The Good Stuff by Shelley Bennett |
Watching the Olympics has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. Since Nadia Comaneci won a gold medal in 1976 with my mom, brother, and grandma gathered around the TV, I was hooked.
I briefly entertained the idea of becoming an Olympic ice skater, but the first winter on actual ice skates quickly changed my mind. It was cold! And my ankles hurt! So, I became content with being an ardent spectator.
Every four years brought new names and interests. Mark Spitz, US Men’s Hockey, Dorothy Hamill, Eric Heiden, and Brian Boitano. Nancy Kerrigan, Mary Lou Retton, Scott Hamilton, Apolo Ohno, and the Dream Team of ’92.
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And it wasn’t just the U.S. athletes. Remember Eddie the Eagle? The Jamaican Bob Sled team? Elvis Stojko, the Canadian ice skater? The famous British ice dancers Torville and Dean?
I was drawn into the behind-the-scenes stories of the athletes, Olympic Villages, and Opening Ceremonies. I couldn’t wait to see the official uniforms. The theme music brought goosebumps to my arms. I loved “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”
It was no surprise to pick up my 3-month-old son after school one day and find him propped up in his bouncy seat watching the summer games of 2000 with “Poppa” Larry. The obsession started all over again with Michael Phelps, Shawn Johnson, Usain Bolt, and of course Shawn White.
Shawn White was just nineteen back in 2006 when our family first noticed him. With his wild mane of red hair and big smile, we couldn’t help but love him and become fans like the rest of the world. Both Landon and Jake were entranced and learned the lingo of snowboarding.
Every three to four years, we looked forward to seeing new tricks and interviews with the Flying Tomato. The boys would be glued to the TV watching each run and celebrating during the medal ceremony.
Last week was Shaun White’s last chance at an Olympic medal. Both boys messaged me about the bittersweet feeling of watching his last run. Later, I caught the rerun and saw several pics of an emotional Shawn White giving his thanks to snowboarding. I don’t even know who won the gold, just that it was the end of an era.
Shawn thanked the sport that he has received so much from, but I would like to thank Shawn White for giving my family something to talk about. Someone to cheer for, to admire, to learn from.
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Remember when news was ‘newsy’? When you read about weddings, family events and engagement announcements in the newspaper? If you have something that might be newsworthy, please submit it to shelleybennett24@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to include it here in “The Good Stuff.”
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Poetry Out Loud County coordinators June Sanders and Dianna Henning, Lassen Arts Council president Doug Smith, Morgan Merrill, Runner-up Emmanuel LaPorte, LHS Assistant Principal Jamie Huber and LHS poetry competition coordinator Rachel Vincent. Photo by Mark Sanders |
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Poetry Out Loud Winner Morgan Merrill to Represent Lassen at State Competition
Lassen High School standout Morgan Merrill will be representing Lassen County at the Poetry Out Loud state competition March 7th, after taking first prize among local high school poets.
A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country.
Contestants in the poetry contest are evaluated on their physical presence, voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, dramatic appropriateness, accuracy, and overall performance.
Poetry competition runner-up Emmanuel LaPorte was also honored at the brief ceremony which was held February 10th, in front of the high school.
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Own Private Forest Land? Cal-FIRE is Accepting Grant Applications |
Cal-FIRE has announced that up to $10 million in funding will be available for Wildfire Resilience Block Grants. Funding to support private forestland owners is provided through the Budget Act of 2021 and, according to the agency, supports California’s goals of improved forest health, resilience to climate change, and reduced forestland impacts due to devastating wildfires as outlined in California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.
The purpose of the Wildfire Resilience Block Grant is to meet a set of forest health goals by providing grant funding to regional applicants who serve as aggregators to provide technical and financial assistance to groups of nonindustrial forestland owners in a specific region.
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Eligible individual landowner sizes range from 3,000 to 5,000 acres. Under this grant, the grantee serves as the supervising entity, receives the grant from Cal-FIRE and then provides outreach, technical or financial assistance to nonindustrial forest landowners so they can conduct forest restoration or management activities on their property.
Cal-FIRE started accepting proposals on February 14th and proposals are due no later than April 1st, 2022.
A virtual workshop to introduce the Wildfire Resilience Block Grant Guidelines and the on-line application process will be held on February 24th, from 1:00 to 3:00p.m.
Additional application information including grant guidelines, eligibility requirements and deadlines can be found on Cal-FIRE’s website.
All grant work must be completed by March 30th, 2026.
Applicants are limited to counties, resource conservation districts, special districts, and 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that have the capacity to deliver a forestry-based assistance program.
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Information for Employers: AFWD Holding Virtual Job Fair March 2nd |
The Alliance for Workforce Development, in partnership with America’s Job Center of California, will be hosting a virtual version of their popular Job Fair on March 2nd, pairing local employers with quality job candidates from across four counties.
Participants can attend the free event, which will run from 11:00a.m. until 2:00p.m., from the comfort of their own office, home or car.
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“We have consistently seen over 200+ job seekers at each of our events, and expect a great turnout,” explains AFWD Director Business Services Amy Velazquez.
The four counties are Lassen, Modoc, Plumas and Sierra.
The virtual job fair platform is easy to use, offers access to multiple recruiters from each business, provides immediate engagement with job seekers and allows recruiters to accept resumes with a click of a button. There is no charge.
Please contact Cheyenne at (530) 927-7404 or cratkey@ncen.org for information.
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Looking east down Main Street at the intersection of Mesa Street in 1945 |
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Meet to Review Bicycle Ordinance
February 15, 1945
In view of achieving a better observance and enforcement of the Susanville bicycle ordinance, which was passed in 1942, a meeting was held at McKinley school on January 29 with Clyde Merton, principal of Susanville elementary schools, presiding.
Those in attendance at the meeting included; Fred McClellan, highway patrol officer; Nate Holmes. Constable; Perle Long, night watchman; Tro Emerson, supervisor; Mrs. Alice Kirkpatrick and Mrs. Gwen Edgecomb, junior traffic supervisors at McKinley and Roosevelt schools; Mrs. Bonnie Borden, elementary PTE president; Mrs. F. D. Husman, high school PTA representative.
Law enforcement agencies present at the meeting agreed that more rigid enforcement of bicycle laws are necessary, and that their respective departments will “bear down” on these bicycle violators.
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If you are a fan of our daily history stories you should join the Lassen Historical Society! It's a fun way to be a part of our county's rich history. When you sign up you'll receive regular Historical Society newsletters with interesting stories and information. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in area history.
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Currently Playing
Sierra Theatre
Death on the Nile
Redeeming Love
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Uptown Cinemas
Blacklight
Marry Me
Moonfall
jackass forever
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I really wanted to watch the International
Origami Championships tonight...
Sadly, it's only on paper view!
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Today: Partly cloudy in the morning then clearing. Highs 38 to 48. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Clear. Lows 15 to 25. North winds 10 to 15 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny. Highs 44 to 54. North winds 10 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night: Clear. Lows 18 to 28.
Thursday Through Friday: Clear. Highs 49 to 59. Lows 20 to 30.
Friday Night Through Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows 23 to 33. Highs 50 to 60.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly cloudy with a slight chance of snow in the afternoon. Highs 44 to 54.
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Congratulations to Dennis Giuntini, the winner
of this week's Pizza Factory giveaway!
You too could win a large one-topping pizza from the Susanville or Janesville Pizza Factory locations just by entering our weekly giveaway!
Just click here and follow the link to our handy entry form. You can enter once per day from each email address. We'll announce our weekly winner right here next Monday morning.
The prize is good for take-out or dine-in orders only, sorry no delivery.
Good luck and enjoy that yummy Pizza Factory Pizza!
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