Pre-2008 Archived Articles

Making Users Pay

The National Weather Service (NWS) would be restricted from offering any products to the public that are or could be provided by the commercial weather industry, under legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate recently by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). The “National Weather Services Duties Act of 2005” would “modernize the description of the National Weather Service’s roles within the national weather enterprise,” Santorum said, and essentially it would yank the popular NWS Web site off the Internet. The bill already has attracted opposition among those who value NWS products. “The weather service proved so instrumental and popular and helpful in the wake of the hurricanes. How can you make an argument that we should pull it off the Net now?” said Dan McLaughlin, spokesman for Sen. Bill Nelson, (D-Fla.), in The Palm Beach Post. “What are you going to do, charge hurricane victims to go online, or give them a pop-up ad?”

Sunday, April 24, 2005
Staff: Nix remote sites from new airport list
By MARK WALKER
The San Diego (CA) North County Times

SAN DIEGO —- And soon there will be two. That will be the remaining number of civilian airport possibilities if the agency charged with finding a new airfield for the county accepts a recommendation to scratch two remote locations from its list of possible airport locations.

Friday, April 22, 2005
Airport authority timing questioned
Imperial Beach cites land-use plan
By Janine Z??iga
The San Diego (CA) Union Tribune

IMPERIAL BEACH ? The City Council is questioning how feasible the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s June 30 deadline is for completing a countywide land-use plan.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Airport hassles bring more turbulence
Plane owners want answers on future of town’s runway
By Kimberly Bolander
The Redding (CA) Record Searchlight

TRINITY CENTER — Trinity County is working to resolve complaints about tall trees, higher rent and a slowly expiring use permit at the small airport here.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Airport backers make move toward city vote
By Eric Johnson
The Long Beach (CA) Press-Telegram

LONG BEACH – An attorney for a group of Long Beach residents and business leaders seeking to expand the Long Beach Airport terminal sent a letter to the city clerk Tuesday asking for clarification on the how to place an initiative on an upcoming election ballot.

Montgomery/ Brown Pilots Alert
By Ron Cozad
April 14, 2005

Committee members ?shocked? at staff ineptitude and lack of candor ? unanimously vote to hold over Gibbs FBO lease 6 months to 1 year. Gibbs SR. Honored. Means and Griffith embarrassed. Future with SD airports in question

The San Diego Regional Airport Authority has taken over responsibility for the Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUP) for San Diego County. They are actually using the CALTRANS Land Use Planning Handbook to guide them in updating these seriously outdated documents which are unique to California. CLUP?s are intended to protect the utility of Public Use Airports from encroachment by nearby incompatible land uses. The Planning Departments from the County and some cities in the area are complaining about the new restrictions to protect our airports (see related article on the topic on www.calpilots.org “San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Under Attack”).

Sunday, April 17, 2005
Airport business slows in S. Paula
By Kathleen Wilson
The Ventura County (CA) Star

Just a half-dozen planes buzz into and out of the eerily quiet Santa Paula Airport each day, a fraction of the number that touched down before the Santa Clara River ate into the runway two months ago.

Saturday, April 16, 2005
Airport officials seek to smooth flap over perceived power grab
By MARK WALKER
The San Diego (CA) North County

Buffeted by accusations it was sticking its nose where it didn’t belong, the San Diego County Airport Authority last week sought to smooth the ruffled feathers of city and county officials who said they believed it was trying to wrest control of land around the region’s 16 civilian and military airports.

Thursday, April 14, 2005
County, two cities object to airport panel’s plan
Rules would limit growth, rebuilding
By Leslie Wolf Branscomb and Janine Z??iga
The San Diego (CA) Union-Tribune

Coronado and Chula Vista have joined the county Board of Supervisors in objecting to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s plan for land use near airports.