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Nevada City Nugget

❦  Covering the Richest Gold Area in California  ❦

Complete coverage of all local happenings. If you want to read about your town, read The Nugget.
Vol. 1, No. 7The County Seat Paper Wednesday, October 28, 2026Nevada City, California Elev. 2,477 Ft.Mmm nuggets
The WeatherClear and mild, high near 64°, low 43°. Dry through Friday; cooler Halloween weekend, high near 55° Saturday, with showers possible. Smoke possible from the Madrone Springs prescribed burn AlmanacSunrise 7:28 AM · Sunset 6:07 PM · Waning gibbous moon, three nights past full AlertsNo PSPS, red flag warning, or active local wildfire in this morning's sources

Evening update, 5:00 PM — County Elections found no evidence of non-citizen voting among the 10 names the Justice Department flagged, the Madrone Springs burn's smoke plume is now widely visible, the city opened a survey on its Active Transportation and Trails Plan, and still no PSPS, red flag warning, or local wildfire; no new city agenda posted.

City Hall & Politics

Tonight · City Hall · 6:30 PM

Council Weighs A Fixed-Price Dispatch Deal And A Four-Day City Hall

Dispatch contract at $207,623 a year, rising 5 percent annually · Staff floats closing City Hall to the public on Fridays from December 4 · NID asks support for a Scotts Flat spillway grant

The City Council meets tonight at 6:30 PM at City Hall, 317 Broad St., with four business items after a five-item consent calendar. Written comment goes to publiccomment@nevadacityca.gov until 3 PM today; the meeting streams on the city's YouTube channel.

Dispatch. The city gets its 911 and police dispatch from the Nevada County Regional Dispatch Center, run by the Sheriff's Office. Per City Manager Carrie Wright's staff report, the new Regional Public Safety Dispatch Services Agreement with the county, Grass Valley, and Truckee replaces the old shared cost-allocation model with a fixed-rate service contract: the county keeps management, staffing, and equipment; the term runs from October 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031; any agency may leave on 180 days' notice. Nevada City's cost stays at the current $207,623 a year, prorated to $155,717.33 for this fiscal year, then rises 5 percent a year. The contract adds 911 answering targets, monthly performance reports, and an advisory committee and user group. Grass Valley's council took up its version Tuesday night; that outcome is not yet confirmed.

Hours. A second staff report asks for direction, not a vote, on moving council meetings from 6:30 to 6 PM and shifting City Hall to a Monday through Thursday public week, closed Fridays but open through the lunch hour, possibly 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. The report lists Auburn, Grass Valley, Truckee, and Colfax as already closed to the public on Fridays, names a targeted December 4 start for any change, and says savings or costs would be weighed before anything takes effect.

The rest. Nevada Irrigation District will present its Scotts Flat Spillway Replacement Project, estimated at up to $55 million with construction expected in 2027, and the council will consider Resolution 2026-35 backing NID's Proposition 4 dam safety grant application; staff reports no direct cost to the city. County transit staff present the Reenvisioning Transit study. On consent: final adoption of the water-efficient landscape ordinance and the cannabis tax cleanup, a $125,971 sewer-plant controls contract, and SYRCL's fee-waiver and street-closure request for the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Item by item in The Docket below; the Nugget's summary runs Thursday.

Sources: October 28 agenda and agenda packet with staff reports, City of Nevada City; The Union, Oct 27; The Union, Oct 24

Smoke · Starting Today (updated 5 PM)

Forest Service Begins 185-Acre Burn Off Madrone Springs Road

Tahoe National Forest plans to begin a prescribed underburn off Madrone Springs Road near Nevada City today, with ignitions possible through Sunday, November 1, as conditions allow, across four units of 85, 20, 25, and 57 acres. The forest says ignitions may continue for several days and smoke will be visible from Highway 20, Madrone Springs Road, Washington Ridge, and the greater Nevada City area. No active wildfire threatened Nevada County in this morning's YubaNet and CAL FIRE listings, and PG&E reports no power shutoff since October 17.

This afternoon. YubaNet logged at 8:10 AM that the burn was starting off Highway 20 at Madrone Springs, and at 2:26 PM that its plume was widely visible, with officials saying it is not a wildfire. Separately, the Tahoe National Forest ended its 2026 fire restrictions on its own lands effective Tuesday, October 27, citing fuel moisture and the forecast; a free permit is still required for a campfire outside developed recreation areas, and fireworks remain illegal on federal land. YubaNet's fires page showed no Nevada County incident when checked this evening, and PG&E's shutoff page still carries its October 17 final update.

Sources: YubaNet's Happening Now log, Oct 28; Tahoe National Forest via YubaNet, Oct 27; Tahoe National Forest via YubaNet; YubaNet fires page; PG&E newsroom

Election · Six Days Out (updated 5 PM)

Six Days To Election Day; County Pulls Political Signs From Its Roadsides

Ballots can go in any official drop box, including the 24-hour box at Nevada City Hall, through 8 PM on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3; the Rood Center vote center is open daily 9 AM to 5 PM through November 2. Nevada City's one city question is Measure Q, the short-term rental permit measure detailed in Monday's and Tuesday's editions.

Nevada County Public Works said Tuesday it is seeing more private signs along county-maintained roads and will remove those placed in the county right-of-way, political signs included. Removed signs are held 60 days at the county Operations Center for pickup by appointment, and owners may get a violation letter and a fine; county code bars encroachment permits for private signs, so the county asks owners to get a property owner's permission to post off the right-of-way. Questions go to Public Works at (530) 265-1411.

The county had still posted no formal reply to the Justice Department's letter naming 10 voters as likely non-citizens when its elections news page was checked this morning.

This afternoon: Nevada County Elections announced Wednesday that its review of the 10 names found no evidence of non-citizen voting in the November 3 election. Per the county, one person has no Nevada County registration record; seven had registrations canceled or made inactive before the demand letter arrived, were issued no ballot, and have no voting record; and two are currently registered, both having attested to U.S. citizenship under penalty of perjury on their latest registrations. "The public can have confidence in the integrity of our election and the eligibility of those casting ballots," said Registrar of Voters Armando Salud-Ambriz. The release does not say whether the county sent the Justice Department the Social Security numbers and identification records its letter requested.

Sources: Nevada County Public Works, Oct 27; Nevada County Elections; Nevada County Elections, Oct 24; Nevada County Elections, Oct 28; YubaNet, Oct 28; county elections news page; KVMR News, Oct 27

Conditions · Halloween Weekend (updated 5 PM)

Mild Midweek, Then A Cooler, Unsettled Weekend

The most recent National Weather Service guidance relayed by YubaNet, from Tuesday morning, keeps the region dry through Friday with a brief warm-up today, light north and east winds today and Thursday, then highs well below normal and unsettled weather for the weekend, with the system trending slower and drier and the best precipitation chances in the mountains south of I-80. Forecast highs for Nevada City run 64° today, 63° Thursday, 60° Friday, 55° on Halloween, and 59° Sunday, with lows in the 40s. No watch or advisory was in effect this morning. The county asks residents to sign up for Nevada County Alerts at ReadyNevadaCounty.org/EmergencyAlerts.

Wednesday's update. The Weather Service's overnight guidance, logged by YubaNet at 6:51 AM, calls for northwest to northeast winds and lower humidity today into early Thursday; possible light rain and mountain snow over the Sierra starting late Thursday night into the weekend; 1 to 4 inches of snow possible at 6,000 feet and above, most south of Highway 50; a 10 to 15 percent chance of thunderstorms Saturday in the mountains south of I-80; and a brief dry spell early next week before a wetter pattern, timing uncertain. No watch, warning, or advisory appeared in the log through this afternoon.

Sources: NWS Sacramento via YubaNet's Happening Now log, Oct 27 and Oct 28; temperatures via OpenSnow, Oct 28

Roads

Highway 49 Night Work Ends Thursday

Caltrans' Highway 49 Corridor Improvement Project between McKnight Way and La Barr Meadows/Allison Ranch Road keeps one-way traffic control and ramp closures nightly from 9 PM to 6 AM through Thursday night. On Highway 20, one-way control between Lowell Hill Road and I-80 runs 7 AM to 6 PM through Thursday and 7 AM to noon Friday. No full closures are scheduled.

Source: Caltrans via YubaNet, Oct 26

Evening Update · Sidewalks & Trails

City Asks Where You Walk And Bike, Survey Open Through November 24

Nevada City is drafting an Active Transportation and Trails Plan to guide future work on sidewalks, bikeways, trails, streets, and crossings, so people of all ages and abilities can get around without a car. Caltrans' SB1-funded Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant pays for the plan, and the city is working with Alta Planning + Design. The first phase gathers public input on gaps in the network and builds a prioritized list of projects, programs, and possible funding. An online survey at nevadacityca.gov/activetransportation is open through November 24, asking where residents walk, bike, or travel, what gets in the way, and which fixes matter most. A community workshop is set for Thursday, November 12, 4:30 to 6:15 PM, at the Miners Foundry Cultural Center.

Source: City of Nevada City via YubaNet

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From the Record

The Nugget · Catching up on the August 26, 2026 City Council meeting

Council Puts Entheogens At The Bottom Of The Police To-Do List

Resolution 2026-29 passed unanimously · Covers personal, noncommercial use by adults 21 and over · Sales and businesses are expressly left out

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the Nevada City Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2026-29, declaring certain adult personal, noncommercial conduct involving naturally occurring entheogenic plants and fungi among the city's lowest local law enforcement priorities, The Union reported two days later. The Nugget records the meeting here, two months on, at the publisher's request, because what the resolution does and does not do is likely to matter in the months ahead.

What it covers. According to the staff report as summarized in The Union's meeting preview, the policy applies to adults 21 and older and covers personal planting, cultivation, possession, and transportation of naturally occurring entheogenic plants and fungi, along with giving them away without payment. The preview named psilocybin, psilocyn, DMT, ibogaine, and mescaline. Investigating, citing, or arresting someone solely for that conduct becomes one of the city's lowest enforcement priorities. The policy binds only Nevada City's own public safety personnel, does not limit outside agencies or the courts, and leaves officer discretion in place. Per the staff report, Councilmember Doug Fleming and Vice Mayor Gary Petersen brought the item forward after requests from community members and local practitioners.

What it does not cover. Commercial activity is carved out: sales, paid delivery, paid administration, compensated services, and any conduct tied to a business arrangement. So are synthetic analogs, anything involving minors or schools and youth facilities, public use or intoxication, impaired driving, hazardous processing, and environmental harm. The resolution does not legalize or decriminalize anything barred by state or federal law, creates no immunity or legal defense, and does not authorize any commercial activity. Police Chief Dan Foss said at the meeting that these substances "remain illegal per state and federal law," according to The Union, and spoke of a chief's need to understand the values of the community the department serves.

Who spoke. The city's public comment file for the meeting holds seven written comments on the item, all in support, from residents and practitioners in Nevada City, Grass Valley, and beyond, most describing personal experience with depression, anxiety, trauma, or addiction. At the meeting, The Union reported, Nevada County Entheogenic Association CEO Shaun Robinson and Vice President Aaron Lane spoke in favor, and support also came from the Nevada County Cannabis Alliance and local health practitioners. The Nugget found no written comment opposing the resolution in the city's file.

Business and zoning items on the same agenda. The council also had on its consent agenda the second reading and adoption of Ordinance 2026-04, a cannabis business tax, and Ordinance 2026-05, governing cannabis dispensaries and other cannabis businesses and activities. The Nugget has not confirmed that vote: the meeting's action minutes went to the council for approval on September 9, but that packet could not be retrieved for this report. The cannabis tax returns on the October 28 agenda as Ordinance 2026-06, a second reading amending Section 5.06.050.

The rest of the evening, per the agenda: a closed-session performance evaluation of the City Manager; a proclamation for Penzance Twinning Day; consent items awarding a paving repair contract to PSCE (up to $75,020), a street striping contract to Traffic Limited (up to $32,825 a year, 2026 to 2029), and a Miners Foundry sound system contract to Cameron Professional Audio (up to $74,000); a request that NCTC allocate $115,768 in Local Transportation Funds for public transit; ratification of a $50,000 National Forest Foundation grant; approval of the Superior Court's Law Day event application; and a call for applicants to fill Fire Safety Advisory Committee vacancies. Outcomes on those items await the minutes.

The Nugget will keep following how the resolution plays out in town, including any business licenses, use permits, or zoning questions that reach City Hall.

Sources: City of Nevada City, August 26, 2026 council agenda and public comment file; official meeting recording (not transcribed for this report); The Union, "Psychedelic mushrooms to be considered as low-priority..." (Marianne Boll-See, Aug. 26) and "Nevada City Council unanimously approves resolution..." (Natalie Hays, Aug. 28); October 28, 2026 council agenda.

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The Docket

Every published City Council and Planning Commission agenda, digested item by item the morning after it posts, and held here until the meeting. Items touching downtown or the commercial district are marked ❖.

Regular Meeting

Nevada City City Council

Wednesday, October 28 at 6:30 PM · City Hall, Beryl P. Robinson Jr. Conference Room, 317 Broad St. · Posted Friday, October 23, per the Deputy City Clerk's certification · Agenda · Agenda with attachments

Presentations. Update on the Nevada City–Penzance sister city relationship and next steps.

Consent Agenda. 1. Approve action minutes of the October 14 regular meeting. 2. Award a construction contract to Telstar Instruments, not to exceed $125,971 plus a 10 percent contingency of $12,597, for the wastewater treatment plant's SCADA hardware and software upgrade. 3. ❖ Second reading and adoption of Ordinance 2026-07, adding water-efficient landscape and irrigation requirements (Chapter 17.83) citywide to match the state's model ordinance. 4. ❖ SYRCL's request for a $2,500 sponsorship or fee waiver, a $525 facility fee waiver, and a special-event street closure for the 2026 Wild & Scenic Film Festival. 5. ❖ Second reading and adoption of Ordinance 2026-06, amending the cannabis business tax (§5.06.050).

Business. 6. Approve a Regional Public Safety Dispatch Services Agreement among Nevada County, Grass Valley, Truckee, and Nevada City. 7. Resolution 2026-35 supporting Nevada Irrigation District's Proposition 4 dam safety and climate resilience grant application. 8. Presentation from the county's Transit Services Division on the Reenvisioning Transit comprehensive operations analysis. 9. ❖ Discussion and direction on changing the council's regular meeting start time and City Hall's public operating hours.

To attend or comment: in person at the meeting, three minutes per speaker, item by item; in writing to publiccomment@nevadacityca.gov until 3:00 PM on meeting day; watch live on the city's YouTube channel or cable channel 17 or 18. Zoom comment is no longer offered. Adjournment is set for 9:30 PM unless extended.

The council meets tonight; this digest gives way to the meeting summary Thursday morning. No other city or county agenda carrying Nevada City items has posted, per this morning's check of both Agenda Centers (Wednesday, Oct 28); the county's newest postings are a Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council agenda and a canceled Resilience Project board meeting. The city Planning Commission's next regular date is Thursday, November 19. Evening check (5 PM): the city's Agenda Center shows no new agenda since this morning; the October 28 council agenda, posted October 23, remains the newest.

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Legal Notices & Permits

Public hearing today. Nevada County Zoning Administrator, Wednesday, Oct 28, 1:30 PM, Rood Center: map amendment with steep-slopes and floodplain management plans to expand a building envelope for a future ADU and residential addition at 10772 Boulder Street, about 1.3 miles east of the city limits (PLN25-0162); staff recommends approval, CEQA-exempt. Agenda, Nevada County.

Roadside signs. Nevada County Public Works will remove private signs, including political, real estate, sale, and event signs, from county road rights-of-way; held 60 days for pickup, possible violation letter and fine (County Code 16.06.020 and 12.04.112). Nevada County, Oct 27.

Request for proposals. CHAMP Gallery exhibition partners: the city and its Public Arts Commission seek arts organizations to mount shows at City Hall's gallery; proposals due November 19 at 3 PM to the Deputy City Clerk. The Union, Oct 23.

Election notice. Measure Q, the Nevada City Residential Short-Term Rental Measure, appears on the November 3 ballot. Notice of Measure, Nevada County Registrar of Voters.

No new city public notices, planning applications, business license filings, or ABC postings turned up in this morning's check of the city's site and both Agenda Centers; the city's Alert Center shows no active alerts.

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Police Blotter

On Dog Bar Road at Lorie Drive, a lone car left the pavement shortly after noon Tuesday and finished its trip down the embankment; units were sent.

Otherwise the scanner log went quiet after midday Tuesday, which in a county this size counts as news.

Evening update. Wednesday brought a deer that met a car on Highway 49 just north of Cherry Creek at 7:20 AM, roadway clear; a reported structure fire near West Main and Alta in Grass Valley at 8:37 AM that units searched for and found nothing, declared a false alarm by 8:46; and a training exercise at the airport. YubaNet's Happening Now log, Oct 28.

The Union lists a newer blotter column, "Multiple e-bike thefts reported," but it could not be retrieved this morning, so its entries are not retold here. Drawn from YubaNet's Happening Now log, Oct 27, which showed no later local incidents when checked this morning.

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Arts & Culture

Only in the Nugget

By Todd Wahoske · The Publisher's Interview

Sparky Parker Goes Big On Broad Street

The Big Works show fills the brick wall at 316 Broad St. · Five decades of painting, now at full scale · Open Friday through Sunday, wine at hand

David "Sparky" Parker has wanted his paintings on the long brick wall of the Szabo Vineyards tasting room for years. Now they are there. His new exhibition, the Big Works show, hangs at the tasting room at 316 Broad Street, and Parker is plainly delighted with the fit. "I've wanted to show on this wall for years, and this work is just magic on it," he told the Nugget. "I am so excited about that."

David “Sparky” Parker, in red glasses and a purple fleece, outside the Szabo Vineyards tasting room sign.
Parker outside the Szabo Vineyards tasting room, 316 Broad St.
Parker standing on a wood floor beneath three large, brightly colored abstract paintings hung on a brick wall.
Parker beneath works from the Big Works show
Parker behind the tasting room bar, with large abstract paintings on the brick wall behind him.
At the bar, with the paintings behind
Four large abstract canvases in reds, yellows and blues hung along the tasting room's brick wall.
Big canvases on the tasting room's brick wall
The long tasting room, with the bar and stools on one side and large paintings along the brick wall.
The show runs the length of the room
A row of large, colorful abstract paintings above stacked wine boxes along the brick wall.
Dramatic color, splashes and lines, wall to wall

The show's name is a fair warning. "They're all large pieces, so maybe they won't fit over your couch," Parker said. "It might be a little bigger than that." What fills the canvases, in his words, is "my use of dramatic color and a few splashes and lines and things like that." His verdict on the result: "I'm very pleased."

Asked what inspired the work, Parker pointed to a long career rather than a single spark. "I've been painting for five decades, so it's an evolution, and I decided that I hadn't painted big for a while and I needed it," he said. "I just needed to paint big."

If an artist learns from life experience, Parker came well supplied. He has been a forest firefighter, a recreation advocate and coach, a Sierra College trustee, and mayor of Nevada City, and he has founded numerous community initiatives, some serious and some just for fun, which makes him one of the more colorful characters in a town that does not lack for them. His invitation to readers is simple: come down, see the paintings, "and then have some wine!"

See it: Szabo Vineyards Tasting Room, 316 Broad Street, downtown Nevada City. Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, afternoons and early evenings. More on the artist at his Facebook page; the tasting room's page is at Szabo Vineyards.

Reported by Todd Wahoske, the Nugget's publisher, from his interview with David "Sparky" Parker. Photos used with the artist's permission. Szabo Vineyards is a separate business next door to The Hat Store, the publisher's own shop. Links: David Sparky Parker on Facebook; Szabo Vineyards Tasting Room.

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Amusements

Advertisement · The Hat Store, 314 Broad St. · The Publisher's Own Haberdashery

The Onyx

107 Argall Way · Two Screens, The Magic & The Dream

Wicker

Today through Thu, Nov 5: 11:30, 3:35 & 7:30Comedic fable, 1 hr 45 min. A shunned fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) orders a husband woven by the village basketmaker, and the wicker man turns the village upside down.

You Can See Everything

Today through Thu, Nov 5: 11:00, 3:00 & 7:00Documentary, 2 hr 54 min. Elizabeth Holmes lets a film crew follow her in the weeks before she reports to prison, and the project stretches into three years.

Wild Horse Nine

Daily, Fri Nov 6 through Thu Nov 12: 11:30, 3:30 & 7:30Martin McDonagh dark comedy, 1 hr 58 min. Malkovich and Rockwell as CIA agents on the road to Chile's 1973 coup.

Coming Up · Onyx Downtown & Specials

Sun, Nov 1: 7:00 Victor VictoriaOne night only, at the Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad St., presented by Onyx Downtown. Julie Andrews musical comedy, 2 hr 12 min.

Sun, Nov 8: 7:00 CatVideoFest 2026Onyx Downtown, 1 hr 10 min; a share of every ticket goes to Sammie's Friends, which pays for care at the Nevada County Animal Shelter.

Later on the Downtown slate: Blue Heron (Sun Nov 22), The Daytrippers (Sun Dec 6), Gremlins (Sun Dec 13), Playtime (Sun Dec 20), and Wallace & Gromit: The Classic Shorts (Sun Dec 27). Times at theonyxtheatre.com.

Showtimes may change without notice. (530) 265-8262. Tickets at Atom Tickets. Times per the Onyx's own published schedule (Oct 27), covering through Nov 12. Atom Tickets could not be read this morning; times stand as published. No showing is labeled sold out. $8 Tuesday returns next Tuesday.

Nevada Theatre

401 Broad Street · California's Oldest Theatre Building

Opens Tomorrow, Thursday, Oct 29

Shakespeare's Hamlet: Thu & Fri 7:30Paul Emery presents; directed by John Deaderick. Matinees Sat Oct 31 & Sun Nov 1 at 2:00; then Thu Nov 5, Fri Nov 6 & Sat Nov 7 at 7:30, Sun Nov 8 at 2:00. Tickets.

Sunday, Nov 1

Victor Victoria: 7:00The Onyx Downtown's big-screen revival, per the Onyx's schedule. Tickets.

Wednesday, Nov 11

Arms and the Man: 7:00Sierra Theatre Company presents. Tickets.

Dark tonight. Full listings at nevadatheatre.com, Oct 28.

Crazy Horse Saloon & Grill (230 Commercial St.). Tonight: Trivia Night, 7:00 PM, free. Thursday: Smokey the Groove w/ Low Flying Birds, 9:00 PM, $15. Friday Oct 30: RAYO! Happy Hour Dance Party, 5:00 PM, free, then the Dessert Boys Halloween Ball, 9:15 PM, $15 to $20. Halloween night: Tim High & The Mighty Play the Songs of 1973, 9:00 PM, $20. Wed Nov 4: Trivia Night, 7:00 PM, free. Fri Nov 6: Pushloop, Roommate, LB & Konfusion, 9:30 PM, $10 to $15. Sat Nov 7: RonKat Spearman's Katdelic, 9:30 PM, $20. Thu Nov 12: Greg Koch & The Koch-Marshall Trio, 9:00 PM, $20 to $25. Fri Nov 13: The Geezer Gig, 5:00 PM, free, and Suika T. w/ DJ K. Bueno, 9:45 PM, $20. Sat Nov 14: Shakedown Citi, 9:00 PM, $20. Thu Nov 19: Band Beyond Description, 9:00 PM, $20. Listings via crazyhorsenc.com, Oct 28.

Miners Foundry (325 Spring St.). Night of the Rolling Dead Fri Oct 30, 6:00 PM; SooHan, Beatkitty & Nadi Halloween Sat Oct 31, 9:00 PM; The Foundry Sings: From Roots to Rock Wed Nov 4, 5:30 PM; Sierra Nevada Alliance Conservation Conference Thu Nov 5, 9:00 AM; An Evening with Jonny Houlihan: Coming Home Wed Nov 11, 7:00 PM; Nevada City Winter Craft Fair Sun Nov 29, 10:00 AM; Desert Dwellers Fri Dec 4, 8:00 PM; Lotus Wed Feb 3, 7:00 PM. Listings via minersfoundry.org, Oct 28.

The Fern (235 Commercial St.). Pub Quiz every Monday; Open Mic Comedy every other Tuesday, dates not stated. The dated calendar is posted only as an image and could not be read this morning; check thefernnevadacity.com.

Downtown Halloween Spooktacular (downtown shops and the Rood Center). Friday, Oct 30, 3:00 to 5:00 PM, free; county departments hand out candy along the pathway toward North Bloomfield Road. Nevada City Chamber; YubaNet.

Hadestown: Teen Edition (Grass Valley Elks Lodge, 109 S. School St.). Lyric Rose Theatre Company with a live orchestra: Fri Oct 30 at 7:30, Sun Nov 1 at 2:00, Fri Nov 6 and Sat Nov 7 at 7:30, Sun Nov 8 at 2:00. Tickets, per YubaNet, Oct 23.

More listings. KVMR keeps a community arts calendar of area events.

Radio Log

KVMR 89.5 FM · Nevada City · Wednesday's Programs

▸ Listen Live · KVMR 89.5 FM

This paper's publisher on the air: Under the Influence, playlists and air dates on Spinitron · Local news: KVMR News (latest: Election Day Is A Week Away, Oct 27)

  • 12:00 AMThe Riff Ridewith Sherrie K. · every other week; not confirmed for this week
  • 2:00 AMDog Bar Dreamsvarious hosts · weekly
  • 5:00 AMMoPhiSowith BobB · on air this morning per Spinitron's live page
  • 7:00 AMWednesday Morning Showwith Lynn Heintz and Ms. Lillie · weekly
  • 10:00 AMThe Dusty Trailwith The Other Steve · every other week, alternating with Hickory Wind; on today per Spinitron's live page
  • 12:00 PMGood Stuffwith Kim Rogers · per Spinitron's live page
  • 2:00 PMThe Jukeboxwith Ghost Baby · per Spinitron's live page
  • 4:00 PMWednesday Music Magazinewith Jenny Michael and Connie Coale · weekly
  • 6:00 PMThe Sages Among Usweekly
  • 6:30 PMRotating slotEducationally Speaking airs 3rd Wednesdays and Making Contact 5th Wednesdays; tonight, the 4th, not confirmed
  • 7:00 PMDemocracy Now!syndicated · weeknights
  • 8:00 PMRotating slotDuck Soup with Paul Berger airs 2nd Wednesdays and Under the Influence 3rd Wednesdays; tonight, the 4th, not confirmed
  • 10:00 PMRock Map Collectivevarious hosts · weekly

Today's lineup per each program's own Spinitron page; slots that rotate by week are marked. The 5 AM, noon, and 2 PM programs follow Spinitron's live page this morning. Full schedule at kvmr.org; listen at 89.5 FM.

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Elected Officials

Who holds office in Nevada City, and what they've said publicly. Roster confirmed October 22, 2026 from the city's October 14 agenda and meeting recording.

No new public statements by city officials turned up in this morning's searches; entries stand as last dated. City Manager Wright authored the staff reports on tonight's dispatch, NID, and City Hall hours items (agenda packet). Tonight's votes and remarks will be added Thursday.

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Here & There

Downtown · Friday

Spooktacular Is Friday, 3 To 5 PM

Downtown's safe trick-or-treat is Friday, October 30, 3 to 5 PM, at downtown shops and the Eric Rood Center, where county departments will hand out candy along the pathway toward North Bloomfield Road. The Chamber's Spooktacular page gives October 30, and the county's announcement relayed by YubaNet confirms Friday; the Chamber's member-events list still shows October 31 in places. Park at the Rood Center; a free Nevada County Connects shuttle runs to City Hall every 15 minutes until 7 PM.

Sources: Chamber Spooktacular page; YubaNet's Happening Now log, Oct 26; Chamber member-events list, checked Oct 28.

Grass Valley · This Morning

NID Takes Up Its 2027 Budget

The Nevada Irrigation District board meets at 9 AM today at 1036 West Main Street, Grass Valley, to approve a 2027 budget of about $87.2 million in revenues against $79.6 million in operating spending and $16.2 million in capital projects, drawing its fund balance down by about $8.6 million and cutting two positions. A 9 percent rate increase was approved earlier. Tonight, NID brings its Scotts Flat spillway grant request to the Nevada City council.

Sources: The Union, Oct 27; city agenda packet

County · Resilience

Sortland On The State Stage

Council Member Micayla Sortland represented Nevada City on The Resilience Project of Western Nevada County's panel at the first Resilient California Summit in Sacramento, October 20 to 22, alongside Supervisors Sue Hoek and Hardy Bullock and representatives of Grass Valley, NID, and the Resource Conservation District, the county reports. The session presented the collaborative's quarterly community meetings, micro-grants to five local groups, and its Resiliency Resources Roadmap.

Source: Nevada County, Oct 26

Grass Valley · Housing

A Motel Becomes Veterans' Housing

Supervisors approved buying the Stagecoach Motel off South Auburn Street in Grass Valley for $934,000, to be rehabbed into 16 permanent supportive housing units, 10 for homeless veterans, with an on-site manager and AMI Housing managing; the county has nearly $5.9 million in state Homekey+ money for the work, with construction expected in the coming months.

Source: Nevada County, Oct 22

Broad Street · Theatre

Hamlet Opens Thursday

Paul Emery's production of Hamlet opens Thursday at the Nevada Theatre; The Union reports it is longtime local director John Deaderick's final production. Eight performances run through November 8; times are in Amusements.

Sources: The Union; Nevada Theatre

Activism · Outside Press

Quiet On Both Fronts

This morning's searches found no rallies, marches, petition drives, or public-comment campaigns newly announced for Nevada City or western Nevada County, and no fresh Nevada City coverage in the Sacramento Bee, SFGate, CapRadio, the AP, or the Los Angeles Times.

Sources: searches of The Union, YubaNet, KVMR News, and regional outlets, Oct 28.

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The Back Page

From the Nugget's Morgue

The Morgue is dark this morning: no legible Nevada City paper from near October 28 could be retrieved from the public archives, and the publisher's 1945 Nugget items begin running here November 16. Clippings from the old Nugget are welcome through the house channel.

Hey Good Lookin', Whatcha Got Cookin'

Black Walnut Chocolate Skillet Pudding Cake (a Nugget original). Heat the oven to 350° and butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Whisk together a cup of flour, two-thirds cup of sugar, a quarter cup of cocoa, two teaspoons of baking powder, and a pinch of salt; stir in a half cup of milk, a third cup of melted butter, and a teaspoon of vanilla, then fold in two ounces of chopped dark chocolate and a half cup of toasted black or English walnuts, and spread the batter in the skillet. Mix three-quarters cup of brown sugar with a quarter cup of cocoa and sprinkle it evenly over the top, then pour a cup and a quarter of hot coffee or hot water slowly over everything; do not stir, however much you want to. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is set and cracked and the sauce bubbles up at the edges, and rest ten minutes before spooning it into bowls, sauce side up, with cold cream or vanilla ice cream. Serves six, or one council meeting that runs past 9:30. Readers' own recipes are welcome through the house channel and run with credit and permission.

The Stars Over Deer Creek

A Horoscope Composed Fresh Each Morning In Nevada City

Aries. The council may move its meetings to 6 PM. You will arrive at 6:30 either way, out of loyalty.

Taurus. It is National Chocolate Day. The stars see no conflict between this and your other plans.

Gemini. Smoke over Washington Ridge today is a planned burn. Your planned errands, less so.

Cancer. City Hall may close Fridays. You have already filed this under things to bring up with Pisces.

Leo. Hamlet opens tomorrow. You have been rehearsing the skull bit in the mirror and it shows.

Virgo. The county is pulling signs from its roadsides. You have been quietly hoping someone would.

Libra. Six days to Election Day. Your ballot is on the counter, under the mail, beside your good intentions.

Scorpio. Halloween is Saturday and it is your season. Pace yourself; the candy is handed out Friday.

Sagittarius. The high hits 64°. Broad Street will see you in a felt hat anyway, and approve.

Capricorn. A dispatch contract with 5 percent yearly raises. You read the fine print for fun, and today it pays.

Aquarius. It is Plush Animal Lover's Day. Your stuffed bear has a seat at the meeting tonight, in spirit.

Pisces. The moon wanes past full. So does the parking near the Nevada Theatre on Thursday nights.

For entertainment purposes. The stars are not registered lobbyists.

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Civic Calendar

Coming Attractions

The big ones, counted down. Dates from the organizers' own announcements.

Sources: Nevada City Chamber, Spooktacular; Thanksgiving Weekend; Victorian Christmas.

Meeting Watch

How this works: the morning after each City Council and Planning Commission meeting, this paper carries a dedicated summary built from the meeting recording and agenda packet, covering votes, public comment themes, and anything affecting downtown. Next: Thursday, October 29, following tonight's council meeting. The Fire Safety Advisory Committee's special session (the city's postings dated it Oct 22 or 23) still awaits minutes, as do the Planning Commission's October 15 and Public Arts Commission's October 7 meetings; outcomes will be reported when they post. No county Board of Supervisors agenda had posted as of this morning's check of the county's Agenda Center; the Board last met October 20.

Previously