Filed under: Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, NCRA, North Coast Railroad, Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Railroad, Sonoma
Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Judge to dismiss suit against North Coast rail service
Environmental groups cannot use state law to block the resumption of freight rail service on the North Coast, a Marin County judge tentatively ruled Tuesday.
Judge Roy O. Chernus said that federal law preempts state law in matters relating to railroads, so environmental groups could not sue the North Coast Railroad Authority over deficiencies in an environmental impact report that it prepared under state law using state money.
The state law “mandates a time-consuming review which may result in indefinite delays and unduly interfere with exclusive federal jurisdiction over rail transportation” by giving local officials power to block operations on environmental grounds, the judge wrote.
Ouch! This is what I have said for a long time. This also calls in to question Novato’s lawsuit and settlement. Maybe NCRA can get some money back from that city and the county of Marin.
Watch soon for Hank Sims to write another rant against the railroad and bearing his teeth. The troll or trolls will do the same with the comments on here.
With the rise of the tolerance movement, we have less tolerance. We had prayer and The Pledge of Allegiance was mandatory. Now prayer is forbidden and The Pledge of Allegiance is optional to say. Now we stabbings and shootings in school.
I would be amused by the effort to remove anything religious from government if it was not so sad. The idea of separation of church and state was never meant to drive religion out government. It was never meant to be a hammer against those who are religious. It was was never meant to prohibit a religious person from practicing how they see fit.
Yet in our own town of Eureka, that is precisely what is happening. We have a lawsuit that attempts to prohibit prayer even though it has been from multiple faiths, and that our Mayor had a prayer breakfast. A hint to you folks, we only pay the council for part time work, and they spend the equivalent of a full time amount of work on the job. If he wants to spend his time on a prayer breakfast, so what. I am not sure why people have such a hard time with prayer being offered. They are quick wishes of good will and guidance towards our people, our cities, and our Nation. Do you not want good things to happen to our people, cities, our Nation, etc? It is not like it is the first time you have tuned things out anyhow.
A couple of quotes from the first President of the United States
It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being Who rules over the universe, Who presides in the councils of nations, and Whose providential aids can supply every human heart defect – that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes.
Part of his inaugural address
“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of Providential Agency… (and) we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious (favorable) smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”
Yet today we try to ignore the advice our great President gave us.
Even today the President gives a prayer breakfast, but we in Eureka cannot do so? Why?
Do you understand our government pays for Chaplains? The House of Representatives has one. Prisons have them. The military has about 3k chaplains. We the tax payers pay for the salaries, medical, dental, and retirement. We even pay for the building and running of chapels.
Yet we want to go nuclear on our mayor. Why?
April 27th
THA SPEEDER in the RHODODENDRON PARADE
April 27th and 28th, after the Rhododendron Parade Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday
DOLBEER DONKEY DAYS
Fort Humboldt State Historic Park
Special activities, a logging show, various equipment will operate and train rides will be provided.
We managed to score a generic Power Wheels type of 4×4 off of Freecycle. It was noted that it did not work due to needing a relay. I dissembled it, only to find out there is no relay, only switches, LED battery monitor, and circuit breaker. Bypassed the circuit breaker as being one fault, the battery had a fuse on it anyways. The foot pedal switch was next in line of problems. I could not find a similar switch with the same power rating(Amps). I had an extra 40A DC solid state relay in my parts bin, so I just sugrued in a push button switch to control the SSR. Next was the direction and speed switch. It is just a shift style lever to the kid, but two DPDT switches under that. Neither one fully worked. Being I didn’t want to spend much time on it, I figure forward is good enough for now. Besides a H-bridge style setup with a microcontroller is needed to preserve the shift lever. I want to use a solid state magnetic switch setup for the shift lever detection. I can do it, I just do not want to send the time right now. At any rate, little one enjoys it.
I do not understand why people dump a lot of stuff when you got these great resources like free cycle. In southern Humboldt, someone dumped concrete blocks in the river. Why? You can gets lots of neat stuff. If you make good use of the resources available, you can really cut down your cost.
Filed under: Humboldt
Keep attacking the messenger, ye vile trolls. It reinforces the idea we are winning. Our winning helps Humboldt. Our winning provides jobs.
THA website Spend a wonderful evening having dinner with auctions and a great group of people who really know their history. View photos of progress. Buy books and videos from their store. Have fun!
Filed under: Humboldt, NCRA, North Coast Railroad, Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Railroad
I am not sure why people are so against finding out out options and the use of public money. In order to have knowledge we must have info. By using public money we can have what we want, that is passenger rail. That is why Union Pacific rejected public money to expand Donner Pass. They did not want to deal with passenger train expansion. East-West rail would be a common carrier. Things that are carried is produce from farms, lumber, ie common everyday things people need and want. There is no way to sneak the boogeyman coal through here. Relax.
Tomorrow is likely uneventful. The fish passage is likely approved without the bridge.
So Hank is once again on his rant on stopping something he does not support. IE East West Rail At least if the study gets stopped, he can continue to say any number for the cost and be right. Ignorance is bliss for hank and others. The idea the general population wants to find out real dollars makes his group mad with fury and scared his money generated by popular topics with his obtrusive ads will be reduced. He thinks he is entitled to this ad revenue and is why he took my blog off the Humboldt Blogs list. He did not like me using and advocating ad blocking software.
So make him mad, help find out the truth by supporting at least the study of the East West Rail and use ad blocking software.
Filed under: Eureka, Humboldt, LDS | Tags: Christmas, Eureka, Humboldt, LDS
God bless you!
Filed under: Arcata, Eureka, Humboldt, Manila, NCRA, Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Railroad, Samoa, THA, trails | Tags: Arcata, california, Eureka, Humboldt, Novato, Railroad, trails, transportation
I admit being nervous how the committee process would go. As I told NCRA at their last meeting, what they came up with was very smart. Now we have a rail with trail process around the bay. This gives our area the political capital and economic benefits we need to implement the plan a single way could not. I knew that not all the ties needed to be replaced, and the rail did not need to be replaced, yet you naysayers would not listen. We can finally move forward now that the “squeeze” folks have quieted down. For those who continue to doubt normal maintenance can raise the rail-bed effectively for sea level rise, please understand NCRA already has done this as part of the rebuilding process. They raised the trestle down in Novato. On either side the track needed to be raised to match the bridge.
I am a part of this process. I do not have a problem with putting a trail along side the rail. I do have a problem with removing the rail for a trail in these vital areas. We need the tourist train. The tourist train is about diversification of our economy.
