FOUNDED IN 1864 TO PRESERVE THE UNION ... ONE AND INSEPARABLE
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2006
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Yuba Highlands carries hefty price tag Developer: $80M needed before houses will be sold BY DAVE MOLLER
Senior Staff Writer
About $80 million will have to be spent for roads and facilities before a single house is sold at the proposed Yuba Highlands subdivision, the developer of the small city right across the Nevada County border said Thursday. Despite its cost, scope and concerns expressed at recent
public meetings in Yuba County about the 5,000-house project, developer Gary Gallelli has not stopped. And Gallelli thinks a good percentage of the people who buy the homes will be military veterans who want to be close to services at adjoining Beale Air Force Base, so he has a vested interest in the base’s survival. One of the major concerns is
that the project would encroach on base operations and security, putting its future in jeopardy. That has concerned many area retirees, who go to Beale for services. But at a meeting this week in Marysville, Gallelli told a group of veterans the project will be 41 ⁄2 miles from Beale’s main runway, so it won’t produce noise See DEVELOPMENT A10
Housing could be part of trend
Food and toy run gears up for ride into town Get a snapshot of the local hoops teams with our season outlooks SPORTS • B1
Nevada City makes move to affordable residences BY JOSH SINGER
Staff Writer
Group helps seniors stay in their own homes WELLNESS • C1 The Union photo/David B. Torch
Motorcycles thundered down Broad Street in Nevada City in 2005 for the Nevada County Food and Toy Run. The 15th annual event, set for Saturday, is both a nonprofit charitable organization and good fun.
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LOCAL • A8
Frederick LeMoin, 78 JoAnn Peterson, 78 LIVES LIVED • A5
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Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore star in a scene from the film “Bobby” which was released in November.
Volume 142 • Number 36
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Advice ........................ C5 Calendar..................... A2 Classifieds ................ D1 Comics ...................... C4 Movies ........................ C5 Opinions .................... A4 Stocks......................... A6 Sudoku..................... A10
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Penn Valley resident has her own ‘Bobby’ reminiscence
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www.theunion.com
Cathy Chmel’s works hard to make sure her home has cozy touch
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Cascade Shores residents want snow gates taken down
Santa Claus may need a new pair of leather chaps and a big, rumbling hog to fit in at Saturday’s 15th annual Nevada County Food and Toy Run. The event attracts thousands of people — not just bikers — every year, program founder Thom Straser said. He expects this year to be no different. “A steady stream of bikes will go into the Rood Center at 11 a.m.,” Straser said earlier this week. “It’s just massive. You can feel the rumble in your chest as they all go by.” Straser, who has been riding motorcycles since he was 12 years old, said the event is purely for the benefit of local children. “It’s all about the kids,” he said. “We were the first motorcycle toy
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The film “Bobby” portrays Robert Kennedy’s assassination through the lens of its fictionalized characters, but one Penn Valley resident has her own narrative of the tragic moment. In the early morning hours of June 5, 1968, Sheila Miller stood in the crowd outside of the packed ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel with other Kennedy supporters. Kennedy had just wrapped up his victory speech after
winning California’s Democratic primary. Miller, then named Widoe, had volunteered her time as office manager of the Kennedy campaign headquarters in Costa Mesa. A campaign higher-up had just buttonholed her with the news that the senator wanted to meet her and other volunteers, and he said she should stick around. “Not more than five seconds after that, I heard, pop pop,” Miller recalled. See BOBBY A10
About 50 new housing units are in the works in the Chief Kelly Drive area of Nevada City, marking a trend toward building smaller, more affordable residences. Carpenters were working Thursday on some of the 12 new rental units on the street near Highway 49. The units are part of the Vierra project, which will include three owneroccupied houses with attached second-unit rentals. “That is the way of the future,” Nevada City Planning Commissioner Evans Phelps said about smaller homes and lots in Nevada City. Jim Romero’s crew is building the units across the street from the existing 34-unit Nevada City Co-housing project. He said several of the rental units, ranging from 540-square feet to 1,300-square feet, will be completed in a few months. On small lots nearby, plans for seven duplexes and another 18-unit project also have been approved. The 18 units, also planned for Chief Kelly Drive, will meet affordable housing requirements with apartments above separate garages. Construction on some of the duplexes already has begun. The housing developments in the area are meant to be “a model” for Nevada City, said former longtime Planning Commissioner Laurie Oberholtzer, a member of the commission when the plans were approved. “Hopefully, these and the co-housing will attract families,” Phelps said, adding it could reverse the “graying of Nevada City.” Thirty percent of new units are required to be “affordable housing,” priced in the range See HOUSING A9
Mayor Tassone: You can’t have an agenda Interview touches on Measure T, growth, Nevada City
Grass Valley Mayor Gerard Tassone will step down from the City Council next week after having served on the panel for nearly 20 years in the city where he grew up. Here are some excerpts from an interview Tassone had with The Union on Thursday:
I think the greatest one and the greatest challenge was when I first took over and there was a recall election at the time. The confidence, you might say, in the government was not at its highest point in time, and even amongst the city staff members, there wasn’t a lot of confidence. I think the greatest accomplishment (was) just getting the confidence back of the government with the people.
W h a t d o y o u c o n s i d e r y our greatest accomplishment as a councilman dur ing your 20 y ears of ser vice?
W hat is the most imp or tant unfi fin nished business that the ne w council faces? There are number of issues. ...
BY TRINA KLEIST
City Editor AND SOUMITRO SEN
Staff Writer
There’s still yet to be decided what’s going to happen with the rest of the SDAs or special development areas. There’s the (IdahoMaryland gold) mine — those types of issues. Those are going to take still, I would say, a good one to two years to flesh out. Of course, then I should always mention, there’s always traffic issues. W hat are the council those issues? There are that we are
some of the things c an do to address a number of things actually doing. The
See TASSONE A9
The Union photo/John Hart
Grass Valley Mayor Gerard Tassone answers a question Thursday at The Union office.