HOLY BACKPEDAL!
Just because no one’s there, doesn’t mean no one’s listening. On Tuesday, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors quibbled over a proclamation drafted to honor Indigenous Peoples Day. The drafted[…]
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TOUTING THE EXIT PLAN
With the Covid-19 pandemic ongoing and no determined end in sight, it’s made sense to many to consider the possibility of moving on from business ownership. The stresses of operating[…]
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GIRLS GONE WILDMAN
The emails and calls started coming in last Friday over the two-week Mammoth schools shutdown. It’s fair to say no one was terribly happy. And there were plenty of mixed[…]
CUCKOO OVER COCO
After Mammoth Middle and High Schools were closed starting Monday, September 20 due to an outbreak of Covid-19 among students, administrators, and teachers, the questions from parents started coming in.[…]
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DRIVING INTO THE SUNSET
At age 75 and after 15 years on the job, Ed Bailey is retiring from driving the Mammoth Trolley. Charismatic, kind, and a cowboy in every sense of the word,[…]
PASS THE AIR FRESHENER
As a general rule I don’t bitch about the hand I’ve been dealt. Too much. I mean, bitching can be quite fun. In moderation. On Thursday, there was an interview[…]
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WHO GETS WHAT
It’s the most wonderful time of the decade. The Mono County Redistricting process is upon the Board of Supervisors once again, following the conclusion and findings of the 2020 census. […]
FALLEN DOMINOS
If you’re a Bishop or Mammoth resident with the late-night munchies, your culinary options just narrowed considerably. The Mammoth and Bishop Domino’s Pizza franchises closed their doors this week, likely[…]
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SOMETHING ABOUT MERRY
There won’t be any Merry Christmas in Bishop after this weekend. Because Merry’s gone. Merry Katherine Christmas, who moved to Bishop in 1983, is moving to an assisted living facility[…]
LOOKING GOOD, WINTHORPE!
After a hectic summer, things have started to cool off in the Eastern Sierra, propelled more so than normal by National Forest closures. Although the forests closed last year at[…]
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A LIFE IN THE SIERRA
I’m in damn good shape for an old, fat slob who can’t hear.” So said Duane Rossi as he was peeling potatoes at his summer job as camp cook at[…]
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BEAR NECESSITIES
“On every continent in the world, since the beginning of time, humans have paid homage to bears. Through petroglyphs, the written word, in stories, in songs- we’ve carved them, put[…]
HOLISTIC HELL
The text from Lara Kaylor’s press release regarding Mammoth Lakes Tourism’s “Virtual Community Coffee” held Thursday morning, August 26: “This month the topic is housing. We will provide a holistic[…]
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HOME FROM SCHOOL
The local schools have already seen the chaos of Covid-19 unleashed as they move into their second week of the 2021-2022 school year. “We’ve had in general about a case[…]
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A IS FOR AMBIGUOUS
On Tuesday, I covered an Inyo County meeting regarding an issue which predates my local residency. As Nancy Masters described in a letter submitted to the Board, Measure A, passed[…]
MASKS ON, EVEN IF GLOVES OFF
Mono County Director of Public Health Bryan Wheeler gave a Covid-19 update at the latest Board of Supervisors meeting on August 17. The county continues to trend upwards in cases,[…]
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AIR APPARENT
The Mammoth Lakes Town Council held a meeting on August 18 which included passing a motion which will effectively put planes in the air at Mammoth-Yosemite Airport (MMH) this coming[…]
DECISION FATIGUE
I’m going to let the late, great novelist Walker Percy open the editorial this week, in large part because I’m tired, but in larger part, because I generally defer to[…]
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RADIO MT. LEBANON
Driving through the Owens Valley, a traveler might happen upon a seemingly out of place radio station while scanning the FM dial for music. Arabic music and lyrics, with French[…]
WRESTLING WITH CONVENTION
The announcement that the Midget Wrestling Warriors (MWW) would be in action at the Tri-County Fair this year has been met with a degree of local criticism, waged almost entirely[…]
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THE JOAQ-ING DEAD
Get ready for some peripatetic rambling here. In regard to the Mammoth Lakes Tourism Bleephole campaign walk-back … I’m not too worked up over a creative misfire. That stuff happens. […]
SWING AND A MISS
Here’s the thing about swinging big: although the contact is more likely to knock the ball out the park, the strikeouts can be all the more spectacular. Such is the[…]
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AMERICA LOST
“I never like to talk about myself. But I’d like to share about my community, which is the working community, the Latino community, the poor community- the core of Mammoth,”[…]
MEET TEAM DUMBASS
From last week’s editorial: “Overall, Kaylor said MLT has spent more than $1 million on sustainability and stewardship initiatives over the past year. Which leads me to “The Perils of[…]
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FEE FEAR ZONE
Look out taxpayers! Because Mammoth Lakes Town Council (specifically Sauser, Wentworth and Stapp) couldn’t make a politically difficult decision last week (allocating some marketing dollars towards housing), they may have[…]
BAR SET LOW
A police contact gone sour last Saturday night/Sunday morning in Bishop led to a local man being hospitalized, his dog shot and killed, and two deputies injured during an altercation which[…]
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STALE CHIPS
Mammoth Lakes Town Council talked a lot about housing at its regular meeting on Wednesday evening. But ultimately decided not to move further resources into the housing column. By a[…]
DELTA FORCE
The Mono County Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday to discuss possible new Covid restrictions for the coming months. The rapid spread of the Covid Delta variant, especially in California,[…]
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HUG WHAT YOU LOVE
In the aftermath of Mammoth Council’s abortive attempt to manage its own money, I thought about Celine’s line from Journey to the End of the Night *Am I allowed to[…]
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TURN THIS IDEA AROUND
After a week out of the headlines, the bus turnaround on Woodmen [aka Woodman] Street in Mammoth Lakes proved to still be contentious. The matter was discussed at Mammoth’s Planning[…]
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: LARRY MYROLD 1958-2021
There are some guys who make spectacular plays, diving to their left or right to stop a ball, and they are heralded for their flair and athleticism. And there are[…]
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AGAINST THE WIND
I’m cranky today. Blame the heat. Or blame Mammoth’s Town Council. Tough to listen to that paean to denial at Wednesday evening’s regular meeting and not get cranky. I’ve written[…]
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE
An email sent to then-Mammoth Lakes Tourism (MLT) Board chair John Morris and MLT executive director John Urdi has led to something of a rift between the non-profit and Mammoth[…]
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ROUND-HOUSED
A recent employer survey revealed that approximately 25% of Mono County employees live in their cars. However, with a new public works ordinance put in place, these folks will no[…]
HARD TO KILL
The one joke I’ve been recycling since last week regarding my traffic accident: “I’m like Steven Seagal. Mediocre, yet Hard to Kill.” Hardy-har. Former Sheet writer Colin Wolf had this[…]
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STRAY DOG STRUT
A community meeting was held on Wednesday, June 30 in response to Mammoth residents protesting the proposed public transit stop/shelter/turnaround on Woodman. The turnaround would allow for a 40’ bus to[…]
WHAT’S YOUR DELTA
The survey question this week was a simple yes/no: Is the pandemic over? While mask mandates and capacity restrictions have been gone since the middle of June, it’s certainly felt[…]
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CHEWED UP, SPIT OUT
I have this still photograph in my mind. Like one of those iPhone photos where it shows you a snippet of action before the photo settles. And I see this[…]
TALES OF THE TRAILS
Coming out of summer 2020, it was clear that something had to change and change quickly for the local outdoors. Unattended campfires, overcrowding, and a landfill’s worth of trash and[…]
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GOING INTO LABOR
Mammoth has seen a significant shortage in labor recently. Although this is a multi-faceted issue, it relates heavily to the decrease in affordable housing in town. The Sheet spoke with[…]
SUPER-SIZED RAISES
Well, everybody’s doing it. Businesses have been buoyed by government grants and loans. Individuals have received augmented unemployment benefits and emergency checks from Donald and Joe. So now, it appears[…]
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LIFE’S A BEACH
Skiers and snowboarders headed up Minaret Road for the past 70-odd years have grown used to coming around a final curve in the road to see Main Lodge on their[…]
“I (CONTINUE TO) BET A DIME”
AmeriGas was dealt another defeat in the Third Appellate Court of California this week regarding its attempt to erase the 1987 Dempsey agreement regarding propane pricing at Snowcreek. As described[…]
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MASK NO MORE
With June 15 rapidly approaching, questions still remain: what exactly is going to happen? Will things go “back to normal”? June 15 is the day that the California government has[…]
SURVEY SAYS…PAY US MORE
Mono County’s Board of Supervisors met on June 8, 2021 to discuss, among other things, the recommended budget changes for the county, which will go into effect on July 1,[…]
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WHEN IS ENOUGH, ENOUGH?
I had no idea what the editorial should be for this week, until I reviewed a letter I wrote this past Saturday to Robert Schaubmayer Sr. and realized … I[…]
A COMFORTABLE FIT
Wednesday marked Rhonda Duggan’s final Mammoth Lakes Tourism board meeting, with her colleagues sending her off with well wishes and thanking her for her time of service to the non-profit. […]
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SPEED TO ABATE ON 158?
Calls for action on State Route 158 in June Lake regarding pedestrian safety and traffic became a focal point at the June Lake Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting on June[…]
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ROAM IF YOU WANT TO?
A fter a summer that saw a horde of visitors descend on the Eastern Sierra, the calls for action rang loud and clear. A substantial number of the visitors were first-time[…]
THE HEIGHTS LAID LOW
The wind-down is in full swing at Sterling Heights in Bishop. The Assisted Living retirement home located on Pine Street and backing up to Bishop City Park will close for[…]
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GONE FISHING
The duties of the Mono County Fish and Game Commission (MCFGC) seem relatively simple from an outside perspective: advise the Mono County Board of Supervisors on fish rearing and stocking. […]
LUNCH TAKES LEAVE
I am out of town this week. Surprised Mom for Mother’s Day. Which is why we’re running a 16-pager. Note: that has since changed. And Owen’s in charge. Scott[…]
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PROJECT PROJECTIONS
The effects of climate change in California are undeniable. Just look at how reduced snowpack has lead to a very early beginning to the fire season. How is that change[…]
HELLO TO YELLOW
Mono County returned to the yellow tier on Tuesday, a comeback many months in the making. The yellow tier is California’s least restrictive in the Blueprint for A Safer Economy. […]
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I’M EIGHTEEN
I’ve got a Baby’s brain and an old man’s heart Took eighteen years to get this far Don’t always know what I’m talkin’ about Feels like I’m livin’ in the[…]
GETTING DIRKED AROUND
When Mammoth Lakes Tourism facilitated Dirk Winter’s purchase of Sam’s Wood Site on Minaret Road, the goal was pretty simple: to preserve a longtime events venue in Mammoth Lakes. It[…]
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COUGH COUGH
The Sheet tracked down Bret Meier this week for an interview. We referenced Meier last week upon learning that the Mammoth Lakes Police Department had reached a monetary settlement with[…]
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THE COLOR OF LACK OF MONEY
The color of having no money? That would be white. The Town of Mammoth Lakes may be holding a groundbreaking ceremony this coming week for the new MUF/CRC ice tent[…]
HE TOLD ‘EM SO
National news was made this week in San Luis Obispo when charges were filed in a 25-year old cold case involving a former Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student, Kristin[…]
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IT’S A CONTACT SPORT
Mammoth Lakes Town Council held a strategic workshop last Friday. They made some revealing statements. Probably because no one was on the call. They thought they were safe. Thank God[…]
DUGGAN THE GRAVE FOR DENNIS
After a year of deliberation, back and forth arguments for and against, and continuous postponements of a final decision, The Tioga Inn housing plan went out with a whimper at[…]
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SEXY BEACH
“So,” we asked in a Tuesday meeting with senior resort management held in the clocktower in Mammoth Mountain’s Main Lodge, “Is this project in the Ms or the Bs?” Newly[…]
Alternate reALity
The following letter was a late inclusion into Wednesday night’s Mammoth Lakes Town Council agenda packet: Hello TOML Town Council: There is an editorial in the April 3 issue of[…]
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NO MORE TIERS
The finish line finally appears to be in sight. Announcements from the California government indicate that the state sees brighter days ahead in the battle against Covid-19. To date, over[…]
CONGLOMERATE IN PROTEST
In a small courtyard beside the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, a small chihuahua makes a nervous initial pass on those walking in, warily keeping an eye on and backing[…]
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KEYSTONE LIGHT
What follows is not just a story of police bungling – which is akin to regular bungling. We all bungle things. I do so on a weekly basis. You have[…]
NOT FOR TED
Well, a ‘tweener week so I unfortunately had to pass on an April Fools’ story this year. In terms of ideas, spoofing Mammoth Lakes Town Council’s upcoming series of “strategic[…]
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HOMES REMEDY
The Inyo County Planning Department held a public workshop for the 2021 General Plan Housing Element update on Wednesday to inform the public about the process of updating the Housing[…]
RARIFIED AIR
Global pollution levels were down across the board in 2020, reflecting the reality of a pandemic that’s kept people inside and at home instead of commuting to work or heading[…]
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IN ANY EVENT
It was about this time last year that doors began to shutter around the Eastside and events were cancelled. In a matter of hours, Elevation Mammoth went from full steam[…]
PURPLE PAIN
While the local effort to combat Covid-19 continues to produce encouraging results, Mono County did not enter the red tier this past week as previously anticipated. The culprit: an adjusted[…]
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LUNCH HAS NO FRIENDS
Now I get it. On Monday, someone forwarded confirmation of their upcoming vaccine appointment to me via email. What’s funny is that the confirmation email specifically states, “Don’t forward this[…]
MLT BOARD RAISES GLASS TO MENDEL
The Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board appointed John Mendel to fill the retail board seat vacated by Matt Hammer at its regular meeting Wednesday. Mendel will be seated (or Zoomed) at[…]
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MAMMOTH GETS BACK TO 100%
The winter of discontent (at least for Mammoth Lakes lodging operators) may be coming to an end. Mammoth town officials issued updated guidance on Saturday, February 27, that removed a[…]
AN INDEPENDENCE WOMAN
You’ve heard all the bromides. Live each day like it’s your last. Today’s the first day of the rest of your life. Life is short/Life is a gift And we[…]
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ESTA…BIEN?
At the Inyo County Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, February 23, Eastern Sierra Transit Authority (ESTA) director Phil Moores spoke to the supervisors about how the agency performed in Fiscal Year[…]
ATTENTION CITIZENSs
The Sheet received the following urgent message on Thursday afternoon. I write to you to warn you of what is coming down the pike, more like up the pike to[…]
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OH SAY CAN YOU CRC
As former Mammoth Mountain (now Alterra Resorts) CEO Rusty Gregory is often fond of saying, “Don’t let perfect get in the way of good.” On Wednesday, Mammoth Lakes Town Council[…]
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EQUITY TRAINING
The following email was sent to senior staff at the Town of Mammoth Lakes last Friday. Hello All, My name is Michael Jones and I work for Mono County[…]
PUTTING ON A CLINIC
Mono County officials announced earlier this week that they had administered over 5,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to county residents since receiving its first allotment. According to the LA Times,[…]
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OUT OF THE PARKER
Mammoth Hospital CEO Tom Parker was gracious enough to spend some time with me this week talking about the state of affairs at the health district and what opportunities and[…]
SEEKING THE LIMELIGHT
Another contender to the throne presented itself to Mammoth Town Council at its regular meeting via Zoom on Wednesday. The contender is the Little Nell Hotel Group, owned by Aspen[…]
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REDISTRICULOUS
Mono County Supervisors were faced with the age-old dilemma at their regular meeting Tuesday. Pawn off difficult, politically sensitive work on others, or buck up and do the job one[…]
AN ODE TO MR INYO
Chuck Kilpatrick, 1935-2020 You would think that a person would revel in a nickname like “Mr. Bishop,” but even though it was a moniker that rolled off the tongue, Chuck[…]
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WHO LEFT WHOM?
When the late Ronald Reagan so famously switched political parties back in the early 1960s, he said in explanation, “I didn’t leave the Democratic party. The Democratic party left me.”[…]
SHOTS ALL AROUND
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread around the country, it has become increasingly clear that the United States’ way out of this pandemic is tied to vaccination. After nearly[…]
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1-2-3, LET’S LOPE!
She was the most wonderful kind of contradiction. She loved people. And she loved her solitude. Perhaps she needed the bouts of solitude simply because her love for all other[…]
GOING (SEMI) ROGUE
Well, this is unexpected. Had a minor communication error within the office (funny, since there are only two of us here. It’s not like there’s a rabbit warren of offices[…]
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LOOK OUT, CASEY JONES!
You know the part in the silent movies where the damsel in distress is tied to the tracks and the train is bearing down. Well, given current stay-at-home orders and[…]
THE FINAL SPIN
Rodney Wiley, 1968-2020 The life of the party has moved on to the afterlife. Rodney Wiley, aka DJ Rodney O, died last weekend after a bout with pancreatic cancer. He[…]
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ZERO POINT ZERO
California entered its second week of more strict stay-at-home orders on Monday, and the Covid-19 situation around the state has only grown worse. Greater Sacramento and the Bay Area fell[…]
WELL DONE, CITIZEN
As my favorite bartender in the whole wide world, Roberta Fisher (of Challis, Idaho) would often say, “You do what you have to do to survive.” And we’re all caught[…]
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RE(X)CUSE ME
There’s been a lot of national hand-wringing of late over the fate of the republic if Trump refuses to concede the election, the resillience of our institutions, et. al. Maybe[…]
THE COLOR PURPLE
After Mono County recorded 37 new Covid-19 cases over the course of a week, California state officials moved the county into the most restrictive of their four tiers: Purple/Widespread Disease.[…]
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SPENDING TO SAVE
Of the many things about my wife I struggle to understand, a principal topic I find confounding is her ability to justify an expense by telling me it’s actually saving[…]
GET BACK ON THE BUS!
While some local schools have gradually returned to in-person learning, Mammoth Unified School District (MUSD) has, for the most part remained online with the exception of some small, highly[…]
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WALKER DIGS IN/DIGS OUT POST-FIRE
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WALKER BURNS-96 STRUCTURES LOST
High wind conditions on Tuesday helped to rapidly grow a fire sparked in Walker, leading to nearly 100 structures burning down over the course of 24 hours, and one recorded[…]
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ONE THING WE CAN ALL AGREE ON
… is that everyone likes an extra six inches. We learned that at a four hour Parcel workshop on Tuesday. A workshop via Zoom that was briefly halted by a[…]
COVID-19TH NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
A Covid outbreak at the Marine Warfare Training Center (MWTC) north of Bridgeport could toss Mono County into a sea of purple. Even without the MWTC, Mono may be seeing red.[…]
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IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE PARCEL
At The Parcel workshop held Tuesday evening, project developer Andrea Clark of the Pacific Companies guessed The Parcel wouldn’t accommodate its first residents until 2023-2024. Which means, the local housing[…]
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MOUNTAIN WARFARE…VERSUS COVID
It’s said that all good things must come to an end. While that end isn’t entirely decided at this point for Mono and Inyo counties’ Covid-19 guidelines, the outlook is[…]
INYO GOES… PURPLE?
Election day has come and gone, and while the dust is settling in the presidential election, the results thus far for Inyo and Mono counties tell some very interesting stories.[…]
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INYO AT RISK OF FALLING OFF WAGON
A recent spike in Covid cases may return Inyo County to ‘red’ status. The state rates each County’s Covid-risk level on a four-tiered system. Red is the second-highest level, where Covid[…]
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PAUL NOSTERDAMUS
Just so we can all appreciate what happens when we sit on our hands and don’t pull the trigger on an investment … I was peeking through archives this week[…]
TIOGA A GO GO?
The trials and tribulations associated with the Tioga Inn hotel and restaurant project, now in its 27th year of planning hell, have been well documented: project proponent Dennis Domaille survived[…]
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INCONCEIVABLE!
With apologies to Wallace Shawn … Eighteen years covering the Eastern Sierra and I’ve never seen anything like it. At its September 28 regular meeting, a majority of Bishop City[…]
THOUGHTS ON TUEZZDAY
I figure I’ve written too much of the paper already, so I asked reporters Hite and Page to give their takes on the first Presidential debate between Mssrs. Trump and[…]
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TALL IN THE SADDLE
Horseman, philanthropist and steadfast friend Roxanne Tallman died September 25 after a long bouth with cancer. She was 73. Tallman was the owner of Hidden Creeks Ranch in Bishop, the[…]
CLEAR SKIES AHEAD?
While the Creek Fire continues to burn in the wilderness to the southeast of Mammoth Lakes, mitigation efforts and seasonal changes are turning the tide against it. Conditions related to[…]
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Back To School
One of the prevailing questions of the Covid-19 pandemic was how schools would look come fall. As local school districts came back in session after summer break, all did so[…]
CREEKY TIMBERS
After a week of warnings about incoming strong winds, Mono County awoke on Friday, Sept. 18 to a light but steady rain. For the first time in days or even[…]
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WOUNDED AGAIN
In a press release issued last Friday. the Mammoth Lakes Foundation Board of Directors said it will not proceed with a land lease or other agreement for the proposed National[…]
UP A CREEK
Fires are raging up and down the west coast, raining down ash, forcing evacuations, literally obliterating whole towns and leading to the unprecedented action of the United State Forest Service[…]
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LOSERS AND SUCKERS
I think the above phrase represents the most difficuilt aspect for me regarding the current zeitgeist. Because there is no doubt in my mind that that’s the language President Trump[…]
Inside and Outside The Bubble
I had the following email exchange with Allen Brown this week. Brown: News Flash! BLM (Black Lives Matter) takes their community improvement team to Kenosha, Wisconsin. What a great organization![…]
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Reefer Madness…In Bishop!
In spite of Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana cultivation and sale in California, the plant remains controversial in some circles. Like amongst Bishop City Council. The question of permitting[…]
A Sense of Urgency
Inyo County Supervisors passed an urgency ordinance on Tuesday to “discourage and penalize violations of orders pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic.” But while the Supervisors agreed to the potential enactment[…]
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Man ( Cleaning Up After Man) Defense
After yet another story about trash, Friends of the Inyo asked The Sheet to tag along with an employee to see what the non-profit was doing to mitigate the trash[…]
A Mammoth Undertaking
One of the biggest looming question marks on the Eastside is Mammoth Mountain: will it open for skiing this winter and if so, what would that look like? What would[…]
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Inyo Death Toll Reaches Nine
Inyo County reported its ninth Covid-19 death on Wednesday, the 8th death in the county since the beginning of August. Between the period of August 4-17, testing revealed 83 new[…]
Slow Summer in Bridgeport
COVID-19 affected the Eastern Sierra economy in a variety of ways. Bridgeport, for example, was hit in an entirely different way than other Eastern Sierra town. The economy in Bridgeport[…]
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Free Fireworks
I hope all of you got out this week for the Perseid meteor shower, Mother Nature’s way of making up for the lack of a Crowley Lake fireworks show on[…]
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Oh Brothers
Superior Court Judge Stephen Place granted Inyo County a temporary restraining order on Wednesday. The order will prohibit Two Brothers from Italy restaurant from operating until it complies with public[…]
Deaths Rattle Inyo
Four months of safety behind closed doors, with no visitors permitted, allowed the Bishop Care Center to remain Covid-19 free while care facilities and retirement homes around the country lost[…]
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Need Help?
My curiosity got the best of me this week, so I decided to park a desk and a chair at the path leading from the parking lot to the Mammoth[…]
Is 14K More Than Fool’s Gold?
This week, a new Trails Host program was officially unveiled as part of the solution for the congestion in the Lakes Basin. The program will place two “Trail Hosts” up[…]
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Careless Center
As Mono County goes, so too does Inyo it seems. Inyo County saw a spike of 28 new Covid cases over a three day period between August 1 and August[…]
DELIVERABLE ME THIS, BATMAN
Mammoth Lakes Town Council approved a contract update, worth an estimated $6 million, with Mammoth Lakes Tourism (MLT) on Wednesday, July 15. Last year, MLT and the Town of Mammoth[…]
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BEARLY AWARE
Coming off a fairly dry winter, the local bear population was active earlier than usual this spring. And Mammoth Lakes has been jammed with tourists ever since travel restrictions were[…]
STUCK IN A MINEFIELD
As of Thursday, the United States stands far and away at the top of the Covid-19 charts. Not exactly a chart one wants to hit. Certainly not Kasey Kasem’s Top[…]
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More Faces, More Cases
Jurisdictions around California have seen spikes in Covid cases in recent weeks, raising concerns that the state as a whole is beginning to lose ground in the fight against Covid-19. […]
The Real is Real
What a difference a few weeks make. Prior to reopening, Stacey Bardfield, Owner/Broker of Mammoth Sierra properties, described the local real estate market as being “dead as a doornail.” And[…]
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Handling the Covicissitudes of Life
“Like all hospitals around the country, Mammoth Hospital has not been immune to the financial impact of COVID-19,” said Melanie Van Winkle, CFO for Mammoth Hospital, in an email to[…]
TOP NOTCH ATLEEWORK
While many summer events and activities have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, there’s one throwback summer activity that’s eminently portable and perfect for social distancing. Reading. And Bishop’s[…]
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King of the June-gle
The Tiger Bar in June Lake was temporarily closed on June 27 due to a lack of compliance regarding COVID-19 protocols. The order came from Mono County Health Officer Thomas[…]
But At What Cost?
A week ago, Ingrid Braun, the Sheriff- Coroner for Mono County gave a presentation to the Mono County Board of Supervisors regarding possible police reform through the lens of a[…]
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Inyo Face!
In a public ruling late last month, Inyo County was dealt a setback in its attempts to take over three landfills from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.[…]
NIH Pressured By Covid
The Northern Inyo Hospital District board met Wednesday evening to discuss the FY 2020-2021 budget. The board continues to work through financial difficulties borne of Covid impacts and the Flanigan[…]
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Jan and Rich McAteer: Survivors
Life in Mammoth has a lot in common with the reality television series, “Survivor.” Maybe it’s the island living theme. Or maybe it’s the scramble for limited jobs and resources.[…]
On The MLRocks
Mammoth Lakes Recreation’s three-year contract with the Town of Mammoth Lakes expires at the end of June. On Wednesday, MLR Executive Director Matt McClain pleaded for MLR’s very life before[…]
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Tyson Ain’t No Chicken
Operating a summer camp can be tough. Factor in the current Covid-19 pandemic and it becomes an exponentially bigger headache. Clay Tyson is 56 years-old and first came to Mammoth[…]
Don’t Hold the Ketchup
After running out of time during its previous meeting due to prolonged budget deliberation, the Mammoth Lakes Tourism board reconvened on Monday afternoon to finalize the ‘20-’21 budget and vote[…]
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Mono = No Mo’ $$
Early on in Mono County Finance Director Janet Dutcher’s FY2020-2021 budget presentation during Tuesday’s Mono County Board of Supervisors meeting, she put an ominous slide on the screen. In large[…]
Mammoth Lakes (plus one) Tourism?
With Scott McGuire departing his position as an at-large member on the Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board, that same board took up the question of who will be McGuire’s replacement at[…]
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And oh what Hites We’ll Hit …
Strange as it sounds, there can be a benefit to lousy reporting. First, Mammoth Mountain Vice-President Eric Clark’s excerpted remarks at Wednesday’s Mammoth Lakes Tourism board meeting: “I wanted to[…]
A Wing and a Prayer
Published in 1987, ‘The Art of the Deal’ by Donald J. Trump will likely be a relic studied for years: how did that guy become president? . The book’s authors[…]
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We’re Crawling and We Can’t Get Up
The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has made any sort of planning and forward thinking difficult. While the state has been walking back restrictions on its reopening plans, the changes[…]
There’s No Bidness like TBIDness
Mammoth Lakes Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) was established in 2013. At the time, MMSA (now Alterra) CEO Rusty Gregory had a grandiose plan to generate more air travel to[…]
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Seismic Activity At Foundation
The Mammoth Lakes Foundation Board recently determined it needed to slash its permanent staff from four members to two in the wake of the Covid crisis. “In order to preserve[…]
A Run on the Bank
Like everyone else, I suppose, I am watching the corona drama unfold with a mixture of horror and fascination. All the while looking at my own books and trying to[…]
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Byrne Baby Byrne
We all respond to pandemic hysteria a little bit differently. My response has been low-grade pyromania. I live next to LADWP property in Bishop. And there are tumbleweeds everywhere –[…]
Gentleman Jack
He was the type of guy who still wrote thank you letters. A guy who made it a point to remember people’s names. And if he were in line at[…]
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Taking COV(ID)ER
With COVID-19 aka coronavirus causing major shutdowns in cities across the globe, it was only a matter of time before the Eastern Sierra saw large-scale shutdowns of its own. Life[…]
Coronavirus Finds Timmy Lupus
The Bad News Bears (1976) was one of the seminal movies from my childhood, and I think of it this week during the worldwide coronavirus meltdown because it really does[…]
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All Is Not (Hollo)well
Finger-pointing, accusations from former employees, threats to The Sheet over supposed personnel documents which Lunch has never seen, and at the center of it all, veterans who’d prefer more service[…]
March Madness
Over the course of the past week, concern about COVID-19 (coronavirus) has reached fever pitch around the globe. On March 11, a number of major points in the evolution of[…]
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Results are in!
Voters in Inyo and Mono Counties turned out on Tuesday, March 3, to cast their ballots in a number of races both local and national. The Inyo County results were[…]
Rabbi of the Mountains
For the first time, maybe ever, Mammoth Lakes will have a Rabbi living here supporting the Jewish community and spreading kindness to anyone who needs it. Rabbi Yisroel Gordon recently[…]
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Scare-port Blues
Mammoth-Yosemite Airport’s commercial service is scheduled to be shifted to the Bishop Airport by late October. This would mean a daily, year-round flight from Los Angeles and two[…]
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Burbine= Fine Wine
There’s a reason why the name stuck. In 1998, newsman Tom Brokaw published a book called “The Greatest Generation” to describe Americans who came of age during the Great Depression[…]
Walk it Back
Just when you’d think you’re fully out of the weeds, you can get pulled right back in. The conversation around the proposed Colitas Farms project in Walker came before the[…]
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I URD-GE YOU TO RECONSIDER
So a few things that have crystallized (and not) for me this week. On Measure F … I see an argument on both sides. On the Fire District’s side, how[…]
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Courting a New Court
Bishop City Council held a special meeting on Monday, February 10 to hear a presentation on plans for a new court building in downtown Bishop. Court Executive Officer Pam Foster[…]
The Real McCoy
“Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.” -William Butler Yeats Dave McCoy, founder[…]
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Dusty in the Wind
The Mammoth Grand Prix wrapped up last week and a local Mammoth Snowboarder named Dusty Henricksen managed to capture a first-place finish in the Slopestyle event in February. The 17-year[…]
Walker on the Wildside
In 2016, California voters passed Proposition 64, known as the Adult Use of Marijuana act, to allow for the growth, sale and usage of recreational cannabis in California. The question[…]
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Hungry for Justice
“A party without cake is just a meeting,” said the famous American culinary icon, Julia Child. It is also said that “Where there is cake, there is hope.” So, notwithstanding[…]
Scopes Trial
Inyo County hosted two public scoping meetings, in Bishop and Mammoth, as part of the environmental review and initial study which need to occur this year before Bishop Airport can[…]
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Embrace The “Suck”
The Sierra Nevada can be an intimidating place to settle. The combination of altitude, isolation, and extreme weather remove any possibility that that it might be easy, creating an environment[…]
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LAPLANTE TAKES ON THE GRAND PRIX
The Mammoth Grand Prix begins Wednesday January 29 and finishes up on Saturday February 1. Skiers and snowboarders from all over will be competing in the event, looking to get[…]
LEFT OUT TO DRY
Southern California Edison representatives were in town earlier this week for a presentation on a subject that refreshingly had nothing to do with Public Safety Power Shutoffs, although it may[…]
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HE DID IT HIS WAY
Bob Todd was a drinker, a toker, a gambler, a slob, a Deadhead, an avid sports fan. He was loud, outspoken, caustic and funny. He didn’t broker dummies and fools.[…]
HOW BOUT SOME GATORADE
I want to relate a story told by Major Gen. Ted Banta at the Operation Mountain Freedom (Wounded Warrior) luncheon Thursday. He was talking about a Marine Gunnery Sergeant named[…]
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NEARING CLIFF
The new year is only three weeks old and Mono County’s financial headaches are already getting started. At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Public Health Director Sandra Pearce, Public Health[…]
BUYER BEWARE
On January 5, 2019, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled, “High Cost of Wildfire Insurance Hurts California Home Sales.” The article discussed rising insurance premiums associated with houses[…]
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NOT QUITE TAKING FLIGHT
While businesses in town may have seen an uptick in customers and sales during the holiday season, dismal passenger enplanement numbers served as a reminder to Mammoth Lakes Tourism, the[…]
A COCKTAIL TO AVOID
In no particular order … I’ve been catching up with some reading this week. One headline from the Dec. 18 Wall Street Journal that caught my attention: “Pittsburgh Airport Ramps[…]
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PITCH THE TENT!
The Multi-use-facility (or MUF) appears to be gaining traction. This week, on Tuesday January 7, both Mammoth Lakes Recreation and the Recreation Commission received an update on the progress made[…]
GET PITTED
Every developer that has ever built in Mammoth Lakes has to face the question: “What about snow storage?” Mammoth Lakes is fresh off of a winter that dropped 492 inches[…]
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CALMING THE WATERS
BUSD Supt. Katie Kolker talks goals, building trust Katie Kolker took over as Bishop Unified School District (BUSD) interim Superintendent on November 4, 2019, following the conclusion of former Superintendent[…]
THE BALLAD OF A SELF-MADE MAN
Tony Colarsardo: 1950-2019 To call Tony Colasardo a pillar of the Mammoth community would be an understatement. He was more of a steel column. And now he is gone. Colasardo.[…]
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ONE MAN, MANY CAROLS
Gus Kreiger is just a single person but starting this coming weekend, he’ll transform into a full ensemble of more than twenty distinct characters over the course of his performance[…]
WE NEED STU!
You can really make a game of it. Think of all the businesses that have come and gone in the Village at Mammoth since it opened in May, 2003. Hennessey’s,[…]
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ALL THE WAY BACK
This season the Bishop Broncos football team cruised to an 8-2 regular season record and entered the playoffs as the #1 overall seed in the division 6 central playoffs. After[…]
Still Depressed- the Sequel
The initial findings of a nine-month Workforce Health and Well-Being Project for Mono County employees revealed exhaustion, frustration, and anxiety within the ranks, painting a picture of a workforce struggling[…]
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Send in the Browns
In response to last week’s editorial, I heard through the grapevine something along these lines, “There he goes again – suggesting that Mammoth Lakes Tourism (MLT) should operate with less[…]
Park Place vs. Boardwalk
Mammoth’s Town Council and Planning and Economic Development Commission (PEDC) held a special joint meeting on Wednesday to discuss the preferred draft plan for The Parcel workforce housing development. Public[…]
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Helping to Understand the Universe
A crowd gathered at Cerro Coso Community College in Bishop on the night of Thursday, November 14, to hear a talk by Dr. Katie Bouman, an assistant professor of computing[…]
Poison Pill For Mill City Tract Owners
“We were hoping as we got more detailed studies maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as we thought. But I’m not going to sugarcoat this. This isn’t good news.” Inyo[…]
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The Boy of Summer
Marty Burgenbauch: 1948-2019 It’s fairly ironic that the last band (of many bands over the years) Marty Burgenbauch was a part of was called “The Jaded Haters,” as Marty was[…]
I’m With Keynes
There was a great essay in November 2 issue of The Economist on credulity and politics, pretty much asking “Why isn’t lying more damaging [to politicians]?” I could quote the[…]
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Is The Plan To Ban?
Mammoth Town Council met Wednesday night, November 6, in front of a completely packed Suite Z. Some people left after the town announced its new hires and handed out awards[…]
Whacking the Tobaccy
On November 1, a new tobacco ban goes into effect county-wide, removing flavored tobacco products such as menthol cigarettes from the shelves of local retailers. The institution of this ban,[…]
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THE FUTURE IS NOW
A loyal reader was cleaning out his garage last weekend and came across an ancient Mammoth planning document that he thought I might find interesting. The bound, 64-page, 10” tall[…]
FOUR WAY FOLLY
There is an intersection in Mammoth, a cursed one, some might say, where time moves only slightly faster than a crawl. Lights will change when no one else is at[…]
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FEELING LOW
As time wears on, it has become increasingly clear that the Covid-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on collective mental health. A 2020 report from the CDC showed that U.S.[…]
