A Congolese refugee girl is inspired amidst hardship to pursue medicine.

A local shares her reasons for leaving the Republican party and registering as an Independent.

Ranchers’ sustainable practices, like those at Shaniko Wool Company, contribute to carbon sequestration and nature conservation.

Hon. Jane York Punnea (Ret.)Post Office Box 289Sierra City, California 96125Dear Voters of Sierra County:I am writing to provide my support and endorsement for Commissioner Jason LaChance's election as Judge of the Sierra County Superior Court.I served as a Fresno County superior court judge for more than 20 years. Upon my retirement I moved to northern California where I had been raised. I have continued to serve as a trial court judge in the state Judicial Council's assigned judge program wherein I replace a judge who is ill or away or during a vacancy. Thus, I have worked as a judge in many counties and with many judicial officers. I am currently serving in a long term assignment in the Sierra County Superior Court during this vacancy. I have known Commissioner Jason LaChance from several long term assignments in Nevada County.I find his professional work in the courts to be outstanding. He has great intellect and judicial demeanor. We both work in similar types of legal pro

Frightwig performs at The Ritz Lounge in San JoseBAY AREA — If you heard drum beats echoing in the Sierra last week, they might have originated from The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco or The Ritz Lounge in San Jose.Bay Area underground punk rock iconoclasts The Avengers, Kid Congo, and Frightwig scorched audiences last Wednesday and Thursday nights with power chords and political anthems.Downieville shares a cosmic connection.Frightwig’s original drummer, Cecilia Kuhn, better known to friends as Saint Cecilia, was a longtime Downieville resident and served as Sierra County county clerk before transmuting into the celestial in 2017. Her defiant nature and relentlessly positive aura still pulsate within Frightwig today.Reminiscing about Frightwig’s original lineup, founding band member and bassist Deanna Mitchell jokingly described their trio together as comprising the ideal woman. “Cecilia had the legs. Mia had the ass. I had the tits.”They were

My father-in-law, who is in Colorado, would occasionally inquire if I was still working for the paper if he didn’t see an article with my byline. I think, by now, he understands there are many behind-the-scenes functions and duties that need to be completed to keep a newspaper going besides writing. The plethora of “non-writing” tasks our small team encounters could keep us busy for an eternity. While I find the actual “writing” of the paper is the romance of the job, bringing an incredible amount of joy, sometimes other things come first.One humongous perk aside from having a job I am passionate about and the flexible hours (especially in the summer with the kiddos) is the freedom to cover news and other topics that interest me as a writer. Acknowledging folks in print by spotlighting servants in the Sierra County communities and in government — those making a positive difference through their endeavors and accomplishments — is delightful work

As you drive up the Hwy 49 Scenic Corridor past Downieville, through Sierra City, and back down into the Sierra Valley, you certainly won’t find a more beautiful and geographically diverse county in perhaps the whole country. That’s largely why we all live here.You will also see a collection of shuttered businesses in the commercial districts, and most businesses that are still open are struggling to survive. It should be no wonder that Sierra County’s GDP ranks #58 out of California’s 58 counties. Dead last. Even Alpine County, with just over one-third of the population of Sierra County, ranks above us.It really shouldn’t be a surprise if you look at the fact that Sierra County is the only county in the state of California that has no focus and no plan for economic growth beyond increasing fees and taxes. The number of businesses throughout this county that shutter year after year steadily outpaces any new businesses. Those that remain find themselves sho

Christmas season is here! Although in California it can feel much different in the inland deserts and sun-kissed coastal cities than it does in the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, it should be a time of unity for us all. May its lessons of love, warmth, charity, and family inspire California politics this month and in our future.Sacramento inspires strong feelings, especially among Conservatives who often feel voiceless in state-level politics and are reduced to complaining about, not solving, the problems they see. Complaining is ok! Identifying problems is important and the first step toward change. But, despite the Democrat stranglehold on Sacramento, opportunity exists everywhere for Republicans. This year, invest yourselves in school boards, city governments, counties, coaching, mentoring, and church. State politics is not the end-all, be-all of life. Participate where you can. There you will find hope.To the Democrats, whose power has been little checked for decades, look charitably u

Paid Political AdvertisementDear Residents of Sierra County:We, the partners of MOBO Law, LLP, are writing to you to endorse the candidacy of John Charles LaChance, also known as Jason LaChance, to become a Superior Court Judge in Sierra County.MOBO Law, LLP is a full-service law firm originally established in Truckee, California, which is now headquartered in Reno, Nevada. We currently have physical office locations in Truckee, Tahoe City, Auburn, Reno, Zephyr Cove, and Las Vegas, and we regularly work with clients and handle matters in Sierra County, including making court appearances in Downieville.Mr. LaChance currently serves as a court commissioner in both Sierra County and Nevada County, meaning our attorneys frequently appear before him in court on litigated matters. Over the years, our attorneys have had the opportunity to personally observe Mr. LaChance’s demeanor on the bench and his ability to manage and decide cases. We feel it is important for you to know that Mr. L

As a child, I don’t remember having a ton of toys, but I did have a bookshelf filled with books in my bedroom. Every night, my father would read to me before bedtime, and I would drift off into scenes from Peter Pan or some Disney story. As elementary school progressed, I would be transported into new territories while reading Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and solving mysteries with Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene and The Hardy Boys, which various authors wrote.The time my dad spent reading to me in those early years was a gift I passed on to both my kids. I have memories of taking my eldest to the library on a weekly basis when she was young and leaving with a rolling suitcase full of books. We’d get home and read fifteen books right off the bat. By the time she was in Kindergarten, the public school requirement for each student to learn and memorize 30 sight words had risen to 50. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for a child to meet the minimum stand

SIERRA COUNTY — For nearly seven years, Jason LaChance (pronounced “La-Shaunce”) has been commuting from his residence in Truckee to the Sierra and Nevada County Superior Courts to preside over cases as the appointed Court Commissioner. Putting the miles on his Toyota Tacoma, a sense of calm envelopes him like a warm blanket when crossing into Sierra County. In this same calm spirit, he dons the black robe, leaves his chambers, and takes his place on the bench, fulfilling his role as a judicial officer. If LaChance could snap his fingers and instantly relocate himself, his wife of 23 years, and their incredible daughters to take up residence in Sierraville – he would. One day. One day. He finds Sierra County is the place where he can “breathe.” Folks in these mountains and the valley absolutely understand his yearning to “breathe” in our parts. It only takes one drive to Grass Valley or Reno, and most of us cannot wait to return to our li

It seemed Kevin Kiley did not have Congressional duties to perform, so he put in his oar on Governor Newsom’s two particular laws signed over two weekends ago.Kevin Kiley was an educator before becoming the Congressman for California District 3, Sierra County’s district for Congress. I have a different view as an educator from what the Congressman put forth. For one thing, students are portrayed in a very negative light, with the Congressman saying that, “Students are now free to talk back, disobey instructions and otherwise cause chaos in the classroom”. This is a blanket accusation of students behavior and the skills of teachers who teach in said classrooms. And, “It will make it harder to recruit teachers and further erode the quality of education in California”.Keeping up with what really is a block to recruiting and retaining teachers is the support system and tax structure that allows rich districts with money to pay living wages (without the t

In my first “This Citizen’s View” writing, I jumped right into the deep end. My premise to even be so bold as to write monthly with my thoughts is to have others engage in some way with what is, to my mind, important thinking and discussion. The things I think important to discuss will come in the next columns. I appreciate the opportunity from the Mountain Messenger Team. We are all citizens. We may claim citizenship in the more local or the more global of contexts. It all relates back to our place and our connections. We are so very fortunate, as is said many times over in this most fortunate of print papers, to be here and to come, come back and go out from here, Sierra County, the Sierra-Nevada Mountain Range. Our experiences are unique and shared but also diverse. This is what I hope to explore here.One of the things that I think about is how those who have grown up here have gone out from here. Folks younger than myself, schooled in the ways of Sierra County by

Our human events seem to get exponentially faster for us personally as age advances. It feels that, as slow as it seems problems are solved, more problems pile up behind at a sonic boom level. Feet have given way to animals bearing us across land to human-made vehicles, and then into the air.It is tempting to take the short cut when traveling. Short cuts have their purpose. Maybe we will reach our goal more quickly. Or, there will be unforeseen barriers. We may not be familiar already with the terrain. So, we put a certain amount of trust in guides, who know the territory. More and more, it is electronic, A-I types of tools we use for our movements. Gone is the paper map with creases and tears. It may not be an up-to-date map. Those roads are changing all the time with rerouting and closures. The guide is now Google maps which has its own troubles keeping up. It has improved, as we experienced on a long trip up the west coast to Canada. We still had our share of turn-around maneuvers.T

Mark Malone at West Point Military AcademyThe Malone family was often spotted on Upper Main as they walked by the tennis court heading to town. They were coming from their Klingelhofer built house up river and short of the Hospital Bridge. Patricia and Dan had jobs in the Bay Area but enjoyed the Downieville setting whenever possible. Katie and Mark were grade school kids when the family was first spotted by the tennis pro who hoped they would also appear on the court. That pro then enjoyed following the family news over the years, especially as young Mark was admitted as a member of the Class of 2023 at the United States Military Academy at West Point. That was logical since the pro’s husband and grandson were USMA graduates.Mark Malone graduated from the De La Salle High School in Concord on his way to West Point. That he was an Eagle Scout was a positive achievement along with a high academic standing helping the challenge of gaining entry. The primary Academy admission pro