Archive - News Article
March 25th, 2011
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Mammoth Times Staff Writer
As Big Pine residents mourned the loss of homes and property due to a windblown fire this past weekend, Mammoth residents – already buried after a winter that has dumped 44.7 feet (561 inches) of snow on the higher elevations – are waiting out another three to four feet of the white stuff that’s expected to fall by Sunday night.
When Mammoth headed into the second storm of the week early Thursday, it was only 17 inches from becoming the biggest snowfall winter on record – 578.5 inches set in 2005-06 – and it’s not over yet.
Ryan Hall’s favorite coffee is Peet’s Au Lait, he tweets, so if you wanna run fast and long, there’s a tip. ...
The Fred Hall Show in San Diego is this weekend, and Quiz for the Week: “Who the heck is/was Fred Hall?”
...
Our faithful tweeters, meanwhile, say that if you haven’t latched on to Steven M. Bumgardner (YosemiteSteve), you’re missing out. ...
MLPD Sergeant John Mair will be sworn in as the newest lieutenant on today at one o’clock at the Cop Shop. ...
March 21st
When Kelly Bahr became an animal care volunteer for Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care, she never imagined she would do physical therapy on a Golden eagle. But a few weeks ago, she did just that. The Golden eagle was rescued from the shoulder of Highway 6 on Matthew Hill, mid-way between Hammil and Benton. On admission, the female eagle had tightly clenched talons and could only stand on her hocks. While working to find the cause of this problem, ESWC Director Cindy Kamler ordered therapy and Kelly helped implement it.
All roads into Yosemite National Park have reopened this morning, pending weather and safety along the roadways. This includes park entrances via Highways 120, 140, and 41.
The park is open to visitors until 7:00 p.m. this evening. Reservations for rooms in the park will be honored this evening. The Hetch Hetchy Road and the Badger Pass Road will remain closed
until further notice.
Yosemite National Park will be fully open to the public beginning tomorrow, Friday, March 25. Again, this is contingent upon the weather and safety on the roads.
The Center Fire that started outside of Big Pine Friday night burned 19 structures, including homes, and 850 acres before it was considered "contained" or out, last night.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
As many as 400 fire fighters were assigned to the fire over the weekend, although the wind-whipped flames did most of their damage Friday night.
CalFire's website is one of the best places to get the latest data on the fire; http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=482
Here's the latest update from CalFire, filed Sunday night at 7 p.m.
March 18th
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Mammoth Times Staff Writer
Are we ready? It’s hard not to ask that question, watching the destruction, fear and grief facing Japan.
Deep down, Mammoth holds a large and uncomfortable resemblance to that island country, although the surfaces of the two areas couldn’t be more different.
Unstable bedrock, an unquiet volcanic past; more than many places in the country, the Eastern Sierra shares a certain geological kinship with Japan. All that’s missing is the sea – and many millions of people.
But a big quake? Sure. A volcano? Sure. Both are inevitable, scientists tell us. Someday.
By
George Shirk - Mammoth Times Senior Writer
Don’t let the snowbanks or the cold snap fool you.
Mammoth’s bears are starting to wake up.
You can see them, now and again, lying on top of a snowbank, soaking up some sun before retreating back in their dens.
“The life cycle is beginning again,” said Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles,.
“During the winter we kind of forget about them,” he said. “I know where I live, I can leave stuff out in the garage and it’ll just freeze, and there’s no odor.
Maggie and Buck Wahl are back from Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, and those pictures on Facebook belong in a museum or something, sez us. ...
Good for Kelly Bahr, who as an animal care volunteer for Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care, did heroic work giving help to a Golden Eagle that was rescued from the shoulder of Highway 6 near Benton. ESWC Director Cindy Kamler ordered therapy, and tests revealed the eagle sadly, had acute lead poisoning and it subsequently died.
March 16th
A permitted burn on private ranchland last Saturday, March 12, was visible from Sherwin Summit and had several people calling in to report a fire. Mammoth Times Photos/Leslie Willoughby
March 15th
Saturday night, March 12, the first Mardi Gras night at Rafters brought out revelers in costume. New Orleans food was served and Lisa Haley and the Zydekats provided lively music for dancing.
March 14th
By
A message from Dr. Rick Johnson/Mono County Public Health Officer
Our hearts go out to the people of Japan, as the evolving multiple catastrophic disasters of earthquake, tsunami, radiation, and now freezing cold and snow compound their unimaginable human misery. The images and stories told 24/7 through our media barely scrape the surface of human emotion being felt in Japan, but leave us feeling at once sad, helpless, guilty, and afraid. Having said that, allow me (RJ) to speak to you as the Eastern Sierra family, and try to put this into perspective. After all, if this happened here, we would be forced to relate as one big family in order to survive.
By
News and analysis by Wendilyn Grasseschi – Mammoth Times Staff Writer
What was supposed to be a compromise solution to help solve the Bodie Wilderness Study Area (WSA) fate Tuesday, wasn’t.
Instead, when Mono County District 2 Supervisor Hap Hazard proposed to divide the existing WSA roughly in half – with one half becoming true wilderness and the other open to multiple uses – just about everyone was none too pleased.
And the fact that he asked everyone to do it quickly didn’t help either.
March 11th
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi, Mammoth Times Staff Writer
Despite another round of pleas from Mammoth Mountain and the Town of Mammoth Lakes Tuesday for air flight subsidies, county supervisors once again said, “Not so fast.”
For the second time in about as many months, Town and Mountain officials came to the county for help, asking for between $215,000 and $289,000 a year to help bridge a gap in subsidizing year around air service (winter air service subsidies are already covered by the Mountain.)
By
George Shirk, Mammoth Times Senior Writer
Mammoth Lakes Housing (MLH), dedicated to providing housing for low-income families, has turned a radical corner.
Rather than building new structures, the non-profit organization has its eye on acquiring and rehabilitating older structures in Mammoth.
“This is our first step into it, so we’re dealing with some new processes,” said MLH executive director Pam Hennarty, “but I think we’re handling it pretty well. We’re excited about the process.”
Those really were the actors, Jason Biggs (American Pie) and Rider Strong (Boy Meets World), in town last weekend. ...
While we’re in the Department of Name Dropping, also on hand last weekend was Brian Dunkleman, co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the very first season of American Idol. ...
Is there any bigger fan of March Madness than Bob Sollima? Don’t think so. On his behalf, Go Zags! ...
While we’re in the Department of Name Dropping, also on hand last weekend was Brian Dunkleman co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the very first season of American Idol. ...
