News
ENLARGE
Despite the economic downturn, we're working to find the ray of sunshine peeking through the dark clouds.
About a month ago, we decided to create an icon called "economic bright spot" to go with enterprising stories that show the bright side of business amid the gloom.
Last month, we reported that a nearly 40-year-old Silicon Valley company is seriously considering relocating here and building a $4 million manufacturing facility.
"The high-tech company also would provide a needed psychological boost amid the area's prolonged economic slump and the worst county unemployment rate in years," we wrote. "It would help achieve a goal of bringing higher-paying jobs to the area, diversifying the economy and filling a void created by some manufacturing companies that have left."
Executives are seriously considering coming here because of the area's lower cost, Sierra foothills lifestyle, qualified workforce and quality schools.
A week later, we slapped another "economic bright spot" logo alongside a story that said this: Expressing a vote of confidence in the county and a large employer despite a bleak economy, East Coast investors have quietly bought the 60-acre parcel leased by Thomson Grass Valley for $16.75 million.
"We looked around the country for a single-tenant building like this," the buyer told us. "We found the right tenant in a good sector, and we liked the quaintness and relaxed atmosphere of the town."
Other examples include this week's article that The California Preservation Foundation, the state's leading voice for historic preservation, will hold a major conference here in 2010, drawing an estimated 400 people for a four-day show. The group chose our area for its first rural conference, citing its "tremendous history."
My favorite "economic bright spot" story was the one about the new bakery opening in Nevada City, born out of success of the local farmers market. As City Editor Trina Kleist told us: "The owner of the recently closed Sweet Endeavors bakery is teaming up with Nevada City Bakery, an enterprise leavened in June specifically to serve the Saturday street market. With nearly 20 storefronts closed in the county seat and a recession settling in across the nation, the expansion of the two locally owned businesses offers a bright spot."
Nobody handed us a press release to write these stories. We dug them up with some old-fashioned gumshoe reporting.
It also helped that we had an eye out for them: such as spotting the small sign in the window of "Sweet Endeavors" and remembering seeing Nevada City Bakery at the farmers market - launched thanks to the efforts of Vice Mayor Reinette Senum, the city's downtown association, contractor Gary Tintle and others. Our family goes regularly. Check out the power-washed streets, too.
At The Union, we look forward to using the "economic bright spot" logo on more stories. Still, I'd prefer to see the day return when we could just drop the logo, because positive economic news is the rule, not the exception. (I like to buy cheap stocks as much as anybody, and around the house I've been singing this song when it comes to predicting the bottom: "Catch a falling knife and put it in your pocket," you know, a parody of the old Perry Como song "Catch a falling star.")
I hope you can join us at The Union's Paint the Town Pink fundraiser on Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Nevada County Fairgrounds from 5 - 8:30 p.m. Last year, we helped raise $7,000 to help buy equipment that reduces the time a patient is under anesthesia for a breast biopsy.
Besides our "economic bright spot" logo on news stories, I'm reminded of The Union's contributions to our nonprofits - a real plus in these tough times. All told, it came to about $15,000 in cash donations, as well as $100,000 worth of advertising, according to our human resources director Sharla Cartzdafner.
Sharla provided a list that included: American Red Cross, Bear River High School, CASA, Center for the Arts, Community Asian Theater, Community Recovery Resources, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition, Foothill Theatre Company, Friends of Hospice, Friendship Club, Gold Country Community Center, Gold Country Lions Club, Grass Valley Downtown Association, Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, Hospitality House, Literacy Council of Nevada County, Neighborhood Center of the Arts, Nevada County Library, Nevada Union High School, Penn Valley Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, Soroptimist International of Grass Valley, South Yuba River Citizen's League and Rotary clubs, among many others.
In addition, The Union pays its workers for volunteering. Workers have received paid time off as volunteers for groups such as AnimalSave, Grass Valley Lions Club, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, as well as donating blood.
Our family does our part, too, as I'm sure yours does: This week we took four bags of our household items, including some toys and stuffed animals chosen by my son, to Hospice Gift in Nevada City. He has become interested in donating toys to others, including a beloved kid's tool bench. He remembers how well Hospice cared for his grandma before she died two summers ago.
Conflicts of interest are back in the news - no surprise around here. I'm reminded of a column I wrote back in December 2006 on the issue, titled "Are we a good ol' boys or girls network?"
I quoted a retired attorney who has lived here for 15 years: "People up here do not seem to appreciate situations that give rise to conflict. It's a malady that comes up repeatedly with elected officials. They're either ignorant, don't care or don't appreciate the issue." Indeed. I think about this comment often.
Journalists have ethics codes to address conflicts of interest. Each year our newsroom workers are required to reread the guidelines and take a test, in which you have to answer all the questions correctly.
Since it's political season, here's what it states about politics: "Members of news gathering operations may not participate in any way in political organizations or campaigns, other than belonging to a political party and voting." In addition, "Journalists cannot display or wear political buttons while at work or have political bumper stickers on vehicles they use for work."
My favorite, since I live in Nevada City, where political signs are omnipresent: "Employees are cautioned against displaying buttons, bumper stickers and yard signs on personal time." We have a cool Halloween display in the frontyard, though.
No doubt some enterprising reporter will get around the rules: I'm reminded of the James Bond movies, in which the car had rotating license plates. Imagine a reporter driving to an interview with a "smiley face" bumper sticker. When he got home, he turned it to, "NObama" or "Bush III." Fiendish.
As for relationship with sources, the policy reads, "Staff members need to take care with relationships with sources, potential sources and newsmakers. They need to build the relationship with a source, but stop short of personal friendships or romantic involvement."
It happens, however. Remember the 1981 movie "Absence of Malice," starring Sally Field as the reporter and Paul Newman as a son of a bootlegger, whom she wrongly implicates in a murder? If that wasn't enough, they sleep together. In the end, Newman is proven innocent, and Field and the prosecutors have egg on their face.
The best line in the film is from actor Wilford Brimley, as the U.S. Attorney who investigates the case: "Now we'll talk all day if you want to. But, come sundown, there's gonna be two things true that ain't true now. One is that the Department of Justice is going to know what in the good Christ - excuse me - is going on around here. And the other is I'm gonna have somebody's a** in my briefcase." Reminds me of something I might read in our Internet forums.
Jeff Pelline is the editor of The Union. His column appears on Saturdays. Contact him at 477-4235, jeffp@theunion.com, or 464 Sutton Way, Grass Valley 95945.
About a month ago, we decided to create an icon called "economic bright spot" to go with enterprising stories that show the bright side of business amid the gloom.
Last month, we reported that a nearly 40-year-old Silicon Valley company is seriously considering relocating here and building a $4 million manufacturing facility.
"The high-tech company also would provide a needed psychological boost amid the area's prolonged economic slump and the worst county unemployment rate in years," we wrote. "It would help achieve a goal of bringing higher-paying jobs to the area, diversifying the economy and filling a void created by some manufacturing companies that have left."
Executives are seriously considering coming here because of the area's lower cost, Sierra foothills lifestyle, qualified workforce and quality schools.
A week later, we slapped another "economic bright spot" logo alongside a story that said this: Expressing a vote of confidence in the county and a large employer despite a bleak economy, East Coast investors have quietly bought the 60-acre parcel leased by Thomson Grass Valley for $16.75 million.
"We looked around the country for a single-tenant building like this," the buyer told us. "We found the right tenant in a good sector, and we liked the quaintness and relaxed atmosphere of the town."
Other examples include this week's article that The California Preservation Foundation, the state's leading voice for historic preservation, will hold a major conference here in 2010, drawing an estimated 400 people for a four-day show. The group chose our area for its first rural conference, citing its "tremendous history."
My favorite "economic bright spot" story was the one about the new bakery opening in Nevada City, born out of success of the local farmers market. As City Editor Trina Kleist told us: "The owner of the recently closed Sweet Endeavors bakery is teaming up with Nevada City Bakery, an enterprise leavened in June specifically to serve the Saturday street market. With nearly 20 storefronts closed in the county seat and a recession settling in across the nation, the expansion of the two locally owned businesses offers a bright spot."
Nobody handed us a press release to write these stories. We dug them up with some old-fashioned gumshoe reporting.
It also helped that we had an eye out for them: such as spotting the small sign in the window of "Sweet Endeavors" and remembering seeing Nevada City Bakery at the farmers market - launched thanks to the efforts of Vice Mayor Reinette Senum, the city's downtown association, contractor Gary Tintle and others. Our family goes regularly. Check out the power-washed streets, too.
At The Union, we look forward to using the "economic bright spot" logo on more stories. Still, I'd prefer to see the day return when we could just drop the logo, because positive economic news is the rule, not the exception. (I like to buy cheap stocks as much as anybody, and around the house I've been singing this song when it comes to predicting the bottom: "Catch a falling knife and put it in your pocket," you know, a parody of the old Perry Como song "Catch a falling star.")
I hope you can join us at The Union's Paint the Town Pink fundraiser on Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Nevada County Fairgrounds from 5 - 8:30 p.m. Last year, we helped raise $7,000 to help buy equipment that reduces the time a patient is under anesthesia for a breast biopsy.
Besides our "economic bright spot" logo on news stories, I'm reminded of The Union's contributions to our nonprofits - a real plus in these tough times. All told, it came to about $15,000 in cash donations, as well as $100,000 worth of advertising, according to our human resources director Sharla Cartzdafner.
Sharla provided a list that included: American Red Cross, Bear River High School, CASA, Center for the Arts, Community Asian Theater, Community Recovery Resources, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition, Foothill Theatre Company, Friends of Hospice, Friendship Club, Gold Country Community Center, Gold Country Lions Club, Grass Valley Downtown Association, Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, Hospitality House, Literacy Council of Nevada County, Neighborhood Center of the Arts, Nevada County Library, Nevada Union High School, Penn Valley Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, Soroptimist International of Grass Valley, South Yuba River Citizen's League and Rotary clubs, among many others.
In addition, The Union pays its workers for volunteering. Workers have received paid time off as volunteers for groups such as AnimalSave, Grass Valley Lions Club, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, as well as donating blood.
Our family does our part, too, as I'm sure yours does: This week we took four bags of our household items, including some toys and stuffed animals chosen by my son, to Hospice Gift in Nevada City. He has become interested in donating toys to others, including a beloved kid's tool bench. He remembers how well Hospice cared for his grandma before she died two summers ago.
Conflicts of interest are back in the news - no surprise around here. I'm reminded of a column I wrote back in December 2006 on the issue, titled "Are we a good ol' boys or girls network?"
I quoted a retired attorney who has lived here for 15 years: "People up here do not seem to appreciate situations that give rise to conflict. It's a malady that comes up repeatedly with elected officials. They're either ignorant, don't care or don't appreciate the issue." Indeed. I think about this comment often.
Journalists have ethics codes to address conflicts of interest. Each year our newsroom workers are required to reread the guidelines and take a test, in which you have to answer all the questions correctly.
Since it's political season, here's what it states about politics: "Members of news gathering operations may not participate in any way in political organizations or campaigns, other than belonging to a political party and voting." In addition, "Journalists cannot display or wear political buttons while at work or have political bumper stickers on vehicles they use for work."
My favorite, since I live in Nevada City, where political signs are omnipresent: "Employees are cautioned against displaying buttons, bumper stickers and yard signs on personal time." We have a cool Halloween display in the frontyard, though.
No doubt some enterprising reporter will get around the rules: I'm reminded of the James Bond movies, in which the car had rotating license plates. Imagine a reporter driving to an interview with a "smiley face" bumper sticker. When he got home, he turned it to, "NObama" or "Bush III." Fiendish.
As for relationship with sources, the policy reads, "Staff members need to take care with relationships with sources, potential sources and newsmakers. They need to build the relationship with a source, but stop short of personal friendships or romantic involvement."
It happens, however. Remember the 1981 movie "Absence of Malice," starring Sally Field as the reporter and Paul Newman as a son of a bootlegger, whom she wrongly implicates in a murder? If that wasn't enough, they sleep together. In the end, Newman is proven innocent, and Field and the prosecutors have egg on their face.
The best line in the film is from actor Wilford Brimley, as the U.S. Attorney who investigates the case: "Now we'll talk all day if you want to. But, come sundown, there's gonna be two things true that ain't true now. One is that the Department of Justice is going to know what in the good Christ - excuse me - is going on around here. And the other is I'm gonna have somebody's a** in my briefcase." Reminds me of something I might read in our Internet forums.
Jeff Pelline is the editor of The Union. His column appears on Saturdays. Contact him at 477-4235, jeffp@theunion.com, or 464 Sutton Way, Grass Valley 95945.
