News

Bishop couple arrested last week on suspicion of embezzling $1.5 million, county faces questions

April 16, 2013

Last week’s arrest of a Bishop resident on charges of embezzling more than $1.5 million in public funds has raised just as many questions for taxpayers as investigators.

At the top of the list of questions seems to be how a county employee could have gotten away with the ongoing theft – as alleged – for as long as she did.

Dawndee Rossy, 46, and her husband, Ken Rossy, 43, were arrested by District Attorney’s Office investigators on Thursday for a total of 44 felonies related to their alleged embezzlement of taxpayer money from Dawndee’s work.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Snowplows!

April 16, 2013

High temperatures combined with a light snowpack will allow for an early start to plowing area roads this spring, the Inyo National Forest announced in a news release on Tuesday, April 16.

The Town of Mammoth Lakes was to begin plowing roads in the Mammoth Lakes Basin on Wednesday, April 17, while Caltrans will begin plowing to the Minaret Vista at the end of April.

 Town crews will begin plowing into Reds Meadow Valley soon after that, according to Marty Hornick, the Inyo’s acting pubic affairs officer.

Verizon hit with daily fines for delayed Crowley Lake broadband service

April 16, 2013

Another week has gone by since Verizon was hit with some big fines for not providing high speed broadband service to Crowley Lake and Swall Meadows and still, neither community had service as of press time, according to county officials.

Gregory confronts rumors, says Mammoth Mountain not for sale

April 16, 2013

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area CEO Rusty Gregory confronted persistent rumors that Mammoth Mountain has is going to be sold or has been sold to Vail Resorts with five short words Tuesday.

“We are not for sale,” he said, to a Bridgeport courthouse room full of June Lake residents and the Mono County Board of Supervisors. He said he was talking to a top executive of the company a few weeks ago about something unrelated and perhaps, that was where the rumor was coming from.

What's Up, Up Here? April 12- 18

April 15, 2013

A very swell time around here this past week, with Karla Souzaand Luis Mendezin town, and if you don’t know who they are, you’re not up to speed on the biggest film stars in Mexico. They starred in the brand new “Nosotros los Nobles,” and were here for a little rest and relaxation. By the way, Souza was big-time in Aspenbefore re-locating to Mexico City, in case you were wondering. …

Gobi Desert dust storm article causes ‘diplomatic brouhaha’

April 15, 2013

March 22 event got international attention

A deluge of white dust that blanketed the Owens and Long Valley region this past Sunday was not from China’s Gobi—unlike the white haze that hit the region three weeks ago Friday.

Both local and federal air pollution measurement instruments traced the thick white haze on March 22 to the Gobi Desert. A dust storm there had also been plaguing the Chinese city of Beijing a few days earlier.

Bishop residents arrested after allegedly embezzling $1.5 million from county's poor

April 12, 2013

Investigators with the Inyo County District Attorney’s Office arrested two residents Thursday afternoon in connection with alleged embezzlement at Inyo County Health and Human Services’ welfare office.

Health and Human Resources Manager Dawndee Rossy, 46, of Bishop, has been charged with two counts of grand theft, 34 counts of identity theft, two counts of embezzlement, one count of possession of controlled substance, one count of welfare fraud and four counts of criminal conspiracy.

Residents weigh in on county priorities

April 12, 2013

County citizens lob everything from solar energy to algae blooms at supervisors

County residents hit their county supervisors Tuesday with a blizzard of suggestions designed to make the county function better and to bring an ever-increasing number of people into the county.

It was all part of a county-sponsored workshop, and the ideas flew fast and furious.

County moves toward solar energy

April 9, 2013

Bridgeport building could be first pilot project

It seems a shame, with more than 300 days of sunshine, that Mono County buildings don’t take advantage of solar power more often, according to at least one county supervisor.

That supervisor, Larry Johnston, has been trying to change this over the past two years of his term, bringing solar energy to meetings again and again.

Finally, his efforts may pay off.