Opinion

Back when I was a young and stupid 20-something, I hiked to the top of Mount Whitney with a couple of friends. I first made the summit when I was 10 after my mother and my soon-to-be-new-stepfather decided the two of us needed to do some male bonding. My step-dad always said I was the first person to ever climb Mount Whitney on his butt because I sat down and rested so much, which drove him absolutely crazy because he was a fit young man in his late 20s. So much for the male bonding experience.

Cancer — it’s one of those words no one wants to hear and one of those subjects nobody wants to talk about. Right now that six-letter word dominates my life. A family member battles the dreaded disease and probably will be OK, but an old friend probably will lose his fight with it soon.

Sitting around the dinner table these days we’re talking about chemotherapy, hair loss, infections, dealing with dietary issues and appetite loss. They’re just matter of fact conversations about what lies ahead and how we deal with the future — not some dark and dreary laments. The future for my family member looks bright, and a full recovery is expected.

Plumas Corporation and the county’s merchants should be applauded for stepping up to fill the tourism marketing void created after the visitors bureau was shut down.

At a meeting last week, they devised a plan to keep the county’s popular tourism website plumascounty.org alive without relying on the county funding that was cut off in January.

While the Board of Supervisors reviews a stack of proposals to create a new — and potentially temporary — marketing website from scratch, local merchants have launched a grassroots effort to resurrect the popular and proven plumascounty.org site. And they are paying for it themselves.

In a letter to the editor a couple weeks ago an individual humorously wrote about the JK gang and an ambush at Boyle Ravine. Aside from impugning the independence and thoughtfulness of the group that launched the recall, this individual called us a bunch of vigilantes who should focus our attention on the state and allow the school superintendent and district to do its work to deal with the budget crises.

I would have thought this person would have a better understanding; he’s employed in the school district’s financial office. The district’s budget numbers tell a story quite different from what we’ve been hearing from Superintendent Glenn Harris and his administration.