What happened to the January doldrums? Usually, the days between New Year’s and Super Bowl are a quiet time of recovery and routine and rain. Not this year.
Maybe it’s the freakishly warm weather, but people seem extra active this month. We’re all out and about, racing from one event to another. ArtHop and live music and charity events and open houses. So many dinner parties lately, we could skip buying groceries if the teens in the household didn’t insist on eating all the time.
And the hits just keep on coming. We’ve got the presidential inauguration and the NFL playoffs (Go Steelers!) and more Wednesday food films with Doni at the Cascade Theatre and Kelly speaking to Writers Forum on Jan. 31. Whew.
- Here’s a fun event scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24: The Sixth Annual Multi-Cultural Celebration at Central Valley High School in Shasta Lake. The event, which begins at 11 a.m., includes cultural exhibits, music, displays of student work and a FREE LUNCH with dishes from many cultures. For more information, email donald@snowcrest.net.
- On Wednesday, Shasta County officials will give a nice sendoff to retiring Supervisor Mark Cibula at 7 p.m. at the Juniper School cafeteria. County Administrative Officer Larry Lees will also give a talk on community activism.
- If you’re a small business owner, you have until Jan. 30 to participate in an online survey about health insurance. Shasta County Public Health, area Chambers of Commerce and the Shasta Builders Exchange urge businesspeople to share their experiences. The information will help county and state policymakers search for ways for small businesses to obtain coverage for their employees. Employers with 50 or fewer employees can fill out the survey at bizhealthcare.org. Respondents will be eligible to win gift certificates from Amazon.com.
- Here’s one thing you can put off during this busy month — filing your tax return with the state of California. State Controller John Chiang announced on Friday that tax refund payments likely will be delayed because of the state budget crisis. Kinda takes away the incentive to file early, doesn’t it? To read about the budget steps Chiang announced, click here.
Tips appreciated: Send news and tidbits to steveb.anewscafe@gmail.com.
