What's Up, Up Here? Jan. 14

January 14, 2011

A Mukha in the mountains

A rundown of what's going on around here:

Realtors all over town died a little death earlier this week when the L.A. Times fronted a story about Mammoth and our little legal problem. Headline was “Mammoth Lakes fears financial ruin after legal judgment.” ...

Brian Shibley tells us that the golf tournament held last fall in memory of his daugther Cari raised $3,000 for ICare and $3,000 for Mono County Animal Shelter. ...

From the gallows humor department: Rec commissioner Bill Sauser, after listening to a presentation by MLTPA’s John Wentworth – the same one he gave last December – said, “Back in December, you had cookies.” Replied (dryly) Knud Svendsen, “That was before the lawsuit.” ...

Speaking of Sauser, the commission put him on the Measure U Committee, charged with doling out the dough when it starts rolling in. (Pat Agnitch is the alternate.) Each of the four commissions picks a representative, with two at-large spots open for the rest of us. ...

Separated at birth: John Wentworth and Richard Nixon. “My middle name is Milhaus!” Wentworth said. ...

The world record for the 50K is of 2 hours, 43 minutes and 38 seconds, which Mammoth Track Club runner Josh Cox will try to beat this weekend in Vegas. ...

Tim Hansen lost his mother over the holidays. Our condolences to you and your family, Tim. ...

Visit Mammoth’s John Urdi will join the MLTPA board on Monday. ...

MMSA marketing director Howard Pickett brought Urdi with him to Seattle this past week to meet with Alaska/Horizon officials up thar. “This time, we had the right players at the table,” said Urdi. ...

Also news from the mountain, action sports dude Josh Chauvet used to race bicycles. ...

That was a classy demo last weekend by Burton Snowbords, who reported it was the busiest two days of demos they’d ever had. ...

Condolences to all the Ducks out there, especially Tony Colasardo, who hadn’t stopped wearing green and yellow for weeks leading up to the Auburn National Championship game. “Aw, that’s all right,” he said. “We just kept on drinking.” ...

Here’s something you wouldn’t have seen a coupla years ago: A family of 10 from Memphis for a Wednesday through Sunday visit. ...

And a redux: A guy on the plane said he was from Philadelphia. Always wanted to see this place but couldn’t get here before. ...

Planning Commissioners Elizabeth Tenney and Jay Deinkin took their bi-annual tour around town with businessman Tom Cage, and noticed that the newer condo projects have many more snow removal problems than the older complexes. The new ones are really tight. Hmmm. ...

Commercial builder Ward Jones, in town from Vancouver, was at Vons on Wednesday when he realized, “Hey it’s two o’clock,” so he scampered up to the Planning Commission meeting. After a greet session, he said, “I’ll just sit back here and throw buns at ‘em.” He didn’t. ...

Kathy Richardson, owner of Mammoth Village Properties and The Side Door misses her horse in Bishop. She has been working too hard to ride, although the capable Sonja Bush helps her with both enterprises. To reduce the stress, the two attempted a Flow Yoga workout at Snowcreek Athletic Club. ...

Last week we reported minus 19 degrees in Crowley Lake, but Hilton Creek Community Services District can top – er, bottom – that: Its thermometer dropped to minus 24. ...

The truck stops here. Mono County Deputy Sheriff Vetter figures a vehicle slammed into the buck statue after it caught its tire inside the berm of the traffic island near the Long Valley Fire Protection building in Crowley Lake. ...

The Tiger Bar in June Lake has been plagued by big ol’ 20-foot trucks parking and blocking traffic, and others going too fast, said June Lake’s Vikki Bauer. “It’s just a nightmare,” says she. Even worse? When one mother asked a driver to slow down so he wouldn’t hit her kid, he sped up. ...

The Mono supes took a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Tuscon shooting Tuesday. Then they started talking about adding a few safety nods of their, own, starting with a two-story ladder in every window of that big county courthouse in Bridgeport. ...

The much maligned LADWP came to South County’s rescue during the big storm over Christmas, donating plow drivers and other help to stuck residents and three foot-deep-in-the-snow roads. ...

We’ve tipped our cap before, but we’ll do it again for coach Chris Ault and his Nevada Wolf Pack for thwacking Boston College last week in their bowl game in San Francisco. Nevada finished 13-1. ...

Just for the heck of it: Debbie Clausen’s Muhkas, and if you don’t know from that, check ‘em out at Main Lodge, Canyon Lodge, Little Eagle Lodge, June Mountain, McCoy Sports or Footloose. ...

Another Separated at Birth: Ward Jones and Dave Harvey. Just sayin.’ ...

Kudos to Margie Castenada and Denise Craig, long, LONGtime Vons employees, for their always smiling and friendly service, even when the storms clear the shelves of bread and beer and sometimes cranky customers are lined up a dozen deep.