Archive - News Article
March 3rd, 2013
A 21-year-old female from Mammoth was sexually assaulted at 1:40 a.m. on Feb. 20 just outside The Tap bar.
A tall, skinny male of unknown race, his face obscured by the hood of his black puffy jacket, approached her from behind and grabbed her breasts.
Footprints took officers from near the bar toward a condominium complex on Meridian where they became jumbled with other footprints.
Winter is still alive—and roaring—March 8-9, when the Eastern Sierra makes way for the June Lake Snowmobile Rally.
The main event is the Snowmobile Poker Run Saturday, March 9. The weekend begins with Friday’s welcome party with live music, dinner specials, and poker run registration.
The Snowmobile Poker Run is comprised of a 15-mile course, from June Lake Junction to Bald Mountain Scenic Look-out and begins with an open start.
There will be a $500 grand prize for best hand.
A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that nearly 100,000 visitors in 2011 spent $3,642,000 in Devils Postpile National Monument and in communities near the park.
That spending supported 43 jobs in the local area.
“Devils Postpile National Monument helps sustain the local economy with ecotourism,” Superintendent Deanna Dulen said. “The national monument brings visitor spending to the surrounding communities and helps support local jobs.”
Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra wrapped up their third Paralympic Sport Camp of the winter season.
The Alpine Ski and Race Camp is one of several DSES Paralympic Sport camps, a recruitment camp for further Paralympic training.
Half Dome cables day use permits for the 2013 hiking season will be available for reservation starting today, March 1, through Sunday, March 31, Yosemite National Park officials announced.
Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are required. Reservations will be distributed via a lottery system. Successful parties will be notified in early April.
A maximum of 300 hikers will be allowed on the Half Dome cables per day.
Mammoth Community Water District completed its environmental assessment of the proposed expansion of Casa Diablo Geothermal Plant on Feb. 25, according to Irene Yamashita of the Mammoth Community Water District.
While the project’s environmental documents conclude there will be no significant impacts to the Water District, the district remains skeptical.
“The draft document,” Yamashita said, “does not provide sufficient information to support these conclusions.”
March 1st
By
George Shirk, Times Managing Editor
Forecasters predict a foot of snow for midweek
Snow dance, anyone?
Having endured the two driest back-to-back, mid-winter months in recorded history, Mammoth and the Eastern Sierra may get a break beginning Tuesday night, March 5, and Wednesday, March 6, according to the National Weather Service.
How much snow will fall is up in the air, so a good, old-fashioned snow dance still would be appropriate.
February 22nd
By
Lyra Pierotti/For the Times
The Sierra has been abuzz with concern over the recreational and economic implications of the proposed Tuolumne River and Merced River Plans.
On Saturday, Feb. 23, Yosemite National Park employees Kathleen Morse and Mike Yochim will be in Mammoth to provide information on the two proposed plans. They said they would open the floor for questions.
By
George Shirk, Times Managing Editor
Snowmos win big in new Forest Service plan
The Forest Service this past week unveiled an ambitious plan for a new staging area for motorized vehicles at the popular Shady Rest Staging Area.
By
George Shirk, Times Managing Editor
Lakers owner built Rafters, Sierra Nevada Lodge
‘Cadillac’ program needs serious trimming, supes say
With Mono County gasping for financial relief, the Board of Supervisors this past week took aim at what one supervisor called the county’s “Cadillac” paramedic program.
The board on Tuesday, Feb. 19, acted to trim costs of the $5 million program—the second most expensive program for the county.
By
George Shirk, Times Managing Editor
‘I feel like I’ve been mugged,’ property owner says
Mammoth’s tax enforcers, charged with turning up the heat on violators of the town’s transient occupancy tax laws, thought they had a big fish on the line.
The Town Council on Wednesday night, Feb. 20, came down on the side of the fish, though, letting Kevin and Carolynn Cozen off the hook for what started out as a $98,100 bill for back taxes and penalties.
It’s not every day, even in a ski town, that you find a stark nekid womanwandering around the Westin lobbyin the wee hours, and it’s not often that Mono County Dispatchgets a call re: said woman, and it’s not every day that the self-same woman returns with the T-shirt someone gave her for protection against the cold temps and/or prying eyes. …
By
George Shirk, Times Managing Editor
‘Boat Race’ goes to Treat
Everyone agreed the new snow on Mammoth Mountain was nice, and strong winds made for some nice wind buff.
But it wasn’t so nice for the Village Championships on Tuesday, Feb. 19, which had to cancel its first-ever Super G off Chair 14 to Reds Lake.
The next VC race is Tuesday, Feb. 26. It is a dual GS, with each run counting as a race.
Property taxes lag behind state
Sluggish property tax revenues will make budgets tight for yet another year in Mono County, according to county officials.
While the rest of the state is beginning the slow climb out of the recession, Mono County is lagging in terms of property tax revenues, mostly due to some of the rural areas of the county where property prices have yet to bottom out.
