USDA’s six-week closure now aside and approvals gained—$17.5 million in T or C water projects soon to go to bid
Two critical water projects that will greatly lessen the massive leakage of water--up to 70 percent--will go out to bid in about a month.
Kathleen Sloan
Kathleen Sloan has been a local-government reporter for 17 years, covering counties and cities in three states—New Mexico, Iowa and Florida. She has also covered the arts for various publications in Virginia, New Mexico and Iowa. Sloan worked for the Truth or Consequences Herald newspaper from 2006 to 2013; it closed December 2019. She returned to T or C in 2019 and founded the online newspaper, the Sierra County Sun, with Diana Tittle taking the helm as editor during the last year and a half of operation. The Sun closed December 2021, concurrent with Sloan retiring. SierraCountySun.org is still an open website, with hundreds of past articles still available. Sloan is now a board member of the not-for-profit organization, the Sierra County Public-Interest Journalism Project, which supported the Sun and is currently sponsoring the Sierra County Citizen, another free and open website. Sloan is volunteering as a citizen journalist, covering the T or C beat. She can be reached at kathleen.sloan@gmail.com or 575-297-4146.
T or C’s third $790K tranche of $3 million G.O. bond approved for issuance
City Manager Gary Whitehead and Public Information Officer and Tourism Coordinator Carrie Gaston have made the $3 million G. O. bond approved by voters in 2022 crystalline clear in a series of very readable charts. Kudos for transparency. The city can claim good stewardship and ask for another bond.
A Nightmare at the BLM
The article inside on Steve Pearce being appointed by Trump to head the Bureau of Land Management was written by Jim Pattiz, who is a filmmaker and founder of More Than Just Parks. He has given his permission to the Citizen to reprint his article.
Ironic justice–Sandy Jones is appointed to fill Travis Day’s seat on the Sierra County Commission
It's been almost a dozen years since a Democrat became a Sierra County Commissioner. Hopefully a plurality of views will now be entertained at the county level as a result.
Corporatocracy–making the rich richer, exploiting local resources needed by the people
Copper Flat Mine's efforts to reopen over the last 15 years have been supported via resolutions passed by Truth or Consequences city commissions in the past and by the current mayor's passivity and "trust."
Sierra County Commissioner Travis Day: Questions he’s not answering about his resignation and new Trump administration appointment
Is it just coincidence that Day's resignation and federal job start coincides with the likely end of the government shutdown?
T or C is down to two wells and the water system is working at 65 percent capacity, but two wells will be fixed shortly
The city, under City Manager Gary Whitehead's leadership, is issuing timely press releases when a problem occurs instead of leaving the people to wonder and speculate.
Cut-throat business practice with shareholders—locals should expect the same from Copper Flat Mine owners
Copper Flat Mine will use tons of water, loads of electricity, will dump tons of damp tailings with lead, mercury, sulfates, nitrates and other contaminants as well as creating dust and air pollution with these same contaminants. A boom/bust operation lasting maybe 20 but probably 12 years.
T or C awards bid for “Shovel Ready” water project
Whitehead's oversight and procurement savvy probably saved the city $800,000 on this project.
Prep for T or C’s (so far unscheduled) workshop on $540,000 electric study
Is the city's "cash cow" going to become a "cash hog" out of neglect? That question and others need to be asked and answered by city staff and engineers who authored a 72-page study.
T or C electric vehicle charging station foisted on public
Without democratic processes, a government can easily become a criminal enterprise that milks the people of their money while taking away their rights. Just like the police-building purchase, the public had no say and is told after the fact that it gave the city its approval.
Water and wastewater rates are going up even more
Xeriscape, public baths, if it's yellow let it mellow, eat off paper plates?