Big shoes to fill on 'Crossfire'

Shelly Aldean's appointment to the Carson City Board of Supervisors is a big gain for the city, but it is a big loss for Carson's broadcast media.

Aldean and Karl Neathammer hosted Carson City Crossfire until Shelly announced last week she was giving up the program she helped start along with Neathammer and late Appeal columnist Dick Murray.

Cable Access TV Director Craig Swope said the program's cancellation will leave some large shoes to fill for would-be pundits.

Tom Baker, who as Sen. Richard Bryan's rural representative would appear on the senator's behalf, had good thoughts for Shelly.

"Shelly always showed up prepared," he said. "God, she was just super."

I remember getting the e-mailed program notices for Crossfire about two days before the show aired. I could always count on Shelly to get her item to me.

Dayton's Judith Miller has given up being a Vista representative to work at the Dayton Adult Education Center to help people who didn't complete their high school education.

"We are hoping to reach any young or adult who left school prior to graduation and let them know there are second chances," she wrote.

Hours for the program are limited to 1-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday but may be expanded in the near future.

Anyone interested in helping out or being helped can call Judith at 246-6246.

The Record-Courier's official news dog, Merlin the second, is no more.

Pictures of Merlin with the Gardnerville newspaper rolled up in his mouth graced the twice-weekly newspaper's promotional ads for a couple of years.

Merlin belonged to my in-laws, Gim and Joyce Hollister of Genoa, and was a familiar sight in the back of Gim's car, or wandering around town looking for a friendly place to stay.

The big yellow Labrador was found roaming the Gardnerville Ranchos during the 1997 New Year's flood. The woman who found him couldn't keep him and there was no room at the Douglas County Animal Shelter.

Instead, she went to The R-C to talk to Joyce about Merlin becoming a Pet of the Week.

Joyce said she knew before the woman could tell her that the dog was a big yellow Lab, just like the first Merlin, a longtime family pet before he died in the mid-'90s.

There were few clues to Merl's prior life. He was terrified of hot air balloons and a very picky eater. I last petted him at the Genoa Post Office as he was sitting in the back of Gim's car.

He passed quietly at the age of 8 years, after suffering from a heart ailment. He was buried in Genoa on Friday with full canine honors.

There is no ignorance like invincible ignorance and one of its surest signs is thinking you know something you don't.

Reader Barbara Wyman caught me in two stupid mistakes on my column item about the journey of stupid questions.

I claimed there is an In-N-Out in Jackson, when there is not. Geographically challenged to the end, I transposed it with Placerville.

As both Barbara and my good friend Dave Price pointed out, there is no such place as Kyburz Pass. It is known as Echo Summit.

Appeal sports stats guy Ralph Myrehn pointed out that In-N-Out always asks if you are going to eat in the car or at home.

"If you say you are going to take it home, they will give you a bag," he said. "If you are going to eat in the car, they give you a box."

Rich Moreno found that Nissan Corp. has registered Nevada as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. No doubt the state will join Tahoe and Sierra as the name of a sports utility vehicle.

I found two items in consecutive issues of PC Magazine's Backspace with local connections. Brian Martin sent in a MapQuest result that showed it takes 4 hours and 60 minutes to get from Markleeville, Calif., to Corning, Calif. The caption points out he thought it would take five hours.

The other item points out that there are no Nevada Bob's retail stores in Nevada. You can see this one yourself by going to www.nevadabobs.com and looking in the store locator.

Kurt Hildebrand is former managing editor of the Nevada Appeal. Reach him at 887-2430, ext. 402 or e-mail him at kurt@tahoe.com