• The California Highway Patrol has announced that its Holiday Enforcement Period will begin at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, December 24th this year.
• First responders with the Truckee Fire Protection District deploy their ladder truck to rescue marooned visitors.
• This year, SYRCL’s 24th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival will feature over 110 environmental and adventure films.

• Wetter, colder, and more impactful - that’s how the National Weather Service describes the storm affecting much of our listening area in the lead up to and, potentially through, the holidays. 
• JJ Jackson's in downtown Nevada City prepares to say goodbye after a 38-year run. The historic building at 244 Commercial Street was sold in late November and the new owner will change the building from a shop to a makers' space. 
• Nevada County Mutual Aid is a collective of volunteers focused on building community care and support, particularly for marginalized individuals. They're hosting a free Christmas Community's Care Day this Thursday, Dec 25th from 12-4pm. Two of the event's organizers sat down to speak with KVMR News. 

• Nevada County District Attorney Jesse Wilson gave a public statement at the Board of Supervisors meeting addressing the streak of violence through the county. Before reading the statement, Wilson said he was asked to do so by Board of Supervisors Chair Heidi Hall. 
• A winter weather storm is heading towards Nevada County just in time for holiday travel. The storm, courtesy of two atmospheric rivers, may bring over ten days of rain and low elevation snow to the Sierra foothills. KVMR News hears from Nevada County's Office of Emergency Services and a meteorologist from the National Weather Service on preparatory actions residents should take and how severe this storm will be. 
• Caltrans wants public feedback on a Highway 49 project.
• KVMR News recaps Wednesday's House of Representatives vote on healthcare, focusing on District 3 Rep. Kevin Kiley's stance on Affordable Care Act extensions. 

• The human remains found earlier this year near the South Yuba Fork Bridge have been identified. The Nevada County Coroner is asking the public for help in locating the decedent's next of kin.

• Nevada County Transit Services' 12 Days of Holiday Cheer free fare event begins today. Nevada County Connects and Nevada County Now are offering free fare service on all routes until December 31st.

• Tahoe National Forest is conducting a 37-acre prescribed burn along Conservation Road near Nevada City from Dec 16th to Dec 18th.

• A Union Pacific train derailed in Colfax this weekend. Union Pacific Railroad representative Jill Micek told KVMR News that approximately 13 rail cars left their tracks near State Highway 174 and Narrow Gauge Road just after 3 a.m. Saturday morning.
  

• The California Department of Public Health has issued a warning to the public due to a recent outbreak of amatoxin poisoning tied to the consumption of wild, foraged mushrooms. The cause of these poisonings has been tied to Amanita Phalloides, also known as the Death Cap Mushroom. KVMR News spoke with Daniel Nicholson, a Yuba Watershed Institute board member who has been researching the local mushrooms and documenting their distribution for more than two decades.

• At last week’s Grass Valley City Council Meeting the agenda's big topic of discussion, the Dorsey Marketplace Project, was yet again pushed to a later date. GV City Manager Tim Kiser says the public hearing considering changes and additions to the development is now scheduled for January 13th at 6pm. The meeting’s first public comment referenced the repeated incidents of violence throughout Nevada County in the past several months, as well as the demonstration held at the Rood Center in Nevada City on Monday, Dec 8th.

• On Friday the Nevada County District Attorney’s Office released a statement in regard to multiple violent assaults which have taken place around the county over the past several months. The statement addresses public concern that the incidents may all be linked to the same group of young adults.
• Scammers target Nevada County elder adults through letters received in the mail.
• A Grass Valley man has been arrested after a tip led to an animal cruelty investigation that uncovered more than 200 cases of animal abuse. 

Last week, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, referred to as ACIP, recommended narrowing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's hepatitis B immunization guidance for newborns. It’s now up to the CDC’s acting Director to approve the recommendation. Previous guidelines recommended infants receive their first dose of the vaccine within 24 hours of birth. Nevada County’s Public Health Officer Dr. Sherilynn Cooke explains what this means for county residents.

• This week the Wildfire Ready Coalition of Nevada County, formerly Fire Safe Nevada County Coalition, announced the formation of 16 new FireWise communities within the county over the past year. FireWise communities are neighborhoods that work together to reduce the risk of wildfires.  
• If you’ve spent any time in Nevada County, you likely know that many people here are big fans of all things organic, especially locally grown food. And for those living in Nevada City, getting some of that food just got a little bit easier thanks to a new neighborhood market called The Outpost Downtown. 

• The Department of the Interior announced several changes to national park access fees. 
• Last week the Trump Administration announced it will withhold SNAP food aid benefits - referred to as CalFresh in California - in Democratic-led states unless those states provide information to the federal government about individuals receiving the assistance. KVMR News speaks with Kristin Plante, Nevada County’s manager with eligibility and employment in the social services department to find out if Nevada County CalFresh recipients will be affected.

• A special sneak peek at the 4th annual KVMR Holiday Hoedown with Event Producer Paul Emery.
• The sounds of the first Victorian Christmas in downtown Nevada City during its 47th season. The Executive Director of the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce shares what's new about this year's event. 

Holiday decorations are going up in store windows, along downtown streets, and at nine locations around Nevada County a very particular kind of Christmas tree can also be seen. KVMR News speaks with county Child Welfare Services Program Manager Nicholas Ready about the Nevada County Giving Tree Program, now in its 12th year. We also visit one of the Giving Tree locations at Carolines Coffee Roasters in downtown Grass Valley and speak with store manager Becky Skolak about why the coffee shop agreed to participate in the community endeavor. 

• Tahoe National Forest Christmas tree permits are now available. KVMR News Director Cláudio Mendonça finds out more!

• Owner of Grass Valley Pasty Company arrested and booked into the Nevada County jail Friday evening, according to the Grass Valley Police Department. 

• The Nevada County elections office has officially certified the results of Nov. 4th’s Statewide Special Election.  Nevada County’s 66% voter participation rate dwarfs the state’s 50% average and ranks it among the top 5 counties for voter turnout in this special election.

  
  

• As Nevada City prepares for Victorian Christmas and an onslaught of tourists this holiday season, the historic properties lining downtown’s Broad Street are gearing up to be put on display. However, a worn down, long-empty address at 311 Broad Street wasn’t quite living up to what a recent New York Times article called one of the “best-preserved Gold Rush-era towns in California.” So the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce, City of Nevada City and Nevada County Contractor's Association hatched a plan.

• As part of KVMR News' quest this December to keep you informed on festive winter activities in our area - we sat down with Nevada Union High School Choir Director Connor Jamison to talk about the impending annual NU Choir Holiday Concert. 

• After 20 years, the Bratton’s are stepping back from hosting the annual Michael Edward Bratton II Turkey Trot , but Mike says the new hosts, Anew day and the Grass Police Department Association, were handpicked to continue the tradition as a trot for wellness. KVMR News brings you audio from this year’s trot and an interview with Mike Bratton about the changes to come. 

• The library’s annual Winter Reading Challenge kicks off December 1st and runs through January 31st. Brittany Blake, Adult Programming coordinator at the Grass Valley Library, says the Winter Reading Challenge is open to all ages. To take part, you can visit any of the library branches and pick up a bingo card, which fall under 4 categories: pre reader, independent reader, teen, and adult. 

• For the first time since its founding in 1978, Community Beyond Violence is getting their own emergency shelter in Western Nevada County. The  nonprofit organization works to end domestic violence and sexual assault. KVMR News speaks with Executive Director Allison Bischoffberger about the newly acquired space which will act as an emergency shelter for people who are actively fleeing a domestic violence situation or are in danger and looking for shelter. 

• Last week, CodeRED, a system used to send emergency alerts to residents who have opted in, reported an outage which affected six cities and twelve counties in California, including Nevada County. Now, CodeRED has notified Nevada County of a cybersecurity breach associated with the outage. 

• For nearly 40 years the Nevada Union High School Chamber Choir has organized a fundraiser in the form of a Renaissance celebration.
  The fully immersive experience includes students dressed in period-appropriate attire, live renditions of Renaissance era songs and, even, a comedy sketch. The event is known as the Madrigal Dinner.

• As interest in generative technology has grown, so too have concerns over using AI to prepare legal documents. Nevada County District Attorney Jesse Wilson made national news for his office’s misuse of generative artificial intelligence. KVMR News looks at two investigative reports from the Sacramento Bee and the New York Times outlining the allegations. 

• The newly appointed Nevada County Clerk Recorder/ Registrar of Voters, Armando Salud-Ambriz, is hosting a series of informal meet and greets at various locations across the county in December. Armando says this is a chance for Nevada County residents to get to know him and ask questions about elections, voter registration, and the many services the office provides. 

• Downtown Nevada City art supply store Wonder Docent presents NEONoir: New Works in Watercolor by Erika Peterson, also known as the artist Ghost Baby. The show, which runs through January 4th, features 32 watercolor paintings, varying in size, and all depicting neon signs against dark backgrounds. KVMR News speaks with Ghost Baby (Erika Peterson) and Heather Heckler (co-owner of Wonder Docent).

• On November 20th, Nevada County identified a sewer spill at Lift Station #23 near Dove Loop. The sewage spill occurred between November 18th and November 20th, entering into Lake Wildwood as a result of an operational error during scheduled testing.

• Nevada County is accepting applications for a free cat spay and neuter clinic on Tuesday, December 16th. 

• On Tuesday, Nov. 18, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved up to 1.5 million dollars over five years to keep Rough and Ready Fire Station 59 operational during the consolidation of Rough and Ready and Penn Valley Fire Districts. 

Listen to this excerpt from November 25th’s KVMR newscast:
Downtown Nevada City art supply store Wonder Docent presents NEONoir: New Works in Watercolor by Erika Peterson, also known as the artist Ghost Baby. The show, which runs through January 4th, features 32 watercolor paintings, varying in size, and all depicting neon signs against dark backgrounds. KVMR News speaks with Ghost Baby (Erika Peterson) and Heather Heckler (co-owner of Wonder Docent).

• Nevada County's Elections Office reports 99.9% of ballots counted for the November 4th Special Election with a voter turnout rate hovering around 66%. 
• KVMR News speaks with Niccole Staten, Manager of Public Affairs for the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority, and Lindsay Myers, Public Information Officer for Sacramento County Department of Airports, to see how SMF and RNO are doing following the historic government shutdown with holiday travel fast approaching. 
• Road Closure: From today (11/24) through Wednesday, November 26th, a portion of East Broad Street in downtown Nevada City will be closed for construction on a permanent crosswalk at the Broad Street Y.

Photo from Reno-Tahoe International Airport website

• Nevada County is one of twelve counties and six cities in California impacted by a recent CodeRED outage. 
• McGees Annex in Nevada City went up for auction on the steps of the Nevada County courthouse yesterday.
• City Hall Art Meets the Public, or CHAMP, is an exhibition on the entryway walls of City Hall in Nevada City. Submissions are now open for the first exhibition of 2026 with the theme: Year of Advanced Music Appreciation.