Ramona Sentinel 9-29-2011

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September 29, 2011

Ramona Sentinel

VOL. 125, ISSUE 32• 50¢

1

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Inside

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Best of Ramona Voting for the Best of Ramona ends Wednesday, Oct. 5..............13 Chamber election Eight candidates seek five seats on Ramona chamber board..........5

Ralph McIntosh retires as district GM By KAREN BRAINARD When Ralph McIntosh was hired by the Ramona Municipal Water District as a meter reader at age 19, he viewed it as a temporary job. But then, “I started realizing I wanted to stay in the community. So my temporary job,” he laughed, “became almost 39 years of… permanent

Fire trucks, helicopters, air tankers and activities were part of the 54th annual open house at aIrport.....20

This is the first in a series about challenges facing the agriculture and equine communities

Index

By KAREN BRAINARD

Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Ramona CA Permit No 136

ward to spending more time visiting family. They plan to hit the open road in their 36-foot motor home and take their time traveling across the South before reaching their son, Seth, and his wife, Nichole, in Florida, where they will spend Thanksgiving. After returning home for a short while, McIntosh and his wife will head out to spend Christmas in

Eugene, Ore., with their daughter and son-in-law, Courtney and Danny Allison, and 5½-year-old granddaughter Kylie. “She’s a bundle of joy,” McIntosh said fondly of his granddaughter. When asked how often he and his wife plan to visit their family members, he replied, “Probably as often as we can.” See McIntosh on page 36

Hay prices create challenges

Airport Show

Our Town....................6 Opinion......................8 Worship Director.......10 Sports........................24 Classifieds.................28 Coupons....................37 Obituaries.................38

employment.” Now, after all those years of working his way up through the water district, McIntosh is retiring from the top post—that of general manager. Oct. 6, his 58th birthday, will mark McIntosh’s last day as an employee of the Ramona water district. With his retirement, McIntosh and his wife, Roberta, are looking for-

Sentinel photo/Karen Brainard

Wayne Elston, owner of Elston Hay and Grain in Ramona stands by stacks of alfalfa bales at his store on Main Street.

of Elston Hay & Grain in Ramona. Aaron Phillips at Kahoots Feed & Pet Store in Ramona, said, “It’s just

simply buy and demand” and businesses have to keep up with the costs. While the type and weight of a bale will vary,

Phillips said hay prices are about $5 higher per bale than a year ago. Seth Hoyt, of The Hoyt Report Inc. which offers See HAY PRICES on page 22

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Board trims non-teaching employees By MAUREEN ROBERTSON

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ncreased hay prices are creating challenges for owners of horses, ranches, dairy farms and feed stores, say experts in the agriculture industry. The prices are causing some horse owners to give up their animals, look for more reasonable feed alternatives, or make lifestyle adjustments to feed their horses. Robin Joy Maxson in Ramona said for her five horses their feed bill for alfalfa and Bermuda grass hay has risen about $200 per month during the past year. It basically boils down to supply and demand, said Wayne Elston, owner

Sentinel photo/Karen Brainard

Ramona Municipal Water District General Manager Ralph McIntosh

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In a special meeting Monday, Ramona Unified School District trustees trimmed $139,575 from the district’s $49.6 million budget by reducing the hours of 29 non-teaching employees. Three of those workers will, effective March 1, 2012, no longer be eligible for health insurance benefits. “This resolution verifies that there is a significantly reduced funding for the 2011-12 school year resulting in a need for reduction of staffing,” reads a report presented to the trustees before they voted 4-0 for the move. Board member Bob Stoody was absent. In another action during See SCHOOL DISTRICT on page 14

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