Futility
I must admit that I have found it hard to write for the last year, ever since the Election of November 6, 2024. Many have asked me where my voice has been, and I say, "It is lost," It is their prod to speak again and this is the beginning.
Read MoreFutility
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.
What you need to know, October 25, 2025: Milling rumors
Rumors are said to be like mills. They go around and around and grind the natural grains of wheat into powdery flour so that humans can digest them. Here is an example of a rumor mill: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/23/venezuela-tren-de-aragua-gang-police.
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.
From the other side, October 13, 2025: Pearls and Irritations
Sierra County, being at the bottom of the producer-consumer feeding chain, is more dependent on the world than most other parts of America. Yet, locally, we think we are an independent world to ourselves. We are not. Let me introduce you to how Australian policy thinkers view American news.