• Representatives from CalTrans and the Nevada County Transportation Commission held a public meeting on Wednesday to encourage the public to submit pubic comment about the State Route 49 Grass Valley Wildfire Evacuation Project before 5:00 p.m., January 12th. Learn more and submit your thoughts on the Caltrans website.

• The body of 40 year old Eryn VanAcker was found near Lake Clementine. Authorities say she was visiting from the Bay Area.
• US District 1 Representative Doug LaMalfa died Monday evening after being rushed to the emergency room in Chico.

• More than 45 emergency responders mobilized on Monday to find a man who went missing after encountering an avalanche.
• An event organized by the nonprofit Color Me Human gathered Sheriff Shannan Moon, District Attorney Jesse Wilson, Grass Valley Police Chief Alex Gammelgard and Nevada City Police Chief Dan Foss together to discuss recent violent attacks in western Nevada County.

• Cameron Gilbert of Browns Valley and Michael Hubbard of Olivehurst were charged with numerous wildlife violations. Gilbert pleaded guilty to felony animal abuse, unlawful spotlighting, using dogs to hunt bear, and hunting without a license. Hubbard pleaded no contest to misdemeanor animal abuse, hunting bear with dogs, and unlawful possession of wildlife. 
• On January 9th, Rise Gold will go before the Nevada County Superior Court to argue that it has vested rights to work the Idaho-Maryland mine.
• Scammers are targeting the family members of people incarcerated at Wayne Brown Correctional Facility using the Sheriff's Jail Media Report Page

• A barn on Inch By Inch road was completely destroyed by fire according to CAL FIRE.
• Former Nevada City city manager takes job in California City.
• Waste monitoring in Nevada County shows an uptick in influenza A locally.  

• Christmas Tree drop-off boxes have been staged around the county and they'll accept clean trees until February 6th. 
• Over two hundred students at Sierra Community College's Rocklin campus will start their Spring semester in new digs. The college has a new 358-bed on-campus housing option for students. 80 percent of the accommodations will go to students in need of affordable housing. The facility has a $107 million price tag - $80 million of which was awarded to Sierra College through the California Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program. KVMR's Kelley Rees speaks with Sierra College Superintendent/President Willy Duncan.

• 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.