional water quality boards recommended that the least expensive and most obvious solution to the problem was to build a dam across the lower Laguna with control gates that permitted flood flows from the Russian River to enter in the winter and that prevented outflows from the Laguna to enter the river in the summer. Had such a dam been built, the Laguna north of Sebastopol would have become, in time, a large shallow lake of mostly wastewater in the late summer. While the created lake was said to have great value for boating and other recreation, the proposal was the very opposite of the just completed Pilot Channel. Santa Rosa's solution Santa Rosa did not pursue the Laguna lake proposal when it selected a pond-storage, agricultural reclamation system by irrigation along Santa Rosa Creek and in the Laguna in 1973, with no discharge to the Russian River in the summer. Santa Rosa obtained a series of federal Clean Water Grants to expand its Laguna plant on Llano Road to accommodate its own needs and the sewage treatment needs of other wastewater discharges to the Laguna. The sewage treatment plants of Cotati-Rohnert Park and Sebastopol were abandoned by the late summer of 1978, forming the subregional wastewater system managed by the City of Santa Rosa that we have today. Recent newspaper articles suggest a possibility that Santa Rosa's wastewater discharges to the Laguna could be eliminated in the future. Awareness of the Laguna as a local "biological goldmine" grew rapidly in the early 1970s. Numerous community meetings and reports documented the tremendous natural resources of the area. Preservation and restoration of the ecosystem became a popular idea. Use of the Laguna for urban recreation is of particular historical interest. The Laguna section of the county's multiple use trail was completed in the early fall of 1990 on the old Petaluma and Santa Rosa electric railroad bed which had become operational in 1905. (The county's trail between Sebastopol and Llano Road is on the south side and adjacent to the old SF&NP railroad dating to the spring of 1890. The abandoned right-of-way of the SF&NP railroad is now the brush and regenerating oak woodland that can be seen south of Highway 12.) Balancing act With a current county population of over 450,000, nearly half of which is served by Santa Rosa's subregional wastewater reclamation system, nearly 3,500 people, mostly school children, tour Santa Rosa's Laguna treatment plant each year, participate in the outreach program run by the city's Natural Resource crew, visit the heron and egret rookery by Delta Pond in the spring, or learn about the Laguna through the Laguna Foundation's docent program. Two foundation activities in particular have received considerable local media attention in recent years: the saga of the tiger salamander and the control of the non-native water primrose, Ludwigia. The latter plant was choking parts of the Laguna to such an extent that adequate flood control of the Santa Rosa Plain and adequate vector control of mosquito born diseases such as the West Nile virus was jeopardized. Demands for trails, parks and public access remains a complex balancing act among private agricultural interests, restoration projects, undisturbed natural areas, homeless encampments, feral cats, illegal shooting and fishing, trespassing, and other factors. Future historians may ask: Did 21st century policymakers continue to protect the flood-carrying capacity of the Laguna? Did water quality in the Laguna ever reach minimum standards? Did productive agriculture in the Laguna adapt to the changing agricultural economics and the urban demands for recreation? Did the community's Laguna Foundation reach its goal of preserving 10,000 acres of land in the Laguna? Did Luther Burbank's escapee, Himalayan blackberry, significantly interfere with native vegetation? Sources/Thanks Sources: Materials researched by John Cummings include: "Historical Glimpses of the Laguna de Santa Rosa," Dec. 2003, 20 pages; "Laguna de Santa Rosa, Index of the Microfilm files of the Sebastopol Times 1895-1965," Dec. 2003, 10 pages; "Draining and Filling the Laguna de Santa Rosa," Jan. 2004, 25 pages. These papers are available in the county library and on the net in Sonoma State University Library's North Bay Collection. The Laguna Foundation website is lagunadesantarosa.org. Acknowledgements: Maggie Hart, Administrative Director of the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, for assembling and producing Laguna photographs; Evelyn McClure of the Western Sonoma County Historical Society for old pictures of Lake Jonive; and my brother George Cummings for review and comments on this article. Two-Part Book Now AvailableThe current effort to restore the Laguna de Santa Rosa is reflected in two volumes being released by the Laguna Foundation. The first volume of 343 pages is titled Enhancing and Caring for the Laguna: Restoring and Managing the Laguna. Resource Set Maps and other data, pp.344-557, is the second volume. Authors are Joseph Honton and Anna Warwick Sears. A State of the Laguna Conference is scheduled for Thursday, Mar. 29 through Sunday, Apr 1 at the Sonoma State University Cooperage. Activities include a two-day science symposium, presentations on planning for the future of the Laguna and tours of the area. Interested parties may attend part of the conference or all four days. Prices on the book and information on the conference and other Laguna Foundation activities are available by phone, 527-9277, ext. 107 or at www.lagunafoundation.org.
|Digital reproduction
|Original document scanned at 300 dpi-Displayed in jpeg format at 75 dpi
|Date digitized
|August 21, 2008
|Triumphs, tragedies of Laguna, Page 1
|Digital collection
|Environmental History Digital Collection
|Sonoma State University Library, Rohnert Park, California
|Restrictions may apply. For more information see http://library.sonoma.edu/specialcollections/usingcollections/rights/


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Long-Term Flood Recovery Group will open their support hotline Monday.
Phone: 303-895-3429
Email: email@example.com
Website: http://bocofloodrecovery.org
It took four strong volunteers with shovels more than an hour to push through the dirt and debris blocking the garage door at Nicole Bookman's rental house in Lyons after the September flood.
The home and most of her belongings, including inventory from her two businesses that was stored in the garage, were destroyed or washed away leaving the single mother and business owner with more than $200,000 in damages.
"We're considered a complete loss," Bookman said. "I grabbed the girls, the art on the walls and some clothes and that was it. When I left, I didn't realize I'd never be coming back home again or I might have done it a lot differently."
Less than two months after the flood, when damage assessments by insurance agents and federal agency workers were complete, Bookman began applying for assistance through area relief funds. But her grants were smaller than she hoped due to a high volume of applications.
In October, applications for help began pouring into Boulder County groups that were distributing funds to individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by the flood.
Donations, which came in quickly following the flood but slowed significantly by the end of October, were not keeping pace with the need, leaving hundreds of affected residents in a lurch.
Decline in donations
Bookman received a $2,500 small business grant through Oskar Blues' CAN'd Aid Foundation, which could have been $10,000 if she had applied a few weeks earlier.
CAN'd Aid Executive Director Diana Ralston said grants decreased in late October when applications for assistance multiplied and donations began to wane.
"If she had applied earlier, we would have given her the full amount," Ralston said. "We had so many applications that we had to start dividing it up."
Since Oct. 31, the foundation has received requests for more than $500,000 in assistance from individuals, businesses and organizations, Ralston said.
After distributing more than $200,000, the Foundation was forced to disperse smaller grant amounts to applicants due to the influx of applications and a decrease in donations, she said.
The foundation has raised more than $515,000 since Sept. 14 for flood relief and distributed more than $300,000, so far. Applications were due by Jan. 1 and the final round of CAN'd Aid disbursements will occur Wednesday.
Eric Hozempa, executive director for the Longmont Community Foundation, said there has been a decline in donations to the St. Vrain Flooding Relief Fund in line with what he would expect to see with any natural disaster.
"I think with any crisis situation the donations come in a bell curve shape," Hozempa said "Meaning, there are a few that come in immediately, then you see a huge increase and eventually a decrease in funds."
The Foothills United Way also saw a drop in donations to the Foothills Flood Relief Fund, said Sue Anderson, manager for the Long-Term Flood Recovery Group. The group supports residents in Boulder County and is funded by the Foothills Flood Relief Fund.
Anderson expects a continued increase in applications from those with unmet needs, but remains optimistic that the spring will bring relief for some residents through the Long-Term Flood Recovery Group's efforts.
New year brings hope
The group will open its relief hotline Monday, giving residents with ongoing, unmet needs a starting point to find assistance.
Residents will be connected with a caseworker that will help them navigate the next steps toward recovery, including applying for funding, coordinating with volunteer groups and finding contractors.
"We've really put a lot of building blocks in place for the collaboration of several nonprofits, foundations, government agencies and that's really gelling and coming together nicely," Anderson said. "So, if we can raise the amount of money that we need for the community then I think we'll be successful in recovery this year and allow us to rebuild stronger and better."
The group estimates that as many as 3,000 households in Boulder County still have unmet needs from the flood, Anderson said. At the end of January or early February, World Renew, a disaster relief organization and arm of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, will survey Boulder County residents to come up with a dollar amount needed for recovery, Anderson said.
This spring, the group expects new funding to become available through various government grants and volunteers to return to Colorado with warmer weather, giving new opportunities to residents in need.
While she waits for more news of assistance, Bookman is moving forward and seeking alternative ways to rebuild her businesses and her life.
Bookman recently started a new job as a personal assistant and is shopping for new inventory to get her vintage rental business back on track for the spring and summer seasons.
"We need to do some healing and make some new plans but what if the money doesn't come in to do that?" Bookman said. "We're looking to propel forward, which means having enough to pay the bills and restart my business and to hopefully have the same quality of life we had before."
Community reporter Whitney Bryen can be reached at 303-684-5274 or email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Explanation of Transfer Voters, One-Stop Absentees, Mail Absentee Voters and
Provisional Ballots
Return to Summary List
Transfer voters, one-stop absentees and mail absentee voters will be included in the UNOFFICIAL totals. The transfer voters listed on the home page are only for transfers voting at the Board of Elections office on election day. There may or may not be any of these type transfers. Precinct transfers are counted at the precincts and are not included in the separate listing titled transfer voters on the home page. One-stop absentees are absentees voted at the Board of Elections office and additional sites during the one-stop absentee period. Mail Absentee voters are mail absentees that are returned during the mail absentee period. Provisional ballots will not be included in the count on election night. They are not counted until the election canvass on the Friday after the election.
When the OFFICIAL results are posted they will include transfer voters, one-stop absentees, mail absentee voters and provisional ballots.


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Casey Kasem's health has worsened, just days after his daughter took legal custody of the radio icon and admitted him to a Washington State hospital, according to Seattle news outlet KomoNews.com.
Kasem's wife Jean Kasem has been battling Kasem's children for months over his care and whether they could visit him. She took her husband to Washington last month, where a judge last week affirmed a Los Angeles judge's earlier decision to allow his daughter Kerri Kasem to take the 82-year-old radio legend to be examined by a doctor. He has been diagnosed with debilitating dementia, among other health problems.
Reports say Kasem is in a hospital in Pierce County. A spokesman for his daughter says his family has gathered at the hospital.
When Kerri Kasem moved her father by ambulance Sunday from a Washington home to the hospital, Jean Kasem confronted her and tossed a pound of raw hamburger meat in her direction, while shouting something about "King David" and "rabid dogs."
Kasem's condition hasn't been officially reported as of late Thursday morning. At last week's hearing, Kerri Kasem said her father is suffering from bedsores and lung and bladder infections.
Contact Tony Hicks at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks or Twitter.com/insertfoot.


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Not really sure if this would be the appropriate place for it but here goes.
Does one exist or has anyone ever thought about offering AO/AGD gun mats?
Not really sure if this would be the appropriate place for it but here goes.
Does one exist or has anyone ever thought about offering AO/AGD gun mats?
that would be sweet!
with a big 'ol Mustache....haha...oh hells yeah!!!
ill buy one or two
http://www.automags.org/forums/showt...RKM-3D-Designs"You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes." RU
Thats a pretty sweet idea, a nice 18x18 would fit perfect on my little work area.
How big are they usually made by the way?
The ones I have handy are roughly 12.5"x16", 12"x19.5" and 16"x24".
I would buy an AGD one.
I'd buy a couple myself... now we just need someone to figure out how to produce some.
I actually contacted http://www.tekmat.com/ in early Feb about this. They do do custom mat and my guess was that there would be probably enough interest to sell about 40. It would run $30 bucks to brake even, wasn't looking to make a profit I just want a mat too.
I liked the idea of having an exploded x-valve diagram, an o-ring call out that was to scale, some AO "circle hex" / AGD branding. Maybe some level 10 diagrams.
I started playing around with a template but I need some one that knows more about the graphic file type required by the company. I was basically grabbing tech images from the AGD page and inserting them in power point as a proof of concept.
The info i received back from tekmat was
They have two standard sizes 12" x 36" (long gun), 11" x 17" (hand gun)
Design file type should be "Vector Al" or "EPS" this means nothing to me at this point and I did not research it further.
Obviously we would need permission from AGD before doing anything final but if anyone has some graphic skills and wanted to work with me I wouldn't mind pursuing this further.
Interesting idea
I would be interested in one.
I would take one. The exploded view of valves and O-ring diagram/chart are great ideas. Would be cool to tie into the graphics that we have here on AO now...
I'd rock one of these. At home and work
To leave feedback: Click seller/buyers name, Click feedback score, Click leave feedback
Need someone familiar with illustrator to set up the images.
forget it. with most of the talk going on around here lately, people would want it made out of aluminium so they can have it anno'd to match their guns but still retain the classic look.
i don't need the diagram, but a compartment or 2 to keep things from rolling around or off the mat would be useful, if you can even do this from this company.
lol. sounds like someone has been burned by the hot topics around here...
With the size of the mats it would be quite possible to have all of those choices... it would be interesting to have a couple of different choices of what is on the mats.
I'd get one for sure. ESPECIALLY with an X-Valve / Level 10 diagram!
I like the Mat idea , I love AGD but for the money i'd just as soon get one of these ;
Okay fellas, just through out an email to TK consenting him about copyright permission for having the mats made. Dont want to get in trouble for copyright infringement by the man we all worship
Okay guys here is the deal. I just got a response on the email from TK a few minutes ago. This was his response.
"Sure you have my permission. Please send me one, I will pay for it.
Lets get this thing going guys!!! I simply made sure we were clear for copyright permission. It would be best if somebody else could responsibly handle this. PM's are being sent out to those who seemed like they would orchestrate this thing. I really want to get this thing going, lets keep our fingers crossed and hope to get a pre-order list of some sort going some time soon!
you know if there is room, what about on each corner of the mat you put the AGD lions, xmag, minimag and sidearm.
I was also thinking if we have a good run on the first one, then we could possibly try for a similar one with the classic valve with level 7 instead.
Lets get this going people!
I was disinterested until you guys started kicking around the idea of technical diagrams on the mat. I think that's a great idea.
If you need to save space, I'd say ditch the logo stuff and just go with the technicals. Classic+X-valve+L10 bolt parts.
"Accuracy by aiming."
Definitely not on the A-Team.
Wait a second... Idea just popped up in my head. We ditch the side logos/decorations in general no matter what and try and throw in another technical of a ULT in their. I am just LOVING this right now. my dream mat would be if we could somehow (most likely not gonna happen) get both X-valve and Classic valves with both the Level 10 and Level 7 in their AND throw an exploded view of the ULT in the side, AND somehow throw the AGD "Quality Always Shoots Straight" logo on the top. Technical's will come before the decorations though.
We need someone that knows illustrator to start putting together the basic layout. I could possibly find someone to help with that if nobody on the forum knows the program. Illustrator is the program that is capable of saving to the formats.
As for what to put on it. A mat that is 12x36 would most likely be able to fit everything people have suggested. Put the exploded diagrams on the two far ends. Oring chart in middle, or slighlty off center. You could have a large AO/AGD logo in the middle and probably still have something else slightly offcenter to balance the oring chart. The AGD quote can go across the top as well, "Quality Always Shoots Straight"
12x36 is kind of an awkward size.... I was thinking this mat would resemble something like a "bar" mat, like 18x18 or 18x24?
I think you could easily explode the valves like this.
Top left, x valve. Bottom right, classic. Top right 6x6 or so logo. Bottom left ult and o ring diagram (since they'd be considerably smaller diagrams)
Just another thought.
I know personally my work space wouldn't support a 3' wide mat. I dunno if anyone else would have the same problem?
http://www.automags.org/forums/showt...xploded-(Here). Minus the Level 7, Title (excess surroundings), and I would feel like 24-29 would not be needed or included. and then if we could get somebody (cough cough bunny? cough cough) to make a similar exploded view of the classic valve with the Level 7 and maybe finish up a nice job of a ULT exploded for the side. Both valves would be in a center panel. I have no experience whatsoever with graphic and technological designs on a computer. Would be great if we could get somebody who does with a decent amount of free time to help us out here. Remember that it would have to be a slightly larger than to scale depiction of everything.
Doh, forgot about the ULT. Probably a good idea there as well.
As far as software, Illustrator isn't the only game in town. Inkscape is free and pretty good as well.
Did I mention it was free?


text:
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Jeff Gordon's Video Game Leads "NASCAR Now"
Host Ryan Burr had just returned from his first NASCAR trip to the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Now back in the studio, Burr started the Wednesday version of NASCAR Now with Jeff Gordon on a satellite interview. The only question was...why?
Burr did a good job asking all the politically correct questions, and got the politically correct answers. Gordon did speak-out a bit in support of Goodyear after the blunder in Atlanta, and referenced his recent tire test at Darlington as a success.
During that test, NASCAR Now had Lead Reporter Marty Smith standing alongside of several other journalists who were kept on a very short leash by Goodyear. No company spokesman appeared on-camera, but the company made the drivers participating in the test available for interviews. That is the type of good reporting and solid information fans want from this TV series.
Gordon said Bristol this weekend will ease the pain of the fans and he looked forward to getting back to good hard racing. Behind Gordon was the EA Sports logo, and viewers found out the reason why. Gordon was actually on an EA Sports "junket" in his driving suit where interviews are provided to media outlets like ESPN2. Once again this season, NASCAR Now took the bait. The question is...why?
Andy Petree was brought-in from Martinsville to get things back on-track. Petree was quick to acknowledge that Goodyear had a problem, but felt that the next race in Atlanta would be different. Burr tried to pin Petree down, and referenced Gordon's earlier conciliatory words.
Petree said, "Gordon is a nice guy and he said the right things." Burr is still working to figure Petree out, and hopefully this relationship will grow as they both continue on this show. Without Stacy Compton, NASCAR Now needs a lot more of Andy Petree on a regular basis.
In sports TV, things have to be flexible. But, one simple rule is that single-camera satellite interview subjects do not wear sunglasses. Enter Chrissy Wallace on what may have been her first NASCAR Now featured interview. Aside from the noise of the cars behind her, Wallace presented a "mask" with large dark sunglasses on throughout the entire segment. All someone at ESPN had to do was ask her to take them off.
Much like the current TV commercial where the stain on the job applicant's shirt causes his potential employer to miss everything he says, Chrissy Wallace will be remembered for her big sunglasses and the fact that TV viewers really do not know what she looks like up-close. Sunglasses hide the emotions, they hide the eyes, and they distract from the content of the interview. Hopefully, as she prepares for the upcoming Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville, she will use the Kasey Kahne approach and lose the shades.
Jamie McMurray was up next as an interview subject, and once again the question was...why? He immediately scoffed at Burr's Top 35 question, summed-up Bristol as repaved but exciting, and said he was going to "stay out of that" on the Goodyear tire issue.
Just like Gordon, the real reason for a bored McMurray appearing was to promote his sponsor's Irwin Tools Industrial Challenge. He gave the website address for the promotion's sign-up, and mentioned that this was his second year of sitting on-camera totally bored while satisfying part of his NASCAR contract. Actually, he said it was his second time being involved in the promotion. The other part was obvious.
The NASCAR Media Group provided a nice feature reviewing last season's race at Bristol. This was another glossy and highly-edited product that uses all kinds of TV and radio announcers voices along with soundbites from drivers and natural sound of the race. This is the real "ultimate highlight" package, and more of them would make this show even better.
Burr "tagged" the show with the breaking news of Carl Edwards not appealing his Las Vegas penalty. Then, Andy Petree helped him with the racing reality that no one expected he would. Perhaps, the picture of Carl "flipping with his lid-off" seen all over the Internet might have helped with that decision.
One quick note to consider. Burr said that Andy Petree was at Martinsville to "observe" the Truck Series testing. Over at ESPN-owned Jayski.com, a blurb on the main page said Petree himself was testing and would drive in the March 29th race.
Perhaps, between the Irwin Tools Industrial Challenge of Jamie McMurray and the new EA Sports video game release featuring Jeff Gordon, there just wasn't time to slip-in some actual NASCAR news involving one of ESPN's own announcers.
The Daly Planet welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. The rules for posting are on the right side of the main page. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
32 comments:
- Anonymous said...
I really dislike when drivers show up on the daily news show just to promote their stuff. Jeff and Jamie were only there to promote their wares, and Jamie looked like he had just finished working out. His face was unusually red and patchy and his answers were very short and he wasn't his usual jovial self. At least Jeff would talk about the tire issue, but he was not nearly as vocal as he was on Sunday. He had his corporate hat firmly on his head today. Jamie basically said, "No comment." It was odd....
I was disappointed with the Chrissy Wallace interview. Aside from the sunglasses issue, where the heck did she learn to talk? Her father has a good command of the English language, Kenny, Rusty and Steven not as much, but passable. I was concentrating more on her language errors rather than her content and wondering why her familial mentors haven't gotten her a speech coach yet. If she's expecting to be the poster child for female racers, she really needs some polishing. Enough of the negative, though, at least she expressed her appreciation to Ryan for interviewing her. It would have been nice to see if she was excited to be interviewed, but I digresss to the sunglasses issue.....
Finally, I wonder JD, if Andy not promoting himself for the truck race was because of the late breaking Rousch news and not the self promotion of the other drivers? Since the news "broke" within 2 minutes of the show's conclusion, and Ryan ate up a good 30 to 45 seconds reading the release, perhaps he's not seasoned enough to by-pass his #1 question on the list, the tire issue, and drop to the #2 question, what are you doing in Martinsville anyway. Just a thought....
- March 12, 2008 at 7:40 PM
- SophiaZ123 said...
watched tonights show as we made dinner.
First, LOSE THE AMBIENT NOISE. I am giving up on this show..LOSE the sunglasses,too. First thing my roomie said "Why do they let them wear sunglasses on an interview. They are HUGE? she had FLIES EYES.
JD Frankly, my room mate and I BOTH found Jamie Mac RUDE in his attitude about the top 35 in points! Generally I like Jamie but now wish he could FALL OUT OF THE TOP 35 and see what that feels like. he could've sounded THANKFUL it has yet to be an issue for him.
Waltrip and others claim its a drag. Just ask Boris Said. He came off arrogant.
The show was ok but the LOUD NOISE issue is just ludicrous.
I think I will stick with just the Monday night shows and just read your reviews until they can clean up the noise and ask guests to TAKE OFF the hedge apple sized shades. Sigh.
Elementary folks.
- March 12, 2008 at 7:44 PM
- NASCAR_IRL Fan said...
Wow! Thank you for noticing the sponsor placement for Gordon and McMurray. Unfortunately, I wondering if that's the only way you can get the drivers during the week sometimes? I've seen Dale Jr on ESPNNews shilling for something (Sharpie?) and Kasey Kahne on First Take for some kind of NASCAR debit card in the past. That seems to be the deal: you get to ask a few race questions, then they get to promote whatever and they have the product logo in the background.
At least Jeff answered Ryan's race questions seriously - the Atlanta questions and questions about the first four races were topical and I liked hearing those answers.
Jamie came off as more than a little "jerkish" with his answers you described above, as if the racing questions were beneath him. Unlike jeff, he didn't engage with Ryan until the sponsor question came up; I think Roush should talk to him about that. If he falls out of top 35 and fails to make races, he'll be begging someone to interview him. He probably needs that experience, sad to say.
Ryan cracked me up when he asked Jeff if they made him look younger on the EA Sports game cover. Ryan seems a little more relaxed these days, I like him and I thought he did well interacting with Chrissy Wallace, who I've never heard interviewed before. She comes across younger and much less polished than some of her teenage male counterparts her in ARCA/Nationwide/Trucks who are that age, but that homespun charm was nice to see for a change because those guys are SO smooth, they all sound 30. She seemed like she was speaking in the manner of her age group, but Ryan never acted like he took her less seriously for that. Good job.(Though she REALLY should have taken off the sunglasses, you're right.)
Still I'm realistic about how homespun she can be: I just looked Chrissy up; she turns 20 in May. By then she'll need to have a media coach to smooth the edges since she won't be a teenager anymore.
- March 12, 2008 at 7:53 PM
- Anonymous said...
JD, I have a question on the connection between espn.com and NASCAR Now. There was a comment the other day in the NN Monday thread pointing out the midweek shows should be used to catch up on stories coming out of races that the Monday roundtable misses. espn.com has a article about Brian Vickers and how even if he doesn't race Sunday, he'd still be in the top 35 - that's how well he's doing.
But there was no story on Vickers on NN yesterday or today. Is is possible when an espn.com reporter does a story for the website that a NN person - like a camera crew - could record a video story at the same time for NN? There are some really good stories on espn.com that never get mentioned on NN. I don't know if that would be too hard to do or what.
Same with the "fluffier" stories, like asking real gymnasts to technically judge Carl's flips or how Adidas is getting NASCAR fans to buy stuff because of Junior. Those would be good TV stories which right now are only on the website.
Ryan Burr seems like he knows the sport and people better now and that shows on NN. He's good. Would like to know what he thinks of all the sponsor plugs, but he probably has to keep that to himself. I didn't blame him for all of those plugs. Probably PR people at work: "If you want my famous driver to appear live midweek, then this is the way it's going to be." Maybe they need to work more with the drivers who don't have much sponsorship, they'll be happy to be on the show at all.
- March 12, 2008 at 8:05 PM
- Newracefan said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- March 12, 2008 at 8:25 PM
- Newracefan said...
Sorry just too many typos so lets try this again :) I was somewhat disappointed with todays show. Jamie definately looked bored and annoyed certainly didn't make me want to rush right out and find some Irwin Industrial Tools, he didn't even really explain what the challenge was all about. I was excited to see that Chrissy was to be interviewed because I believe she may be Nascar's answer to Danica but now; not so much. The concept of sunglasses was bad enough but they were so large they remined me of those glasses the elderly wear after cataract surgery. Not a good look for anyone. If she is serious about making it to cup I would recommend the wonderful Dale Carnegie course that DJ and even Brian Vickers have taken to brush up her public speaking skills (Steven W might want to tag along). I could live with the Jeff interview he was at the tire test and there were some Goodyear issues to discuss not to mention he is JEFF GORDON. I guess it was a slow news Wednesday and poor Andy's news about the truck race got pushed out by the only news of the day the 99 not appealing the penalty. Not that anyone thought they would.
- March 12, 2008 at 8:29 PM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
Anon 8:05PM,
This is the issue that ESPN and its TV networks and other businesses have been wrestling with since last season.
When NASCAR first appeared on ABC, there were several times where the announcers specifically told viewers to switch to ESPNEWS and to catch more interviews and highlights on SportsCenter.
This situation came about because the ABC stations want the network to go away once the race is over after 6PM so they can get to their local news, which is how they make a lot of their money.
Unfortunately, there was usually no coverage on ESPNEWS and there was nothing but chaos on SC where NASCAR was concerned.
The best part is neither ABC, ESPNEWS, or SC ever mentioned that ESPN-owned Jayski.com had all the latest news and results. The same is true with NASCAR Now, they just cannot "make" themselves say the word Jayski.
This season, ESPNEWS has begun to add live post-race press conferences from the Media Centers at the tracks. They have also forced the NASCAR word into shows like PTI and First Take.
What they have not yet been able to do is what you asked about. They simply cannot integrate all of their different media resources across the board seamlessly.
I hope that, as many news organizations are starting to do, ESPN considers having one reporter create content for the web in both text and video form. This would solve the type of problems you mentioned.
If you noticed in my column, I tried to point out that Marty Smith at Darlington for a simple tire test was important after Atlanta's problems. That is good reporting and journalism.
Having two drivers stop-by to plug sponsors and do nothing else but fill time was not a good choice. There are lots of hard news stories going on, and I miss the fact that Shannon Spake is not out chasing them down in Mooresville like she did last season.
It should be interesting to see if we continue to have Jamie Little from Las Vegas and Brad Daugherty from Ashville, NC who appear just to be seen and talk about nothing.
This is the second season of this show, and there is NO crew on the scene in Mooresville or Concord following up on the stories of the weekend. Maybe, it will happen soon.
- March 12, 2008 at 8:44 PM
- Anonymous said...
The EA game cover is a big deal every year. Tony Stewart was the cover last year and I believe he was interviewed on NASCAR Now for it too. They announced it this morning during First Take and I believe Gordon was inteviewed then also. I liked his interview on NASCAR Now - the game was mentioned at the end of the interview, but he was also asked about HMS "struggle" this season, his performance, and the tire issue. I thought he put the HMS "struggle" issue in a nice perspective since I keep hearing about it everywhere - Jr. is doing well and finishing well and the #24 team has been there in performance - just haven't always had the finishes. Jimmie is stuggling a bit right now, but I wouldn't say HMS as a whole is. Casey Mears has had his issues, but I'll give him a few more weeks to gel with a new crew chief. As for the tire issue, Jeff tested at Darlington the past two days and talked with Goodyear about his concerns and I'm sure got some answers. Goodyear has already said they are bringing a different tire to Texas.
- March 12, 2008 at 9:02 PM
- Anonymous said...
Everybody above has summed up my feelings on tonight's NASCAR NOW, so I gotta gripe about Tuesday's show (which actually wasn't bad but didn't have a lot of news).
They interviewed Brad Keselowski. Again. Every time the Nationwide series comes up - there he is. Qualifying, practice, race, and NASCAR NOW. I want cawsnjaws.com to use their breakdown tally on how many minutes are devoted to him in relation to the other NW drivers.
Yes, he got a top 10 in the Atlanta race, but Bliss and Bires are ahead of Brad K in the points, and noone would ever know it if you watched the coverage. And the interviews aren't about him anyway. All questions yesterday were about Brad K's relationship with Dale Jr.
The question I wanted asked yesterday-which I've seen the media start to pick up on a little more - is that Mark Martin called Brad K to apologize after that Las Vegas wreck and Brad K did not return his call. b/c apparently he has nothing to say to Mark Martin, and according to the scene daily article I read Sunday, he also wants us to know that it's unlikely Martin will get any 'breaks' from him if they race each other again.
Burr should have asked why hasn't Brad K. called Martin back and acknowledge his call? I'm sure Mark Martin has better things to do than call a kid like Brad K. and apologize.
Instead he gets a free pass from NASCAR NOW because he's Jr.'s guy and ESPN's NW star. They need to spread it around a little bit - I'm patiently waiting on the Bliss/Bires interviews before saturday, NASCAR NOW.
- March 12, 2008 at 9:02 PM
- Anonymous said...
This show does NOT need to book Satellite Media Tour interviews.
They are intended for local TV stations who, having little access to major sports figures, are grateful to accept a little product plug in exchange of booking someone live. Bob and Susie anchorperson get to interview a Real Live Star.
ESPN doesn't fall into that category. The Worldwide Leader doesn't need to accept a sponsored interview, and if they do these days, then they're in real trouble.
You will not get a real interview out of an SMT, because the subject is absolutely aware of why he is doing the thing--and it is NOT to talk about what you want. It is to promote a product. Period.
What an embarrassment.
- March 12, 2008 at 9:06 PM
- Vince said...
Thought this was one of the less interesting NN shows so far this season. A whole lotta nothing. Seems this show still has trouble finding enough real NASCAR news to cover on Wed. and Thursdays. Maybe they need to do like RPM2Nite used to do. Have openwheel Wednesdays or something of that nature. Use Wednesdays to focus on some of the lesser known series and drivers in NASCAR.
If Chrissy Wallace is really serious about racing and attracting sponsors she needs to lose the sunglasses during the interviews. And money on a Dale Carnegie course would be money well spent.
All in all, tonights show was pretty boring and vanilla.
- March 12, 2008 at 9:22 PM
- New York Times Reader said...
daly planet editor said...
I hope that, as many news organizations are starting to do, ESPN considers having one reporter create content for the web in both text and video form. This would solve the type of problems you mentioned.
I agree that would be a good idea, Mr. Daly. The recent NYT Play magazine (I'm sure you read it and noticed the Tony Stewart story!) had a wonderful story about two young African-American sisters whom their dad hopes will be the Venus and Serena of women's golf. The story had a video attached to it, narrated by the reporter. I'm usually pressed for time after reading such a long story - but this was Sunday and the story was so interesting I watched the five minute video. Seeing the people in the words and photos come to life really added something to it for me. If the video had been on television on Sportscenter, I would have watched it, though it was matter of fact and not glossy -no dramatic music or cuts.
I believe it was narrated by the reporter. Applying your video idea to written ESPN stories and playing those videos on related television programs (NASCAR Now, NASCAR Countdown) for viewers who don't visit the site regularly would be the logical step for ESPN.
- March 12, 2008 at 10:01 PM
- SallyB said...
Good grief! Not bad enough to have all the commercials during the races, but now the nightly show has commercials as 'content'? What a waste of my time.
- March 12, 2008 at 10:53 PM
- Anonymous said...
The mistake made here is to apply journalistic standards to anything on ESPN. All those shows are dedicated to entertainment and commerce. This is not the way I wish it was, but its the way it is.I grew up in the 70's and at that time there was a move to cover sports as "hard news" and not be shills for the individual sport being covered.It did not last.
- March 12, 2008 at 11:04 PM
- kenn said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- March 12, 2008 at 11:14 PM
- Anonymous said...
Reminder: NASCAR Now tomorrow and Friday doesn't air until midnight Eastern. That's the new episode, no repeat.
- March 12, 2008 at 11:40 PM
- Anonymous said...
The sunglass thing must run in the Wallace family. Did anyone notice when Steven Wallace was interviewed last week He put his sunglassses on when the interview started and took them off when he walked away.
Frank in Sebring
- March 12, 2008 at 11:52 PM
- Anonymous said...
Steven Wallace has Tourette's Syndrome which causes him to invountarily blink his eyes/squeeze his eyes shut at a very rapid pace that is distracting on camera. That's why he wears the sunglasses. He used to do interviews without them and really got the message boards going about why he blinked that way until his diagnosis was made more public.
I assume Chrissy wears them on camera because she sees other drivers do it. Kyle Busch put his sunglasses on before his VL interview on Fox this weekend. So did Matt Kenseth on ESPN. Maybe they shouldn't, but they do.
- March 13, 2008 at 12:23 AM
- Tom said...
This was one of the weaker spisodes we have seen this season. I am with everyone on the sponsored interviews...get rid of them. If NN stops using them altogether, perhaps the drivers (sponsors) will understand that they aren't getting the exposure they want and they may scale back the commercial element and settle for a real interview with a product placement behind the driver. Just an idea. Clearly mid week is a WEAK spot for this generally improving show. I too would like to see these shows focus on series aside from the big 3-not just a single interview-but highlights, commentary and schedules. There are many drivers who's names will become commonplace in the next 5 years that are in these series now and we would be well served by learning about them now.
Chrissy, lose the glasses.
Inverness, FL
- March 13, 2008 at 8:42 AM
- glenc1 said...
I figured Chrissie just didn't think about the sunglasses, and someone else *should* have. I did wonder if it might have been that she didn't want people to focus on her looks. I agree with Vince though--had the same thought on a Carnegie class while I was watching her. She seemed earnest but not very polished in getting that across. Kenn--that's the funniest comment I've seen in a while, lol. And I'm guessing they may very well have covered that very issue...
As for the promos--this stuff goes on all the time, whether it's charity (a better endeavor) or business or sponsor obligations. But I can cut Jamie some slack, he's had a rough month and that's very unusual for him; most all the reporters have good things to say about him ordinarily (and he was not rude, just indifferent, and he doesn't like being in controveries). But in general, I am more lenient with drivers/teams pushing this kind of thing than I might be with other sports because they are SO dependent on sponsors. I would agree it's an awkward thing, but so much of it is not just their teams but NASCAR insisting on it, and they are the ones who sign the broadcasting contracts with networks like ESPN...I think we've just gotten used to it even if it's not a great thing to be doing.
- March 13, 2008 at 8:47 AM
- Anonymous said...
I assume Chrissy wears them on camera because she sees other drivers do it. Kyle Busch put his sunglasses on before his VL interview on Fox this weekend. So did Matt Kenseth on ESPN. Maybe they shouldn't, but they do.
March 13, 2008 12:23 AM
Don't a lot of them have sunglasses endorsements? (Sponsors again...) jeff Burton wore them during a NASCAR Now interview not long ago. I would prefer that they not put them on during interviews. But some of the veteran drivers aren't being real role models to the younger drivers when they wear them in victory lane - and the networks allow them to do it. For that reason, I wouldn't single Chrissy Wallace out or think negatively of her in particular for wearing them, other than it was her first interview. She's going to do what the other drivers do, as would any newbie.
If you want to blame anyone, blame the production people or camera crews who don't ask them to remove them before satellite interviews (and I would prefer it for victory lane, too). Unless the networks- perhaps backed by a NASCAR communication to drivers - enforce a policy, then the drivers aren't going to comply. If they always have to remove sunglasses for interviews or the result is not getting interviewed, they'll get in the habit.
- March 13, 2008 at 9:14 AM
- David said...
EA Spends Big Bucks on ESPN and they where just doing the Car Wash for that. Surprised he hasn't been on ESPN Radio for yet. You are correct about Chrissy why would someone from that family let her go on with shades on when they are trying to sell her. Bet it doesn't happen again. Mike, Un cle Rusty and Kenny you listening??
- March 13, 2008 at 9:15 AM
- SophiaZ123 said...
Jeff Burton did the sunglass thing too..the drivers do it ALL the time on SPEED. On RaceDAY and even VL.
JD is it still a written rule at ESPN or do they just let is slide because of the SPONSORSHIP connection?
I think it's rude as all get out (though Jeff B also blinks his eyes hard sometimes so maybe he has a weird tic. I can understand with Steve Wallace as he can almost grimace with his eye blinking.
But as an unknown, the fact Chrissy was on TV and completely hidden!? I mean if you WANT to show sponsorship of the glasses, it's quite easy to lift them on top of your head as your being interviewed.
Even more annoying when the drivers put them on after a night race when they get out of the race cars. I am sadly so used to the SPONSOR SATURATION, i just shrug it off.
But I love seeing people's eyes...so it's a dreadful habit.
- March 13, 2008 at 11:55 AM
- AndyPandy said...
All I know about the sunglasses deal is that several times this year, I have seen Dale Jr. on TV standing by his car or just around the pits with his sunglases on, and when a reporter asks if he could talk to them, the first thing he does is remove the glasses. I would think that he has some sort of sunglass sponsorship, but it looks like his politeness is stronger than his salesmanship.
Some other drivers, both veterans and newbies, should take notes.
And another issue - has anyone ever heard Mike Wallace asked the question about the difference in attitudes concerning female drivers now and in the past?
- March 13, 2008 at 4:13 PM
- Anonymous said...
It's not just NN that pushes endorsements via race car drivers. Ever watch First Take? Most of the time, their live interviews revolve around some present or has-been athlete shilling for something, be it a credit card, some kind of contest they're being paid for, or some product. They also bring on movie/tv stars to promote their latest venture, covering it up by asking them at the end about their favorite teams. It's not about sports anymore, people. It's all about entertainment and $$$$$$.
Perhaps NN should be forgotten on Tuesday-Thursday. Since they can't seem to come up with anything of substance on Tuesday-Thursday, they should focus on something else---maybe like the spelling bee or domino tournaments.
Perhaps the drivers are sick of being asked about the tire "controversy" but the reporters are still pushing the issue. It's done with, let it go, no one is going to change their opinion on Wednesday. But no, sensationalism reigns supreme, and they're still stirring the pot.
- March 13, 2008 at 5:13 PM
- Anonymous said...
I would think that he has some sort of sunglass sponsorship, but it looks like his politeness is stronger than his salesmanship.
Depends on the extent of the media training they've had or how much they're in the media. You very rarely see guys like Jr, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards wear sunglasses on TV interviews or Victory Lane. Jimmie Johnson takes his off unless he's mad; he kept them on when Vickers wrecked him at Talledega.
(Except Raceday - for some reason it's acceptable to leave your glasses on when being interviewed by your motorcoach or hauler on Raceday.)
It's done with, let it go, no one is going to change their opinion on Wednesday. But no, sensationalism reigns supreme, and they're still stirring the pot.
It's not called sensationalism or stirring the pot, it's called following up on a story, and I'm glad to see them doing their jobs. The issues with Goodyear tires didn't disappear after last Sunday. Do you think there won't be tire problems anymore this year if they stop discussing it? Dale Jarrett is talking about it, Tony Stewart had more to say about it and so did Harvick. In other words, non wishy washy drivers who are not named Jamie McMurray do care about the tires. If they're talking, I want to hear what they're saying.
Which doesn't mean that NASCAR Now can ignore all the other garage news.
- March 13, 2008 at 5:29 PM
- Anonymous said...
Hey did you hear NASCAR Now has been nominated for a national Sports Emmy?
- March 13, 2008 at 5:33 PM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
Hey Guys,
Those are some great comments. The sunglasses thing is easy to get confused about.
When a driver is involved in a spontaneous interview, like in front of his hauler or just climbing out of his car (even in Victory Lane) they have the right to wear sunglasses. Nothing you can do to stop them. Some guys in the past have even tried to wear them during night races!
What I was referring to with Chrissy Wallace was a full-length feature interview one-on-one with a studio host. As you can see on all the other ESPN programs, losing the sunglasses just makes common sense. (And is ESPN policy)
This was a good first media appearance for her, and she was really treated well by Ryan Burr. He has come a long way from when he started in terms of his NASCAR knowledge. We have to give him credit, he is involved and working hard at the sport.
She will be a good story in a couple of weeks, and hopefully she will have learned a little bit about TV from this first interview.
The good folks at NASCAR Now have chimed in a bit to point out to me that not all the features on the program are produced by NASCAR Images. In fact, the nicely edited piece that we liked from the Wednesday show was done by the in-house ESPN staff.
Thanks to them for clearing that up. It is nice to get some direct feedback this season from the NASCAR Now crew, who have completely changed the program this season with great results.
Getting the focus of the Wednesday show off of promotion-driven interviews and back onto the regional and hard news stories about the sport will come with time.
For those of us who watched every single NASCAR Now in 2007, this season is a great big breath of fresh air. Thanks again to the NASCAR Now staff for emailing, and we hope to hear from them anytime they would like to raise an issue or help us with a correction.
- March 13, 2008 at 6:56 PM
- Anonymous said...
I'm curious:
The split screen interviews on SPEED's NASCAR RaceDay where JR, Jimmy, Kenny talk to a driver are also long interviews and the drivers often wear sunglasses for those. Why the difference in policy?
Why did Jeff Burton get to bypass ESPN policy and wear sunglasses on NN and who is responsible for ensuring athletes adhere to policy if they wear them?
You'd think the NASCAR nets would see the comments and realize that people don't like sunglasses on drivers during ANY type of interview and ask the drivers to cooperate.
- March 13, 2008 at 7:53 PM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
There is a new column up about the Emmy Nominations.
Anon 7:53PM,
Those are great questions and bring-up the fact that there is always going to be a conflict between what is "good TV" and what "sponsors want" on TV.
SPEED has struggled with this, and often has a disjointed presence on the air because some announcers are wearing sunglasses and some are not. Daytona was a case in point.
The next time you watch ESPN, check for this tidbit. Sunglasses are supposed to be banned across the board for the simple fact that without the person's face being visible, TV is just expensive radio.
These are just some of the struggles cable networks go through while they manufacture hours and hours of programming.
Did you notice that a college-trained TV professional like Wendy Venturini or Marty Smith will never appear on the air with sunglasses on?
Isn't TV always interesting? Don't get me started on the white jackets on SPEED. That is certainly an interesting choice.
- March 13, 2008 at 10:16 PM
- Anonymous said...
Don't get me started on the white jackets on SPEED. That is certainly an interesting choice.
How polite of you.
They look dumb.
- March 14, 2008 at 10:25 AM
- Ken-Michigan said...
In most cases, the person being interviewed is asked to "face the sun" for lighting issues during an interview ( unless the TV crew is prepared with proper lighting, reflector boards, etc).
So, Chrissy was probably asked to stare directly into the sun, while the sun was at the camera operators back. That interview was in turn 4 at Martinsville and she was no doubt staring into the sun.
Either she has a sunglasses deal already or she simply felt more comfortable wearing them. I DONT AGREE wearing them either. But, if it was a last second decision on HER part to wear them, we cant blame ESPN.
I wonder how many times the TV crew has asked Richard Petty to remove his sunglasses for an interview.
- March 14, 2008 at 11:13 AM


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"Happiness has been my theme in all the works that I've done," said the La Jollan known for her cheery-toned, pastel-hued paintings.
Though her artistic focus has changed (her 26 art galleries were all closed by 2010), Huss told the Torrey Pines Rotary Club on Oct. 31 she has no intention whatsoever of letting up at age 72.
"I've had a very interesting career so far, but I always feel like I'm still reaching forward," she told Rotarians. "There are still many things I want to do, books I'd like to complete. There's never enough time. I still have a zillion things to do."
Introducing Huss, Rotarian Gordon Shurtleff detailed her range of artistic design, from commercial products to ceramics and from clothing to wallpaper, greeting cards for Hallmark and illustrated children's books, plus syndication for newspapers.
"Her fine-art paintings hang in homes from Hollywood to the White House," Shurtleff said. "Sally's fine art work ranges from bold abstracts to small landscapes in oil to her happy, inspirational thoughts."
Huss started out telling service club members something few knew about her.
"I started my art career long after I had a tennis career," said Huss, who competed in both singles and doubles in the ladies division at Wimbledon.
Huss said her marshal philosophy, pursuing everything with joy, was just as relevant for her on the court as it was on her canvas.
"I found that if I played happy … I was much more effective," she said. "I found it didn't matter to me what the score was. When it doesn't matter, you can play very freely and you're very dangerous on the court."
Huss asked Rotarians to participate in an exercise, asking them to state their names and point to themselves.
Noting where they pointed — at the chest — Huss said, "That's your spiritual heart center; that's where happiness resides. It has a door on it and you have to keep that door open. That was my trick, to teach people how to keep their center door open all the time, no matter what."
Much like an athlete living in the moment and reacting reflexively, Huss said, her art is instinctual, arising from within.
"I just grab a brush and start painting — that's what I do," she said, adding that now she's getting around to picking up where she left off doing projects that have been put on the back burner.
"Over the years, I've done tons of children's books, writing them and stuffing them in a drawer," she said. "When we closed our last art gallery, I finally now have the time to do those books."
Another thing Huss has been stockpiling is inspirational thoughts and sayings, which now number upward of 2,000 and appear in everything from newspaper strips to wall plaques.
Huss read two:
"Each day is a lifetime to be lived fully, joyfully and without regret," and another inspired by a troublesome mother-in-law, "We are all the way we are, for a lot of reasons, and for all those reasons and more, we are worthy of being loved."
Huss had some advice to offer Rotarians in parting.
"Focus on the happiness," she said. "Worry less or not at all. Love each other. We're all brothers and sisters."
Shurtleff thanked her for sharing her inspiration.
"We're happy because you're here and you gave us a lot of happy thoughts," he said, offering her a bottle of wine while adding, "We want to make you happy. Everything's happy with wine."
Torrey Pines Rotary Club is a wine club that meets Wednesdays at noon at Rock Bottom Brewery in La Jolla, 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive.
For more information visit www.torreypinesrotary.org.


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Clayton Intermediate School is in the giving mood and recently kicked off their first-time involvement in DoSomething.org's "Teens for Jeans" Campaign. Families across the Smyrna-Clayton communities can get involved too by dropping jeans of any size off at Clayton Intermediate School until Friday, Feb. 8.
1. According to DoSomething.org, 1.7 million teens are homeless and the number one requested item from homeless shelters is a pair of jeans. That's why DoSomething.org, with the help of Aéropostale, is doing the campaign "Teens for Jeans." Over 2.5 million pairs of jeans have been donated since 2007.
2. Clayton Intermediate School decided to get involved at the suggestion of fifth grader Taylor Fellows. She was looking at the website for clothing company Aeropostale with her mother one day when they saw something about "Teens for Jeans."
"We thought it was a good idea and brought it up with the school, and they let us do an announcement about it," Fellows said.
3. School nurse Susan Broome is helping Fellows out with the "Teens for Jeans" campaign. She said the jeans are donated to a local homeless shelter. The campaign accepts gently used or new jeans, in any size from any brand. Broome said even though Aéropostale is involved, any brand jean is accepted.
Community members can get involved too by dropping jeans off between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the front entrance. Broome said there will be a box for donations.
"A lot of people really don't understand how many homeless people there are and how much more we have then they do." – Taylor Fellows, Clayton Intermediate School student
To Donate:
WHERE Clayton Intermediate School, 86 Sorrento Drive, Clayton
WHEN 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday
DEADLINE Friday, Feb. 8
Email Jennifer Dailey at email@example.com.


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"If we arm ourselves with the knowledge of how to deal with life's little mishaps, it makes them so much easier to bear."
QUIP: When it comes to serving dinner, I am very "old school" in that I prefer to set my table with real cloth tablecloths and napkins and - more often than not - I pull out the candlesticks!
I do all this because linens and candles are quick to create a calming atmosphere that allows diners to forget their troubles - come on get happy - and enjoy a stress-free meal.
It is wonderful to relax and unwind like this, especially after a difficult day. However, with the passing of plates, food and refreshments, there is bound to be something to cause those candles drip!
Even dripless candles have failed me! It seems as though all you have to do is breathe in the wrong direction and boom, hot wax all over the place - don't ask me how I know this!
There is no quicker way to lose your peace than to find that your favorite tablecloth has been splattered with wax - Good grief!
TIP: We don't have to let the little troubles in life steal our peace and, if we arm ourselves with the knowledge of how to deal with life's llittle mishaps, it makes them so much easier to bear!
Wax is not that difficult to remove, if you know what to do.
First and foremost, always wait for the wax to harden completely before trying to remove it. If there is a copious amount of wax spilled, place the tablecloth in the freezer for a few days to freeze and dry out the wax. The longer you leave it in the freezer, the easier it will be to scrape off the wax.
Once it has been frozen for a few days, use a spoon to scrape off as much wax as possible. Shake out any remnants of wax.
If there is any signs of wax or a stain left, cut out four to eight squares from a brown paper bag that are two times larger than the stain/remaining wax. Place one piece of the brown paper bag directly under the stain and another piece directly on top of it then take a hot iron that is set to the fabric of the cloth because the iron needs to be warm enough to melt the wax but not so hot that it burns your tablecloth!
Run the iron over the paper until you see an oil spot appear on the paper. Remove both top and bottom papers and replace with a new piece. Continue running the iron over it, as above, changing the paper on both top and bottom until an oily spot no longer appears after ironing.
After you've removed all the oily wax, spot-treat the affected area with regular soap. Gently rub the area with a stiff brush, being careful not to hurt the fabric then wash in a washing machine, using detergent and the hottest water setting possible. Afterward, let the tablecloth air dry.
After the tablecloth has finished air-drying, check to make sure the wax is completely removed. If the spot hasn't disappeared completely, pre-treat the area and wash again.
P.S.- If you want to avoid cleaning up a candle mess, try placing a clear sheet of plastic – found at fabric stores or a clear placemat under the candles. This way it won't compete or distract from your décor.
FYI: Freezing a candle does nothing to stop a candle from dripping. Nor does it make it burn longer. In fact, it could actually damage your candles and, it takes up valuable space in your freezer!


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Nebraska Tallies Third Big Ten Victory
Lincoln, Neb. - Nebraska women's tennis (14-1, 3-0 Big Ten) scraped together a 6-1 win over No. 37 Illinois (6-6, 0-2 Big Ten) on Friday. The Huskers started slowly at doubles and narrowly captured the point to head into singles where they faced stiff competition in challenging matches but ultimately snatched the win. This is the second meeting of the two teams ever and concluding today's victory for Nebraska the series is tied 1-1.
The doubles matches were close and it started at the No. 3 position where Huskers Maggy Lehmicke and Izabella Zgierska defeated Illinois' Allison Falkin and Julia Jamieson 8-5. Nebraska sealed the point at the No. 2 spot where Janine Weinreich and Stefanie Weinstein toppled Illinois' Breanne Smutko and Audrey O'Connor 8-5. The remaining match at the No. 1 spot did not finish to save time but it was tied at 7-7 between Nebraska's No. 13 Mary Weatherholt and Patricia Veresova and Illinois' No. 22 Melissa Kopinski and Rachael White.
On a 1-0 lead, Nebraska extended its grip on the match to 2-0 at the No. 2 spot when Patricia Veresova ousted Illinois' Allison Falkin 6-2, 6-3. The next point for the Huskers came at the No. 6 position where Izabella Zgierska defeated Illinois' Audrey O'Connor 6-3, 7-5 to push the lead to 3-0.
Nebraska finalized the victory 4-0 at the No. 4 position with Maggy Lehmicke knocking off Illinois' Misia Kedzierski 6-4, 6-3. The No. 1 match finished shortly after with Nebraska's No. 16 Mary Weatherholt edging Illinois' No. 120 Melissa Kopinski 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to make the score 5-0.
The last two matches finished with Nebraska's Stefanie Weinstein narrowly grabbing the victory at the No. 3 position over Illinois' Rachael White 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 before Illinois' Breanne Smutko defeated the Huskers' Janine Weinreich 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Nebraska hosts No. 7 Northwestern at home on Sunday, March 10 at noon before hitting the road to face San Diego on Sunday, March 17 at 10 a.m.
No. 10 Nebraska - 6
No. 37 Illinois - 1
Lincoln, Neb.
1. No. 16 Mary Weatherholt (NU) def. No. 120 Melissa Kopinski (UI) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
2. Patricia Veresova (NU) def. Allison Falkin (UI) 6-2, 6-3.
3. Stefanie Weinstein (NU) def. Rachael White (UI) 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.
4. Maggy Lehmicke (NU) def. Misia Kedzierski (UI) 6-4, 6-3.
5. Breanne Smutko (UI) def. Janine Weinreich (NU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
6. Izabella Zgierska (NU) def. Audrey O'Connor (UI) 6-3, 7-5.
Order of finish (2, 6, 4, 1, 3, 5)
1. No. 13 Mary Weatherholt/Patricia Veresova (NU) vs. No. 22 Melissa Kopinski/Rachael White (UI) 7-7 DNF.
2. Stefanie Weinstein/Janine Weinreich (NU) def. Breanne Smutko/Audrey O'Connor (UI) 8-5.
3. Maggy Lehmicke/Izabella Zgierska (NU) def. Allison Falkin/Julia Jamieson (UI) 8-5.
Order of finish (3, 2)


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A dark satire of pre-Sex and the City mating rituals in New York that still towers over most books in its class
Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York. Overlook, 223 pp., $13.95, paperback.
By Janice Harayda
Long before Bridget Jones stepped on a scale, Sheila Levine embodied a certain kind of single woman – smart, funny, overweight, and desperate to get married. A generation of women embraced her as a spiritual sister when she appeared in Gail Parent's 1972 bestseller, Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York, and took her story as an antidote to the terminal perkiness of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. So it was good news when, a couple of years ago, Overlook Press reprinted this blistering satire of mating rituals in pre-Sex and the City New York.
Like Bridget Jones, Sheila Levine is smart enough to see the absurdity of the games she plays with men but not smart enough to transcend them, which lends a comic poignancy to her husband-hunting. But her story is darker and more complex than Bridget's. It begins with Sheila contemplating suicide because a New York shopkeeper had claimed falsely that his milkshakes had only 77 calories, an incident based on a real-life event. The rest of the story turns on whether she will kill herself, and it's about as a bleak a premise as a novel can have. In some ways, this book has more in common Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize–winning play, 'night, Mother, than with Bridget Jones's Diary.
But Parent keeps the darkness from becoming oppressive with a fast-paced plot and well-observed details of the age when a Saturday-night party meant women in sheaths and pearls, men in black horn rims, and "Peter, Paul and Mary on the hi-fi." And more than three decades after its publication, it still towers over most books in its class, partly because Parent doesn't ridicule her heroine for her focus on her weight and marriage. Instead she places the blame for those obsessions where they belong – on a culture that still sends women the message that all their problems could be solved by a Glamour makeover.
Best line: "I'm committing suicide. DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE A MAN LIES ABOUT CALORIES?"
Worst line. Parent, a screenwriter, rarely misses the mark. But the ethnic humor in this book reflects the sensibilities of its era. For example, when her roommate doesn't return one night during a vacation in Rome, Sheila thinks: "Linda was obviously being held by the Mafia, who wanted her to dead an Italian-Jewish-American whorehouse."
Recommended if … you like dark comedy or wonder how people had sex when women wore panty girdles instead of thongs.
Published: 1972 (first edition), 2004 (Overlook reprint). The first edition, still available in many libraries and elsewhere, has a cover by the legendary graphic designer Milton Glazer, more famous for his snake-headed psychedelic Bob Dylan poster. The novel was also made into a 1975 movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073698/
Posted by Janice Harayda
(c) 2006 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.


text: Save This Event For Later Bound Brook Cycling Classic Bound Brook, NJ, Sun May 26, 2013 Who's Registered? | Contact Event | Event Website | Google Calendar Start line address: Bound Brook, NJ 08805 Presented by Middle Earth USA Cycling Permit # 2013-1689 This is a past event. If you wish to see the details for this event click, "Continue" below. If you are looking for a current event, please search the event calendar .


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The work week is off to an unseasonably warm start. The mercury will soar into the upper 70s by mid to late afternoon Monday,which is about 10 degrees above the average high of 67 degrees for the 21st of April.
High and mid-level clouds are already streaming into the Tri-State ahead of the next system. Therefore, sunshine will become increasingly filtered leading to mostly cloudy skies by Monday evening.
A weak cold front will move across the Tri-State very late tonight and early Tuesday morning. It will trigger scattered showers and possibly even an isolated thunderstorm. While a spotty shower is possible this evening, the best chance of rain will come after midnight.
After a lingering shower or two Tuesday morning, we will see increasing sunshine, but cooler with more seasonable temperatures in the upper 60s.
Follow FOX19 on Facebook and Twitter for continuously updated weather information.
Copyright 2014 WXIX. All rights reserved.


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A Boulder man was arrested Monday night after police say he beat two raccoons -- at least one of them fatally -- in a Dumpster with a nail-studded board as "revenge" for raccoons killing his cat years ago.
According to an arrest affidavit, Boulder police were called at 6:45 p.m. Monday to 5610 Arapahoe Ave. after a witness saw a man -- later identified as Richard Moller, 50 -- jump into a Dumpster and begin beating two raccoons with a piece of wood that had nails sticking out of it.
The witness said he could hear the raccoons "screaming and moaning" and said it appeared Moller was intentionally pushing the nails into the animals.
The witness yelled at Moller, at which point he told the witness, "All raccoons must die," then jumped out of the trash bin and left the scene, according to court records.
When police found and questioned him, Moller told officers that he had watched raccoons kill his cat a few years ago, that he had a "glitch" of anger and, "It was my opportunity to kill the raccoons," according to the affidavit.
Moller told police he was not using the side of the board with nails in it and was only trying to hit them with "blunt force trauma."
Police found a raccoon body in the Dumpster along with another injured raccoon that ran off before officers could catch it. A 3-foot-long board with nails sticking out of it also was found in the trash bin.
Moller is facing two counts of felony animal cruelty.
As of Tuesday evening, he remained at the Boulder County Jail on $100 bond.
He is next scheduled to appear in court at 2 p.m. Thursday in the jail's courtroom.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Mitchell Byars at 303-473-1329, email@example.com or twitter.com/mitchellbyars.


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Loon groups push for bill to ban lead fishing jigs in NHBy DAN SEUFERT
Union Leader Correspondent April 09. 2013 8:55PM
MOULTONBOROUGH - The Loon Preservation Committee and the New Hampshire Lakes Association are pushing hard for passage of a bill that would ban the use of lead sinkers and fishing jigs, which they say threaten the lives of loons.
The groups held a press conference in Concord Tuesday to call for passage in the House of Senate Bill 89. The bill recently passed the Senate by a unanimous vote, and it will come before the House Fish and Game and Marine Resources Committee in the coming weeks.
The bill's prime sponsor, Sen. Jeanie Forrester, R-Meredith, said the bill "is great news for New Hampshire loons and all who enjoy them on our lakes.
"I am pleased to be the prime sponsor of this important legislation that will ensure the continued viability of our small loon population, one of our state's true treasures," she said.
Harry Vogel, the loon committee's executive director, said loons do not breed until their sixth or seventh year of life on average, and a loon pair produces an average of one surviving chick every two years in New Hampshire.
"In any population of animals with those life history characteristics, the key to maintaining a viable population is to keep adults alive, so that they have many opportunities to reproduce over their lifetimes."
The Loon Preservation Committee said 11 loons died in 2010 after ingesting lead tackle. The committee and its partners have conducted a comprehensive study of loon mortality in New Hampshire, which found that lead fishing sinkers and jigs caused nearly half of the adult loon mortality between 1989 and 2011.
The study also showed that the majority of lead-related loon deaths are from lead jigs, which are most commonly used by bass anglers, the loon committee said.
Senate Bill 89 would expand the current ban on lead sinkers to include jigs by expanding the ban to include tackle sizes up to one ounce.
Opponents of the legislation, including several organized state and national bass fishing groups, say the bill is virtually identical to a bill that was tabled by legislators in 2012 and never became law.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission is not supporting this bill, and did not support last year's bill.
Dick Smith of the New Hampshire Bass Federation said the bill goes too far, and says he has studies from other states that show that loons are mostly dying from ingesting small amounts of lead, most likely lead sinkers, not larger lead fishing jigs.
"The science is on our side," he said. "The lead objects they are eating are mostly sinkers and split-shot. Study after study proves that small lead objects are causing the problem.
"There is no dispute that if a loon ingests a small amount of lead it is likely to die, but this bill goes over the top, while the rest of us bass fishermen are trying to fish."


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Casa del Sol is planning its annual reception for Older Americans Month on May 1 this year with a come and go breakfast, 8 to 10 a.m.
Linda Rhodes and Bette McFarren
Every year the Amigos de Casa Del Sol celebrate Older Americans Month in May. This year they are planning a come and go breakfast on May 1, 8 to 10 a.m., recognizing and honoring the elders in our community.
Music will be provided by pianists Marilyn Russell and Dee Hostetler, as well as guitarist Rich Thomas.
There will also be an opportunity to visit apartments and talk to the staff about the Casa Del Sol services.
Who: Older Americans
What: Come and go breakfast
When: 8-10 a.m. Wednesday, May 1
For more information: Call 384-0342.


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When a new student arrives at Richard W. Warren Middle School, there's another student waiting to show him or her around.
When a new student arrives at Richard W. Warren Middle School, there's another student waiting to show him or her around.
Guides who assist new pupils are members of a group of students known as Warren Pioneer Ambassadors.
In addition to helping new students, the ambassadors perform other services at the school including providing assistance during parent-teacher conferences.
"They are just an amazing group of students," said teacher Sharon Kuchinski, who advises the ambassadors.
The group of eighth-graders also help promote character trait words. The Leavenworth school district focuses on a different trait each month as part of a character education program.
The Warren Pioneer Ambassadors have produced short videos to highlight some of the character traits. The videos have been shown to the rest of the student body.
Kuchinski said student creativity drives the Warren Pioneer Ambassadors program.
"It's totally student driven," she said.
In December, the ambassadors organized a flash mob during a school music program to promote the character trait "cooperation."
"I think the entire student body was caught off guard by that," Kuchinski said.
There are 22 students in the Warren Pioneer Ambassadors program. They meet as one of Kuchinski's classes and can utilize a period during the school day called Pioneer Time.
She said the application process for the program includes writing an essay and being interviewed by a panel.
Kuchinski said Warren had the ambassador program last year, but it's more visible this year.
Leavenworth High School also has an ambassador program. And Kuchinski said she communicates to a high school counselor regarding eighth-graders in the Warren program.