Grumpy Editor

WITH WATER, FISH GET PREFERENCE IN CALIFORNIA

When it comes to water, fish get preference over humans in northern California — and that is causing a stir, observes Grumpy Editor.

Bipartisan lawmakers say too much of the state's stormwater, stored to protect imperiled fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, is flowing to the Pacific rather than being pumped to reservoirs and aqueducts.

Legislators, many from drought-starved agriculture regions of the Central Valley, in strongly-worded letters have implored state and federal officials to relax environmental pumping restrictions that are limiting the amount of water captured from the delta. 

“When Mother Nature blesses us with rain, we need to save the water, instead of dumping it into the ocean,” Assemblymember Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) wrote in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

NUMBER OF FIREARMS IN TRAVEL BAGS GROWS.  Lots of firearms --- most of them loaded --- show up in travel bags at airports.  The Transportation Security Administration last year discovers a record of more than 6,500 firearms in carry-on bags during security checks at 262 airports.  That's the highest number since the federal agency was founded 22 years ago.

GAS-ELECTRIC CORVETTE SPEEDY.  General Motors' first Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, it's first gas-electric hybrid Corvette, also will be the fastest version of the sports car.  It can go to 60 miles an hour in 2.5 seconds.  Price tags start at about $104,000.

RECORD SIZE TOAD.  Australia’s Conway National Park captures a cane toad that weighs nearly six pounds, making it possibly the largest on record.  Because of its size, it is labeled Toadzilla.

OLDEST LIVING DOG.  Marking a Guinness World Record, the world's oldest living dog is Spike, a 23-year-old chihuahua mix in Camden, Ohio, that enjoys crunched up Doritos, walks and Saturday baths.

WARMING UP.  A report in Journal Nature notes temperatures on the Greenland ice sheet are the warmest in at least 1,000 years.  Scientists find between 2001 and 2011, average temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than it was during the 20th century.

HIGH SCHOOL BRIGHT SPOT IN TOWN.  Lights in a large regional high school in Wilbraham, Mass. have been on around the clock for a year and a half.  Software that runs the 7,000 lights in the building failed in August, 2021, running up the bill for illumination.

BEAVERS RETURN AFTER 400 YEARS.  Two beavers are released in the southern English county of Hampshire. It’s labeled a “truly historic event because it marks the first time in 400 years beavers are in the area.  They were extinct for centuries in many parts of the continent after being hunted for their fur and meat. 

ALL ABOARD.   Husband and wife buy a bus for their dog walking business in Alaska.  Activity has grown so now the bus has a load of canine passengers that head for a daily adventure.  

 

WATER SHORTAGE HITS CHINA DURING WORST HEAT WAVE

China, too, is facing a water shortage during the worst heat wave on record but it’s working on bringing rainfall to dried-up parts, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

From aircraft it is firing silver iodide rods (the size of cigarettes) into clouds to help form ice crystals, reports CNN. The crystals then help clouds produce rain. 

 

China's Ministry of Water Resources mentions drought throughout the Yangtze river basin is "adversely affecting drinking water security of rural people and livestock, and the growth of crops.”

 

Several regions on the Yangtze have launched weather modification programs.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

FLOAT PLANE ENTERS NEW YORK-D.C. SERVICE.  A new way to travel between New York City and Washington, D.C., is by float plane.  Using eight-seat Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, Tailwind Air will start two daily flights between the Skyport Marina near East 23rd Street in Manhattan and  College Park Airport just outside D.C.  The plane will take off from water in New York and land on the runway at Suburban D.C. airport in College Park, Maryland.  Flight time will be between 80-90 minutes and cost $395 one-way.

 

PANDEMIC TRIGGERS RECKLESS DRIVING.  The pandemic has triggered an upswing in reckless behavior on the road.  Crashes in 2021 were up 10.5 percent from the prior year. An estimated 9,560 people died in crashes in the first three months this year.  That’s equivalent to a death every 13 minutes.

 

MONKEY DIALS 911.  The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office was surprised to learn a monkey at the Zoo to You in Paso Robles called 911.   Deputies were dispatched to the zoo.  Seems that Route, a capuchin monkey, picked up the zoo’s cellphone from a golf cart and dialed 911.

AMERICAN AIRLINES ORDERS SUPERSONIC JETS.  American Airlines orders 20 supersonic jets for future faster travel.  The jets are in the drawing board phase, years away from production and flying. “Looking to the future, supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers,” says Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr.

 

TERRIER ALERTS OWNERS ON HOUSE FIRE.  In Maryland, a Cairn terrier turns out to be a hero in alerting his owners on a house fire.  He barks until the family wakes up and escapes the blaze that destroyed the home.

 

CONDE NAST REVENUE GROWS.  While most digital publishers are forecasting slowdowns in advertising growth, Condé Nast this year expects to exceed the nearly $2 billion in total revenue it saw in 2021 thanks to continued growth in its advertising business, informs Axios. 

 

NOAA PREDICTS RISING SEA LEVELS WITHIN TWO DECADES

Sea levels on coastlines in the U.S. are forecast to rise about a foot on average within two decades, notes Grumpy Editor.

The prediction comes in a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The report also notes sea levels around the globe are up about 0.55 feet in the past 100 years.

In the same time period, water along the East Coast will rise a few inches more compared with West Coast and Hawaii shorelines, adds the report.

Gulf coasts are predicted to be hit the most — with seas up about 1.5 feet.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

WHERE WERE CALIFORNIA AVOCADOS?  Widely circulated news reports last week mention scarce avocados in U.S. grocery stores because they are imported from Mexico with delivery suspended after an American inspector working in Mexico's state of Michoacan receives threats.  Not mentioned, however, is that avocados also are produced in the U.S. making them not as scare as reported. But all is well now after the U.S. on Friday lifted its temporary ban on imports of Mexican avocados.

CONDE NAST TURNS PROFIT. Condé Nast, publisher of Vogue, Bon Appetit and the New Yorker, says its publications turned a profit last year for the first time in years.  It attributes that to strong digital-revenue growth and cost savings from reorganizing global operations.  The publisher says it recorded nearly $2 billion in revenue last year, a double-digit-percentage increase from 2020.

 

CARGO SHIP ADRIFT IN ATLANTIC.  A massive cargo ship, transporting thousands of luxury cars, including 1,000 Porsches among 4,000 from the Volkswagen Group, is left floating in the Atlantic Ocean after it caught fire near Terceira Island in the Azores.  The ship was enroute from Emden, Germany to Davisville, Rhode Island.  The 22 crew members are safe after being lifted from the burning ship by helicopter.

TOP PAY FOR CITIGROUP CEO. Banking’s Citigroup, based in New York, is paying Chief Executive Jane Fraser $22.5 million for her first year in that position. The figure includes salary, cash bonus and restricted stock tied to performance metrics.

BLACK BEAR ENTERS 28 HOMES.  A 500-pound black bear has been roaming the streets in the Tahoe Keys area of South Lake Tahoe, about 100 miles east of Sacramento, for seven months. In that period it causes extensive damage at 33 properties and forcefully enters 28 homes, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

 WOMEN SOUGHT FOR SAUDIA ARABIA POSITIONS.  A Saudi Arabia rail company, seeking to recruit 30 female candidates to drive high-speed trains between the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, receives 28,000 applications.  It marks the first time such roles have been advertised for women in the conservative Muslim kingdom.  

 SUPER BOWL GAMBLING SOARS. Gambling on the Super Bowl this year soars to records after legalized sports betting surges across the country with a report noting betting transactions are more than double last year’s total.

 

NO DROUGHT TALK IN CALIFORNIA --- THIS MONTH

Heading into spring, California soon will be concerned (an annual ritual) about its water supply, especially with the influx of millions of new residents since the last reservoir was constructed in 1979, observed Grumpy Editor.

Since that last reservoir --- New Melones in Calaveras County --- went operational, California has added 15 million people.

An upcoming reservoir, the Pacheco Reservoir in southeast Santa Clara County, is in the works but completion is more than a decade away.

The Sierra Nevada snowpack, source of about one-third of California’s water supply, last week was up 161 percent from its historical average for that date and up from just 69 percent on New Year’s Day.

Every major reservoir in California is at or above its historic average, and some, like San Luis, east of Gilroy, were full.

The 10 largest reservoirs in California were built between 1927 and 1979.

Shasta Lake, the massive inland sea on the Sacramento River, was completed in 1945. Oroville, the tallest dam in the country at 770-feet on the Feather River in Butte County, was finished in 1968.

Until more reservoirs are built, much California water runoff continues to flow into the Pacific Ocean.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

SOME STATES EYE DUMPING DST.  With daylight saving time kicking in yesterday, some states were mulling joining Hawaii and most of Arizona to opt out of a system established more than 100 years ago. Considering staying permanently on standard time: California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. 

NORTH KOREA NUKE SITE BACK IN ACTION.  In the wake of summit talks last month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea appeared to restore normal operations at a long-range rocket launch site it partially dismantled last year as part of what was claimed to be disarmament steps, declared U.S. analysts. 

 

TORNADO SENDS BILLBOARD 20 MILES.  A fierce tornado with 170 m.p.h. winds that blasted southeastern Alabama were so strong a billboard sign was sent flying 20 miles into neighboring Hamilton, Georgia.

 

GOAT NAMED HONORARY MAYOR.  Fair Haven, Vermont elected a three-year-old Nubian goat named Lincoln that edged out a victory over Sammie the dog.  As the town's first honorary pet mayor, Lincoln will attend special events throughout the year. 

 

NEW JERSEY CITY FROWNS ON BARKING. Saddle River, N.J. seeks to clamp down on excessive dog barking, proposing an ordinance that would prohibit loud, continuous barking for over 20 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.  It would be stricter at night, with penalties kicking in for barking lasting more than 15 minutes from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (Officials didn't say how they plan to muzzle barking canines.)

 

DNC NIXES FOX NEWS ON DEBATES.  The Democratic National Committee nixed Fox News hosting any 2020 Democrat primary debates, citing the network's "inappropriate relationship with President Donald Trump."

 

RECORD WET WINTER.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said from December to February (what it calls winter), the lower 48 states received 9.01 inches of rain and snow --- 2.22 inches more than the 20th century normal. Record or almost record rain and snow fell in the West, Tennessee Valley and parts of the Great Lakes. 

 

MILWAUKEE GREETS NEW SPORTS EDITOR.    Louisa Boardman has been named the third sports editor in the history of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She started her career with Milwaukee newspapers in 1985.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

California lifts ‘drought’ as wasted water continues

After a season when “tons” of water saturated the dry Golden State, filling or overflowing rivers, lakes and reservoirs, California Gov. Jerry Brown finally lifted the drought declaration, notes Grumpy Editor.

Brown declared the emergency in 2014 and officials later ordered mandatory conservation for the first time in state history.

But now, brown grass has given way to green and residents, with lifted restrictions, can now take longer showers.

However, rather than building more reservoirs to cope with increased water usage from growing population and more farming, keeping an eye on conservation will continue, say state officials who don’t seem to be concerned about precious Golden State water being wasted by flowing to the Pacific Ocean.

Over recent months, billions of gallons of water are being released from lakes and rivers, even including the Los Angeles River, to avert flooding.  Some areas discharge water to protect endangered smelt and salmon.

Water conservation will be a way of life in California, reminds Felicia Marcus, who heads the State Water Resources Control Board. “This drought has been one for the record books, but it won’t be our last or longest,” she predicts.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

On the campus front: A bill before a Vermont House committee would protect student journalists and their media advisers. It calls for content not to be suppressed because it involves political or controversial subject matter or is critical of the school or its administration. Meanwhile, colleges, seeing an upswing in demand for creative writing courses, are adding writing programs to accommodate interest in that area. The number of schools offering bachelor's degrees in creative writing has jumped to 733 from three in 1975, according to the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, an industry group based at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

 

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly's new book Old School: Life in the Sane Lane debuts on top of the New York Times bestseller list amid reports that 21st Century Fox, parent company of Fox News, paid millions of dollars to five women who accused O'Reilly of sexual harassment…How much did you make in your current or last job? The New York City Council votes legislation that bans employers from asking job applicants that question…Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. eliminates 289 jobs at its newspapers amid a decline in print readership and advertising revenue…Oops! A 58-year-old pilot was arrested on suspicion of operating an aircraft while under the influence after he landed his single-engine Piper on the warehouse parking lot of fashion designer Michael Kors distribution center, Whittier, Calif…A global coalition of tech leaders, academic institutions, nonprofits and funders, including Facebook, Mozilla and Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark, are behind a $14 million initiative to combat declining trust in news media and advance news literacy. It will be administered by the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism…Adults over 18 years old watched 27.1 billion minutes of cable news in 2016, a 44 percent jump from the 18.8 billion minutes in 2015, according to a Nielsen report…A newspaper at the Mexican border city Juarez is shutting down because rampant killings of journalists in the area have made it too dangerous for operations to continue...Look for bank shareholders stirring at Wells Fargo's annual meeting April 25 after Institutional Shareholder Services says the majority of the bank's board of directors should be removed because of lack of oversight on the recent sales practices scandal...Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein will reunite at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner with a speech defending “a free and independent press”…Added ingredient: A consumer in Florida reported finding a dead bat in a packaged salad mix.

 

Sharp headline over a Wall Street Journal story on the razor business:

Gillette, in Change, Shaves Prices

 

 

 

Fresh Colorado River water flows from dry U.S. to Mexico

A noteworthy event not getting much media attention in parched Western states dependent on Colorado River for water is the release --- which started March 23 --- of that river’s output through Mexico’s Morelos Dam, near Yuma, Ariz.  That water is now gushing southward from the U.S. border toward the Gulf of California, observes Grumpy Editor. 

The reason?

As an Associated Press story puts it: “Conservationists hope the water will bring back trees, wildlife and aquatic life that were once abundant in the region when it was teeming with water decades ago.”

With recent, heavily-played stories on how the Colorado River flow ---along with a lower water level at Lake Mead near Las Vegas --- is ebbing and residents of the seven dependent “dry” states, including California, Nevada and Arizona, being told to be frugal with water usage, one wonders about the timing of the release, or "pulse," of water that started a week ago, reaching its peak Thursday when water rushed through the south-of-the-border dam at about 4,200 cubic-feet per second.

A Las Vegas Sun story on the Web yesterday paints a glum future of Lake Mead, fed by the Colorado River.  “Lake Mead is drying up. At the rate we use water in the valley, the reservoir — the largest in the country --- could be drained and arid by 2050,” reads the lead.

Earlier, a New York Times story in January focuses on the 1,450-mile Colorado River “being sapped by 14 years of drought nearly unrivaled in 1,250 years” with the writer adding, “many experts believe the current drought is only the harbinger of a new, drier era in which the Colorado’s flow will be substantially and permanently diminished.”

The current water release, expected to last until May 18 into Mexico, stems from an addendum to a 1944 treaty that defines how the U.S. and Mexico share the Colorado River.  The addendum calls for a five-year pilot program to provide a total of 158,088 acre-feet of water to the lower river and its delta. 

South of Morelos Dam, the water channel travels about 75 miles to the Gulf of California.

The fresh release of Colorado River water into Mexico triggers an excited Los Angeles Times writer to report, “The water experiment has gone so well that it's spilling over banks and into secondary canals. The seeds of willows and cottonwoods, which rain down this time of year, have been riding the currents. Normally, they would just collect in the arid riverbed.” 

The writer concludes:  “After the release ends, experts from both countries will study its effects. Will water be left standing or will it be absorbed into the soil? No one knows.” 

 

In case you missed these…

TIMES CHANGE AS CALIFORNIA GOES TO ‘POT.’   As California seeks to ask voters to consider lawful access to marijuana, veteran movie fans may recall Robert Mitchum (appearing in 106 films), regarded as one of the top actors during the movies’ Golden Age, in 1948 was arrested for possession of a marijuana cigarette at a Hollywood party.  It brought front-page coverage for days and resulted in Mitchum getting a week in Los Angeles County Jail plus 43 days at a California prison farm.

 

‘BRIDGEGATE’ EPISODE CONTINUES FOR CHRISTIE.  Friday afternoon saw lengthy live coverage of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fielding media questions as the “bridgegate” saga continues.  Cable channels MSNBC and Fox News go live with the press conference that went on…and on.  Fox finally breaks away, but delighted MSNBC stays on until the end.  And what was CNN doing at that time?  It continues to probe the Malaysian “Mystery of Flight 370.”

 

SEE HARRY, PERHAPS ASK A QUESTION, BUT IT’LL COST YOU.  The Las Vegas Review-Journal is urging readers, via print promotion notices and emails, to attend an April 17 luncheon the newspaper is backing where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will field questions at a luncheon in a major Strip casino’s ballroom.  The fee to view Harry in action:  $40.

 

U.S. MOVIE TICKET SALES CONTINUE DOWNWARD.  It’s no big surprise, considering the quality of most scripts (often cartoons or requiring smashed cars) these days, that the number of movie tickets sold between 2004 and 2013 declines nearly 11 percent.  However, with higher ticket prices, box office revenue rises 17 percent.

 

LONG-TIME CBS CORRESPONDENT TO RETIRE.  Bob Fuss in May exits the CBS Radio Network where he has been Capitol Hill correspondent since 1998. Fuss also covered national political conventions since 1976 and has traveled on presidential campaigns since 1980. 

 

PAPER DELIVERY DELAYED.  Two men are nabbed in Cadillac, Mich. after a night of drunken revelry that includes driving off in a Cadillac News delivery truck, leaving a trail of bundled papers that fell off the open back end.

Thirsty Nevadans take only 3 percent of Colorado River

Periodically, especially during dry years, such as 2013, thirsty-for-stirring-things-up media put the spotlight on how less Colorado River water looms for the Southwest --- especially the growing Las Vegas area --- and certain steps will have to be taken to limit usage, observes Grumpy Editor. 

But what is not emphasized is that the whole state of Nevada, not just Las Vegas, sips only 3 percent of the Colorado River water released from Lake Mead while a foreign country, Mexico, siphons five times more from the same source. 

The water also is shared by six other states:  Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.  Mexico was included via a treaty way back in the 1940s. 

So it’s not unusual to read predictions such as “without dramatic and wide-ranging action, population growth and climate change will overwhelm the Colorado River within 50 years.” 

It’s natural for dry periods to alternate with wet seasons.  

With the latter, when there are large spring-summer runoffs from heavy snowfalls in western mountains, very little “water pinch” rhetoric emanates from media. 

If water supply is of such concern, then perhaps the decades-old treaty with Mexico should be renegotiated to reflect population changes in the U.S.

 

Keystone XL pipeline hits another federal bump 

Grumpy Editor notes the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, long in the works, now is sidelined by the Interior Department that is concerned on effects mainly on wildlife. 

The pipeline would extend 1,700 miles from Canada’s oil sands to Texas Gulf Coast refineries and create thousands of jobs while cutting U.S. reliance on imported oil. 

As pointed out by Los Angeles Times writer Neela Banerjee last week, a 12-page April 29 Interior Department letter, but posted mid-August, “grimly catalogs many ways Keystone XL could harm wildlife: ‘species displacement, increased predation rates and predator travel lanes, increased nest parasitism, vehicle collisions with wildlife…invasive plant species, increased wildfire risk, lower wildlife density, increase in collisions with power lines and electrocutions on power poles … and increase in poaching.’” 

(Sounds almost like what happens daily along Los Angeles freeways.) 

The Interior Department comments contradict the State Department’s March draft environmental assessment, which concluded the project would have only a temporary, indirect impact, noted Banerjee. 

The Times writer also mentioned: “The State Department could issue its final environmental impact statement at any time. The Obama administration must then determine whether the pipeline serves the national interest, based not just on the State Department's analysis, but those of other federal agencies, too, such as the EPA and the Interior Department.”

 

In case you missed these… 

Publishing items:  Other publications must be drooling at the WSJ. monthly magazine for September, which is packed with ritzy ads.  With 160 pages, readers don’t get to the list of editorial contents until page 37…Koch Industries Inc. over the weekend ended speculation on buying the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune or other Tribune Co. newspapers.  Brothers Charles and David Koch say they are no longer interested.  This must have brought relief to some L.A. Times staffers who earlier vowed to quit if the billionaire brothers took over.  Name mentioned now is Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman, who has expressed interest in the L.A. Times with its closeness to the entertainment business…A large group of Egyptian protesters, opposing the Muslim Brotherhood, gathered in front of the Washington Post Thursday, temporarily shutting down the main lobby.

With Army soldier Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison Thursday for leaking 700,000 classified military and diplomatic documents over seven months in 2010, Grumpy Editor finds it strange that not one newsperson asked how a 22-year-old private first class (with one stripe on sleeves), could be placed in the sensitive position of intelligence analyst.  Manning last week announced he replaced his first name with Chelsea and intends to live as a female…Walt Disney Co. plans to lay off about 175 people in its Disney/ABC Television Group…A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds 79 percent of adults believe most Americans watch too much television…Easy-to-take Vin Scully, 85, who returns to the Los Angeles Dodgers broadcast booth in 2014 for his 65^th season with the team, terms the long-term relationship “a love affair that continues”…Former House speaker and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich will be one of the hosts on CNN’s revived half-hour political debate show, Crossfire, which restarts on Sept. 16. 

While most media have become silent on IRS and Benghazi scandals, on Thursday they jumped to write or air material on the 40-year-old Watergate event based on additional Richard Nixon tapes.

Most media, climate change folks keep Antarctic 'on ice'

Representatives from 200 countries at a climate change conference in Doha, Qatar heard more about dwindling Arctic sea ice this week --- but nothing about growing ice at the other pole, notes Grumpy Editor.

Antarctic sea ice has been rising since satellites started measuring it 33 years ago.

But the focus at the meeting (which continues into next week) has been on what's happening in the Arctic.

 A U.N. report this week warned that the Arctic ice cap, following one of the warmest years ever, melted to its lowest level on record.

To illustrate the scope of the vanishing Arctic ice, the report said it is an area equal to nearly the size of India.

Few media outlets have compared the Arctic vs. Antarctic ice.

However, USA Today last month ran an Associated Press story that mentioned:

"While the North Pole has been losing sea ice over the years, the water nearest the South Pole has been gaining it.  Antarctic sea ice hit a record 7.51 million square miles in September."

 

 

National Lighthouse Day allows time to sniff sea air

In offsetting the “heavy” news this week, Grumpy Editor reminds that today is National Lighthouse Day --- a happening probably overlooked in your local newspaper or broadcast outlet. 

For those near the water, it’s a splendid time to visit the beacons that guide ships to harbors, especially vital during foggy or stormy periods. 

Check your local Coast Guard office for tours and activities marking the establishment and importance of lighthouses. 

Not sure about the location of the closest lighthouse? 

Go to www.us-lighthouses.com that lists 432 sites with guiding lights for sailors. 

On this day in 1789 Congress approved an act for the establishment and support of lighthouses. 

Well before that date, still-functioning Boston Light was built in 1716 on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor.  It received a facelift in 1783 after Revolutionary War damage. 

Another old timer guiding ships over the years is Sandy Hook (N.J.) lighthouse.  It went into operation in 1764. 

Maine, where two dozen lighthouses overlook its rocky shores, celebrates its own lighthouse day on Sept. 15. 

More than 15,000 people visited light stations in the Pine Tree State at last year’s annual event.

 

L.A. County nixes football or Frisbee tossing at beaches

While San Francisco is noted for screwball laws, it looks like Los Angeles County is aiming to take top honors with new rules at beaches effective this summer that ban tossing footballs or Frisbees, notes Grumpy Editor.

Such activity, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, could bring fines up to $1,000, points out CBS-TV in Los Angeles, which revealed the slap against beachside fun included in a 36-page ordinance.

Alert editorial page writers on newspapers with beaches in their circulation areas should take note because what develops in Los Angeles or San Francisco often swoops to other regions --- especially when politicians note something that can generate revenue. 

Exceptions, reported CBS, allow for ball throwing in pre-designated areas, when a person obtains a permit, or playing water polo “in or over the Pacific Ocean.”  Beach balls and volleyballs remained acceptable. 

Wait.  There’s more. 

Playing-in-the-sand kids (or large dogs) are targeted, too.

The ordinance also prohibits digging any hole in the sand deeper than 18 inches except where permission is granted for film and television production services.

That would indicate lifeguard towers now will also have to contain yardsticks to determine depth of digging.

However, during the winter off-season, the new rules will be relaxed. 

But hold on.  Other activity can get beachgoers in trouble.

Despite the roar of ocean waves:  Section 38 on page 22 of the ordinance cites “a person shall not disturb the peace and quiet of any beach,” ranging from “unduly loud music…or unusual noise,” or “use of any vulgar, profane or indecent language.”

Wade through the 36-page ordinance here.