Archive - Jan 2011 - Opinion

Groundhog Day was serious stuff back home in the Midwest

January 28, 2011

In the little town where I come from, we took Groundhog Day seriously.

It was entirely frivolous and silly, and mostly it was a Shirk thing, but it eventually grew into a town thing.
The town is Oelwein, Iowa. It is a burg of about 7,000 souls, situated in the northern part of the state.

There is nothing to stop the brutal arctic wind that howls down from Canada. By Feb. 2, we all needed a break and at least a good laugh, if not a trip to the Caribbean.

What we do best

January 17, 2011

Mammoth Times Editorial

There’s an old coaching expression that goes something along the lines of “Hide your weaknesses; exploit your strengths.”

In the wake of the loss of the $30 million Hot Creek lawsuit appeal, Mammoth would be wise to follow that advice.

We’re really good at recreation.

We’ve known that all along, but during the late 90s and early 2000s, we let other things (development, primarily) crowd into the discussion, and we weren’t very good at it.

But now we have our focus back.

Martin Luther King

January 14, 2011

Monday Jan. 17 marks the 25th observation of the Martin Luther King holiday, as signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, and first celebrated in 1986. King is honored due to his leadership in the Civil Rights movement, during which he promoted nonviolent resistance to racist laws and policies in the United States.

Out of our league

January 8, 2011

MAMMOTH TIMES EDITORIAL

"We were out of our league."

So said former Mammoth Lakes Town council member Kathy Cage, after learning the Town lost its appeal of the airport/Hot Creek decision last week.

“We didn’t have the expertise we needed to negotiate such high level agreements,” she said.

Cage’s assessment could all too easily be applied to far more than just the most recent airport embroilment.

The appeals court’s Dec. 30 decision that found the Town on the wrong side of a $30 million lawsuit is only the latest in a series of high-profile legal snafus.