KVMR News

Holiday decorations are going up in store windows, along downtown streets, and at nine locations around Nevada County a very particular kind of Christmas tree can also be seen. KVMR News speaks with county Child Welfare Services Program Manager Nicholas Ready about the Nevada County Giving Tree Program, now in its 12th year. We also visit one of the Giving Tree locations at Carolines Coffee Roasters in downtown Grass Valley and speak with store manager Becky Skolak about why the coffee shop agreed to participate in the community endeavor. 

Tahoe National Forest Christmas tree permits are now available. KVMR News Director Cláudio Mendonça finds out more!Owner of Grass Valley Pasty Company arrested and booked into the Nevada County jail Friday evening, according to the Grass Valley Police Department. The Nevada County elections office has officially certified the results of Nov. 4th's Statewide Special Election.  Nevada County's 66% voter participation rate dwarfs the state's 50% average and ranks it among the top 5 counties for voter turnout in this special election.

As Nevada City prepares for Victorian Christmas and an onslaught of tourists this holiday season, the historic properties lining downtown's Broad Street are gearing up to be put on display. However, a worn down, long-empty address at 311 Broad Street wasn't quite living up to what a recent New York Times article called one of the “best-preserved Gold Rush-era towns in California.” So the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce, City of Nevada City and Nevada County Contractor's Association hatched a plan.As part of KVMR News' quest this December to keep you informed on festive winter activities in our area - we sat down with Nevada Union High School Choir Director Connor Jamison to talk about the impending annual NU Choir Holiday Concert. 

After 20 years, the Bratton's are stepping back from hosting the annual Michael Edward Bratton II Turkey Trot , but Mike says the new hosts, Anew day and the Grass Police Department Association, were handpicked to continue the tradition as a trot for wellness. KVMR News brings you audio from this year's trot and an interview with Mike Bratton about the changes to come. The library's annual Winter Reading Challenge kicks off December 1st and runs through January 31st. Brittany Blake, Adult Programming coordinator at the Grass Valley Library, says the Winter Reading Challenge is open to all ages. To take part, you can visit any of the library branches and pick up a bingo card, which fall under 4 categories: pre reader, independent reader, teen, and adult. 

For the first time since its founding in 1978, Community Beyond Violence is getting their own emergency shelter in Western Nevada County. The  nonprofit organization works to end domestic violence and sexual assault. KVMR News speaks with Executive Director Allison Bischoffberger about the newly acquired space which will act as an emergency shelter for people who are actively fleeing a domestic violence situation or are in danger and looking for shelter. Last week, CodeRED, a system used to send emergency alerts to residents who have opted in, reported an outage which affected six cities and twelve counties in California, including Nevada County. Now, CodeRED has notified Nevada County of a cybersecurity breach associated with the outage. For nearly 40 years the Nevada Union High School Chamber Choir has organized a fundraiser in the form of a Renaissance celebration.The fully immersive experience includes students dressed in period-appropriate attire, live renditions of Renaissance era songs and, even, a comedy sketch. The event is known as the Madrigal Dinner.

As interest in generative technology has grown, so too have concerns over using AI to prepare legal documents. Nevada County District Attorney Jesse Wilson made national news for his office's misuse of generative artificial intelligence. KVMR News looks at two investigative reports from the Sacramento Bee and the New York Times outlining the allegations. The newly appointed Nevada County Clerk Recorder/ Registrar of Voters, Armando Salud-Ambriz, is hosting a series of informal meet and greets at various locations across the county in December. Armando says this is a chance for Nevada County residents to get to know him and ask questions about elections, voter registration, and the many services the office provides. 

Downtown Nevada City art supply store Wonder Docent presents NEONoir: New Works in Watercolor by Erika Peterson, also known as the artist Ghost Baby. The show, which runs through January 4th, features 32 watercolor paintings, varying in size, and all depicting neon signs against dark backgrounds. KVMR News speaks with Ghost Baby (Erika Peterson) and Heather Heckler (co-owner of Wonder Docent).On November 20th, Nevada County identified a sewer spill at Lift Station #23 near Dove Loop. The sewage spill occurred between November 18th and November 20th, entering into Lake Wildwood as a result of an operational error during scheduled testing.Nevada County is accepting applications for a free cat spay and neuter clinic on Tuesday, December 16th. On Tuesday, Nov. 18, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved up to 1.5 million dollars over five years to keep Rough and Ready Fire Station 59 operational during the consolidation of Rough and Ready and Penn Valley Fire Districts. 

Listen to this excerpt from November 25th's KVMR newscast:Downtown Nevada City art supply store Wonder Docent presents NEONoir: New Works in Watercolor by Erika Peterson, also known as the artist Ghost Baby. The show, which runs through January 4th, features 32 watercolor paintings, varying in size, and all depicting neon signs against dark backgrounds. KVMR News speaks with Ghost Baby (Erika Peterson) and Heather Heckler (co-owner of Wonder Docent).

Nevada County's Elections Office reports 99.9% of ballots counted for the November 4th Special Election with a voter turnout rate hovering around 66%. KVMR News speaks with Niccole Staten, Manager of Public Affairs for the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority, and Lindsay Myers, Public Information Officer for Sacramento County Department of Airports, to see how SMF and RNO are doing following the historic government shutdown with holiday travel fast approaching. Road Closure: From today (11/24) through Wednesday, November 26th, a portion of East Broad Street in downtown Nevada City will be closed for construction on a permanent crosswalk at the Broad Street Y.Photo from Reno-Tahoe International Airport website

Nevada County is one of twelve counties and six cities in California impacted by a recent CodeRED outage. McGees Annex in Nevada City went up for auction on the steps of the Nevada County courthouse yesterday.City Hall Art Meets the Public, or CHAMP, is an exhibition on the entryway walls of City Hall in Nevada City. Submissions are now open for the first exhibition of 2026 with the theme: Year of Advanced Music Appreciation.

Submissions are open for the 2026 Nevada City Film Festival. Now comes the flood of films - animation, shorts, documentaries -  from around the world, says Jesse Locks, the festival's Executive Director. In 2025 the small committee tasked with decision making watched 297 hours worth of submissions before whittling down the event's final lineup.This year the focus will be on animation and the artists committed to that craft. But, as Locks points out, animation is expensive. And some filmmakers have been turning to artificial intelligence to cut costs. “Does that erode how we interact with reality, or does that enhance creativity,” Locks asks. Films created with the use of AI are able to enter the festival.  Locks says, “Ultimately, audiences are going to be the ones who decide if AI succeeds or fails in filmmaking.”

For 35 years Judith Berliner has been running Full Circle Press in Grass Valley. In 1968, Judith's father, Harold Berliner, along with Deputy State Attorney General Doris Maier,  wrote the finalized text for the Miranda Warnings. Using his letterpress, Harold printed small, laminated cards, so every police officer in California would have a copy of the Miranda Warnings. Now, Judith has printed similar, small, laminated cards which outline individuals' rights when approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents, known as ICE agents. Judith printed around 400 of these cards, which have been available at Grass Valley's Nevada Union High School Library since the Spring.KVMR News spoke with Judith Berliner and Brandon Dellis, library assistant at the NU library.

The Nevada County Planning Commission voted 3-2 to recommend to the Board of Supervisors to adopt the Alternative Housing RV Dwelling Ordinance. The nearly 4-hour meeting saw impassioned public comment (including an original song performed) and a conflicted Planning Commission.Watch the Planning Commission meeting HERE.

Last night's Grass Valley town hall with Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna was canceled. Khanna is already in Washington D.C. after Speaker of the House Mike Johnson called all representatives back to vote on a bill that could end the longest government shutdown in US history. Sierra Roots is hosting their annual shelter training and orientation tomorrow, November 13th from 5 to 7pm at the Nevada City Veterans Hall. Mike Cannatella, Shelter Program Manager, says the training is open to anyone interested in learning more or getting involved with Sierra Roots. 

KVMR News speaks with Dr. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and creator of the popular Weather West blog, about Nevada County's impending winter weather and the effects of DOGE cuts and the historic government shutdown on National Weather Service employees. 

KVMR News speaks with Kristin Plante, Nevada County Social Services Program Manager, about the ever-changing state of CalFresh benefits for Nevada County residents. Then we hear from Brett Bentely, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Nevada County and Victoria Lindsay, Marketing and Communications Manager for Interfaith Food Ministry. Bentely says food banks and pantries can't make up the difference for those not receiving federal benefits. For every one meal of a food bank provides, benefits provide nine.

Nevada County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) holds their annual simulated emergency test exercise this Saturday. Peter Mason, Emergency Coordinator for Amateur Radio Emergency Service of Nevada County, speaks with KVMR News about the program and how local neighborhoods can get involved as we brace for potential extreme weather events. 

Last week, a special joint meeting of local government agencies met at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City to address local housing challenges and prepare for upcoming state housing mandates. KVMR News then covers the latest City of Nevada and Grass Valley City Council meetings.

California voters have passed Proposition 50. Early returns show approval of the ballot measure leading with roughly  64% of the vote. In Nevada County the Yes and No vote margin was much slimmer than the state's. Yesterday's 11:10pm update from the Nevada County Elections Office reports a yes vote on 54 percent of counted ballots. No votes totaled 46 percent. As of 11:10pm Tuesday, nearly 34 thousand ballots have been counted. Nevada County has nearly 78 thousand registered voters and is known for a high voter turnout. 

Grass Valley's Condon Park Skatepark project is well underway, looking to be completed by late November or early December. But Nevada County skaters may have another option in the works. KVMR's Neil Wright attended last week's Skatepark Input Meeting in Nevada City and spoke with the project's leaders and community members who gathered to find out more. 

Let's take a deep dive into Prop 50. After covering the basics, we hear from Mac Young, Chairman of the Nevada County Republican Party and Peter Minett, Nevada County Democratic Chair and current Central Committee member, sharing their local parties' perspectives on Proposition 50. 

This special election certain Nevada County residents will be voting on Measure G, a piece of the funding puzzle, namely a $25 million bond, to build a new library in Truckee. KVMR News spoke with Executive Director of the Friends of the Truckee Library April Cole who's spearheading the effort to get a new facility built. 

KVMR News visits Nevada County's new ballot processing center at the Loma Rica Warehouse in Grass Valley in the run-up to Nov. 4th's special election. Newly appointed County Clerk Recorder/Registrar of Voters, Armando Salud-Ambriz, and Assistant Clerk Recorder/Registrar of Voters Corey O'Hayre speak about the election process and how election administrators might be adrenaline junkies. You can watch the Nevada County Elections' livestream of the ballot processing center on the County's Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdGzGr9WdIE

KVMR News speaks with Randi Swisley, Voter Services Chair of the League of Women Voters of Nevada County, a nonpartisan organization which promotes voting, provides resources for informed citizenship, and encourages civic engagement. Randi answers questions about California's November 4th Special Election, which will ask voters to approve or reject Proposition 50. The League of Women Voters of Nevada County has additional resources, including a multi-part video series about Prop 50 for voters still unclear about the proposition.  https://my.lwv.org/california/nevada-county/elections/upcoming-elections

In the first episode of their Special Election series, KVMR News brings you a Prop 50 explainer.  This fall California is holding a state-wide special election asking California voters to approve or reject Proposition 50. Prop 50 has been the subject of a lot of misinformation, so let's take a quick look at what the proposition actually says and what its impact will be if it's approved by voters. “Proposition 50 authorizes temporary changes to congressional district maps in response to Texas' partisan redistricting.”

Due to the federal government shut down, November CalFresh benefits will be impacted for millions of Californians. Rachel Peña, Director of Social Services for Nevada County, says close to 12,000 Nevada County residents will lose their CalFresh benefits in November, which amounts to a $2.3 million monthly impact to the local economy. 

United Against Hate Week is a statewide initiative with a clear message: hate has no place in our communities. KVMR News talks with Heidi Hall, Nevada County District 1 Supervisor and Current Chair of the Board, Rachel Pena, Director of Social Services for Nevada County, and Margaret Gilmore, Branch Manager at the Madelyn Helling Library to hear about the Nevada County Equity Inclusion Leadership Alliance's participation in the initiative. Friday October 24th through Sunday October 26th, Nevada County expects rain, mountain snow, moderate winds. The county is offering free sand at four locations; residents must bring their own shovel and sandbags. 

Aiming to advance independent filmmaking in Nevada County, the Nevada City Film Festival recently announced their Filmed in Nevada County Grant. KVMR News spoke with Jesse Locks, executive director of Nevada City Film Festival, to find out what is offered as part of the grant, who should apply, and important dates to remember. 

Sierra Roots is hosting a "Fire to Frost" event on October 30th from 5-7pm in the Miners Foundry Stone Hall. Mike Cannatella, manager of Sierra Roots' emergency weather shelter, tells KVMR News that the event is a collaborative effort aimed at getting the community involved and sharing information about the seasonal services offered for the local unhoused population. 

On Saturday, October 18th an estimated 2,500 to 3,500 individuals gathered in the Grass Valley Brunswick Basin as part of the nation-wide No Kings protest, demonstrating against what they see as current President Donald Trump's unregulated escalation of executive powers. KVMR News spoke to attendees about why they decided to join the second No Kings protest. 

Sierra Streams Institute Education Program Director Sol Hanson speaks with KVMR News about a special, advanced stream ecology course open to the public. 

We're taking you into newsrooms at community radio stations around the country. Federal funding, a critical resource for these news rooms is no longer. What does that mean for the local news listeners tune in to hear and the people behind the scenes producing it?Today, we're wrapping up this special series at a station in Paonia - a tiny town in western Colorado. We speak with  KVNF Program and News Director Brody Wilson.

We're taking you into newsrooms at community radio stations around the country. Federal funding, a critical resource for these news rooms is no longer. What does that mean for the local news listeners tune in to hear and the people behind the scenes producing it?Today, we're taking you to the small town of Whitesburg, Kentucky in the heart of Appalachia. To a station without a designated news team, trying to build a news room in the wake of setback after setback. KVMR News speaks with Jared Hamilton, Programming Coordinator at WMMT and the only current full-time staff at the station. 

We're taking you into newsrooms at community radio stations around the country. Federal funding, a critical resource for these news rooms is no longer. What does that mean for the local news listeners tune in to hear and the people behind the scenes producing it?We start nearly 800 miles away, gaining about 4,000 feet in elevation with a community radio newsroom that has developed a reputation for fastidious reporting. In 2025, the desk received a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and two honors from the Public Media Journalists Association. We speak to Sophia Boyd-Fliegel (Managing Editor at KHOL in Jackson, Wy).Photo Caption: Senior Reporter Dante Filpula Ankney (left), Managing Editor Sophia Boyd-Fliegel, Executive Director Emily Cohen and Reporter Jenna McMurtry critique a recent episode of KHOL's podcast on local news, music and culture, Jackson Unpacked. 

This Friday, October 3rd marks the 2nd annual KVMRx X-Fest. The event is the brainchild of KVMRx Programming Director Jai Hanes. He wanted an all ages gathering focused on live music and DJing. KVMR News got Intellectual Decay, Checked-Out and Beach Noise in the studio to hear from the bands that will be taking center stage. 

KVMR News Producer Sophie Humphers speaks with Camille Onetto and Evan McLenithan from Nevada City Office of Emergency Services about newly developed evacuation maps for Nevada City. The maps were created through funds from a grant from the California Governor's Neighbor-to-Neighbor program. Josh Fryday, Director of the Governor's Office of Service and Engagement, further explains why the program chose to partner with Nevada City. 

KVMR News Correspondent Sophie Humphers covers the public interview process and the final decision for Nevada County's new Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters.She speaks with the newly appointed Armando Salud-Ambriz and Nevada County Board of Supervisors Chair and District 1 Supervisor Heidi Hall. 

The Adulting program at the Grass Valley Library offers free monthly presentations by local experts on some of the tricky situations faced by adults from taxes and housing to mental health resources and cooking tricks. September's Adulting topic is car maintenance basics. KVMR News Correspondent Sophie Humphers headed over to Grass Valley Garage to speak with owner and this month's Adulting expert Nick Wall. The program's creator, Grass Valley Library Adult Programming Coordinator Brittany Blake, also joined.

A 35 year old man was arrested on Monday after trying to run over another man with his vehicle following a heated argument.

By some estimates, 4000 people took the streets in Grass Valley on Saturday to show their displeasure with the Trump administration.   

The Center for the Arts' most recent Executive Director Amber Jo Manuel left in February and the position has remained vacant ever since. Curtain Call hosts Joyce Miller and Cy Musiker sat down with Center Board Chair Martin Polt to ask how the search for new leadership is going.

You can read the official proclamation on the city's website.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham says the program will foster cooperation between the state and impacted ranchers to effectively and safely manage California's growing gray wolf population.

Recent information sent to the Sheriff's Crime Tip form led to the arrest of two Grass Valley residents on multiple drug charges. 

On this week's Friday Evening News Magazine, News Director Cláudio Mendonça discovers how a Nevada County neighborhood is preparing for the possibility of wildfire. The station's resident science guy Al Stahler brings us a new edition of Al Explores. He speaks with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about the  2025 Atlantic hurricane forecast. KVMR News Correspondent Sherrie Cunningham brings us a look at a local band playing the Honey Hills Music Festival, currently underway. Nevada City poet Molly Fisk shares an essay to close it all out.

Late last month, NOAA – the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration – issued its forecast for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. Al Stahler spoke with the science lead for the forecast, and filed this report.

The Honey Hills Music Festival is underway in Nevada County. KVMR News Correspondent Sherrie Cunningham brings us a look at a local band with a lot of history in the d-i-y, indie music scene.

The neighborhood follows the GO, or Get Out Plan which is available online for anyone who wants to develop their own custom wildfire evacuation plan.

Local farmer and cannabis advocate Wade Laughter passed away on Wednesday June 4th, 2025. Wade sat down with Daniel Fink in 2024 for this interview which originally aired on KVMR's The Good Herb Report, with hosts Christopher Redlocks and Maggie Philipsborn.  

The Honey Hills Fest takes place June 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th at multiple venues throughout Nevada City and Grass Valley. Learn more on Instagram: @TheHoneyHillsFest.In cannabis news, local cannabis researcher, mentor, educator, advocate and CBD pioneer Wade Laughter passed away on Wednesday, June 4th. 

The NCSO say they've eradicated 8,964 cannabis plants and 92 lbs. of processed cannabis since May. Two people have been arrested and 10 firearms have been seized from three different properties.