The fireworks in Minden will go off promptly at 1 p.m. when Douglas County commissioners gather for what times out to be a roughly six-hour meeting if everything goes on schedule, which it won't. First up is the revocation of a cabaret license for Boodler's Bar and Grubshack, then something relatively easy, putting the growth ordinance on the ballot. County staff is seeking direction on the flood plain ordinance and seeking to change the county code to increase the limit on multiple family housing to 25 units per acre, something Gardnerville, Minden and planning commissioners have all rejected. To top it all off, there's Max Baer's big old sign, no longer an oil derrick, but tulip-shaped.
An accident involving two trucks at Riverview and Highway 395 closed the highway for an hour at commute time on Wednesday. There's something to be said for the plan to pave the road between the fairgrounds and Ruhenstroth, though I don't think that would have helped in this case. There just are too many ways around this Valley that pass through a major bottleneck.
I don't need the Weather Service to tell me there's an air quality alert, I've got the rawness in my throat for that. People with respiratory problems should stay indoors. The smoke is predicted to stay through Friday night, but it might not be leaving for a while.
