With the Forest Lake Christian student body on hand showing its support, 6-foot-, 7-inch senior Josh Ritchart signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at the University of California, Davis Wednesday morning. Ritchart, is the fifth Falcon to earn a Division I scholarship, helped lead the Falcons to a section title in 2008 and a runner-up finish in 2009. After signing his letter - and few autographs for FLC students - Ritchart took five questions from The Union Sports Editor Brian Hamilton.

Brian Hamilton: So after all the practices, all the camps and all the games, how does it feel to have put your name on the dotted line, accepting that scholarship?

Josh Ritchart: "It's just been like a dream come true. To play Division I is what I wanted to do and to finally get it over with is a load off my shoulders. Now I can just worry about my senior year."

BH: You're just the fifth Falcon to earn a D-I scholarship, which I imagine is a source of pri

Although she'd already had success as a model in both New York and Los Angeles, it wasn't until Renee Wilson returned to her hometown of New Orleans that she got her big Hollywood break.

She was performing in a production of "Dreamgirls" when auditions were announced for the movie "Ray," the biography of Ray Charles, which was being shot in New Orleans.

The movie company was looking for African-American singers to play the Raelettes, Charles' legendary backup group.

When her agent cautioned that she might be too light-skinned for the part, Wilson just told her: "You should send me (to the audition), because I'll get the part."

Five auditions later, she was cast as Patricia Lyle, one of the original Raelettes. Wilson spent two and a half months working on the Oscar-winning film.

Although she did not have a large speaking role in the film, "I felt blessed for that to be my first film," Wilson said i

Joan Blades is an everyday woman living in Berkeley. She is the co-founder and president of MomsRising, an online organization for moms and the people who love them to connect on issues such as health care, flexible work options, paid family leave, child care, and living wages.

Since its inception in 2006, MomsRising has grown to one million members. Incited by statistics such as 20 percent of American children living in poverty.

MomsRising is empowering its online community to take on the big issues that impact families with e-mail petitions and information on national and state campaigns.

They already have played a key role in securing paid family leave in New Jersey and Washington and paid sick days in Milwaukee.

Their efforts have helped pass legislation to remove highly toxic phthalates from young children's toys and products. Moms don't have a lobbyist working on their behalf, so MomsRising serves as a platform for their voices.

Tell us about MomsRis

Caltrans announces the following road work for Nov. 22 to 26:

Most traffic interfering work will be limited Thursday and Friday due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Long-term projects
Interstate 80 (Nevada County) from Donner Summit to Donner Lake: Work continues on the $71 million Donner III construction project to improve Interstate 80. Work includes repaving the existing roadway with Portland Cement Concrete, reconstructing failed sections of roadway, adding new drainage systems, upgrading existing drainage systems and construction of a new sediment/debris collection system. Completion is expected in 2011. Project is on winter suspension.

Interstate 80 (Nevada County) from Donner Lake to Donner Pass Road in Truckee: Work continues on the $70 million Donner I construction project to improve Interstate 80. Work includes repaving the existing roadway with Portland Cement Concrete, reconstructing failed sections of roadway, adding new drainage systems, upgrading existing drainage

This year's Grass Valley Downtown Association's Holiday Mixer awarded the downtown Citizen of the Year honor to the official Town Crier and his wife, Robert and Ellen Russell.

Robert Russell has cried often and well at many of the events that have taken place in Grass Valley this year, including the Cornish Gathering, Independence Day and Cornish Christmas.

His projecting voice and informative cries came about at the first St. Piran's Day Celebration.

Ellen Russell made a masterful costume for her husband, and as he bellows forth, he is greeted with smiles and cheers.

He will be back at this year's opening of Cornish Christmas on Nov. 27.

It is not known how long Russell will continue to perform his magic, but all in the downtown are proud of his representation and wish for him many, many more years crying to the crowds.

Howard Levine is executive director of the Grass Valley Downtown Association.

Adults 55 and older are invited to share their time and talents with Nevada County nonprofits, public agencies and schools. Accident, liability and excess auto insurance are provided, and mileage reimbursement is available for people older than 55. If you are interested in any of the following positions, call RSVP from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays at 271-0255; e-mail to rsvp3@nccn.net; or visit our office at 471 Sutton Way, Suite No. 202, Grass Valley.

Greeter in South County

Answer phones and questions from walk ins.

Most of the seventh-graders in Ken Arbaugh's life science class said they owned fire extinguishers. Very few had actually used one.

That explains why firefighters from the Nevada City fire station were pouring fuel on a trough of water alongside Seven Hills School and igniting it with a flare Friday morning.

"I'd never used one before, but now I know how to put fires out," said Conner Upton, 12.

The supervised practice coincides with a unit on lab safety, where students learn how to handle chemical spills, shattered glass and lab fires.

"As opposed to showing them where [the extinguisher] is at, we want to show them how to use it," Arbaugh said.
They also learned the best ways to maintain their home extinguishers - pick it up and shake it once a month, and have it serviced yearly.

Nevada County Consolidated firefighter Kelley Craig coached students to aim for the base of the fire and sweep back and forth, but one lesson they had to learn on

Robert "Bob" McCance died peacefully at home Nov. 18, surrounded by his loving family after seven years of living with dementia caused by Lewy bodies disease. He was 81.

Memorial services will be private.

He was born August 20, 1928, in Cheyenne Wells, Colo., to John and Mary Grace (Brown) McCance.
He graduated from high school in Long Beach, and served in the United States Navy during the Korean War.

Mr. McCance owned gasoline stations in Long Beach and then owned an automobile frame shop in Santa Ana. He retired to Grass Valley in 1989.

He met his wife, Pat Paddock, while ballroom dancing in Southern California in 1986, and they married in Reno in 1991.

He will be deeply missed.

He is survived by his wife, Pat Paddock of Grass Valley; sons Robert (Sandy) of Hesperia and Gary (Sandy) of Menifee; stepchildren Anne (Jay) Hardy of Nipomo, Kathy (Wes) Palmer of Nevada City, Brian Paddock and Steve Dryburgh, both of Grass Valley; grandchildren Zachary and Cha

Baby Ryder Charles Hurst died Nov. 18 in Sacramento. He was 2 months old.

Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, at Hooper and Weaver Mortuary in Nevada City. Ryder will be laid to rest next to his Grandpa Terry to watch over him.

He was born on Aug. 19 in Grass Valley to Candice Lola Hurst.

Everyone he met instantly fell in love with him. He loved listening to his mommy sing off key, playing in the bath with his grandma and listening to his grandpa's stories.

Ryder is survived by his mother Candice Hurst of Grass Valley; grandparents Wayne and Pamela Rogers of Grass Valley; aunts and uncles Jake Rogers of Grass Valley, Justin Rogers of Oklahoma, Shane Hurst of North San Juan, and Jessika Oleniczak of Las Vegas; great-grandparents Bill and Joyce Hurst and Barbara Carpenter; and many other loving relatives.

He was preceded in death by his grandpa Terry Alan Hurst in 2000.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ryder Charles Hurst memorial fund and ca

James Lawrence Doak died Nov. 15 in Nevada County. He was 64.

A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.

He was born Aug. 22, 1945, in Enid, Okla.

On June 12, 1983, he married Ginger Konvalin in Grass Valley.

Mr. Doak was a licensed clinical social worker, a master Gestalt therapist and a gifted and skilled trainer in Nevada City, Sacramento and Fresno for 41 years.

He was an author and a remarkable trainer of psychotherapists. His knowledge and skill touched the hearts of so many people throughout his career.

He was an all-around sportsman, including tennis, running, racquetball, basketball and skiing, and he was an enthusiastic musician. He will be remembered for his laughter that would fill a room with joy.

He was a loyal and remarkable friend, and brought deep kindness into his relations with others; his grandchildren called him "Papa." He loved his home in rural Nevada City, and he had a large community of good friends and clients.

Mr

Marie Lewis died Nov. 13. She was 48.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 5 at St. Canice Church in Nevada City. All are welcome to celebrate her life.

She was born July 19, 1961, in San Pablo, to Kathleen Haider and Eldon Lewis.

Ms. Lewis grew up in Portland, Ore., with her five brothers and sisters. She spent most of her childhood in Oregon, but also lived in Nevada City, attending Seven Hills Middle School.

She moved back to the area five years ago and made many new friends.

Those who knew Ms. Lewis will remember her kind, generous, nonjudging heart and her strong-willed determination. She could argue with the best of them and had dreams at one time of being a lawyer. She never fulfilled that dream on paper, but did in spirit.

She will be deeply missed.

She is survived by her mother, Kathleen Haider; children Tobias, Christopher, James and Bridgette; grandchildren Cassey, Aliza and Riley; siblings Diana Haider, Darian Lewis, William Lewis, Kenneth Haider and Kir

Joan Margaret (Engleson) Love died peacefully on Sunday, Nov. 15, in Arizona of metastatic lung cancer. She was 78.

Following Mrs. Love's wishes, there will be no services.

She was born July 22, 1931, in Benson, Minn.

She graduated from high school in Willmar, Minn., in 1949, then made her way to Southern California to sample all that life had to offer.

She met a handsome marine, John Love, and they married in 1956.

Mrs. Love supported her husband through his years at the University of Southern California and then was a homemaker for most of her marriage. They raised four children in Simi Valley.

Later in life, the Loves became adventurous and traveled the nation and the world: Mr. Love worked for the Bechtel Corp. in Saudi Arabia, Colorado Springs, the United Arab Emirates, Sacramento and Korea, among other locations. They also traveled often for pleasure to exciting destinations in Europe and Asia.

Upon returning from their last overseas assignment for Bechtel,

The Internal Revenue Service is looking to spread some early holiday cheer to 50 Nevada County taxpayers due to receive nearly $25,000, in the form of refund checks worth an average of $505. The checks were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors, said spokesman Jesse Weller.

Nationwide, the IRS reported 107,831 refund checks were returned as undeliverable, amounting to $123.5 million.

"We want to get this money to taxpayers as fast as possible, and all we need is a good address," Weller said. "We'd rather have the money go out now because it's just sitting there. We want you to have the money so you can spend it, or do whatever you want with it."

The majority of checks returned as undeliverable are due to taxpayers having moved, Weller said.

"We do make more than one attempt after a refund is returned as undeliverable," he said. "A search is done through the tax return - that

A young couple with a baby and another on the way are among Nevada County's homeless residents who could get into a place of their own with the help of a federal stimulus grant.

The couple is among nine families living at the Booth Family Center, operated by the Salvation Army's Grass Valley Corps. The federal grant will give the Salvation Army and six partner organizations new tools to respond to job losses and rising homelessness.

The Booth Center in the Grass Valley area is one of those tools.

When people lose their house to foreclosure or get evicted, a shelter like the Booth Center can be a better transitional step as they get their lives together.

"When you're dealing with getting a place, you need routine," said Capt. Martha Sheppard of the Grass Valley Corps.

The Salvation Army took what was formerly the Manzanita House and renamed it Booth Family Center two years ago, after the Army's founder William Booth. In those two years, the economy has taken a

The irony hit home for California Highway Patrol Officer Heather Blancarte when four area youths got into a car accident at the same time she was conducting a course on safe teen driving.

"We were at the Grass Valley Police Department doing a Start Smart teen driving class when the accident occurred," Blancarte said. What she was warning teens and their parents about was being played out on McCourtney Road as she spoke.

At 6:40 p.m., Seth Rinker, 18, of Auburn, was eastbound between the Nevada County Fairgrounds and the county transfer station when the accident occurred, according to a CHP report. Rinker allegedly made an unsafe turning movement, causing his 2002 Nissan to jump a curb and plunge into a ditch.

The Auburn teen was jailed on suspicion of felony drunken driving, and remained in the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility Friday on a $25,000 bail.

The right front passenger, Victor Zatarian, 16, of Auburn, suffered a broken leg and facial lacerations and w

The Imaginarium, a hands-on science museum in Nevada City where youngsters have learned about dinosaurs, machines and their own anatomy, has closed temporarily.

The center, operated by the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools for 10 years, must move because the old armory building it occupies at the corner of Nevada City Highway and Gold Flat Road does not meet earthquake standards.

The move comes at the end of a lease with the California Department of General Services, which owns the California Armory building, school and Imaginarium officials said in a press release late Friday.

"As a combination of the normal lease renewal process and new leadership at DSG, it has been determined that the armory does not meet current earthquake standards," the release stated. "The Imaginarium will be temporarily closing. The intention of Superintendent of Schools Holly Hermansen is to reopen the Imaginarium doors as soon as possible, in a yet-to-be-determined location.&

The Loma Rica Ranch organic farm - part of a planned development touted as a model for Sierra foothill neighborhoods - has been closed, and its seven farm workers have lost their jobs.

The Grass Valley farm was the cornerstone of a multi-use development that has been seven years in various stages of planning and review.

But Friday, it fell victim to the slow economy and financial challenges that already have cost project backers an estimated $14 million, developers said.

"The organic farm has been a great asset to the community these past few years, and we hate to disappoint our local customers," said Phil Carville, president of Carville Sierra Inc., which represents the developers. "The farm is still an integral part of the master-planned community and the centerpiece of the Loma Rica Ranch project."

That project, which has been pared from an original 900 to 700 dwellings (including houses, condominiums and apartments), is still in envi

For the Tahoe National Forest, our highest priority is hazardous fuels reduction throughout the forest and adjacent to communities.

A recent article in The Union seemed to imply that fuel reduction was not important to the Forest Service and that I did not support legislation to treat the fuels. However, in a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, I told the board, "Anything that can help us expedite vegetation management projects and fuel reduction projects, particularly those close to communities, is a good thing."

I also said that the Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service have not taken a position on the bill (co-sponsored by Congressman McClintock) and therefore I am not in a position to comment on the bill.

Somehow this statement was transformed in The Union article into, "Quinn said he could not endorse McClintock's HR 2899," implying philosophical opposition versus a simple statement of agency policy. Similar misrepresentations

Back in February 2009 police responded to a call of a young man going door-to-door asking if there were any nonviolent people in the homes on Nevada Street. The police said he was selling magazines and let him go.

My response was if this guy was selling magazines, "I have some waterfront property in New Orleans to sell them."

Well guess what? Browns Valley has had 23 break in's in October by a clean cut guy "selling magazines door-to-door."

I sent you a letter that you published in February 2009 ... thank you.

When I heard the news and heard of the break-ins in Browns Valley, I sent KCRA a copy of my letter so they can see that this possibly could be a gang that is going through neighborhoods ... and maybe it started up here. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Susan Waters
Nevada City