March 8, 2023, R-C Letters to the Editor

Tired of the snow

Editor:

It’s time to go back to “Global Warming.” I have gone through 110 bags of wood pellets, almost exhausted my stack of firewood, and spent an enormously huge amount of money on stove oil. I can remember when we paid 12 cents a gallon for stove oil. I have gone through two snow shovels and fell once on the ice.I am tired of a white yard and long for the chance to tread on dirt again. The snow is fine and we truly needed it as it is certainly easing the drought. I can only imagine that if the time comes when we are all driving electric cars and there is no emission to pollute the atmosphere how cold it is going to get.

Julian Larrouy

Shivering in Centerville

Rebuttal of airport comments

Editor:

I read with interest a recent article relating to the termination of relations between ABS Airport Management and Douglas County. Statements made in this article have moved me to my response. Though comments in this article serve the interests of ABS they do not stand in the service of truth. I feel the persons of Douglas County deserve better.

Ms. Bobbi Thompson states correctly that her charter was to ensure safety, ensure financial viability, and to foster community relations. Regrettably, ABS has failed upon all three of these operational principles. 

Safety at the Minden Tahoe Airport is often compromised by a lack of industry on the part of ABS to address the most basic of airport responsibilities. Safety related notifications to pilots are often disregarded. 

Important infrastructure for airport operations have fallen into disrepair. Lighting is unserviceable. Critical systems for the delivery of meteorological data to pilots is unreliable. This because ABS cobbled together used components discarded by more credible airport operations. In the interest of brevity, I list only a few examples.

Ms. Thompson further states that the Minden Tahoe Airport is the only in Nevada to be self-sufficient. Her dissembling remark seeks to distract the reader from the aforementioned and direct concentration upon one line on a spreadsheet that might show her in a favorable light. However, the positive she attempts to convey in this disingenuous remark is attributable to the fact that ABS fails to expend resources upon needed maintenance and upgrades. The ability to claim “Self-sufficiency” has come at great cost to airport infrastructure, equipment, and basic services.

Lastly, Ms. Thompson asserts that fostering community relations was the third task with which she was charged. It is upon this I feel that she has failed completely. 

Counties and airports such as ours thrive on their sense and feel of community. During Ms. Thompson’s tenure at this airport, I have experienced a dysfunctional acrimony for which she is exclusively responsible. 

Ms. Thompson very obviously does not view herself as serving the community of Douglas County, but views the citizens under her preview as an inconvenience. Her management style and her approach to relations are disappointing and unlike any I have experienced in any other airport community.

The State of Nevada estimates the benefit of the Minden Tahoe Airport to Douglas County to exceed $55 million per annum. This integral part of our community is a significant asset that must be well managed to meet its potential. I agree with Ms. Thompson that the relationship between ABS and the Minden Tahoe Airport has run its course. I wish her well in any future endeavor that does not involve this airport. 

I also look toward a forthcoming time wherein the Minden Tahoe Airport is managed for future success.

Paul Andrew Bjornstad

Genoa

The daylight saving time dilemma

Editor:

Near the end of last year, the Senate unanimously passed the so-called Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent year-round in the United States. In the last four years, 19 states have enacted legislation or passed resolutions to keep DST year-round. 

People have been whining for years about returning to standard time because it gets dark too early. However, the fact remains that the amount of daylight depends on our latitude, how the Earth orbits the sun, and the tilting its axis—not the legislation. As we know, at the autumnal equinox (an equal amount of light and darkness in 24 hours), the daylight hours begin to get shorter until the following spring equinox. No amount of fiddling with our clocks can change that despite how much we may “love to protect our sunshine.”          

With limited sunlight in the winter, some people have to get up in the dark, e.g., ranchers, farmers, and schoolchildren waiting for buses, or others must ride home in the dark and have less daylight to enjoy. Who is it going to be in Nevada?

People have argued the pros and cons of time changes for years. They cite the interruption in our circadian rhythms, jet lag symptoms, health issues, and increased traffic accidents resulting from the time changes. Some even say if we’re going to do anything, it should be simply to remain on standard time year-round. So, it was surprising to learn that the bill passed with virtually no opposition when such diverse opinions still exist.

Anita Kornoff

Gardnerville