Opinion

Pat Shillito

Staff Writer

pshillito@lassennews.com

Do I have family here? No. Was I raised here? No. Do I have connections into various groups and organizations that I have spent a lifetime building? Other than on the surface as a reporter, not really.

Then how is it I have come to think of myself as a local? Because I believe I have come up with a list of things that only a resident of Lassen County would know. A list of local knowledge that may go hand in hand with my job as a reporter, but a list that I think so many local folk can understand.

Ruth Ellis

Staff Writer

rellis@lassennews.com

Feb. 1, 2011 — In the past several years, our local schools have been cutting and tightening the belt to keep up with the state’s education cut.

I have sat in meetings where superintendents and boards have had to present grim news and make some difficult decisions — lay off teachers and increase class sizes, minimize or cut programs and services, etc.

It’s not pleasant and I don’t think it’s going to get better anytime soon despite Governor Jerry Brown saying kindergarten through 12th grade education   is exempt from his $12.5 billion cuts.

It sounds nice, but in actuality,  administrators, chief business officers and teachers will possibly have to wait until June to see just how grim the education budget will be.

Barbara France

Managing Editor

bfrance@lassennews.com

Jan. 18, 2011 — Have you ever felt like turning around and heading back in time to the most idyllic time you can remember? I know I can’t really do that. Those times really only exist in my dreams, but I must say 2011 has not started off the way I’d prefer. The truth is the longer I am on this planet, the more death I see and have to process. Death is the juxtaposition to living, but for the first four days of the New Year I had a friend or acquaintance die.

On Jan. 1, a dear old friend of 88 died. He had been living in a nursing home for the past few years, and his health had been declining. We called him Grandpa Vern because he and his lovely wife Lila willingly would watch my youngest when we had youth pastoring events to go on. He was always smiling, and I know if he could he would say, “I’m home with Jesus; rejoice!”

Jan. 11, 2011 — Today I was reminded of the words to a song I considered my “theme” when I was younger. I have not thought about this song from the musical “South Pacific” in years.

The lyrics are: “Happy talk, keep talking happy talk; Talk about things you’d like to do; You gotta have a dream, if you don’t have a dream; How you gonna have a dream come true?”