All posts by jd

Real estate broker, civil engineer and general contractor.
History, Recreation, State Parks

Bridgeport Covered Bridge, Nevada County, CA

bridgeport-bridge-1

To contact the Bridgeport State Park call (530) 432-2546

One of the most beautiful bridges in Nevada County, if not in all of the Gold Country is the Bridgeport covered bridge on the South Fork of the Yuba River in the South Yuba River State Park.

The bridge was originally constructed in 1862 and was part of the Virginia Turnpike Company Toll Road that served the northern mines and traffic to and from Virginia City and the Comstock Lode in Nevada. The bridge is 230 feet (70 m) long. Bridgeport Bridge, or “Wood’s Crossing”, is the longest single span covered bridge in existence. Bridgeport Bridge was built as part of a toll road. Toll roads were authorized by the State of California in 1853 as a means to start construction of much needed roads by private companies.

On October 20, 1997, there was a flood on the South Yuba River that almost took the bridge out.  It was 135 years old at the time and workers put in 10 hour days making repairs on the landmark wooden bridge.

More than a century ago, pioneers and miners paid a $2 toll to drive their wagons and horses across a covered wooden bridge over the South Yuba River at Wood’s Crossing. Now, traffic is limited to pedestrians only and there is no toll.

bridgeport-plaque

The historical plague dedicated to the bridge which reads:

Bridgeport (NYE’s Crossing) Covered Bridge

Built in 1862 by David Issac Johnwood with lumber from his mill in Sierra County, This Bridge was part of the Virginia Turnpike Company Toll Road which served the Northern Mines and the busy Nevada Comstock Lode.  Utilizing a combination truss and arch construction, it is one of the oldest housed spans in the west and the longest single span, wood covered bridge in the United States.

California Registered Historical Landmark No. 390

Plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the Nevada County Historical Society and the Wm. B. Meek-Wm. M. Stewart Chapter No. 10, E Clampus Vitus, May 23, 1964

To contact the Bridgeport State Park call (530) 432-2546


View Larger Map

Nevada County Information

It Could Happen Here

forest-fire

Contributed By Paul August

The Auburn 49er Fire could have been much worse. 60 homes burned. It was headed for Lake of the Pines. In 1991, the Oakland hills fire destroyed 3,354 homes, 25 people died and hundreds were injured.

What happened in Oakland and Auburn could happen here in Grass Valley and Nevada City. At the start of the Yuba Fire last month, I stood on my deck in North San Juan and watched a tidal wave of billowing black smoke explode miles into the sky. It was scary.

This North San Juan area gets hit with a catastrophic fire every thirty years. My wife Muriel left this home for a day trip to Tahoe back in 1960. “When I left it was green and beautiful. When I came back it was ash and charred wood.” The home survived. The trees didn’t.

The wind decides the fire. Fortunately, the Yuba Fire wind blew gently, and not in our direction. In the Auburn fire, however, gusts of wind pushed the fire forward and it surged beyond all fire defenses.

In Oakland, Santa Ana winds blew in from the south, swirling, gusting and fanning flames that engulfed house after house. No air tankers were available that first day to fight a city fire.

The home owner’s best fire defense is to clear 100 feet around your house. But even that’s no guarantee against a tidal wave of flame and their falling embers. I’ve seen homes with stucco walls and tile roofs burn as fire licked under the eaves and through the wooden front door.

The only house to survive in one Oakland hills neighborhood was a cement home built by a Vietnam refugee who vowed never to lose his home to fire again. He didn’t. But ash, dust and reconstruction noise surrounded his home for years. There’s no escaping the after effects.

Home owners need to prepare for the consequences of a fire. For those with well water, if the electrical wires burn down and there’s no electricity, the pump in the well won’t work – no water. If the driveway is blocked by fire, be sure to have a secondary plan of escape.

And get to know your local fire department, especially if you’re in a rural area with volunteer firefighters. In one Oakland neighborhood, the fire department saved one home owned by a firefighter who fought flames in another part of town. They saved his home although others around it were destroyed.

We had big fires up here in 1960 and 1989. 30 years later is about 2020. Be prepared.

Paul August is a freelance writer and singer. His latest CD, “Welcome to Nevada City, God’s Country,” is available through cdbaby.com

Image is copyrighted and may not be reproduced
Image is copyrighted and may not be reproduced
Real Estate

Ex-Cowboy Linebacker Eugene Lockhart Arrested in Mortgage Scam

eugene-lockhart

Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Eugene “The Hitting Machine” Lockhart was arrested by FBI agents at his Carrollton home Thursday morning after being indicted on mortgage fraud charges, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Lockhart, 48, and eight others were indicted by a federal grand jury on various charges, including conspiracy, bank fraud and wire fraud. The alleged scheme involved approximately 54 fraudulent residential property loan closings resulting in the funding of $20.5 million in fraudulent loans.

Lockhart, who played for the Cowboys from 1984-90, and co-conspirator Lendell Beacham, 50, of DeSoto, were scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate at 1 p.m. If convicted, they could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The indictment alleges that Lockhart and the others ran a scheme in which they located single-family residences for sale in the Dallas area, including distressed and pre-foreclosure properties, and negotiated a sales price with the seller. They allegedly created surplus loan proceeds by inflating the sales price to an arbitrary amount substantially more than the fair market value of the residence.

The statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office added that the group recruited individuals to submit false financial information and act as “straw purchasers” or “straw borrowers,” promising to pay them a bonus or commission for their participation.

Source: The Dallas Morning News

nevada county fair

Enter Your Exhibits in The Harvest Fair at The Draft Horse Classic

draft horse

It’s free and all exhibitors will receive free tickets to a Draft Horse Classic performance

Entries are now being accepted for the Harvest Fair, September 24 – 27, at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. The deadline for Nevada County residents to turn in entry forms to enter exhibits is 5 pm on Friday, September 18. It’s free to enter, and all exhibitors will receive free tickets to the Thursday evening performance of the Draft Horse Classic.

Entry forms are now being accepted at the Fair Office and on-line for more than 100 different categories, including fruits and vegetables, cobblers, harvest pies, scarecrows, dried flowers, jams, honey, cut flowers, produce characters, and birdhouses. There’s even a garden photo contest. So many fun categories to choose from!

There’s also a special division for youth and teens, which includes categories like decoupage, Halloween masks, painted pumpkins, poetry, table settings, and wreaths.
Exhibitors must either submit paper entry forms at the Fair office or enter online at www.NevadaCountyFair.com. There is no entry fee for those who enter an exhibit in the Harvest Fair, and exhibitors have the opportunity to win a ribbon and a little bit of cash.

Complete descriptions of all Harvest Fair divisions and categories are available online at Nevada County Fair Website, at the Fair’s Office on McCourtney Road, or by calling the Fairgrounds Office at (530) 273-6217.

The Draft Horse Classic and Harvest Fair runs September 24 – 27 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. There are six performances featuring the magnificent Draft Horses – Thursday and Friday at 6:30 pm, Saturday at 10 am and 6:30 pm, and Sunday at 10 am and 4 pm.

In addition to the Draft Horse performances, the Harvest Fair is bustling with activities during the four-day event. Live entertainment, Art at the Classic, Treat Street goodies, a Dutch oven cook-off, a clogging jamboree, a lumberjack show, a live shoeing competition, special exhibits, and visits to the barns and breed pavilion make for a family fun day at the Harvest Fair.

For Draft Horse performance tickets or information about entering a Harvest Fair exhibit, call the Fair Office at (530) 273-6217.

Entertainment

Dutch Flat Community Center Hosts Benefit

Alta-townhall

The Dutch Flat Community Center will hold its’ Annual White Elephant Sale
and Silent Auction on Saturday, September 5th from 9am-2pm and
September 6th, 10am to 2pm.

The Center is located at 933 Stockton Avenue in downtown Dutch Flat.

The Annual White Elephant Sale provides a major contribution of funding for
the restoration and maintenance of the Dutch Flat Community Center which
was originally the Dutch Flat Grammar School. The town of Dutch Flat is
registered historical landmark #397. Local legend has it that the log cabin
founders Charles and Joseph Dornbach built in 1851 was on a flat piece of
ground which is now part of the school grounds.

In 1859, Joseph Dornbach sold a parcel to the Trustees of Common Schools
for the Third District of the Fourth Township of Placer County. In 1860,
when the town had the largest voting population in Placer County, a single
story school was built and later replaced by a two story structure in 1875.
A fire destroyed the school on July 15,1898 and later rebuilt as a two story
building similar in appearance to the 1875 school. The new school was
dedicated on December 23, 1898

By 1962 enrollment was down to 18 students and only two students graduated from the school. In that same year the Dutch Flat and Alta School Districts consolidated and all students started to attend the school in Alta.

The building is now most often called the Community Club or the Community
Center, but it is and always will be the Dutch Flat Grammar School. It is one of the most distinguished and historically significant buildings in the area and the center of much civic and community events.

Many residents of the area contribute to the event by donating items,
volunteering and shopping at the event. Laura Resendez, coordinator of the
sale and resident for over 17 years, commented, “I love to gather items folks no longer want or need and help them find new homes. During the sale many shoppers share ideas of what they are going to do with their new treasures.

Many of our volunteers have been helping with this event for over 10 years.”

Alta resident, Heidi Johnson says, “I love to cook so I provide baked goods and sandwiches for both the other volunteers and busy shoppers.

The building is such an asset to the community and there are more improvements needed to encourage people to use it. If you like antiquing and finding interesting treasures, it is an event you don’t want to miss.”

Donations are still being accepted. Please contact Laura Resendez 530-305-3881 or visit Alta’s Website for more information.


View Larger Map

Real Estate

California Association of Realtors – California Sales up 12% in July

sales up

Existing, single-family home sales increased 12 percent in July to a seasonally adjusted rate of 553,910 on an annualized basis.

The statewide median price of an existing single-family home increased 3.9 percent in July to
$285,480, compared with June 2009.

Unsold Inventory Index fell to 3.9 months in July, compared with 6.9 months in July 2008.

Home sales increased 12 percent in July in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home declined 19.6 percent, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today.

“The federal tax credit for first-time buyers played a critical role in the purchase decision of many buyers,” said C.A.R. President James Liptak. “Nearly 40 percent of first-time buyers said they would not have purchased a home if the tax credit was not offered.

“Because the tax credit has helped so many first-time buyers become homeowners, it is critical that Congress extends the credit beyond the Dec. 1 deadline, and includes all buyers, not just first-timers.”

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled 553,910 in July at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations statewide. Statewide home resale activity increased 12 percent from the revised 494,390 sales pace recorded in July 2008. Sales in July 2009 increased 8.1 percent compared with the previous month.

The statewide sales figure represents what the total number of homes sold during 2009 would be if sales maintained the July pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

The median price of an existing, single-family detached home in California during July 2009 was $285,480, a 19.6 percent decrease from the revised $355,000 median for July 2008, C.A.R. reported. The July 2009 median price rose 3.9 percent compared with June’s $274,740 median price.

“July marked the fifth consecutive month of month-to-month increases in the median price,” said C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. “This was the largest increase on record for the month of July based on statistics dating back to 1979. The yearly decline in July also was the smallest in the past 19 months.
Source C.A.R.

Business

Mormons Scammed for $50 Million Promising Sale of 20,000 Tons of Gold

Gold_ingots

(Bloomberg) — Henry Jones delivered the good news in a conference call with Tri Energy Inc.’s investors: The gold deal the company had been working on for years was about to pay off.

Jones, 55, a record producer in Marina del Rey, California, and his two partners had raised more than $50 million from 735 investors, which they said they were using to broker the sale to Arab buyers of 20,000 tons of gold owned by a group of Israelis. They promised to triple investors’ money — if only Tri Energy could overcome some last-minute glitches.

All the company needed to close the deal, Jones said on the Dec. 20, 2004, conference call, taped by one of the participants, was a “safe-passage letter” that would cost $450,000. A few days later, on another call, he said Tri Energy had to come up with $100,000 to open a “commission account.” Then, on Jan. 15, 2005, a new request: The bank handling the deal wanted $125,000 to conduct an audit.

Like those caught up in other get-rich scams — from Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme, which initially snared wealthy Jews, to an alleged $4.4 million fraud aimed at deaf people — Tri Energy’s investors had something in common. Many were Mormons and born-again Christians who shared dreams and prayers on nightly conference calls. They vowed to use the profits for charitable works and kept raising funds, at times taking out second mortgages, draining retirement accounts and recruiting relatives.

While the delays and pleas for more money never stopped, the charade did.

Restraining Order
Continue reading Mormons Scammed for $50 Million Promising Sale of 20,000 Tons of Gold →

Real Estate

Real Estate is Still a Great Investment

key with dollar sign

Facing the burst of the real estate bubble, many feel that we have a real estate crisis that will never be repaired. Sometimes we forget that although there are a lot of foreclosures, the great majority of people are still retaining their homes. Further, history has shown over and over that real estate values always come back. No one is making more land, it’s harder to subdivide due to the bureaucracy that keeps growing to slow the subdivision process down and of course, the continuing increase in the population.

Real estate has made many people, starting out with basically nothing, to become quite rich. This is due to the fact that you can leverage your real estate purchase by buying with a small down payment, getting credit to buy your home or other real estate, and more importantly to have the ability to know that you have clear title to your property. That is if you are a prudent buyer and get a proper title search and title insurance, you know that you really have property rights to the real estate that you purchased.

As an example of what I’ve said, India has finally come to the conclusion that capitalism only works when countries have well defined property rights as stated in this article from The Times of India (Chennai edition): August 31, 2009

“India’s litigation-ridden property rights system might finally get a much-needed makeover, with the urban development ministry writing to state and local authorities to put in place a property title certification system to ensure conclusive title guarantees. The ministry also plans to organize a workshop for local officials to help chalk out an action plan.

This could revolutionize the land market and also have major implications for India’s economy. Celebrated economist Hernando de Soto has pointed out that capitalism truly succeeds only in countries with well-defined property rights. In developed countries, assets can be leveraged as collateral to take loans, which form the basis of entrepreneurship. But the lack of property rights in developing countries turns assets into ‘dead capital’.

It’s an argument that resonates in India, with property disputes being a bane for millions. The cult hit ‘Khosla ka Ghosla’ made the point humorously, but many people have suffered the same problem first-hand, and found nothing even remotely funny about it.”

America does have well defined property rights and they are very important for the health of our country and our people.

Real Estate

FAQ About Loan Modifications – The Most Common Questions Answered

stop-foreclosure

Homeowners now have a way out of their financial difficulties using the new home loan modification plan. In the past, when homeowners were finding it difficult to pay their mortgages, there were very few options. The first choice was foreclosure. There are bound to be many questions about this new plan. This article contains many of the answers to the most frequently asked questions.

How Did this Program Come Into Being?

The loan modification program, part of the Making Home Affordable plan, came into effect on February 10, 2009. As of March 4th, 2009, homeowners who meet the criteria can change the terms of their loan so they can keep their homes.

Who Qualifies?

People who live in the home for which they owe the mortgage qualify for a loan modification. The loan must have been signed before the beginning of 2009 and be for no more than $729,750. Gross monthly income will be verified before a loan modification can be obtained.

How Does it Work?

First the percentage of your gross monthly income that is used to pay your mortgage is calculated. Under this plan, homeowners who qualify can have their payments modified so it is no higher than 38% of their total income. Then the government will match the lender’s reduction so the loan payment is lowered to 31%. Once a new monthly payment is agreed upon, it is effective for five years.

What Happens in a Loan Modification?

First, your monthly payment will be looked at as a percentage of your total gross monthly income. Under the Making Home Affordable plan, qualified homeowners can get their loan terms modified by the lender so that their monthly payment does not exceed 38% of their gross monthly income. After that, the government will match the lender dollar for dollar to lower the loan to 31% of monthly income. Those new monthly payment remains fixed for the next five years.

Who is Paying for All This?

The Homeowner Stability Initiative has been formed to make these modifications possible. This initiative will spend $75 billion of taxpayers’ money to offer loan modifications. It is thought that this plan will help 3-4 million homeowners.

What Limitations are In Effect?

This plan is not available to investors and house flippers. A credit check will be done on all applicants to make sure they are actually living in the house before a modification will be granted.

How Do I Apply?

If you are interested in a loan modification, contact O’Neal & Associates for financial advice and help you figure out your next move.

This article is meant to provide some basic information about the government’s Making Home Affordable plan and will help homeowners deal with their monthly mortgage payments.

Source Sarah O’Neal

Business

Nigerian Letters or “419” Fraud

fishing-for-a-scam

Here is a typical 419 letter: 

From: yarah jane – janeyarah04@———– 

Dearest,

I am Jane yarah the only daughter of late Mr and Mrs william yarah.My father was a very wealthy cocoa merchant in Abidjan , the economic capital of Ivory coast, my father was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their outings on a business trip . My mother died when I was a baby and since then my father took me so special. Before the death of my father on January 2006 in a private hospital here in Abidjan he secretly called me on his bed side and told me that he has the sum of ten million,five hundred thousand United State Dollars. USD $10.5mleft in fixed / suspense account in one of the prime bank here in Abidjan ,that he used my name as his only daughter for the next of Kin in depositing of the fund. He also explained to me that it was because of this wealth that he was poisoned by his business associates. That I should seek for a foreign partner in a country of my choice where i will transfer this money and use it for investment purpose such as real estate management or hotel management . 

Dear, I am honourably seeking your assistance in the following ways:

1.To provide a good bank account into which this money would be transferred into .

2 To serve as a guardian of this fund since I am only 19years.

3. To make arrangement for me to come over to your country to further my education and to secure a resident permit in your country. Moreover, dear, i am willing to offer you 15% of the total sum as compensation for your effort/ input after the successful transfer of this fund into your nominated account overseas. 

 Furthermore, you indicate your options towards assisting me as I believe that this transaction would be concluded within seven (7) days you signify interest to assist me. Anticipating to hear from you soon.
remain bless,
Yours Faithfully,

Jane.———————————
@—— 

Note that she is promising 15% of $10.5 million or $1.6 million.  All you have to do is trust her and give her your bank account number. While this letter is laughable , there are many people who fall for it and lose thousands of dollars.  Here are safeguards spelled out on the FBI website as to what to watch out for:  

According to the FBI:

Nigerian letter frauds combine the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter, mailed from Nigeria, offers the recipient the “opportunity” to share in a percentage of millions of dollars that the author, a self-proclaimed government official, is trying to transfer illegally out of Nigeria. The recipient is encouraged to send information to the author, such as blank letterhead stationery, bank name and account numbers and other identifying information using a facsimile number provided in the letter. Some of these letters have also been received via E-mail through the Internet. The scheme relies on convincing a willing victim, who has demonstrated a “propensity for larceny” by responding to the invitation, to send money to the author of the letter in Nigeria in several installments of increasing amounts for a variety of reasons.

Payment of taxes, bribes to government officials, and legal fees are often described in great detail with the promise that all expenses will be reimbursed as soon as the funds are spirited out of Nigeria. In actuality, the millions of dollars do not exist and the victim eventually ends up with nothing but loss. Once the victim stops sending money, the perpetrators have been known to use the personal information and checks that they received to impersonate the victim, draining bank accounts and credit card balances until the victim’s assets are taken in their entirety. While such an invitation impresses most law-abiding citizens as a laughable hoax, millions of dollars in losses are caused by these schemes annually. Some victims have been lured to Nigeria, where they have been imprisoned against their will, in addition to losing large sums of money. The Nigerian government is not sympathetic to victims of these schemes, since the victim actually conspires to remove funds from Nigeria in a manner that is contrary to Nigerian law. The schemes themselves violate section 419 of the Nigerian criminal code, hence the label “419 fraud.”

 Some Tips to Avoid Nigerian Letter or “419” Fraud:

 If you receive a letter from Nigeria asking you to send personal or banking information, do not reply in any manner. Send the letter to the U.S. Secret Service, your local FBI office, or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. You can also register a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel.

  • If you know someone who is corresponding in one of these schemes, encourage that person to contact the FBI or the U.S. Secret Service as soon as possible.
  • Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as Nigerian or foreign government officials asking for your help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts.
  • Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your cooperation.
  • Guard your account information carefully