| Click the button below to search for articles... View News Items from prior months... June 2021 July 2020 June 2016 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 July 2013 June 2013 March 2013 February 2013 November 2012 October 2012 August 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 November 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 October 2010 September 2010 February 2010 January 2010 | PSCF Foundation receives non-profit status What began with a small taco feed of concerned community members in the Floriculture Building of the Fairgrounds, has now become a full fledged non-profit corporation. The PSCF Foundation has been created to benefit the Plumas Sierra County Fairgrounds. Its mission is to support the Fairgrounds and the Fair, ensuring that the grounds and facilities will remain and prosper for future generations. Through fundraising, grants, and volunteer organization the PSCF Foundation will strive to provide the Fairgrounds with the resources needed to remain active, solvent, and viable in our community. The idea of a foundation began in 2012 when State budget cuts began to threaten the basic health of the beloved fairgrounds. Although the staff and county have worked hard to keep the Fairgrounds operational, it has gone without many enhancements that could make it even more functional and enjoyable for the residents of Plumas and Sierra Counties. A core group of supporters began to meet irregularly and created all the necessary paperwork to become a California Public Benefit Corporation and apply to the IRS as a 501(c) (3) non profit. That approval was recently received from the IRS and now the Foundation is ready to move forward on numerous projects. The Board of Directors identified 8 areas they are ready to work on. The first is a comprehensive volunteer program. The Foundation has been working on a database of volunteers that matches individuals with specific tasks needed to be accomplished at the Fairgrounds. The volunteer program will feature a regular newsletter, recognition and an annual appreciation function. If anyone is interested in becoming part of this program, they are urged to contact the Fair Office. Other projects the Foundation has already supported include financial support for Fair U, the annual event held in February that gives the public free lessons in projects that can be entered in the Fair. Besides Fair U, the group sponsored the Sweetheart of the Mountains Competition last year, and will do so again. Awards for the Junior Livestock program was also handled through the Foundation last year. The Foundation is working on two additional projects. The first is the Foundation will offer scholarships for entry fees in some areas that the Fair would like to see increase participation. Scholarships for entries will be announced that will allow entry in certain Divisions and Classes at the Fair for free. This will hopefully stimulate interest in some areas that haven’t gotten many entries in the past. Those scholarships will be announced in the 2015 Fair Exhibit Guide. The other project is Art at the Fairgrounds. The Foundation will be looking for proposals for public art that will be displayed at the Fairgrounds throughout the year. Fundraising will take place to help pay for those installations and it is hoped the program will help the Fairgrounds become a kind of permanent art exhibit. Ideas are being worked on with an announcement planned for the Spring. The non-profit is working on a capital improvement project in the form of installing hand dryers in the bathrooms at the Fairgrounds. These hand dryers will save the Fairgrounds thousands of dollars in paper products and cleanup. The project requires 12 dryers at around $600 each. Finally, the Foundation will work on increasing its membership. Several generous souls have already given sizeable donations as Founding Members. This one time $500 donation designates the giver as a Founding Member of the PSCF Foundation. Their name will be engraved in acrylic and displayed in the entry way of the Tulsa Scott Pavilion forever. These Founding Member gifts will be available through the end of the 2015 Fair. Besides being a Founding Member, there are several other annual memberships available, ranging from $40 as a Fair Backer to $1000 and above as a Fair Shareholder. These memberships feature passes to the fair and various gifts with the Foundation logo along with recognition in the Fair Program and on the Foundation Roster, also displayed in the entry to the Tulsa Scott Pavilion. Information cards with all the membership options are available at the Fair Office and on the Fair website, www.plumas-sierracountyfair.net. Just click on the PSCF Foundation tab at the top of the page. By becoming a member, you show your support of the Fair, and help accomplish many of these projects. Donations made through the Foundation offer that tax benefit that makes giving a little easier. The involvement of a non-profit in these projects creates a much more flexible environment than the Fair as a government agency could. Published: 12/31/14 VETTRAX JANUARY 2015 TAX EXEMPTION FOR VETERANS – The California Constitution and Revenue and Taxation Code Section 205.5 provides a property tax exemption for the home of a disabled veteran or an unmarried spouse of a deceased disabled veteran. The exemption is available to a disabled veteran who, because of an injury incurred in military service: - Is blind in both eyes; or - Has lost the use of two or more limbs; or - Is totally disabled as determined by the VA (at the 100% service connected rating) or by the military service from which the veteran was discharged. The issues regarding this exemption is complex, and the eligibility requirements are specific. Consult the local assessor’s office for detailed requirements regarding this exemption. For Sierra County contact the assessors office at (530) 289-3283 for Plumas County contact the assessors office at (530) 283-6152. Published: 12/30/14 Turkeys Cause Massive Spikes in Plumber Calls Every Year Loyalton, CA (November 21, 2014) – Preventing plumbing problems in the kitchen during the Thanksgiving holiday is easy as pie, if cooks know the do’s and don’ts of their drains and garbage disposals. Year in and year out, the Thanksgiving holiday brings a spike in emergency calls to plumbers for malfunctioning garbage disposals and clogged drains. In fact, the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for plumbers, seeing a nearly 50% spike in emergency visits. “At Mr. Rooter Plumbing, we want to make this holiday enjoyable for our customers, so we’re available in case a plumbing disaster strikes,” said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Plumbing. “Our Mr. Rooter plumbing service professionals take a great deal of pride in being a hero for our customers.” With a house full of family and friends, more leftovers go down the drain. That means an increase in the chance of drains clogging and garbage disposals breaking. After the Thanksgiving feast is cleaned up, it is important for cooks to know what should - and should not - be put down the drain. “Garbage disposals weren’t designed to replace the trash can,” Thompson said. “On top of that, they usually get overworked during the holidays.” While counting your blessings this Thanksgiving, be thankful for these Top 5 Turkey Day Tips from Mr. Rooter Plumbing: Don’t put turkey bones or skin, or potato and onion peels down the garbage disposal. Throw leftovers in the trash or compost pile. Feed waste gradually to prevent overloading the garbage disposal. Avoid pouring grease down the drain – it will harden on your pipes; wipe off greasy pans before washing. Don’t operate dishwasher if you suspect a problem. It discharges into the disposal. About Mr. Rooter®: Established in 1970, Mr. Rooter is an all-franchised, full-service plumbing and drain cleaning company with approximately 300 franchises worldwide. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among its “Franchise 500” and Franchise Times Top 200, Mr. Rooter franchisees provide services to both residential and commercial customers. Mr. Rooter began franchising in 1974 and is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For more information or to find the location nearest you, please visit our Web site at www.mrrooter.com Published: 12/11/14 LIBERTY UTILITIES REMINDS CUSTOMERS TO PREPARE FOR WINTER STORMS AND POSSIBLE OUTAGES Lake Tahoe, CA December 10, 2014. Liberty Utilities is reminding customers to always be prepared for winter storms and possible power outages that may result from them. “Although we’ve made significant progress in reducing electrical outages since acquiring the utility nearly four years ago, the reality is that a really big winter storm can impact our ability to keep the lights on,” according to Mike Smart, President of Liberty Utilities-California. With the approaching winter storm, Liberty offers the following outage preparation tips: Flashlight – Always keep a flashlight and extra batteries handy. Do not use candles in a power outage or other emergency. Camp lights and lanterns may also be useful; however, do not use kerosene lanterns indoors unless you have proper ventilation. Appliances & Electronics – Turn off or disconnect any appliances or electronics you were using when the power went out. Unplug your computer to avoid the possibility of surge damage when the power returns. Always use a surge protector for valuable electronic equipment, and you may want to purchase an uninterruptable power supply (UPS). A UPS is a battery back-up system that supplies power for about 15 minutes – long enough for you to save all work and shut the computer down. Surge protectors and UPS can be purchased at most office supply and computer stores. Leave light on – Leave one light turned on so you’ll know when your power returns. Staying warm – If you’re cold, put on layers of warm clothing. Never burn charcoal for heating or cooking indoors. Close doors to unused rooms. Use wood-burning fireplaces if available, but ensure the flume is open. Refrigerators & Freezers – Leave the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed as much as possible. Cover a stand-alone freezer with blankets, quilts or sleeping bags to further insulate it and help keep food frozen. Transfer refrigerated food to ice chests filled with ice if outage is prolonged. Stay Informed – During a prolonged outage, Liberty Utilities will use local media outlets to communicate with our customers. Please use your wireless devices or battery-powered radios to check local media reports. Liberty Utilities will post necessary emergency notices to their website at www.libertyutilities.com Voluntarily Conserve During Peak Use Times When Power Is On – Liberty’s customers’ electric use rises substantially during peak times—typically from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. With the extra strain that a winter storm can put on the system, Liberty asks that customers try to minimize their usage during that time. For example, try not to do laundry or run the dishwasher during those hours. “We’ll be monitoring the storm and have crews ready to respond if needed,” Smart added. “Since we purchase our power from NV Energy, we’ll also be communicating with them throughout the storms to do everything possible to keep our customers’ lights on.” Since acquiring the utility in 2011, Liberty Utilities has invested about $2 million annually in vegetation management efforts, removing trees and branches that may fall on power lines, especially if they are laden with snow. The utility has also invested in many small-scale improvement projects, and are hoping to receive permits in early 2015 to begin a major upgrade project on two key transmission lines known as the 625 and 650 power lines. Liberty Utilities is your local electric company serving approximately 49,000 customers on the California side of Lake Tahoe and adjacent areas to the south and north including the cities of Markleeville, Woodfords, Topaz, Coleville, Walker, parts of Truckee & Verdi, Portola & Loyalton. We are committed to providing quality service to our customers, and our employees are involved in the communities in which they live and work. Visit us at www.libertyutilities.com Published: 12/10/14 Federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes and Secure Rural Schools Funding Update - FROM RCRC On Thursday, by a vote of 300 to 119, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3979, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2015. (California Congressional Delegation Roll Call Vote can be accessed here.) The primary purpose of the measure is to set national defense policy for the country as negotiated between the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee. Attached to this measure is a federal lands package which includes a $70 million appropriation for the federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, as well addressing other natural resources issues such as energy and mineral production, land use issues, and land conveyances. The $70 million was acquired from savings found in the federal lands package. It should be noted that federal PILT has been a $450 million program annually. As such, this $70 million appropriation will serve as a ‘down payment’ towards reaching the $450 million level for FY 2015 ($70 million only represents approximately 16% of the total FY 2015 estimate). NDAA is expected to be considered in the U.S. Senate in the coming days as the 113th Congress comes to a conclusion. However, because the federal lands component of the bill is controversial, and H.R. 3979 can be subjected to amendments, the measure’s fate remains unclear. To date, it is also unclear how the measure will be viewed by the Obama Administration. While there appears to be progress on PILT, efforts to provide funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act (SRS) in the final days of the 113th Congress appear to be allusive. The NDAA does not contain any funding for SRS. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a key member in the SRS discussion, has been working to find a vehicle for a FY 2014 SRS reauthorization claiming that a one-year reauthorization can be paid for from other “offsets” in federal spending. At the time of publication, those efforts have not been successful. It should be noted that assuming an SRS reauthorization for 2014 is not finalized in the coming weeks/months, adjustments to counties’ PILT payments will need to be made. While many had wanted to see full, multi-year reauthorization for PILT and at least a 2014 reauthorization for SRS occur in the 113th Congress, in a matter of weeks the 114th Congress will convene and work may be undertaken to address these very important programs for California’s rural counties. However, at this point in time, the fate of this and other programs is in flux, and subject to change. RCRC ‘s federal advocacy team will be working to secure funding for these programs and will be joining our partners in this effort. Published: 12/05/14 If You Think It's an Emergency, Go to the Emergency Room By Michael Gerar di Pop quiz: if you're having chest pains, should you go to an urgent care center or the emergency room? The answer should be obvious. Yet according to a new poll, patients suffering from real medical emergencies like this one are not heading to the ER. Seven in 10 emergency physicians treat patients who end up in the ER only after first going to urgent care centers -- and learning that their medical problems were too serious to be treated there. As urgent care centers explode in popularity, it's critical that Americans understand the difference between urgent care and emergency care. Choosing an urgent care center over an ER during a medical emergency could cost a patient his life. There are currently some 9,000 urgent care centers nationwide. These facilities fill an important gap in the health care system for patients who need time-sensitive care but can't wait to see a primary care physician or don't have one. Urgent care centers are often open on weekends and evenings, in addition to normal business hours. Most don't require appointments. They're generally able to provide routine treatment for simple health problems, such as ear infections, strep throat, or sprains, on a first-come, first-served basis. And they often have on-site X-ray machines to diagnose simple fractures. Emergency departments, on the other hand, are always open and ready for whatever comes through the door. The sickest patients in an ER generally go to the head of the line. Some emergency conditions are more obvious than others. Most people would not hesitate to go to the ER for a gunshot wound, for instance. But something like slurred speech also requires a trip to the emergency room. It's a symptom of stroke, which can kill 2 million brain cells a minute. Delaying treatment by even minutes can be the difference between a full recovery and death. Patients may not think that their condition screams "emergency." But even fairly benign symptoms can be warning signs of a life-threatening condition. Consider abdominal pain. Perhaps it's just an intestinal virus. But it could be a ruptured bowel, which requires emergency, life-saving surgery. It's an emergency physician's job -- not a patient's -- to know the difference. And these emergencies can only be managed at one place -- the emergency department. Part of the problem is that patients are misinformed about the role of urgent care centers. Consumers are often swayed by their relatively low prices and marketing. Indeed, more than half of ER physicians say that urgent care centers in their communities advertise themselves as an alternative to emergency rooms. Take Nason Medical Center, which offers urgent care services in South Carolina. It was recently ordered by the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control to stop using the word "emergency" to advertise itself because it confuses patients. Such intervention by government officials is valid, considering that misinformation can put patients at risk. BroMenn Medical Center in Chicago has reported that since last August, five patients have come to the ER with heart attacks -- after first seeking care elsewhere for their chest pains. Patients can't be expected to diagnose themselves. Those with the symptoms of a medical emergency should go to the emergency department. Delaying critical care by going to the wrong medical facility might make the difference between life and death. Michael Gerardi, M.D., is president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Warning signs of a medical emergency: http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/EmergencyManual/IsItAnEmergency/Default.aspx?id=122 Symptoms of childhood emergencies: http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/EmergencyManual/IsItAnEmergency/Default.aspx?id=124 Published: 12/05/14 |