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By Tina Fisher Cunningham
The Forde Files 

Forde Shorts

The Forde Files No 105

 


Wow – Tehachapi is awesome – The Aug. 8 Cheers to Charity event at Veritas (and the entire parking lot) brought in a $26,500 for local nonprofits, including the vital Salvation Army after school community center. The Tehachapi Car Club earned $22,000 at its Aug. 16 Thunder on the Mountain event, distributing all of it to more than a dozen local charities.

Tehachapi goes global – An animated Henry Schaeffer, Jr. told the Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council (GTEDC) -- meeting Oct. 7 at the Tehachapi Police Department community room – that his dad has turned the Henry’s Home-4-Less building supply business over to him, and Henry Jr. is expanding. As Vanguard Wholesale, he said, he is “bridging the gap between the internet and brick and mortar sales.” Henry senior is on the board of the Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District.

Employers take note – Ida Perkins, president of the Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce, warned members of the GTEDC about a new state bill, SB 406, which expands family medical leave to 12 weeks in a 12-month period and includes grandparents, siblings and in-laws. When introduced by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, the original bill required that employers with five or more employees grant the leave. As the bill worked its way through legislative committees, the number of employee threshold went up to 25, then to 50, thus affecting larger employers. With requests for leave based on helping various family members, the time off work could be extended to 24 weeks, as federal law allows for similar leave under different guidelines. The California Chamber of Commerce objected to the bill as a job killer. “It’s on top of paid sick leave,” Perkins said. “Just one more thing to make California unfriendly to do business.”

Chamber speaker – The Oct. 20 Chamber luncheon speaker will be 34th Assembly District Representative Shannon Grove. At Don Juan’s, 12 noon.

Helping hand to vets – City Councilman Ed Grimes announced the creation of a veterans Collaborative to assist veterans in our community. The organization kicks off with a dinner and auction Oct. 17 at Tehachapi veterans Memorial Hall, 125 East F Street. Tickets are $15. Dinner is Cornish Game Hen (yum!). Auction items include a guitar autographed by former members of Santana and a McFarland movie poster signed by the cast.

Here’s wrestling – Curtis Nelson, coach of the Tehachapi VALLEY WRESTLING CLUB, said that 50 youngsters a year, ages five through high school, participate in the club. He coaches folkstyle and freestyle. A USA Wrestling official, Nelson is president of the Kern County Wrestling Association and the Central Valley Wrestling Association.

The youngsters in the wrestling club are stalwart volunteers at Tehachapi charity events, picking up trash and helping in many ways. Practice starts

Nov. 9 at Tehachapi High School. Practices are every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Practice also is held at JM Dance Studio, Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 7:00 p.m. Contact Nelson at 661-557-1366 or Rhinowrestler1@hotmail.com.

Water board up north punishes marijuana grower for environmental damage – Earlier in the summer, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board imposed a $297,400 penalty against a property owner and contractor for large-scale grading activities that resulted in actual and potential harm to surface waters in the Ono area of Shasta County. The civil liability is the first penalty action taken by the mulit-agency Cannibis Pilot Project, formed specifically to address the adverse environmental impacts caused by marijuana cultivation. The parties were ordered to clean up, restore, mitigate and monitor.

 
 

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