By Eric Johnson
Published May 29, 2023

Service members stand in formation during a Memorial Day service. Image credit: Photo by Infinite Eye, Shutterstock

Memorial Day & the Death Penalty

More than 160 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans still face institutionalized racism that often has deadly results. Witness the fact, explained in Jon Vankin’s article about the death penalty (below), that Black Americans are exceedingly more likely to be executed for their crimes than White Americans. Today is a good day to consider that harrowing fact.

Some scholars have argued that Black Americans invented the holiday we now celebrate as Memorial Day. On May 1, 1865, a group of 10,000 Black men, women and children in Charleston, South Carolina, newly freed by Lincoln's order, marched to honor more than 250 Union soldiers that had been buried in a mass grave at a nearby Confederate prison. They then unearthed the soldiers, gave them each a proper burial, and placed flowers on their graves. That event may have served as inspiration when Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic declared May 30, 1868 as the first Decoration Day, which was offically renamed and made a national holiday in 1971.

Honoring All Veterans

Memorial Day is primarily meant to honor those who gave their lives in military service to the United States. It is also a good time to thank living veterans for their service. If you or a loved one are a veteran, follow these links to find some information that we hope will be useful.

Facts About California’s Veterans and the Resources They Have Earned

‘Stand Down’ Events Provide Veterans a Lifeline

Find local nonprofits and community organizations serving veterans. (Follow this link and select your county from the drop-down in the upper left corner of your screen.)

Some Arguments for the Abolishment of Capital Punishment

"A 2022 report by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund tabulated all U.S. executions since 1976 and found that, though they comprise 13.6 percent of the American population, Black people have been executed at a rate almost three times as high: 34 percent of all executed convicts."

When Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on the death penalty in 2019, he cited racial inequity as a primary driver of his decision. He also pointed to studies that strongly suggest that a significant percentage of the convicts on California's death row are innocent of their crimes. Whatever your opinion on this topic you are likey to find surprises in these accounts.

Is California’s Death Penalty Finally Dead?

The death chamber inside San Quentin. Gov. Newsom has ordered the facility dismantled.

The death penalty remains legal in California, but Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a moratorium on executions in 2019. Will capital punishment end in the state? Here’s what’s happening.

Death Penalty Mistakes: When the State Kills the Innocent

How many innocent people have been executed? There is no way to know for sure.

More than 4 percent of death penalty convicts have been wrongfully convicted, data shows. But courts including the U.S. Supreme Court have failed to provide protections for the innocent facing death at the hands of the state.

	Nevada County's Homepage
Direct your browser to https://nevada.californialocal.com/ to catch up on the latest news in California and Nevada County. Bookmark the link and visit often, there's a lot happening in your community!

Death, Life, and 174 Years of Legal Progress

When the Supreme Court of California was created at the state’s first Constitutional Convention in 1849, the death penalty was one of the more contentious issues under debate. The Court has wrestled with the issue ever since, along with many others, as this brief—and again surprising—history shows.

How the California Supreme Court Blazes Legal Trails

The California Supreme Court has defined the state’s legal and political agenda for more than 170 years.

The California Supreme Court has kept the state at the forefront of legal issues surrounding abortion, the death penalty and same-sex marriage, starting in its earliest days in the Gold Rush era.

Get to Know a Group

Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus

Supporting local singers by building, promoting, and nurturing vocal music programs, the Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus hosts two annual concert series that feature music from a range of genres, such as classical, Broadway, and contemporary hits.

→ Learn more

From Our Media Allies

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	Prepare a Wildfire Go Bag
	If you were told to get ready for an evacuation or to evacuate immediately, do you have a Go Bag of essential items ready?

	Prepare Your Family for a Wildfire
	Residents and visitors need to be prepared to evacuate in the event of an emergency. Take the time to prepare a wildfire action plan.

	Understand Fire Warnings, Red Flag
	One of the first steps to being prepared for a wildfire is to understand the meaning of wildfire warnings and alerts mean issued by different agencies.

	Wildfire Home Retrofit Guide
	A team of California and Nevada scientists and practitioners has published the Wildfire Home Retrofit Guide, available for free download.

	Tahoe Weekly’s 16th Annual Ultimate Tahoe Summer Bucket List
	Whether your ideal outing is spent in the backcountry or lounging on the beach, there’s something for everyone.

	A Delicious Exploration of Flavor
	My latest culinary adventure took me to Tahoe Oil & Spice, a downtown Truckee shop filled with the intoxicating aroma of herbs, spices, oils and vinegars.

	Nocs Provisions: Binoculars to Experience Nature Up Close
	Nocs Provisions binoculars, from a third-generation Alpine Meadows resident, are a new and innovative binocular that is compact, lightweight and easy to carry.

	David Beck Makes Mountain Music
	Local musician and builder David Beck lives over Donner Summit in Cisco Grove. A true Tahoe native, mountains are in Beck’s bloodstream.

Recent Local News

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• Inaugural Lake Tahoe Litter Summit Brings Environmental Leaders Together

The inaugural Lake Tahoe Litter Summit, hosted by nonprofit Clean Up the Lake, brought together 50 of Lake Tahoe's agency leaders and citizens fighting litter in the basin.

(05/28/2023) → Tahoe Daily Tribune

• Truckee Town Council Expresses Support for Plastic Water Bottle Ban

Truckee is pursuing a single-use plastic water bottle ban after receiving feedback from its recent Town Council meeting.

(05/26/2023) → Sierra Sun

• Nevada County Sheriff’s Office Joins Operation Dry Water

The program educates recreational boaters nationwide about the dangers of boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

(05/26/2023) → Read the full The Union report

• Big Changes, New Productions on Horizon for Holt Ballet

After renting various spaces, the Holt Ballet Conservatory has relocated to a space on Providence Mine Road in Nevada City. The new studio will feature three separate dance rooms, a costume area, and full bathroom facilities with showers.

(05/26/2023) → Read the full The Union report

• Tahoe National Forest Extends Seasonal Closures Through June 15

Closed roads and trails are located generally above 5,000 feet and are necessary due to wet conditions and existing snowpack. The closures aim to prevent further damage, reduce maintenance costs and protect water quality.

(05/26/2023) → Read the full YubaNet report

• Local Youth Bring Proposal to Washington, D.C.

Climate-concerned youth from Truckee will travel to the capital next month to do a presentation on the electrification resolution they proposed in April to the Board of the Truckee-Tahoe Unified School District.

(05/24/2023) → Sierra Sun

• Town of Washington Unveils Chinese Community Landmark Plaque

In the 1850s, over 20 percent of Nevada County’s population was Chinese and the Town of Washington had one of the county’s largest communities. Now, a plaque commemorating that area is at the head of China Alley.

(05/24/2023) → Read the full YubaNet report

• Next Steps After Hospital District Master Plan Omitted From 2040 General Plan

Truckee’s 2040 General Plan was adopted without including the Tahoe Forest Hospital District’s proposed master plan. The town says the hospital document is incomplete; the district says it was unceremoniously dropped from the town’s GP process.

(05/23/2023) → Moonshine Ink