By Burt Wilson bwilson5404@sbcglobal.net The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) event at the Sheraton last Friday was a signal to all the water agencies and their hangers-on that the PPIC wants to be a player in the California water war. If you will remember, the first PPIC report on the Delta a few years [...]
Residential Debris Burn Demonstration Escaped residential debris burns continue to be a leading cause of fire suppression calls in Nevada County. Learning to safely and cleanly burn vegetation debris helps to minimize smoke emissions and allows firefighters time to respond to true emergencies. It is your responsibility to know and follow local and state burning regulations. Failure [...]
The Fire Safe Council of Nevada County will chip any brush that is cleared from defensible space of any permanent structure and/or 30’ from any roadside or driveway used for evacuation purposes. Any vegetation that grows past such limitations is beyond the boundaries of what we can chip. Grant funding is very limited for the [...]
I personally do not like air blowers to dry my hands. First of all, my hands seem to still be wet after using an air dryer unless I leave them there for what seems like forever and secondly, I have to grab the door handle to get out of the bathroom. That just feels icky. [...]
Malcom Gladwell is one of the funnier and more interesting writers of our time. His book “The Tipping Point” is one of my favorites. His recent article from the New Yorker, “Big and Bad” is a fascinating look at the history and marketing of SUVs, why people like them, [...]
With fire season coming up, California declared May 6-12, 2012 “Wildfire Awareness Week.” During the week, CAL FIRE urges homeowners to take the necessary steps to prepare their family and their homes from potential wildfires. Wildfire Awareness Week is designed to not only remind Californians of the dangers that wildfires pose, but also to educate [...]
By Ed Pandofino Living in fire-prone landscapes in California requires some modification of the areas around your home to protect it from fire. While there is no doubt that these modifications alter habitats used by wildlife, you can minimize the negative impacts on birds by paying attention to the timing of your activities. In our [...]
What is more appealing than the face of a raccoon, cute, a mask over their eyes and their overall facial features make them look wise. But, what a problem. They get into your cat food in the garage, overturn garbage cans and leave behind quite a mess. [...]
By John J. O’Dell I awoke this morning to having the power go out for the third time this winter. Not only that, but as I looked out my window, there was three feet of snow. Within the next hour, it was about 4 inches over the top of the handrail. Now I don’t [...]
By John J. O’Dell I bought my Prius in 2005. Since then, I’ve racked up 107,000 miles and the car is still going strong. Am I happy with it? Yes, and although I’ve had a couple of small problems with it, the small problems were expensive. The first major problem was that my driver’s side headlight went [...]
