Editor's Notes: Give just a little more to charity

When it comes to economics, it really might not be the illness that kills you but the cure. The recession has been officially over for quite some time; but the recovery seemingly takes forever.

Most of us muddle along. For those who are down and out, it's a matter of urgency. Thankfully, local charities praise area residents for how much they're willing to donate, according to a report on Wednesday by Laura van der Meer.

Still, how about just a little more, folks? We're just past the big giving season, but the need keeps right on. Capt. Tom Stambaugh of the Yuba-Sutter Salvation Army said more requests for food assistance are coming in. While the pantry is still full from our holiday giving, the "shelves start to go bare" in February/March. Here is the How You Can Help primer that ran with the story. If you can make use of it, thanks.

Thumbs Up: At the memorial service following last Saturday's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Unity March, kudos was lavished on organizer Charlese Harris. We want to add our thanks and congratulations. She started the annual march and service 15 years ago and has coordinated it since; she's moving away from our community in the near future, so this was her last. Assurances were made that the march and program will carry on under the guidance of others.

Each of those yearly events Harris organized helped raise awareness and appreciation — our community is better for her work.

One of her hopes, she said during the program at Crossroads Community Church, was that something would be named in King's honor — a street, a park, a building. We heard Marysville Mayor Ricky Samaoya tell folks that he was willing to work toward that goal.

How about the street, or a portion of it, or the bridge or something along the route that has annually united the two cities? Just for a little added symbolism.

Thumbs down: An F for smoking. Ugh. I don't want to get preachy, and I don't want to go into the grandma business … but to me, the decision to smoke or not to smoke goes beyond just the health issues (bad enough). It goes to a deeper attitude issue … a what-the-heck, you're-going-to-die-anyway attitude. It's their business, but it's sort of a lost resource to the rest of the community.

There are problems with the system for assigning grades, done by the American Lung Association, some critics say. They look at ordinances and programs and might overlook volunteer efforts. Still, it looks like our percentage of smokers is a little higher than the state. (Yup, former smoker. Glad I quit and understand how hard it is.)

Allow me this: When you first move to a new community, you notice things that longtime residents might have quit paying attention to. Good things and bad things. One item that got our attention as we looked at Yuba-Sutter and then moved here: There's quite a bit of assigning reputations to neighborhoods and communities.

Whereas in other places, people talk about bad and good parts; here it seems to go to larger areas. Olivehurst, for instance. If you're looking for a house, there's always someone telling you to steer clear — not just of a certain part, but the whole community. That's too bad, because I've heard from a couple of people who live there and think their locations are great.

Regardless, it seems Olivehurst could really benefit from the revitalization plan that's been developed and awaits funding. It would help with zoning changes to encourage a small business hub, make streets more pedestrian and bike friendly, encourage building façade improvements — all the sorts of things that strengthen a sense of community. Residents are taking a wait-and-see stance, according to our reporting in the Jan. 18 edition. Here's hoping they don't have to wait too long and that they see it happen.