Out of the Box-News Spotting by Lois Laine

Out of the Box
By Lois Laine


News Spotting


Brown Lawn Alert!
As if we needed to be told it was a drier than normal year for our local snow packs, the State Department of Water Resources announced March and April were the driest two months in the northern Sierra since the record keepers have been scribbling down the facts (starting in 1922). What this means for all of us is more water uncertainties in the Southland, and the possibilities of more rate hikes for DWP customers. The honey pot of northern reservoirs, Lake Oroville, is half empty (or for you optimists--half full), and this means Bay Area residents are also looking at sneaking out to water their lawns in the middle of the night. Mike Chrisman, State Resources Secretary, isn't saying, "water rationing," yet. But, he is talking about ramping up efforts to build new aqueducts and reservoirs. Keep in mind, some of these current water structures go back to the days when dinosaurs roamed the Earth....



Who's this Charlie Manson Guy Anyway?

Speaking of old relics--Charles Manson has been in the news AGAIN. The weird fact of the matter is that the murders he was a part of in the summer of 1969 are so darned old, most of the history about the man and his fiendish group of murdering girls and guys needs to be explained to the young people reporting the news today. After all, the crimes he "allegedly" committed at the Barker Ranch (his Death Valley hideout) nearly 40 years ago are older than most of our good memories--much less what the 1960s generation brains might recall. A lot of that hippy generation dropped more acid than Charlie could get his hands on in Haight Ashbury, and more than a few of those late-50-year-olds could teach us a thing or two about "Free Love, Baby" and communal living. A large group of law enforcement agents and dead-people sniffing dogs (cadaver dogs) were out on the "Big Dig" this week, hoping to find anything resembling a case re-opener (and not a Native American burial ground). They were also dealing with 110-degree heat and a pack of anxious reporters and camera people sweltering in the nearby ghost town of Ballarat. The lawmen didn't hit "pay dirt," however. So another old-timer, Manson family prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi, will have to wait some more before he can prosecute anyone from the Manson Family AGAIN. In the meantime, I'm sure Bugliosi will enjoy some renewed interest in his infamous "Helter Skelter" book. We'll all have to wait and see which CSI or Discovery Channel decides to air the slim pickings at the Barker Ranch. Although the task up the canyon provided local lawmen and scientists from all over with plenty of practice shoveling and shifting desert dirt, according to Inyo County Sheriff, Mr. Lutze.



Applause Please

The Bush Administration had its paw swatted this month in the state's Ninth Circuit Court for attempting to play the logging business card over the US Forest Service's management plan for 11 of our national forests. The Forest Service gave a nod to the first Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment in early 2001, following a decade of bureaucratic tunneling, scientific studies, and public hand-holding (called Outreach). What the FS created was a plan to manage 11.5 million acres of our forests. However, early in 2002, Bush's advisors revamped the plan, giving the logging interest more territory and stripping some of the forest, water and wildlife protections. It seems that "old growth forests," rivers and streams, and environmental protection wasn't as important as logging in the old forests. Several eco-groups banded together to get the Bush plan ousted, and the science put forth during the case proved that big, old trees are actually more fire-resistant than previously thought. The eco-people also cited that the logging encouraged dense growth under the trees, and added to the risks of wildfire. Irony, once again, found its way into the hallowed hall of our justice system.



More Asses,--Mules,--Than You Can Shake a Stick At

Okay, for you laypeople out there, Bishop, CA is the self-proclaimed "Ass Capital of the World." No joshing. There are thousands of mule-people, and hundreds of the big-earred mutants (mules are the sterile offspring of a donkey or jackass and a horse) kicking up the dust on Memorial Day Weekend every year. And, if you think that bowling leaguers or golfers brag, you've never encountered a mule owner. Their motto: "Anything a horse can do, a mule can do better." Everyone should witness a Mule Days' event, just so you can see what the hullabaloo is about. Plus, this year's country western concert spotlights Tracy Lawrence--a true "hellion," by his own admission. Maybe ya'll know the tunes, "If the Good Die Young" or "If The World Had a Front Porch"? He's had several platinum albums, not to mention, he has a striking voice. Very edgy, very sexy--ooh la la. Lawrence is a singer I can relate to. He had a series of side jobs to keep him going before he hit it big. And he moved to Nashville (in 1990) driving a beater of a Toyota Corolla, with lots of miles, no insurance or tags, and with a piece of baling wire on his ride's fan to keep it going. Yeah, he knows how to sing a honky-tonk song. He's also one of the best acts on stage for dancing the night away. I mean, if you're still sitting down during his performance, you're probably technically dead....Get out and take in the sights at the Tri-County Fairgrounds, May 22-25, and hurry if you're going to see the Lawrence concert Thursday, tonight, at 7 p.m. Check out all the events online at http://www.muledays.org/ and drive down to Bishop Saturday, May 24, in the morning for the World's Largest Non-Motorized Parade (with lots of mules, of course). Kids love those big-floppy earred creatures, especially when they take to braying. EEEeeeyoooor!

Memorial Day: Paying Respects to the US Fallen Soldiers of War

Coming later this week--Memorial Day Tributes in the Eastern Sierra and ceremonies for our people in the Armed Services. Remember, Memorial Day isn't just about partying in skimpy bathing suits at the Colorado River. There are many families that remember, at graveside services, our fallen soldiers, who have died in the service of their country.