Archive - 2010
October 22nd
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By George Shirk/Mammoth Times Senior Writer
Stacey Cookâs road to redemption stretches out ahead, four years long.
She knows it is going to be a difficult journey, both physically and psychologically, but if all goes well, the road will end at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia.
The 26-year-old downhill racer, Mammothâs best hope on the U.S. Womenâs Ski team, said she enters the 2010-2011 ski season as determined as ever, in spite of her horrific crash at last Februaryâs Vancouver Games.
Win two round trip tickets for two from Mammoth to Los Angeles. See the entry form in this week's Mammoth Times, page 13, and weekly through Nov. 5.
Take your coupon to the Mammoth Times office, the Quiksilver store or McCoy Sports in the Village at Mammoth, to enter for a chance to win one pair out of nine free pairs (18 tickets) to be awarded to Mammoth-area residents for Horizonâs Mammoth to Los Angeles round trips.
If you just canât wait to win, Horizon Air is offering a $59 one-way fare between Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) and Los Angeles International (LAX) through Dec. 15.
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By George Shirk Mammoth/Times Senior Writer
Itâs one thing to find a fly in the ointment. Itâs quite another when that fly hits you up for $95,000, which is what happened Wednesday night, when the Mammoth Lakes Town Council found aforesaid fly sitting right in the middle of its airport runway.
Sky West, the United Airlines subsidiary that is to fly daily to and from Mammoth and San Francisco starting in December, hit up the town with a surprise demand for two pricey pieces of ground equipment, catching the council, Town Manager Rob Clark and Airport Director Bill Manning off guard.
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By Wendilyn Grasseschi/Mammoth Times Staff Writer
While the ghostly white trees hovering around stark Horseshoe Lake may unnerve some people, a Massachusetts scientist found the greenhouse gas that strangled them could actually lead to a solution to climate change problems.
Working under a four-year, $2.3 million grant from the Department of Energy, Dr. Bruno Marino came to Mammoth last week, hoping to refine a high-tech laser he believes will some day soon be absolutely critical in the fight against climate change.
SKI magazine says Mammoth Mountain Ski Area ranks 12th nationally and first in California. Coming in first in its annual âBestâ issue, Mammoth was hands-down winner of Terrain Parks, for years under the stewardship of Oren Tanzer and now in Josh Chauvetâs hands. ...
October 19th
Whatâs more important up here than mobile phone coverage?
Hard to figure anything, right off the top of our headsets.
Weâve heard of people tossing their iPhones off chairlifts, tossing them against the walls, crying real tears and wondering with exasperation how to find a charger once they realize theyâve left theirs at home.
No worries. Maybe. Possibly.
AT&T announced last week that it is accelerating the timetable to complete network upgrades on its wireless service, making it âsignificantly soonerâ than earlier estimates.
October 16th
Coming off two difficult defeats on the road, the Mammoth Huskies rallied on Friday night and thumped Lucerne Valley, 38-10.
The victory brought the Huskies to 3-3 on on the season and 1-1 in the conference.
October 15th
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi â Mammoth Times Staff Writer
When a Sierra Nevada red fox slipped out of the high country forest near Sonora Pass, it didnât know its kind hadnât been positively identified in the Sierra for at least 20 years.
It didnât know that its closest relativeâ the same species but a genetically different population â of a few dozen red foxes in Lassen National Park, already one thread away from final, was the last known group of foxes in the Sierra, down from a species that had once covered most of the Sierra high country.
Old friend Warren Miller lost his rights to be Warren Miller on Wednesday when he lost a lawsuit between Warren Miller Entertainment (the film company) and Warren Miller (the man) over Millerâs use of his name, likeness, voice and endorsement. Since 2005, Miller, now in his mid 80s, has indicated that he is not content with recent productions, and has been actively discouraged from involvement in the films bearing his name. ..
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The townâs Planning Commission gave a âCertificate of Appreciationâ to Jim Demetriades, he of snazzy-looking Rafters and the Sierra Nevada Lodge. ...
By
George Shirk - Mammoth Times Senior Writer
In 10 years, Mammoth will be the best alpine community in the country.
It will have gobs of winter and summer recreation, miles of trails, a plethora of special events and high-altitude athletes absorbing a cornucopia of art and culture.
Our townspeople will be playing soccer and football, the kids will have great sports camps and the skiing and snowboarding will be simply fabulous.
So says a vision statement that the Mammoth Lakes Recreation Commission handed up to the Town Council on Tuesday afternoon on a unanimous and enthusiastic vote.
By
George Shirk - Mammoth Times Senior Writer
The reaction to Mammoth Disposalâs bear-proof curbside containers apparently is mixed.
Mammoth Lakes Planning Commission chair Tony Barrett on Wednesday said heâd heard from unhappy customers.
The question was if the BearSaver contraptions work as promised, and Dan Dawson rose to the deviceâs defense.
A member of the townâs Wildlife Committee, Dawson said the only problems heâd heard of were caused by stupid humans.
âYou canât give âem all night,â he said in reference to bears who have tried to break into the bins.
âTheyâll figure it out and get in.â
By
George Shirk - Mammoth Times Senior Writer
John Nathan Adams, the popular track and snowboarding coach who was hospitalized after the horrific Aug. 9 triple-fatal crash in Bishop, died on Saturday as a result of his injuries, his family announced.
On Friday, Adamsâ family posted a notice on the website CaringBridge.com that family members had decided to end Adamsâs life support at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno.
He passed away surrounded by his family.
By
George Shirk - Mammoth Times Senior Writer
Visits into the wilderness areas of the Inyo National Forest hit a 10-year spike this past summer, according to Nancy Upham, the information officer of the forest.
âThere were more days full on more trails than in the past 10 years, even some of the more obscure trails,â she said.
Upham said wilderness permits at the Wilderness Reservation offices in both Bishop and Mammoth were off the charts. Though the Forest Service does not do an actual count at campgrounds, anecdotal evidence suggests that the campgrounds were jammed all summer, too.
Thereâs something special about this Special Election.
Four candidates are competing for the job of State Senator, District 1, including one Democrat and three Republicans.
Old rules still govern this Special Consolidated Primary Election to fill the seat of the deceased Senator Dave Cox.
Voters will close an era of partisan history when they mark their ballots during the November election.
.jpg "The Sierra Nevada red fox. Illustration by John Muir Laws.")
Blame Game in the county schools
October 15, 2010
When the Eastern Sierra Unified School Board learned it was facing a $2.5 million deficit earlier this year, it should not have found that out at a figurative âtwo minutes to midnight.â
The economic writing has been on the wall for years, now.
But it did, and in three months, it cut dozens of teachers and classified staff, without the time to give the issue the in-depth kind of analysis such a radical move deserves.