Archive - Dec 2012 - News Article
December 7th
By
George Shirk - Times News Editor
A pair of bobcats are enjoying the early winter in Mammoth’s neighborhoods, and wildlife specialist Steve Searles says he is ecstatic.
“For people to be able to observe that in a community, it’s a great indicator of one of the things that’s going really right in our town,” he said at the Mammoth Town Council meeting Wednesday evening.
“To have local bobcats being observed multiple times a day, it’s something we should be really proud of, and celebrate.”
Searles said there is no reason for people to be alarmed by the two critters.
The Tri-Valley area of Mono County—Hammil, Chafant and Benton—was once the fastest growing part of the county, and developer Bob Stark hopes it is again soon.
He got some help for his vision Tuesday after the Mono County Board of supervisors agreed to make it easier to continue his White Mountain Estates project north of Bishop on S.R 6.
Stark’s 87-unit project was going full-speed prior to 2008, poised to fill a deep need for workforce housing in the county, which at the time was experiencing a real estate price boom.
The Bridgeport Winter Recreation Area (BWRA) is scheduled to open Dec. 6 after gaining three and four feet of snow coverage.
The BWRA area is suitable for snowmobiling and other winter sports and is located in the Sonora Pass vicinity off S.R. 108. Recent storms have provided enough snow to meet the minimum requirements for opening, but snow conditions are variable.
David Scobie, a police officer with the MLPD for 10 years, received a recognition award from the Town Council Wednesday night, and Mayor Matthew Lehman gave him one of the highest compliments a cop could hope for.
“I don’t know David real well,” Lehman said, “but one thing I’ve heard around town is that people really like David Scobie. Even the people who are pulled over by him almost enjoy the experience.
“He’s the epitome of a great officer.”
Annual event in Bishop on Dec. 15
The Mammoth Lakes Police Officers Association is coordinating a multi-jurisdictional, multi-county event that will benefit some well-deserving families for Christmas.
The event is called “Shop with a Cop,” and will involve the Mammoth Lakes Police Department, Bishop Police Department, Mono County Sheriff’s Department, Inyo County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, and Inyo Probation Department.
Mammoth Hospital next month will have two new surgeons on staff, beginning in January, the hospital announced this week in a press release.
Fru Bahiraei, M.D. and Richard Koehler, M.D. will have primary residence within the Mammoth Hospital District boundaries.
Dr. Bahiraei is board certified in general surgery and comes to Mammoth most recently from Whidbey General Hospital in Coupeville, Washington.
At Whidbey he provided general surgical, vascular, thoracic, trauma, and endoscopic services.
Enjoy the musical talent of the Eastside and ring in the holiday season this weekend with a community concert that features local musicians of all ages performing in the Eastern Sierra Chamber Orchestra.
The concerts, Saturday at St. Joseph’s Church in Mammoth, and Sunday at the Bishop Neighborhood Church, begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $7 for students.
The Felici Trio’s Brian Schuldt directs the chamber orchestra, and Stephanie Everson directs the choir.
A $150 “fire prevention” fee for most non-Mammoth residents in Mono County may be here to stay, after promised political support for the removing the fee evaporated during the election season.
About $3,000 in unclaimed state tax refunds is sitting around, waiting for 28 Mono County residents to claim their money.
A total of $14 million awaits taxpayers in other counties, according to the state tax board. The most common reason taxpayers don’t get their refunds is because they move and don’t update their addresses with the state Franchise Tax Board.
December 5th
The chief doctor of the Mono and Inyo counties health department this week urged Eastern Sierra residents protect themselves from what appears to be a bad wave of influenza sweeping the United States.
Dr. Richard Johnson said there have been no documented cases in the area, but the flu activity "is showing signs of increasing across the country."
"Significant increases in flu activity in the United States have occurred in the last two weeks, indicating that an early flu season is upon us," he said in a news release.
December 4th
The granite curtain has fallen.
Yosemite National Park closed Tioga Pass for the season last weekend, along with the Glacier Point Road.
The significant storm systems that passed through the Yosemite Area over the weekend resulted in an estimated five and a half feet of snow accumulation in Tuolumne Meadows.
These roads close each fall and remain closed throughout the winter months until weather conditions permit reopening in the spring next year.
Yosemite National Park is open year-round with snow removal on all other roads within the park.
December 1st
By
George Shirk - Times News Editor
Mammoth downhiller Stacey Cook broke onto the World Cup stage this past weekend, putting together back-to-back second-place finishes in the first podium finishes of her career.
Wearing a purple Mammoth knit hat, Cook mounted the podium twice behind winner Lindsey Vonn at Lake Louise, eight years after finishing fourth in that particular race.
Members of the Mammoth Mountain Ski and Snowboard teams gathered in the ski area’s Slopeside Center to watch the races on television. They were joined by members of the U.S. Snowboard Team and the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, in Mammoth for training.
By
George Shirk - Times News Editor
With stories spanning everything from science to skiing, women on snow to a guide to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, the winter preview edition of Mammoth Sierra Magazine is about to hit the racks
The magazine, free at selected locations and to subscribers of the Mammoth Times, is the 58th edition of the bimonthly publication. The new edition hits newstands on Friday, Dec. 7.
Featured is a mysterious cover image from the Beekley Collection of Ski Art.
