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Newsgrinder Important events as reported by daily newspapers and summarized by Daedalus Howell. Friday 10.27.00 A Marin Superior Court judge has dismissed charges against Henry John Krajewski, who was accused of marketing a knockoff form of rave drug fave GHB from his Fairfax home, reports the Marin Independent Journal. Krajewski, an artist who has painted album covers for such rock groups as Iron Butterfly, claimed he didn't know the substance was illegal. Okey-dokey. He was also booked for possession of hashish. No word on whether he claimed the hash was an herbal supplement. The Food and Drug Administration warns that GHB, short for gamma-hydroxybutyratesupercalifragilisticexpialidocious, causes dangerously low respiratory rates, coma, and seizures, and can kill actors when near the Viper Room. Thursday 10.26.00 Police said a man walked into Bank of Marin carrying a box on which he had written, "This is an explosive, give me all your money." The box, vacant of all but avarice, was the objet d'art in an elaborate ruse the robber abandoned upon discovering $3,000 stacked unattended on the counter. The robber grabbed the dough but ditched his criminal masterpiece--a stunning example of neo-Fluxus conceptual art that evokes both the textual reference in René Magritte's "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" and the "ready-mades" of Marcel Duchamp. The same suspect is sought in a string of "ring and run" incidents in which matchbooks and bags of dog shit bearing the inscription "Light here" were left on Marin County doorsteps. Thursday 10.26.00 Ye olde East-West battle continues in Petaluma. Candidates for the school board heard complaints from angry Eastsiders who believe that their Casa Grande High School is less attractive than the west side's Petaluma High School, reports the Argus-Courier. Candidate Mike Derby recalled that when Casa Grande opened in 1972, "it was something to behold." Sure, like a large, shingled prison: hence the name Casa Grande--Spanish for "Big House." Monday 10.23.00 Scholarships worth more than $3,000 will be awarded in the Miss Napa County Pageant, scheduled next January. Pageant contestants will be judged on talent, poise, personality, appearance, and intelligence, according to the Napa Valley Register. The Register also reports that "women 17 to 24 who will graduate from high school before September 2001 are eligible." Contestants who are 24 and have yet to graduate from high school are encouraged to focus on the talent, poise, personality, and appearance aspects of the judging. Saturday 10.28.00 The Santa Rosa daily reports that a House vote on a bill to restore federal recognition to the Coast Miwok Indians has split the hands of local Democrats Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Lynn Woolsey. House approval followed Boxer's move to discard a clause in the bill preventing the tribe from opening a casino in its Marin and southern Sonoma county territory. Rolling the dice on her career, Woolsey insisted on the gambling ban and refused to fold despite strident opposition from the Clinton administration. "I'll just have to respectfully disagree with her on this," said a poker-faced Woolsey of Boxer, who saw Woolsey's bid and raised her two by maintaining the provision. Drawing to an inside straight, tribal chairman Greg Sarris, an author and filmmaker who recruited Hollywood high rollers to lobby for Coast Miwok recognition, remarked, "The issue here is restoration of our rights, not gaming," But tribal vice chairman Gene Buvelot (emphasis on "vice") anted,"If we did gaming, we'd be big." Now, now, Gene, never count your money when sitting at the table--there'll be time enough for counting when the dealing's done. Thursday 10.26.00 The Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights recommended Wednesday that a new YWCA brochure outlining domestic violence services should be more inclusive of male victims, after receiving a complaint from the local men's advocate (guess who?), reports the Santa Rosa daily. Joe Manthey claimed the language in the YWCA's brochure is discriminatory because it portrays men as the primary batterers. It was not reported whether or not Manthey believes male bakers are characterized differently than female bakers--both are known for batter, and both beat eggs and whip cream. Bah-dum-bum. Tuesday 10.31.00 Stop the presses! The Press Democrat--a longtime mouth organ for the local development community--published a two-part series this week on the high cost of housing in Sonoma County and made an amazing discovery: The lack of affordable housing is due, in part, to the fact that city governments coddle developers. Big surprise--not! Housing advocates and this publication have complained long and hard that the lack of political will is a major factor in skyrocketing housing costs. In fact, voters in Santa Rosa--where a slate of four pro-development candidates led by City Council member Sharon Wright is on the ballot--have a chance to do something about that situation on Nov. 7 (see election endorsements on page 13). Send the development community and its cronies the message that people come first. Or start packing your bags--Willits is still relatively affordable. [ North Bay | MetroActive Central | Archives ]