Great anniversary issue........Some questions and clarifications to offer:
"You Have the Power" seems to imply that Loyalton has 740 registered voters eligible to sign petitions. Is this true?
Picture of the Rio Grande says "where the Assembly of God Church is located today". I'm remembering the gas station being in front of the house pictured, near the RR tracks. I don't believe the A of G Church had even been built yet in the photo. I remember Brother Brad Wilmoth cruising the streets, using a PA with two giant loudspeakers mounted on top of his car, imploring Loyalton residents to join him at his event. IMO, the current building followed his efforts to build a congregation.
Re: Filippini's piece. When living in Eugene, OR for a short time at the end of the last century, several people had cars with a bumper sticker that read "Use an Accordian.....Go to jail".......A big joke in a town with dozens of accordian players.
Thanks for running the photo of the race track. I never attended, but could hear the roar of the cars and the crowd throughout. Ask Mike, but I believe George Filippini was among the men you mentioned as participants. I always loved that roadster that George let him have back in HS. Jim McCollum and family lived in the house you picture with the Rio Grande. While working in my yard this summer, Carol (nee McCullum) and Charlotte (nee Hartwell) drove by and stopped for a short visit.
Campbell's Hot Springs-before Loyalton built the pool, school officials drove me and others to Campbell's for swimming lessons in their warm water pool (empty for years). I have no idea of his role in the schools back then, but Jim Lonergan headed up the program. He gave proficiency titles at the end of the lessons: Whale, Dolphin, Inner Tube, Rock......I was grateful to have received Inner Tube status.
Re-posting my Softball Champions post is appreciated. I'm hoping many more than the players on that '82 Herlong team will show up on 11/2.
Thank Nichole for the mention of the Fast Pitch article needing to be moved to a future issue. Kudos to Carl Butz for his Marysville run.
Lee May
Loyalton
To the Editor,
As a longtime Northern California resident, I've watched with dismay as outsider opportunists attempt to exploit Sierra County's real estate market, prioritizing profit over community and safety. A prime example of this is who is currently marketing two dilapidated properties at 318 and 320 Coates Avenue in Calpine.
These properties are not just fixer-uppers—they are serious hazards. 318 Coates has a breached septic system with no functioning leach fields, and 320 Coates lacks a foundation altogether. The septic system at 318
is so compromised that someone could literally fall
through at any moment, and the absence of a foundation at 320 makes the structure unsafe and uninhabitable. Yet, despite these glaring issues, the realtor continues to market these homes, putting unsuspecting buyers at risk.
I recently witnessed a real estate agent unknowingly walk across the unsafe ground at 318 Coates, oblivious
to the fact that she was one misstep away from a literal disaster. This kind of negligence is shocking and highlights the recklessness with which these properties are being handled. The realtor's behavior in marketing these hazardous homes is not just irresponsible—it's dangerous.
Sierra County is a place of integrity and community, and we shouldn't allow outsiders to pump-and-dump properties, leaving local buyers to deal with the fallout. We deserve real estate practices that prioritize transparency and safety, not quick-profit schemes that put us at risk.
Let this be a warning to potential buyers and a call to action for our community: demand accountability and reject opportunists who have no regard for our values or our safety.
Sincerely,
Rudolph Alexander
Editor,
I find it astounding that anyone would vote for Donald Trump, or any Republican that supports him. He doesn't want fact checking, has three bankruptcies, is racist and sexist, 33 convictions, Trump U, Anti-Democratic, cannot open his mouth without lying, multimillion dollar settlement for sexual assault, is a crybaby. There is so much more! Republicans, let me help you. None of those things are good for your children.
Don McKechnie
Sierraville, Sparks, Reality
Thank you for 75 years of dedication to our communities! We appreciate you!
Penny & Mark Gamble
Pattie Cross & David Dikes
