The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Stop the Blob before it gobbles us up

So I’m sorting through my mail the other day, looking everywhere for my latest People Magazine so I can find out if Demi married that young guy with all the hair, when all of the sudden I run across a ...
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Let’s distribute school cuts along tenure boundaries

If I’d still been in high school, I might have been sent to the corner last week. You don’t tell a teacher what to do. Not if you want to graduate, or stay out of the principal’s office, you don’t.
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Ackerman, Mississippi, on my mind

Folks in Ackerman, Mississippi, make an average of $21,000 a year, half the state average. But from the looks of the black and white photos (color is way overrated) pasted on the pages of the 2008 ...
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Shop locally, ensure quality lifestyle

As the Grass Valley/Nevada County chamber’s new board chairman and publisher of this newspaper, I have a vested interest in seeing our community of mostly small businesses succeed. I’m not alone.
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Who needs a Legislature?

Since the governor doesn’t really need to go through the Legislature in order to raise taxes, why don’t we just get rid of the Legislature and save some money? That’s right. Thanks to California’s ...
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Two strapped bus systems too taxing on community

Since the governor is now threatening to make our children walk backward and barefoot to and from school unless we vote to increase taxes, it’s time to take another look at consolidating the two bus ...
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Sticking together to weather the storm

Doesn’t seem too long ago that some were complaining that the lights from Matt and Tom Weaver’s new auto dealership were interfering with their ability to see the stars. That shouldn’t be a problem ...
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Situation Room putting damper on my Consumer Confidence

I stayed home on Black Friday. Not because my “Consumer Confidence” was in the dumps, mind you. I’ve actually been quite confident lately. It’s just that it was sunny out and I wanted to take my dog ...
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Empathy a gift to last all year long

There are three stages of man: He believes in Santa Claus; he does not believe in Santa Claus; he is Santa Claus. A fellow named Bob Phillips wrote that, and I was reminded of those words on Sunday ...
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Neighborhood watch shooter could have walked away

Every once in awhile I like to shoot my guns. There is a right way and a wrong way to handle and shoot guns and I prefer to do it the right way, since doing it the wrong way can kill me, or someone ...
The Union

Jeff Ackerman: Drought threat doesn’t seem to hold water

The term “drought” conjures up visions of dry, hard-caked African creekbeds, lined with skinny lions and elephants elbowing for one single slurp. So forgive me if I had to scratch what little hair I ...