I don’t know how many times I’ve been told, in the six years I’ve lived in Redding, that there’s no need to feed the downtown parking meters.
There’s no enforcement, people say, the police are too short-handed to worry about parking meters. Slam your car up to the curb like Joe Mannix and walk away with your hands in your pockets. La-dee-dah. Ain’t it grand, living here?
I’ve had complete strangers offer this unsolicited advice. They looked like they wanted to pound some sense into me when I put coins in the meter anyway. But I had my reasons: The city needs the money. Our parking meters are cheap compared to places like San Francisco, where I once paid 25 cents for four minutes. I hate parking tickets; what price peace of mind? And who do these complete strangers think they are anyway, so eager to tell me to save my dimes?
Well. Someone we shall not name recently was in a hurry downtown and didn’t bother with the meter because she’s a Redding veteran and knows the score. Later, she found a ticket under the windshield wiper. And she got to write a check to the city for $24.50.
Someone’s watching those parking meters, folks, no matter what the local lore says. Considering the city’s current financial woes, I wouldn’t be surprised if more tickets start appearing.
- Parking laws are usually pretty cut-and-dried, but sometimes state and local laws get weird. In Fairbanks, Alaska, for instance, it’s against the law to get a moose drunk. In Texas, a law requires that you give your victim 24 hours’ notice before committing a crime. In Reno, brothels are allowed, but the sale of sex toys is illegal; apparently, they have something against do-it-yourselfers. These and other wacky laws are in this story sent in by an Alert Reader. Enjoy!
- Aspiring ballerinas and fans of classical dance can meet a soloist with the Moscow Ballet this week at public TV station KIXE in downtown Redding. Svetlana Todinova, who also serves as the children’s ballet mistress, will greet folks from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday. Todinova and the Moscow Ballet return to Redding on Nov. 27 to perform “The Nutcracker” at the convention center.
- Mark Your Calendar for 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, and the traditional mid-autumn Chinese Moon Festival and Lion Dance at the Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park. For more info, call 623-5284.
Tips appreciated: Send news tidbits to steveb.anewscafe@gmail.com.
