After a couple weeks on the bicycle beat, I’m giving the two-wheelers a rest (well, mostly) for today. I’ll be writing about upcoming bicycle races and events, including the return of a popular mountain bike racing series in coming weeks, but enough of the darned bicycles already. We have a wide variety of other news and events to talk about.
• A slice and a swab … Local 9-year-old Matt Farley is suffering from bone marrow cancer and is need of a bone marrow donor. Bloodsource is scheduled to have its mobile facility at Mary’s Pizza Shack in Anderson from noon to 5 p.m. this Sunday, to take simple mouth swabs in the search for potential donors. In addition, Mary’s will be donating 20% of Sunday’s sales to help offset Matt’s medical and related expenses.
• Early bird special … 8 a.m. this Sunday, May 1, is the next scheduled event at the Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve, when local biologist Barbara Peck will lead a bird-watching tour. The HCCP parking lot on Clear Creek Road, about seven miles west of Highway 273, is the meeting area. Bring binoculars and, I suggest, coffee. Call 241-2026 for more information.
• Healthy lobbying activity … Anderson Union High School student Rebecca LaRiza and Christine Haggard,
a community organizer from the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency, recently traveled to Washington, DC, to participate in a Congressional briefing in support of efforts to decrease children’s exposure to the marketing of unhealthy foods. While in town, they met with Rep. Wally Herger (R-Chico) and urged him to support the “Kid Healthy Choices” campaign, which seeks to give kids options to candy, soda pop and other junk food. The Wal-Mart in Anderson, for example, has two “Kid Healthy Choice” checkout stands that lack the usual displays of gum, candy and chips that even most adults can’t ignore.
• One man’s trash … Organizers of the SpringPalooza Community Celebration in Palo Cedro on May 7 are looking for vendors and anyone who needs to clean out a closet. The half-day event, at Bishop Quinn Catholic Center in Palo Cedro, is a fundraiser for Chrysalis Charter School. Vendor spaces are available for $40, and rummage sale table space costs $10. For information, call or text Barbara Webb at (530) 209-5814.
• Fair deal … Discount tickets for the June 15 through 19 Shasta District Fair are now available online at the fair website. Included in the discount deals are dress circle tickets for the Charlie Daniels Band concert on June 17.
• Leading the way … Leadership Redding has signed on several new sponsors for its 2011-12 fiscal year, including Enjoy Magazine, The Atrium at Market Street Promenade, the Record Searchlight, Cathi Lathrop-Cummings, Exchange Club of Redding, Cascade Theatre, Shasta Community Health Center, Sierra Pacific Industries, Sierra Receivables Management and Turtle Bay Exploration Park.
• High-country access … State Route 172 in Tehama County is open for the summer season now that Caltrans has cleared snow from the nine-mile road out of Mineral, in Tehama County. The state highway provides access to Mill Creek and recreation areas.
• High honor … Shasta College graduate and current San Francisco State University student Kimberlee Mountain has been named one of only eight Hood scholars, a top academic honor given to graduating students at SFSU. Mountain will graduate from the university’s department of education in May. She is the daughter of Shasta College nursing instructor Carel Mountain.
• I can’t help myself … The Shasta County Bike Commute Challenge returns May 15 through 21, with prizes for both employers and employees. The registration deadline is May 10.
Paul Shigley is senior editor of California Planning & Development Report, a frequent contributor to Planning magazine and won no academic honors while in college. He lives in Centerville. Paul Shigley may be reached at pauls.anewscafe@gmail.com.
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