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THE JOE CARROLL QUESTION – Phone calls regarding former Sentinel columnist Joe Carroll have been pouring into the office and we tell each caller the same thing: “We can give you no personal information regarding Joe, his condition or his contact information. All we can say is that Joe is no longer associated with the Sentinel.” For most callers, this doesn’t suffice. One was deeply offended that I wouldn’t discuss Joe’s personal life or pass along his phone number or home address. She thanked me for my “lack of information.” If these callers are such “close personal friends of Joe,” then why aren’t they speaking with him directly? Shouldn’t they have his personal contact information? Another caller wanted to know why there was no explanation published in the newspaper regarding Joe’s departure. The caller said it was our duty to inform his readers why he is no longer writing for the paper. I will say it was Joe’s choice to stop writing his column and focus on his personal life. He asked that his reasons be kept private. Joe’s personal decisions are his own and therefore none of my business (or yours). Around the Sentinel office, we miss Joe, his writing and his stories of colorful Auburn characters. I learned more from Joe in five years than I have from any of my previous newspaper jobs.
POLITICAL SOUP – Jennifer Montgomery, a Serene Lakes resident, will announce her candidacy this week to run against incumbent Placer County District 5 Supervisor Bruce Kranz. Her campaign manager is none other than former state Assembly candidate Rob Haswell of Auburn. ... Meanwhile, the media hungry Sue Horne, a great self-promoter if there ever was one, threw her support behind state Sen. Tom McClintock’s bid for the 4th Congressional District seat being vacated by John T. Doolittle at the end of the year. (Horne, a Nevada County supervisor, is running for the state’s 3rd Assembly District.) On Tuesday, McClintock finally ended the speculation and formally announced he would run. Eric Egland dropped out of the race and threw his support behind McClintock. Rico Oller also dropped out. Former 3rd District Congressman Doug Ose declared his candidacy in Auburn weeks ago. Ose has the backing of the entire Placer County Board of Supervisors, sheriffs from area counties, Auburn City Council members Mike Holmes (who dropped out of the race himself) and Bob Snyder, city council members from Rocklin and Lincoln, former Auburn Mayor Cheryl Maki and many others. Ose also has a sizable war chest at the ready. In the crowd during Tuesday’s announcement was another GOP candidate vying for the seat – Ted Terbolizard. He tells me he’s headed to Washington, D.C. on April 15th to speak at an anti-IRS rally. ... On the local scene, we have two Auburn City Council seats up for grabs in November. Mayor Keith Nesbitt, who has yet to formally announce, is rumored to be considering reelection. The other seat is currently held by Bob Snyder, who said he will not run again. It appears to be a crowded field as three Auburn Planning Commission members are eyeing the soon-to-be vacant seat – Mark Smith, Lisa Worthington (both best known for the sign flap of last year) and Nancy Thompson. A few other names being tossed around as contenders include Auburn Office Products owner Tony Ferrari and Big O Tires owner Dan Luper. Dr. Bill Kirby, a former Auburn Recreation District board member, has said he will run. I give high marks to Thompson for running lean meetings and she’ll probably make a play for the seat. As for Smith and Worthington, they’ve ticked off (or frightened) too many business owners to run viable campaigns. (Personally, I like both these folks and I believe Worthington took an unfair thumping during the whole mess). Luper is an all-around good guy, but the rumor mill has been wrong before regarding his intentions to run. Ferrari is also a nice guy, but if he’s planning to run on the dog park issue, he may have a tough time. We’ll have to wait and see. My bet is that Nesbitt will successfully run again and Thompson will be a cinch to secure the second seat. Why? She’s upset the fewest townsfolk. If the charismatic Luper runs, Thompson’s work will be cut out for her.
AROUND TOWN – Lowell and Debra Jarvis recently returned from a belated honeymoon (the couple was married six years ago) to Europe. They even took a quick trip up the coast of England to visit Newcastle. “All in all, we came back with a million stories and memories,” Debra reports. Glad to have you two back in town. Lowell, for those who don’t know, is one of the directors for the Placer County Water Agency. ... Placer County District 5 Supervisor Bruce Kranz was on hand at the Auburn Airport a few weeks ago to present the prestigious Gen. Billy Mitchell achievement award to Squadron 92 Civil Air Patrol Cadet Commander Eric Reams. The award came with a nifty promotion to lieutenant. Kranz also presented a plaque to Lt. Col. Charles Starr for serving more than three decades in the Civil Air Patrol. Congratulations to both. ... Nearly a dozen Leadership Auburn grads gathered last Wednesday at Depoe Bay on High Street to discuss a fundraiser volleyball tournament tentatively slated for September. Ralph Laird is spearheading the effort. If you are interested in helping, contact him at
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or at 530-889-1912. More details will be coming. ... Dorcas Kokila would like to remind everyone that the Auburn Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 6 at the Multipurpose Senior Center at 11577 E Ave. in Auburn. A potluck lunch is served at noon with the group hearing from the nursing supervisor of Sutter Auburn Faith Hospice at 12:45 p.m. For more info, call 530-823-8172. CATCHING UP – Since I took a break from the regular “Biscuits & Gravy” format last week, we have some catching up to do. The preview party for the “Mardi Gras in the Foothills” Quilt Show (held on Friday night, Feb. 22, at the fairgrounds in Auburn) was well attended. With my oldest daughter Madison tagging along, we spotted Lynn Huber (one of the organizers), Colfax’s John Potter and Rebecca Martinez, Victoria and John Beninga, and Don and Patti Henderson. There were some fantastic works of art on display. If you missed the show, be sure to attend next year. ... The Auburn Chamber of Commerce’s mixer at Magnussen’s Toyota Auburn Collision Center was a swell affair with wonderful food (the owners of The Big Salad Shoppe in Auburn catered the shindig). Bless those bartenders! Serving drinks were Tracy Whaley (Secure Record Management), Bob Roth (firefighter) and Rob Huckins (Auburn Moving Co.). While enjoying the appetizers, I spotted Tony Toohey, Gary Moffat, Candace Roeder, Kelly Cooper, Shari and Ellis Smith, money maven Kelly Fulfer, Rudy and Ann Rivero, Vance Sauter, Linda Robinson, John Nightingale, Michelle Strange, Rod and Linda Gross, Michael Barbieri, Kelli Williams, Brad Weston, Teresa Isbell, Richard Hall, Mary Jane Mahoney, Brian Albright, Chip Perley, the always lovely Leslie Maita, Steve Galyardt, Leah Courant, Ralph Roper, Madonna Anglin, Mariscela Alvarez, Cathy Sarmento, Ron Zevelkink, Kerry Murphy, Cathy Bianchi and Leilani Viera. ... Happy birthday to Hannah Richardson (March 8). She’s turning 10.
Don Chaddock is the executive editor of the Sentinel. He may be reached at
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