8B Wednesday, April 15, 2015 Bulletin, Record, Progressive, Reporter
D ITORIAL AND
OPINION
ED yO I L
olce
me
The Plumas County Board of Supervisors has
tapped Public Health Director Mimi Hall to
oversee the mental health department for three
months, while an outside consultant reviews and
makes recommendations for restructuring the
department. Specificaily, the consultant will
consider whether the county would be better
served with a behavioral health department, a
model adopted by a majority of the state's counties.
We can't think of a better person to steer a
department that has struggled in the past couple of
years. Hall has shown an ability to manage all
facets of her own department, from personnel to
fiscal management to community outreach. Her
skills were most recently demonstrated when she
stepped in to assist Plumas District Hospital's
effort to take over the skilled nursing home. She
worked behind the scenes with the hospital
leadership, the nursing home's management
company and various state agencies to make the
takeover a viable option. Ultimately, the hospital
didn't qualify, but it wasn't for her lack of success
in the work she did and the relationships she
cultivated.
While Hall oversees mental health, she will be
coordinating with the Kemper Consulting Group
(if the supervisors ratified the contract during
yesterday's board meeting as expected).
The contract calls for Kemper to be paid up to
$250,000 -- a hefty amount -- and we can't help but
wonder who negotiated the terms. A quarter of a
million dollars is a lot of money to pay for advice.
The situation is similar to the sheriff's agreement
to pay a consultant $229,000 to prepare a grant
application for jail funding. Who negotiated that
agreement? This is clearly an area where a county
administrative offmer could have been a valuable
asset.
The supervisors have recognized that Hall is an
asset to this county; maybe someday they will
acknowledge that a CAO would be one as well.
Local "tals,
inics
our su
We encourage our readers to take a look at the
From Where I Stand column written byDr. Jeff
Kepple on the facing page. Kepple is the chief :
executive officer of Plumas District Hospital and
he addresses the financial challenges facing the
facility. Some are self-inflicted -- including a
flawed billing system -- but others are external,
such as paltry reimbursement rates that don't
cover services. He articulates well his personal
and professional struggle to maintain the
hospital's viability, as he has watched
similar-sized, rural institutions wave the white
flag.
The county's other two hospitals -- Seneca and
Eastern Plumas -- may not have the same billing
problems, but they do face sagging reimbursement
rates from government and private entities. We
can all do our part to ensure that our invaluable
health care facilities continue to exist by utilizing
the services offered whenever possible. And if
there are reasons why we aren't, taking the time to
alert health care leaders of those reasons. It was a
well-written, fact-laden letter from concerned
patients that caught Dr. Kepple's attention and
prompted him to delve even deeper into some of
the issues facing the hospital. His reaction is worth
a read.
Feat blishing
spaper
For breaking news,
go to plumasnews.com
Michael C. Taborski Publisher
Keri B. Taborski Legal Advertising Dept.
Dan McDonald Managing Editor
Jenny Lee Photo Editor
Ingrid Burke Copy Editor
Staff writers:
Miriam Cody Debra Moore
Michael Condon Maddie Musante
Makenzie Davis Ann Powers
Ruth Ellis M. Kate West
Will Farris Aura Whittaker
Susan Cort Johnson Sam Williams
Greg Knight James Wilson
Feather River Indian Valley Record
Bulletin (530) 284-7800
(530) 283-0800
PortQla Reporter
(530) 832-4646
Chester Progressive
(530) 258-3115
Westwood
Lassen County Times PinePress
(530) 257-5321 (530) 256-2277
Member,
Printed on California Newspaper
recycled paper Publishers Assoc.
OMG[ seeing Jagger will fu ill a dream
IfI could come back as anybody, I'd be
Mick Jagger.
To me, that 71-year-old deity is the
absolute epitome of an intelligent,
committed, genuine artist and human
being. I have the utmost respect for
Jagger as a musician and his supreme
ability to completely nail the
how-to-live-lffe-to-its-fullest category.
A longtime dream of mine is about to
come true -- and I think I must be the
happiest person on the planet right now.
I have tickets to see the Rolling
Stones next month in San Diego.
0MG! OMG! OMG!
I will absolutely be one of those
screaming, crying, insane women with no
MY TURN
ANN POWERS
Staff Writer
apowers@plurnasnews.com
self control whatsoever when Jagger hits
the stage. I will totally lose it when he
struts out flailing wildly out of step at a
seizure-level to the Stones' iconic tunes.
This week's special days
NOT JUST
AN ORDINARY
DAY
COMPILED BY
KERI TABORSKI
Not just an ordinary day a sampling
weekly notable special days and facts
throughout the year.
April 15
$$$$$ Today is federal income tax day.
$$$$$ The first income tax was assessed
in 1862 to raise funds for the American
Civil War at a rate of 3 percent. Today
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
collects over $2.4 trillion each tax year
from approximately 234 million tax
returns.
1924 -- Rand McNally publishes its first
road map atlas.
1955 -- McDonald's fast food restaurant
is founded in Des Plaines, Illinois.
April 16
1900 -- The United States Post Offlce
issues the first book of stamps offering
books containing 12;24 or 48 two cent
stamps.
assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
April 18
Today is National Columnists Day,
recognizing the importance and value of
newspaper columnists. The National
Society of Newspaper Columnists was
founded in 1977.
1906 -- The 1906 San Francisco
earthquake: An earthquake hits San
Francisco at the early morning hour of
5:12 a.m destroying 80 percent of the
city and killing some 3,000 people.
1923 -- More than 74,000 baseball fans
attend the opening day festivities of the
new $2.3 billion New York Yankees
Stadium. Babe Ruth christens the new
stadium with a game winning home run,
coining the stadium's nickname: ?The
House that Rutl$ Built."
1924 -- Simon and Schuster publishes the
first crossword puzzle book. The first
word puzzles resembling today's
crossword puzzle a peared in England in
the 19th century.
April 19
1956 -- American actress Grace Kelly
marries Prince Rainier Ill of Monaco,
becoming Princess Grace.
1962 -- Walter Cronkite takes over as tie
lead news anchor of the CBS Televisiol
Evening News.
April 17
1964 -- The Ford Mustang automobile
makes its debut at the World's Fair in
New York and in Ford showrooms
nationwide with the starting price of
$2,300.
1969 -- Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of
1973 -- The fin'st U.S. consumer product,
Pepsi, is sold in Russia.
April 2O
1920 -- The Grand Canyon is dedicated as
a National Park.
April 21
1962 -- The landmark rotating Space
Needle observation tower opens in
Seattle, Washington with six stories and
three elevators.
Sympathy for the Devil? I'm collapsing.
Wild Horses? I'm weeping. Angie? Gimme
Shelter? Paint it Black? Bring it.
Even if I stroke from the extreme
excitement and sheer bliss of simply
breathing the same air as the greatest
rock-n-roll band EVER, i don't care. I will
have witnessed the Stones. I will have
witnessed Jagger. My life will be
complete.
In what is now probably the smartest
thing he's ever done, my husband bought
the tickets after painstakingly
downloading every app he Could possibly
find alerting the public to the very
mili-second they went on sale.
He said some were going for as high as
$9,000, which pretty much includes
partying with the band. My instructions,
"Get them."
He didn't. But, that's okay. We still
have decent seats. Now, I just want every
Jagger-related T-shirt, mug and bumper
sticker out there. The hubs is working on
it - or better be.
Of course I like the rest of the band too.
But, to say I worship their frontman is an
understatement.
Not only is Jagger a rock-n-roll god
with an epic career spanning over 50
years, he's in the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame.
He was knighted for his services to
music and has a net worth of $360 million.
He's an actor and film producer (not a
very good one, but who cares?)
He's defined couterculturism and is an
alleged contender for the anonymous
subject of Carly Simon's 1973 hit song,
You're So Vain. Listen closely. Jagger
sings back up.
AllMusic describes him as, "one of the
most popular and influential frontmen in
the history of rock and roll." Academics
worldwide have studied his performance
style of virility and unrestrained passion.
It's all of those things, and much more,
make Jagger an undeniable icon who-
OMG! OMG! OMG!- I'm going to be in
the presence of next month in San Diego.
Can't get any more Satisfaction than that.
REMEMBER WHEN of hair inside. Lost on the road between Dick Bennett, a former Sacramento
the Clinch Building in Quincy and Indian County Sheriffs Deputy is the third
KERI TABORSKI Falls. Return to the Plumas candidate to enter the Plumas County
Historian National-Bulletin office for a reward. Sheriffs race, joining Plumas County
Sheriff Lt. Don Stoy and Dan Lambach, a
10O YEARS AGO 1915 50 YEARS AGO 1965 former Los Angeles police offmer.
The spring road improvements on thePreparing for the spring planting of
Indian Valley grade on the county road 15,000 petunia plants, the greatest number 10 YEARS AGO 2005
between Keddie and Crescent Mills is of petunias ever planted by the fair at the Bill Elliott has announced that he will
planned. The road between Keddie and Plumas County Fairgrounds in Quincy, retire in September as the President and
Crescent Mills is used more than any has kept a large crew busy this week. CEO of Plumas Bank after 18 years.
other highway in the county and the25 YEARS AGO 1990 Note: items included in the weekly Remember
heavy freighting over it during the past ~. When column are taken from our bound
years has made it somewhat impassable. Lt. Bob Orange of the Calffo--, .
newspaper archwes and represent wr~tzng styles
Advertisement: LOST -- gold locketvepar mem oi r mn ana uame nas renrea o h r" -' " "
after years wltn me (lepartment, zz
with the letter "M" engraved on it. grammar are not edited, so the copy is presented
Contents is a child's photograph and lock years m Plumas County. as it actually appeared in the original newspaper
I enjoy readin9 community news, readers" views
when Wednesday.arrives I am no tribute that even strangers can
different than any other reader in appreciate.
Plumas County, I look forward to my The pages continue to turn and I
copy of the local newspaper, learn about gardening, what team took
As a reporter, I don't just look at the the game, what's new in the Plumas
stories and photos, but also how they are County business scene and my fa r0rite,
arranged on each page. We work all week who has an opinion.
for the next week's issue and whether it We have a variety of opinion options
is common knowledge or not, our articles to read, those written by staff in the My
and photographs are all emafled to the MY TURN Turn column, those that professionally
headquarters of Feather Publishing in M. KATE WEST tackle a topic in the Where I Stand
Quincy. Staff Writer column and then we have, Letters to
Creatively, as we write and take a ChesterNews@plumasnewsicomthe Editor.
specific photograph we have a vision of I have to admit the letters submitted
what our work product might look like peers. We are all as different as night and by the public and published in this
when published. So, it is always highly day in our daffy lives and our week's paper had me absolutely
interesting to me to see how my stories perspectives and this comes across in fascinated.
and photos are laid out in the finished writing style. They were also totally responsible for
newspaper. Once I've turned every page to enjoy my choosing community news as my
Many times over the years I have the layout I can then get into the meat of opinion piece this go round.
received compliments for the way a the stories. While I, like you, may not always agree
specific group's function and Our company has a fine group of with the writer's opinion, I do have to say
photographs jump off the pages and now, writers and as I learn about county and that this week's letters were incredibly
as then, I explain the process from my city happenings, my education also well written.
desk to the newspaper in their hands, continues as I view different ways to They were so thought provoking I had
Often times we hear the phrase, "it structure a sentence or turn a phrase, to go back and read many of them more
takes a village to raise a child" and the As I resume turning pages I make a than once. Beyond that, when I'm on
principle is absolutely the same with the point'to carefully review the "vital break I'm going to have to work my way
production of community news. statistics" page in the regional section, through the archived papers we keep in
Many hands are involved from editingspecifically the published obituaries, our office to re-read the opinions that
the written word and photographs to the While I don't like to see anyone's photo spurred you into taking pen in hand to
jigsaw puzzle of sizing materials to fit or name on the page, I believe the share your thoughts and feelings.
each page; it's a true team effort, presented opportunity to learn about the All in all, good writing folks! I really
A major part of the team effort is the lost ones through the eyes and hearts of enjoyed the variety of opinions you
stories that stream into Quincy from my loving family offers a special form of expressed!
