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Vehicle Accident with Extrication near Whitecloud on Hwy 20

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:25:50 PST

Two engines from Nevada County Consolidated Fire, 1 Battalion Chief from Grass Valley Fire responded to a reported vehicle accident on Highway 20 east of Whitecloud, at 1:30 pm today.

Pilot believed to be sole victim in plane crash in eastern Sierra County

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:25:22 PST

The Sierra County Sheriff's Office received information of a possible plane crash west of Verdi Peak in eastern Sierra County. Resources from Cal-Fire, United States Forest Service, Sierra County Sheriff's Office, Nevada County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol responded. It was confirmed that a twin-engine Cessna 421 crashed just southwest of Verdi Peak in Sierra County. Based on the initial investigation it is believed the pilot was the sole occupant.

Most Campgrounds in the Tahoe National Forest Open over Memorial Day

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:35:48 PST

Most campgrounds and recreation sites within the Tahoe National Forest will be open for Memorial Day and most trails are open with only patches of snow on north facing slopes. "The dry winter and spring this past year has enabled us to get campgrounds open earlier than normal," stated Tom Quinn, Forest Supervisor. "The light snow pack permitted most of the sites to be open for the holiday weekend, which is unusual. Hikers will still find some snow patches in the high country, especially on north facing slopes or in shaded areas, however much of the forest is snow free. This lack of snow and reduced rainfall are making for very dry conditions, however. We are moving into fire season much earlier than usual, especially on the east side of the Forest. Please be very careful with your campfires this year. Campfire permits are required outside of developed campgrounds and are free at all Forest Service, BLM, and Cal Fire offices," advised Quinn.

Brad Carter: Wild Lilies For Your Garden

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:57:15 PST

When I moved to Grass Valley with my partner in 2002, I set about creating a landscape on two acres behind our house that would be fire-safe, drought-tolerant and wildlife-friendly. I used medium-sized California native shrubs to fill most of the garden space, but left a wide area alongside the garden paths for planting smaller-size native subshrubs, perennials and bulbs.

NSJ Fire: Board Meeting Agenda for May 21

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:49:45 PST

Board of Directors – Regular Meeting on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7 pm. 13200 Tyler Foote Crossing Rd.

Unknown Amount of Wealth Extracted from Public Land

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:50:18 PST

The U.S. government controls an enormous amount of land, particularly in the western half of the country. The Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages an estimated 700 million acres of public lands, with much of it open for development by oil, gas, mining, and renewable energy development. When these various industries come into conflict, hardrock mining interests – gold, silver, copper, and other minerals – have traditionally won out due to laws favoring them, which date back to the 19th century.

Americans Across the Country Celebrate Endangered Species Day and Mark the 40th Anniversary of the Landmark Law

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:41:56 PST

From Hawaii to Washington D.C., Americans today are celebrating the sixth annual Endangered Species Day and the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. The Act is one of the world's most successful environmental laws, preventing extinction for 99 percent of the animals and plants under its care and putting hundreds on the road to recovery.

Political Non-Profits Shouldn't Be Allowed To Hide Behind Tax Laws

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:40:29 PST

While pursuing investigations of the Internal Revenue Service's targeted handling of certain groups seeking tax exempt status, Congress, the White House and the IRS must address the larger problem of political groups masquerading as tax-exempt social welfare groups to hide donors' identities, Common Cause said today.

Bright Explosion on the Moon

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:31:04 PST

For the past 8 years, NASA astronomers have been monitoring the Moon for signs of explosions caused by meteoroids hitting the lunar surface. "Lunar meteor showers" have turned out to be more common than anyone expected, with hundreds of detectable impacts occurring every year.

Activists worldwide target homophobia in Jamaica, Ukraine and South Africa

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:14:12 PST

In Jamaica, some men are labelled as criminals just for expressing their love.

Attempts to hold a Pride in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv have repeatedly run into roadblocks because of very real threats of violence and a police force unwilling to protect participants.

And in South Africa, homophobic hatred all too often leads to violent attacks and killings which frequently go uninvestigated by police.

Van Stolen from Tuolumne River Trust

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:05:19 PST

On the eve of their 5th annual Paddle to the Sea and their kickoff concert in Groveland just 2 days away, someone stole the Tuolumne River Trusts' van. It's a huge loss for the small organization and couldn't come at a more challenging time. In addition to running shuttle and towing boats for the river groups annual paddle down the Tuolumne River from Yosemite to the Golden Gate, they relied on the van throughout the year for youth education and recreation programs that get kids out to the river.

Once Again, White Nationalists Sully Immigration Debate

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:29:54 PST

Opponents of immigration reform legislation have been trying to steer clear of white nationalists lately, hoping to keep their opposition to citizenship for undocumented Latino immigrants free from the taint of racism.

Andrew Lam: The Tragedy of Self Immolation - No One Cares

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:06:51 PST

Self-immolation isn't what it used to be.

This ultimate form of protest became global news in 1963 when the venerable monk Thich Quang Duc set himself ablaze in the middle of Saigon, Vietnam, protesting religious oppression. Doused in gasoline, the monk sat serenely in lotus position and lit a match. A bird of paradise thus blossomed and bloomed, and quickly charred his body.

Countries must repeal laws that discriminate against LGBT individuals - UN officials

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:02:19 PST

Marking the International Day Against Homophobia, United Nations officials today issued a call on Governments worldwide to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and strike laws that discriminate against them.

Is Prophylactic Mastectomy a Universal Key to Breast Cancer Prevention?

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:49 PST

Some people call them "previvors" –– individuals who survive a life-threatening illness, such as cancer, by taking dramatic preemptive measures to avoid it in the first place.

California's unemployment rate decreases to 9.0 percent

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:45:03 PST

California's unemployment rate decreased to 9.0 percent in April, and nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 10,400 during the month for a total gain of 756,900 jobs since the recovery began in February 2010, according to data released today by the California Employment Development Department (EDD) from two separate surveys.

2013 Fire Season Begins in Yosemite National Park

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:43:29 PST

The 2013 Fire Season in Yosemite National Park will begin on Monday, May 20, 2013. Fire season officially begins when seasonal firefighting equipment and personnel are in place, prepared and ready to respond. Additionally, grasses and other vegetation at the lower elevations have begun to dry out. This year, vegetation is drying out faster than average due to the low snowpack the park received over the last two winter seasons, making for fire danger above average for this time of year.

Report: Solar Energy Reduces Military Costs, Boosts Security, Saves Lives

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:37:01 PST

In celebration of Armed Services Day, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today released a first-of-its-kind report detailing how innovative solar technologies are helping the U.S. military meet many of its critical functions – from security and battlefield readiness to cost savings and efficiency.

Bear eats GoPro camera, giving you a good idea of what it's like to be licked by a grizzly

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:23:41 PST

When using a GoPro to capture unusually close footage of grizzly bears for the Great Bear Stakeout for BBC, I had a young bear actually chew on the camera. Amazingly there was no damage to the camera! Some of this clip appears in the film Great Bear Stakeoout on BBC and Discovery Channel. Video copyright Brad Josephs.

Advocates Call On BLM To Change Policy Consistent with Court Order

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:21:53 PST

Just over three months ago, in a momentous victory for the public's right to know and government transparency, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Richard P. Matsch ruled on February 13, 2013 that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) violated the public's right to know when it concealed the identity of the entities that nominate public lands for gas drilling leases. Specifically, the Court held that BLM's asserted justification for withholding the requested information "runs directly contrary to the purpose of the public sale process."

Sea level: One-third of its rise comes from melting mountain glaciers

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:58:18 PST

How much all glaciers contribute to global sea-level rise has never been calculated before with this accuracy. An international group of researchers involving two geographers from the University of Zurich has confirmed that melting of glaciers caused about one third of the observed sea-level rise, while the ice sheets and thermal expansion of sea water account for one third each. So far, estimates on the contribution of glaciers have differed substantially. Now 16 scientists from nine countries have compared the data from traditional measurements on the ground with satellite data from the NASA missions ICESat (Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite) and GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment).

GPS solution provides three-minute tsunami alerts

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:56:12 PST

Researchers have shown that, by using global positioning systems (GPS) to measure ground deformation caused by a large underwater earthquake, they can provide accurate warning of the resulting tsunami in just a few minutes after the earthquake onset. For the devastating Japan 2011 event, the team reveals that the analysis of the GPS data and issue of a detailed tsunami alert would have taken no more than three minutes. The results are published on 17 May in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, an open access journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU).

Jim Hightower: The Parched Truth About American Jobs

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:36:36 PST

At last, some excellent economic news for folks long-mired in the stagnant labor market.

"Jobs Spring Back," exclaimed a typical headline on recent reports that 165,000 private-sector jobs were added in April. Wow — the thunderous, three-year boom of prosperity that has rained riches on Wall Street is finally beginning to shower on our streets, right?

Robert Reich | Pyromaniacs on the Potomac: The Problem With Obama's Second Term

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:31:39 PST

Six months into a second term and the Obama White House is on the defensive and floundering: Benghazi, the IRS's investigations of right-wing groups, the Justice Department's snooping into journalists' phone records, Obamacare behind schedule, the Administration's push for gun control ending in failure.

Who's got the best pasta sauce? June cook-off to find out

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:18:01 PST

Family honor aside, the event also kicks off an effort to brand the area along the 100 block of Bank Street as Grass Valley's Little Italy. The moniker harks to the Italian immigrant community that resided there during the Gold Rush, and reflects today's tenants, including Bear River Pasta Co., the new Trattoria Milano (formerly Villa Venezia), Augustine Tassone's law office, Michael Gallego's dental office (his mother was Italian), The Alcove – the kernel of a future Italian Cultural Center inside the Holiday Inn, and the hotel itself, whose co-owner Nick Hayhurst is part Sicilian.

Polarbear on oilbarrel

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:04:12 PST

Polarbear on oilbarrel - cartoon by Riber Hansson

Gas Prices Suck

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:02:48 PST

Gas Prices Suck - cartoon by Steve Sack

Bleeping Ohio

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:01:33 PST

Bleeping Ohio - cartoon by Nate Beeler

Hillary alert

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:46:43 PST

Hillary alert - cartoon by David Fitzsimmons

NCCFD Selects Interim Chief

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:32:39 PST

During a special meeting of the Board of Directors on Thursday afternoon, Nevada County Consolidated Fire District selected Jerry Johnson as their Interim Fire Chief.

Video: The Story of Chips the Rescued Baby Bobcat

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:28:18 PST

During the Chips forest fire on the Plumas National Forest, a baby bobcat was orphaned. While the Forest Service restored the forest, the bobcat then known as Chips, recovered at a wild animal rehabilitation facility. Recently, Chips was returned to the wild.

Farm Lobby

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:07:12 PST

Farm Lobby - cartoon by Bill Schorr

Small Plane Crash Northeast of Truckee

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:39:59 PST

According to very preliminary reports, a small plane crashed this afternoon in the reservoir area northeast of Truckee, CA.

Fire Safe Council of Nevada County Provides Green Waste Drop Program to Truckee Area Residents

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:21:10 PST

The Fire Safe Council is encouraging Nevada County residents to prepare for fire season by creating and maintaining 100 feet of defensible space around structures. Ground conditions for wildfire are drying out quickly and officials are predicting an active fire season. To provide assistance to landowners, the Council is hosting a three week green waste drop program through Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal at the transfer station located at 900 Cabin Creek Road in Truckee.

Friends of Squaw Valley Begins Fundraising Efforts

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:18:10 PST

"Friends of Squaw Valley is supportive of a successful, vibrant village in Squaw." said member Ed Heneveld. "Our concern is that the current KSL proposal is just too massive for our small community to endure. A smaller village would be more in balance with the existing infrastructure and would maintain the spectacular views of our wonderful mountain. Finding the right balance while retaining our community atmosphere and culture is our goal."