Chuck Smith

1 week ago | appeal-democrat.com | Chuck Smith

Marysville Police Officer OSMAR RODARTE’s celebration of life Tuesday was truly something to behold. Before the location was announced, we were musing with TED LANGDELL, who streams local government meetings and big community events live and archives them online at YUBA-SUTTER LIVE, about an indoor venue in the community large enough to accommodate the crowd expected for the 27-year-old police officer’s memorial service.

2 weeks ago | appeal-democrat.com | Chuck Smith

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has halted funding of a grant program that could have provided $100 million in upgrades to levees in Sutter, Yuba and Colusa counties. On Thursday, FEMA announced that it is ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and canceling all BRIC grant applications.

2 weeks ago | appeal-democrat.com | Chuck Smith

There’s a curious thing that occurs once a year in Meridian, and we don’t mean the flooding of the parking lot and trailer park at Lovey’s Landing on the water side of the levee every time there is high water in the Sacramento River. (Besides, that’s not really in Meridian, its four miles to the north of the community)...No, the curious thing is the annual “swinging open” of the bridge across the Sacramento River for inspection.

3 weeks ago | appeal-democrat.com | Chuck Smith

The outpouring of community support for Marysville Police Officer OSMAR RODARTE and his family is unsurprising. Heartening, but unsurprising. Neither was it a surprise to see police vehicles from nine different counties on the streets of Marysville when the officer’s body was escorted to Placer County on Thursday. The only surprising thing is the death itself.

4 weeks ago | appeal-democrat.com | Chuck Smith

A drizzly Thursday began with hundreds of somber residents lining D Street to honor fallen Marysville police officer Osmar Rodarte, and ended with the release of the name of the 61-year-old Olivehurst man accused of killing him.