(Photo: Penderworth)

By Jacob Penderworth

After years of displaying the latest and greatest of Hollywood using film reels and analogue projectors, things are finally going fully digital over at Mammoth’s Minaret Cinemas, and it’s going to cost the owner $102,000.

Film studios are expected to go fully digital by 2014, so Minaret Cinemas owner Bill Walters feels it is finally necessary to make the jump. He’ll be installing state-of-the-art Christie projectors combined with servers containing 4 TB of storage each — these store the film files. It’s quite the venture.

“Why go to this great expense?” said Walters. “On a wide release, which goes to 3,000+ theaters, the average cost is about $1,500 per print. With digital, the first hard drive is probably $5,000 and the rest are $2 a piece. So, the expense goes to the theater and the savings to the studios.”

Theaters around the world are currently having to purchase new equipment in order to keep up with the times. In small towns especially, it’s hard to see why such an investment is worth the time. Everything works fine right now, but studios are moving content to hard drives and server racks. Cinemas have two choices: change with the times or go out of business. “After almost 24 years, I could probably walk away, but I don’t want to see the town without a movie theater, and I like the industry,” Walters said.

“We’re upgrading the whole theater. We just put new carpet in, we’re hoping to put new seats in this fall, and we’re going to install a new heating and ventilation system soon.”

Walters added, “Some people like the grainy look that traditional film has, and the reality of going digital is that they’ll be watching a huge high-definition TV.” Thankfully, there won’t be as many issues with the picture or audio and if there are, the new system includes 24/7 support. That means Walters and his team no longer have to troubleshoot things while viewers wait impatiently. Instead, they can quickly contact support to work with them on the problem at hand.

If all goes according to plan, Minaret Cinemas will be furnished with a fully digital projector, its accompanying servers, and other necessary equipment by Wednesday, May 22. So, if you enjoy seeing grain and prefer a vintage experience, make sure to drop into the theater this weekend.

The Mono Lake Committee, US Forest Service, Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, California State Parks and the Bodie Foundation are teaming up to sponsor the 10th season of the volunteer program at Mono Lake this summer. Volunteers will have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and share their knowledge of the Eastern Sierra. Participants may staff information desks and/or rove and answer questions at the lakeshore. Free training will be held on May 22, 23, 29 & 30 and  June 5 & 6 in the Mono Basin.

Please contact Janet at 760.709.1162 for more information or to sign up. You will be sent details and a training schedule.

(Submitted Photo)

Vehicle traffic southbound on 395 from Nevada will be detoured by NDOT at Holbrook Junction (U.S. 395 and Nevada 208), Nevada 208 and Nevada 338 to California State Route 182 and back to U.S. 395 at the south edge of Bridgeport. Northbound traffic will be detoured in a reverse manner. Local roadways are available around the closure for local traffic.

At the time of this press release (6:20 a.m.) fire personnel were still working to extinguish the fire.

An additional press release will be prepared and released when more information becomes available (no later than 4 p.m. on May 14). -California Highway Patrol

(Photo courtesy Brent Harper)

Boy, Mono County Supervisor Larry Johnston sure doesn’t think much of the way the Town of Mammoth Lakes conducts business.

And seemed to take particular pleasure in watching Mammoth’s Town Manager MMMartinez and Mayor Matthew Lehman grovel before the Mono County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting Tuesday.

Martinez and Lehman visited Bridgeport Tuesday because the Town has reached a near-desperate predicament with its Information Technology (I.T.) systems.

As the County’s Information Technology Director Clay Neely said Tuesday, “The Town has serious issues with I.T.” He cited aging equipment and software. “They’ve been down with some of their applications for two and three days at a stretch.”

Chris Carmichael of Carmichael Business Technologies, who has been troubleshooting some of the I.T. headaches for the Town since longtime I.T. specialist Dan Dennis left, estimates that the Town’s computer servers are eight years old, and told The Sheet that they tend to break down weekly, needing to be rebooted. The Town’s also run out of server space, so virtually every week, Carmichael’s clearing space just to get the system to function.

The situation is ripe for finger-wagging, and Johnston is just the guy to wag.

“You’ve ignored critical infrastructure,” he said to Martinez. “It bothers me that you’ve waited so long … It’s essential to modern-day operations.”

Johnston questioned why the Town is so set on raising money to spend on marketing via a BID (Business Improvement District) while it ignores operational necessities.

“We acknowledge that we failed to properly invest in I.T.,” replied MMMartinez. “But it is now a priority … and why we are seeking help.”

Short-term, Martinez said the Town would like to enlist the County’s emergency help to purchase and install two new servers.

Long-term, Martinez appears interested in contracting out I.T. services with the County.

Supervisor Tim Fesko questioned whether this is a partnership the County would wish to pursue.

“I do not believe it’s the County’s job to provide services to another [governmental] entity,” he said. He added that County I.T. staff already has its hands full, and that he would take issue with any County job getting delayed if resources were redeployed to the Town’s benefit.

MMMartinez bluffed back with all the expertise of a poker player holding a pair of fours, noting that working with Carmichael Business Technologies doesn’t require addressing a board of five. “The point is, we have other options,” she said. “We just like this option the best.”

Funny, because when The Sheet spoke to Carmichael Thursday, he said that he had already turned down the Town job, mostly because the Town would not make a long-term commitment – which made him skittish about wanting to hire someone.

And taking on the business with his current staff, he felt, would compromise his customer service to existing clients.

There was also the frustration of continually making proposals to the Town, only to have the Staff liaison quit and have to start all over with the next person.

This happened three times.

Recently, however, Carmichael said he’s lost an account, so “I guess I’m interested again,” he said.

Carmichael acknowledged that while it might not be a lucrative account for him, the Town account would be a “prestige” account, as it would give him the opportunity to fix a disaster.

Supervisors approved a motion to aid the Town with the emergency situation involving the servers. The larger issue is to be negotiated.

(Photo: Ken Harrison)

By Charles James

Last Friday at the campus of Cerro Coso College in Bishop, forty-four graduates were awarded diplomas in front of several hundred family members, friends, and faculty. Thirty-two of the graduates were from Bishop while twelve from the Mammoth Lakes campus. Many, if not most, plan to transfer to four-year colleges to further their educational goals.

Associate of Arts degrees were awarded in Liberal Arts in Arts & Humanities, Mathematics & Sciences, Social & Behavioral Sciences, and Physical Education. Associate of Science degrees were awarded in Vocational Nursing (LVN). Certificates & Awards were presented to others in Administration of Justice, Business Office Clerk, Human Services, and Vocational Nursing (LVN).

For both men and women, a college education and a college degree is a signature achievement. A diploma is however far more than simply a piece of a paper; it is a ticket to the future? and one that is, according to studies, still most likely leads to success in the workplace and in society.

Belief that a good education is the key to success is a long-held American belief that goes back to the earliest beginnings of the first colonies and it was largely only available for males. The idea was that education improved a man’s moral character, made him a better citizen and member of the community. While education was limited to mostly boys and men, it is now women that comprise 57% of college enrollments and it is women that are now more than half of those that graduate.

Eastern Sierra College Center Director Deanna Campbell welcomed the guests and introduced speakers President Jill Board, and Dr. Corey Marvin, the Vice President of Cerro Coso Community College. Kern Community College District Chancellor, Sandra Serrano, spoke as well to the guests and graduates.

Student speaker Marissa Dierner spoke of her gratitude, one shared by many of the graduates, for the support of the school’s administration, faculty, and staff; especially her personal thanks and affection for college counselor Greg Kost, for whom many students expressed gratitude in helping them chart their success towards graduation. Student speakers Maggie Wolfe Riley and Christopher Heckerman also spoke eloquently on behalf of themselves and their fellow graduates.

Music was provided by the Eastern Sierra Chamber Orchestra Strings conducted by Brian Schuldt and after the ceremony, graduates and guests were treated to refreshments provided by the Bishop Chamber of Commerce, B.P. Distributing, Eastern Sierra Distributing, Erick Schat’s Bakkery, Manor Market, Rainbow Pack Outfitters, and Vons of Bishop.

Significant financial support was provided to over half of the graduates through local foundations which included the Donald M. Slager Sunset Foundation, the Eastern Sierra Foundation, and the Mammoth Lakes Foundation.

While the graduates of Cerro Coso Community College on this day were decked out in robes, mortarboards, and tassels, surrounded by loving, proud, and adoring supporters, the most obvious fact of the day was not that there were forty- four graduates, but that there were forty-four “winners.”

Last weekend, vintage off-road race teams led by Mammoth’s Ron Landaker and James Connolly scored victories in their respective classes in the NORRA Mexican 1000.

The NORRA Mexican 1000 is a four-day off-road race featuring vintage vehicles. It starts outside the border town of Mexicali and weaves its way 1,200 miles south to the coastal town of San Jose Del Cabo.

A vintage vehicle is defined as one that is more than 30 years old.

Landaker, who co-drove a ‘68 VW MANX with Steve O’Leary, competed in the Vintage Buggy Open category while Connolly, 37, co-drove a 1983 XR500R with former Mammoth resident (now Minnesotan) Adam Klimek in the Vintage Moto Open.

According to June Lake-based Paramedic EMS Station Captain Kevin McBride, who served as Landaker’s “Head Mechanic and Horn Maestro” for the event, his job was to “anticipate needs and drive the chase truck.” This is the third year he’s assisted Landaker, 72, owner of Mammoth Welding.

McBride said the team bested several well-known rivals, including Robby Gordon’s [famed Indy, NASCAR and now Stadium Super Trucks driver] father Bob, and the McMillins, an off-road racing dynasty.

Meanwhile, Connolly, who works at Mammoth Hospital as a Biomedical Equipment Technician, and his team finished five hours ahead of its nearest rival.

Connolly, whose wife Kim also works at Mammoth Hospital in the I.T. department, says he lived in Mammoth and snowboarded after high school from 1998-2001. Post-college, he returned to Mammoth about six years ago.

As the entry fee is $2,500 and the prize does not include money – just bragging rights and a trophy – Connolly says this is his one race a year.

The race is set up as a four-day event with checkpoints, and NORRA is one of the longest events on the circuit.

Connolly’s team included his wife (chase, support, lead mechanic), Johnston Julao of Mammoth Lakes (trainer, dietitian, surfer, mechanic) Angel Sierra of Pacoima, Calif. (beer support, translator) and Rafael Guerrero of Pacoima (boss man, life saver).

The toughest day of the race was the second, said Connolly, for physical, logistical and emotional reasons.

There is a particularly long section on the second day where racers are separated from their support crews, and as Connolly said, you spend a lot of time obsessing over every strange noise the bike makes, wondering if this is where the dream dies.

It didn’t.

But tragically, a real death did occur that day, highlighting the risks inherent in the sport.

In the finish area at Loreto after the day’s racing, Connolly and his mates learned that fellow motorcycle racer Jimmy Stocker had died in a collision involving a race buggy.

As it happened, just days earlier Connolly’s team and Stocker’s team had been camped next to each other during pre-race preparations and had become fast friends.

Drivers through Lone Pine three weekends ago might have noticed that on the corner of Muir and Main Street there were seven very cute young girls from Lo Inyo Elementary School, who along with their coaches, were busily washing cars as part of their efforts to raise money to support their cheerleading squad. The money is needed to purchase uniforms, pay for cheerleading camp, transportation, and other expenses.

Cheerleading can be a pretty intense physical activity with organized routines ranging anywhere from one to three minutes in length. It involves tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers and finding innovative, interesting ways to encourage spectators at sports and at school events to cheer for sports teams at games. It is also a sport competition all by itself, with many cheerleaders attending special camps to be better able to compete against other cheerleading squads.

On June 22, Jessica, Becca, Brizeida, Monica, Kaili, Karlee, and Nancy, along with their coaches LeeAnn McGuire and Jesseca Tsosie are hosting a carnival fundraiser at Spainhower Park and hope that the community will support their efforts. If you would like more information or to help, please call 760.220.6774 or contact Coach LeeAnn McGuire at email: JoeandLeeAnn22@hotmail.com.