Proud papa has son, grandson in the Army

Johnson Lane resident David Goetsch told me both his son and grandson are in the U.S. Army. Son David is a bird colonel in the Army Reserve and recently relinquished command of the U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Goetsch the elder is a retired regional sales manager for H.B. Fuller, which he describes as the "largest industrial adhesive manufacturer in the world." He spent 33 years with the company before retiring in 1998. He moved to Carson Valley in 2003.

Goetsch the younger has been in the Army for 28 years and when he's not a leader of men and women, he's a vice president at Cummins Diesel.

Over the year's he's served in Germany, Sarajevo and most recently commander of the Army Reserve Element at Scott.

David's 22-year-old grandson is a soldier with the XVIII Airborne Corps in Iraq.

-- n n

Janelle Wilcks is looking for the owners of a brown, black and white beagle she found without a collar on Wildrose Drive on Saturday.

She said the dog has a great personality and that she would love to keep him, but she knows his owners are missing him.

If you have any information about the dog, call Janelle at 782-3323 or 721-8645.

-- n n

Two items from my "I'm from the government, I'm here to help" file.

I read a short item in one of the Tahoe papers that folks who lost their homes in the Angora fire are receiving "stop work" orders from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to clean up their lots.

When contacted by the reporter, a spokesman for the agency said the orders didn't mean people had to stop work, just that they had to correct the usually minor items.

The 55 mph signs going up on Highway 395 only apply when there are people working on the new median barrier, according to State Transportation Spokesman Scott Magruder.

Installing the barrier is going to take months, so the state is going for a little more permanent sign than usual. When workers are installing the barrier, the lower speed limit will be enforced.

I couldn't resist telling Magruder that in Europe, the barriers are known as "cheese graters," because of the damage they can do a motorcyclist. He said he hoped that our local riders are experienced enough to lay the bike down before they hit it.

The barriers are being installed to prevent out-of-control vehicles from crossing the median and lofting into an oncoming motorist's lap.

-- n n

Being on vacation for a week has been messing with my time sense.

I missed the Genoa Town Board meeting where they were going to hire a new manager on Monday because I somehow got it in my head that the meeting was Tuesday. Since they didn't hire a manager at the Monday meeting, now the session will be at the town's regular meeting on Tuesday, I'm told. But then again there's that time thing again.

-- Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier. Reach him at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215.