<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>\nCANDIDATE CRUZ: THE RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz feels your pain.\n\nShe grew up here, and has seen people she knew for years forced to leave because housing became to expensive.\n\n"It's shameful," says the candidate, a three-term City Councilwoman. "The housing market here is out of control and needs to change."\n\nCruz points to high rents which keep workers out of the market. Those are in turn caused by rising property values. Her solution would be a progressive tax increase, starting at 15%, on properties valued 25% higher than the Lake County median property value.\n\nIt's an idea that could get traction. "We've been in a bubble ever since the market recovered," says social worker Christine DeWitt. "We need to lance it before it blows up in our face again."\n\nCritics say it will hurt the market, but Cruz brushes off such concerns. "Right now the market is hurting <i>us</i>," she says. "What's the bigger priority?"</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .16>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .16>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 17>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .16>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .16>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 7>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - .32>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + .32>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 35>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsTax]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, November 8, 2018</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD VICTORIOUS</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$enemy>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield triumphed in his battle against City Councilwoman Bailey Cruz in the election for Mayor of Ponderosa on Tuesday night.\n\nAt his Culvert Street campaign headquarters, Stanfield declared that "The people of Ponderosa have spoken. They have rejected hte tired liberal ideas of taxation and dependence and have voted for freedom and self-reliance."\n\nCruz congratulated Stanfield on his victory in her concession speech. "I wish it were otherwise, but the results are clear. Ponderosa wanted Ron Stanfield." Cruz netted <<$cruz.toFixed(2)>>% of the vote over Stanfield's <<$ron.toFixed(2)>>%.\n\nStanfield won by making the case for himself to voters. He presented a compelling vision of economic individualism that would finally take Ponderosa into the 21th century.\n\nCruz meanwhile never overcame her image as a radical who didn't care about the consequences of her policies. Her City Council record was tainted with suspicions of corrupt dealings, as was her marriage to Hector Cruz, suspected of having entered the United States illegally.<<if $cruzStatus is "questioned">>\n\nHector Cruz was gunned down in the closing days of the election by a mentally il lone gunman. A group of Cruz supporters attempted to instigate retaliatory violence at Stanfield's victory speech, but were shut down by police.<<endif>>\n\nStanfeld ended the night on a note of optimism. "The people always get the government they deserve."</span>\n\n[[-->|restart]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, November 8, 2018</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>CRUZ WINS MAYOR'S SEAT IN UPSET VICTORY</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<if $readers < 3000>><<$enemy>><<else>><<$byline>><<endif>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz triumphed in a closely-fought contest against hotel magnate Ron Stanfield in the election for Mayor of Ponderosa on Tuesday night.\n\nAt her Main Street campaign <<if $readers < 3000>>headquaters<<else>>headquarters<<endif>>, Cruz thanked her voters and staff and declared that "this is the start of a new chapter in Ponderosa's story. That chapter will be written by you, the people of Ponderosa."\n\n<<nobr>>Her opponent, Republican candidate and hotel magnate Ron Stanfield, <<if $cruz - $ron < 1.5>>said he will contest the results. Stanfield lost <<$ron.toFixed(2)>>% to Cruz's <<$cruz.toFixed(2)>>%.\n\n"I think the results are highly suspicious, and I am going to investigate all of my options," he said.\n<<else>>congratulated her for her victory of <<$cruz.toFixed(2)>>% over his <<$ron.toFixed(2)>>%.\n\n"The people have spoken, and they have chosen Bailey Cruz," he said. "Ponderosa will get the government it wants and deserves."<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n\nCruz, who will be the town's first Democratic <<if $readers < 3000>>mayer<<else>>mayor<<endif>> since 1992, benefited from a timultuous primary season that saw both parties' old guard scrambled by upstart challengers and made the Democratic candidate unusually competitive going into the general election. <<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzControversy > 0>>It was only proved more difficult in the general election.<<else>><<endif>>\n<<if $cruzEcon is "yes">>\nOver the course of the campaign, Cruz struggled with the image of rabble-rouser who put ideology before community.<<else>>\n<<endif>> \n<<if $cruzStatus is "documented">>\nShe had to parry accusations that her husband Hector had come to the United States illegally, charges repeated by Ron Stanfield himself. \n<<endif>>\n<<if $cruzCommunity is "yes">>\nYet Cruz established a reputation as a respected member of the community who could back up her aggressive and ambitious tax plans with knowledge of the community's needs.<<else>><<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n\n<<nobr>><<if $cruzEcon is "radical">>But <<else>><<endif>>Her victory was also due to the negative image that coalesced around her opponent.<<nobr>>\n<<if $ronNepotism is "yes">> Stories about his nepotism brought up questions about his judgment.<<else>><<endif>><<endnobr>><<nobr>>\n<<if $ronPluto is "yes">> His business-friendly policies were extreme enough that many voters came to see him as being against their interests.<<else>><<endif>><<endnobr>><<nobr>>\n<<if $ronAbuser is "yes">> Though it had a negligible impact on his polling, Stanfield's image was nevertheless tarnished by his first wife Martha Lang's recently publicized accusations of abusive behavior.<<else>><<endif>><<endnobr>><<nobr>>\n<<if $ronAirBnB is "yes">> The revelation that Stanfield had purchased several distressed residential properties during the 2009-2011 recession and had rented them out as AirB&B units was particularly damaging to his campaign and led to a late collapse in his poll numbers. When asked on Election Night if he now planned to sell off the properties, he said he had no comment.<<else>><<endif>><<endnobr>>\n<<endnobr>>\n\nCruz struck a note of optimism at the end of her victory speech. "The good fight is never easily fought, but then if it were, it would not be so good<<if $readers < 3000>>".<<else>>."<<endif>></span>\n\n[[-->|restart]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, November 8, 2018</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>RIOT BREAKS OUT FOLLOWING STANFIELD VICTORY IN MAYOR'S RACE</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<if $responsible is "yes">><<$enemy>><<else>><<if $readers < 3000>><<$enemy>><<else>><<$byline>><<endif>><<endif>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Fighting broke out outside of Ron Stanfield's Culvert Street campaign office after the Republican <<if $responsible is "yes">>canidate<<else>>candidate<<endif>> declared victory in the Ponderosa mayor's race.\n\nStanfield was beginning his victory speech, when people in the audience began to jeer. A bottle was thrown at the podium, after which fighting broke out among the crowd. \nThe melee ended with six people hospitalized and seven arrested. <<if $responsible is "yes">>Stanfild<<else>>Stanfield<<endif>> was unharmed.\n\nThe anger can be traced to the assassination of Hector Cruz, the husband of Stanfield's rival Bailey Cruz, only days earlier. An article in this publication raised the question of <<if $responsible is "yes">>wether<<else>>whether<<endif>> Hector Cruz had been born in Columbia and come here illegally. These questions were reiterated in the press, by Mr. Stanfield, and online, where the story caught on nationally and dark conspiracy theories went viral on right-wing news sites. Mr. Cruz's assassin, Arthur Matthew Michaels, was prompted to action by their apocalyptic warnings and fatally shot Mr. Cruz at a campaign speech Friday afternoon. <<nobr>><<if $responsible is "yes">>(<<$byline>>, who fanned the speculation, was terminated from this publication on Sunday.)<<endif>><<endnobr>>\n\nThe shocking murder rocked the campaign,<<nobr>><<if $ron - $cruz > 5>> though it did not change the fundamental dynamics of the race.<<else>>and badly damaged Stanfield's standing with voters.<<endif>><<endnobr>> Stanfield garnered <<$ron.toFixed(2)>>% to Cruz's <<$cruz.toFixed(2)>>%.\n\nCruz, in a brief statement to the press, congratulated her opponent for a hard-fought victory, and made a plea to her supporters. "In these emotional times, please do not act in ways that will only further divide this community."\n\nStanfield afterward said he was <<if $responsible is "yes">>disapointed<<else>>disappointed<<endif>> in the riot and promised swift justice. "There will be no toleration of such demonstrations under my administration."</span>\n\n[[-->|restart]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>\nCRUZ: MY HUSBAND'S STRUGGLE TAUGHT ME HUMILITY</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Although he's not from Ponderosa, Hector Cruz finds it deeply familiar.\n\nOf Columbian descent, the Fish and Wildlife analyst and husband of mayoral candidate Bailey Cruz, grew up only a few hours away in Callahan, Idaho. \n\n"I've only ever really lived in small towns," he says. "I love the quiet life and the sense of community."\n\nCruz says he grew up poor, with his parents Alonzo and Claudia both working two jobs to support him and his sisters. His older sister Maria works in Los Angeles for an entertainment company, while his younger sister Rosa still lives in Caldwell, working as a hair stylist and helping to support their parents.\n\nCruz attended the College of Southern Idaho and then the graduate Forestry program at the University of Utah. There he met Bailey McMahon, part of his graduate cohort. They married in 2004 and have a 13-year-old son, Victor.\n\nBailey says that meeting Hector and his family opened her eyes to the difficulties others face.\n\n"I grew up in a pretty comfortable situation," she says. "So it was remarkable hearing about the struggle and prejudice Hector and his family went through. It's really helped me to think more of what I can do to help others."</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .6>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 13>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .6>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 13>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.21>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 1.21>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 23>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsFamily]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
My enemy on the staff is <<textinput $enemy [[Submit|twoMonths]]>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>REPORT: HECTOR CRUZ IS AMERICAN CITIZEN</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--An investigation by Lake News has shown conclusively that Hector Cruz was born in America.\n\nArchival copies of the Caldwell Beacon newspaper document Cruz's birth. In the 'Births' section of the November 29, 1978 edition of the paper, there is an announcement of a Hector Cristobal Cruz, born at 3:23pm and weighing 7.1 ounces, to parents Alonzo and Claudia.\n\nHector and Bailey Cruz released a joint statement that read: "This episode has been very difficult for us and we are happy to move past it and talk about the real issues affecting the people of Ponderosa."\n\nRon Stanfield, who had questioned Hector's citizenship, said that he was satisfied with the evidence.\n\nStanfield added that, "This whole story could have been avoided if he had just been forthright."</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 1>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .8>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .8>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 53>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .8>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .8>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 53>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.6>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 1.6>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 103>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $cruzStatus = "documented">>\n<<set $responsible = "no">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD'S PRIVATIZATION: HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Rob Stanfield's economic plans for Ponderosa are ambitious but carry many risks.\n\nStanfield, a hotel magnate running for mayor, thinks taxation and regulation are hurting Ponderosa's businesses and wants to cut many of them. \n\nUnder his administration, environmental regulations on boat emissions, inspections for invasive species, and timber waste, would be loosened in order to boost outdoor recreation and the lumber industry. Critics say this will damage Ponderosa's natural beauty, which is its biggest draw for tourists, as well as worsen air and water quality.\n\nStanfield also wants lower property taxes, thereby stimulating the housing market. Yet there is no shortage of construction in Ponderosa, and some worry about addressing the community's needs on a lower budget.\n\nTo tackle the issue of housing availability, Stanfield has championied the construction of dorm-style employee housing. Rather than have the city pay for it, a consortium of local businesses will build the units and rent them out to their employees, many of whom will come from outside the community, thereby ensuring a steady labor pool. \n\nCritics argue that this will harm the community by making housing dependent on employment and will do nothing to guarantee affordability. Says Judy Parker of community organization Better Neighborhoods, "A community is made of people who live here, and no one can do that if housing is controlled by employers."\n\nStanfield brushes off any such concerns. "Business is what made this town great, and it will make it great again."\n</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 1>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .33>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .33>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 8>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .33>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .33>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 8>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - .65>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + .65>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 15>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<h1>Lake News</h1>\n<h2>by Ben Verschoor</h2>\n\nMy name is <<textinput $byline [[Submit|nickname]]>>\n\n<<set $cruz = 44.1>>\n<<set $ron = 55.9>>\n<<set $readers = 2747>>\n<<set $slant = 0>>\n<<set $weeks = 9>>\n<<set $ed = 4331>>\n<<set $ronControversy = 0>>\n<<set $ronAbuser = "na">>\n<<set $ronAirBnB = "na">>\n<<set $ronPluto = "na">>\n<<set $cruzControversy = 0>>\n<<set $cruzEcon = "na">>\n<<set $cruzStatus = "na">>\n<<set $cruzCommunity = "na">>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>\nCRUZ DIGS IN ON TAXES: "THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS UNSUSTAINABLE."\n</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz remains defiant in the face of criticism of her property tax plan.\n\nThat plan, which called for an increase on properties valued above 25% of the market median, was attacked by rival Ron Stanfield and others for being "a death blow to the housing market."\n\n"This has always been the excuse," said Cruz, in a public statement. "The current system is unsustainable. We need to a real estate market that actually allows people to have a home." She added that she wants to find "the best possible approach to help Ponderosa's workers be able to live here."\n\nStanfield shot back in a statement released to Lake News. "Bailey Cruz's only trick is to punish people for their success. The people of Ponderosa need a mayor who will show them what they can be, not tell them what they can't."\n\nCruz's comments comments may have had an effect on her polling. She is currently running <<$cruz.toFixed(2)>>% against Stanfield's <<$ron.toFixed(2)>>%.\n\n</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .35>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .35>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 35>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .35>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .35>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 35>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + .70>>\n<<set $ron = $ron -.70>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 70>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $cruzEcon = "community">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: November 4, 2018\nsubject: results\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n<<if $readers > 3000>>Hey <<$nickname>>,\n\nYou did it. I asked you to get our numbers back up, and you did. <<$readers>> puts us on an even footing. You'll be getting a little bonus in your next check. If we can keep this up I might even be able to pay for another staff writer.\n\nCheers,\n\nScotty\n<<else>>\nDear <<$byline>>\n\nI hate to write this, but we're only at <<$readers>> subscribers, and that's just not enough. I have to sell and am looking for a buyer. In the meantime, I'm afraid I have to let you go. Please empty out your desk right away.\n\nSincerely,\n\nScott Wilkinson\nOwner, The Lake News\n<<endif>>\n<<if $cruz > $ron>>\n[[-->|winCruz]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|winRon]]\n<<endif>>\n
First up, a write-up of the primary results. I trust...\n\n[[...the Democrat.|likeCruz]]\n\n[[...the Republican.|likeStanfield]]\n\n[[...neither.|getBoth]]\n\n[[.... Screw it, I'll start off writing fluff.|fluff]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>FOR STANFIELD, FAMILY LOYALTY IS STRENGTH</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ed Stanfield was only 28 when his father put him in charge of his flagship hotel two years ago.\n\nStanfield, the son of mayoral candidate Ron Stanfield, was a newly-minted MBA, fresh from the University of Nevada. He had been "bored" throughout the program, he said, and so came back to his native California looking for a challenge. His father was ready to give it to him, in the form of the Prima Vista luxury hotel.\n\n"I consider it a rite of passage," the elder Stanfield said. "The Stanfield Lodge chain is his birthright.\n\nEd Stanfield immediately set about courting new business, bringing in the contacts he made in graduate school. The results, he say, are a work in process, with a dip in sales and rentals in the past couple years.\n\n"We're in a transitional period right now, so business is a bit more volatile than normal," he says. \n\nAdds Ron, "Capitalism is volatility made manifest, so he must be doing something right."</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant - 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .6>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 17>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .6>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 17>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - 1.2>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + 1.2>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 34>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
Cruz and Stanfield have been going back and forth on the story. It's not a good lock for Stanfield.\n\n[[What else is there to know about these properties?|attackProperties]]\n\n[[Nothing to see here.|stats]]
Her husband sounds like...\n\n[[...he could be an illegal immigrant.|attackFamily]]\n\n[[...like he's helped shape Cruz into the person she is today.|balanceFamily]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>\nCRUZ'S TAX PLAN WOULD "DESTROY" HOUSING MARKET, CRITICS SAY</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Not everyone is happy with Bailey Cruz's tax proposals.\n\n"It's irresponsible," says Melvin Dorris, president of the Idaho Realtors Association. "It could destroy the market."\n\nCruz complains that high rents are keeping workers out of the market. Her solution would be a progressive tax increase, starting at 15%, on properties valued 25% higher than the Lake County median property value.\n\nProponents say it's a necessary step to bring the market back to earth before the bubble pops.\n\nYet critics say it will depress values and discourage homeownership.\n\nSays realtor Jack Metzger, "You create this death spiral. If your rate of taxation is always tied to a shifting median, those properties will be valued lower and lower, until finally everybody's mortgage is underwater."\n\nAdded Metzger, "If people can't afford to live here, maybe they shouldn't try to live above their means."</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant - 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .27>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .27>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 7>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .27>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .27>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 7>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - 2.21>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + 2.16>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 78>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $cruzControversy = $cruzControversy + 1>>\n<<set $cruzEcon = "yes">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsTax]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n<<$nickname>>,\n\nWoof! Harsh words for the Stanfield kid. Not that he doesn't probably deserve it. Careful about throwing around the R-word.\n\nThe numbers are at <<$readers>>. <<nobr>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\nYou're mooning over Cruz an awful lot. Rein it in. I don't want people thinking they can't trust us.\n<<elseif $slant < -6>>\nEasy on the Stanfield worship. I don't want people thinking we're a partisan rag.\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\nYou have <<$weeks>> weeks.\n<<else>>Time's up.\n<<endif>>\nBest,\n\nScott\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzStatus is "questioned" and $weeks is 1>>[[-->|cruzShot]]\n<<elseif $weeks is 0>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|followupSon]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
About those multiple properties Stanfield owns...\n\n[[.... Are any of them in Ponderosa?|yesAirB&B]]\n\n[[.... He already just tried to destroy us. I'm not touching this hornet's nest.|stats]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD'S SON'S RACIST RHETORIC</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield's son has a history of inflammatory racial rhetoric.\n\nEd Stanfield manages the flagship hotel of his father's empire, the Prima Vista in San Diego. But he is perhaps best known as a frequent commentater in far-right circles.\n\nOn radio host Steve Stevenson's show two years ago he denounced the "hordes" of "illegals" which he said are streaming into our cities. "We need to stop them, by any means necessary." he said.\n\nMore recently, in an interview with American Sovereign magazine, he complained about the number of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs that his hotel's conference rooms are rented out for.\n\n"It's like Fiddler on the Roof in there," he said.\n\nThe younger Stanfield was dismissive of criticism of his statements. "Some people just can't face reality."\n\nPrima Vista's profits have been falling the past two years, since Ed Stanfield was put in charge.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .06>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .15>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 33>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .06>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .15>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 7>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - .12>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + .3>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 67>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $ronControversy = $ronControversy + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsSon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD AND SON, DEFIANT ON RACIAL CONTROVERSY</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield refused to back down in the face of criticism of his son's incendiary racial comments.\n\nIn a speech Saturday, Stanfield criticized The Lake News, which broke the story, for "trying to divide the community."\n\n"The fact is my son is hundreds of miles away, while I'm right here," he said. "Who do you think is more important?" He added people in his audience are also tired of being called racist. "Just because some people don't want our country being diluted by a culture of foreign-born savages does not mean we are racist." \n\nStanfield's remarks received enthusiastic applause. His mention of Lake News was met with jeers.\n\nStanfield's opponent Bailey Cruz said Ed Stanfield's comments are "outrageous" and that "Ron Stanfield should condemn them in the strongest terms."\n\nStanfield himself is no stranger to controversy. He has previously gone on the record as saying poor people shouldn't be allowed to have kids.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .28>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .28>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 21>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .28>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .28>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 21>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - .56>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + .56>>\n<<set $readers = $readers - 43>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n<<$nickname>>,\n\nThe numbers are at <<$readers>>. <<nobr>>\n<<if $slant > 6>> You're mooning over Cruz an awful lot. Rein it in. I don't want people thinking they can't trust us.\n<<elseif $slant < -6>> Easy on the Stanfield worship. I don't want people thinking we're a partisan rag.\n<<endif>><<endnobr>>\n\n<<if $weeks > 0>>You have <<$weeks>> weeks.\n<<else>>Time's up.\n<<endif>>\nBest,\n\nScott\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzStatus is "questioned" and $weeks is 1>>\n[[-->|cruzShot]]\n<<elseif $weeks is 0>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|stories]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n<<$nickname>>,\n\nTalked to Stanfield earlier today. He's in a rage about what he's calling libelous treatment of his hotel empire. He said, and I quote, "You seem to think that my business is doing as bad as yours." He offered to purchase the paper. \n\nYou've been doing good numbers, however (you're at <<$readers>>), so I told him to piss off. Keep up the good work.\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\nYou're mooning over Cruz an awful lot. Rein it in. I don't want people thinking they can't trust us.\n<<elseif $slant < -6>>\nEasy on the Stanfield worship. I don't want people thinking we're a partisan rag.\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>><<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\nYou have <<$weeks>> weeks.\n<<else>>Time's up.<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n\nBest,\n\nScott\n\n<<nobr>><<if $cruzStatus is "questioned" and $weeks is 1>>\n[[-->|cruzShot]]\n<<elseif $weeks is 0>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|followupBusiness]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
Her high school years show that she was...\n\n[[...a climber and lazy.|attackHS]]\n\n[[...an early striver.|defendHS]]\n\n[[...a normal kid with potential.|balanceHS]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>HIGH SCHOOL CRUZ WAS 'WILD CHILD'</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA-- Bailey Cruz was the poster child of wayward youth.\n\n"She could be a wild child," says Mike Moore, an ex-boyfriend of hers. "She used to race people through that long back stretch of Ole Road, 60, 70 miles an hour. I'm surprised none of us died."\n\nWhen she wasn't courting delinquency, she was trying to hitch herself to others' stars. Rick Gruenweldt, her environmental science teacher, remembers her as hungry and ambitious.\n\n"She was always asking questions in class," he says. She couldn't get enough."\n\nThese two impulses, the rebel and the climber, were at war, and could only ever cancel each other out. "She could have taken over the world," says high school friend Katie Loomis, "but she's taking over Ponderosa instead."</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant - 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 33>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .8>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .8>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 33>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .8>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .8>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - 1.6>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + 1.6>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 65>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
My nickname or casual name is <<textinput $nickname [[Submit|enemy]]>>
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>>September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n<<$nickname>>,\n\nStanfield is real pissed about that abuse article.<<nobr>>\n<<if $readers < 2850>>\nYou might want to watch how you cover him.\n<<else>>\nI told him to get bent.\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n\nThe numbers are at <<$readers>>.<<nobr>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\nYou're mooning over Cruz an awful lot. Rein it in. I don't want people thinking they can't trust us.\n<<elseif $slant < -6>>\nEasy on the Stanfield worship. I don't want people thinking we're a partisan rag.\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\nYou have <<$weeks>> weeks.\n<<else>>\nTime's up.\n<<endif>>\n\nBest,\n\nScott\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzStatus is "questioned" and $weeks is 1>>[[-->|cruzShot]]\n<<elseif $weeks is 0>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|stories]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
We all know <<if $cruz > $ron>>Stanfield<<else>>Cruz<<endif>> would have won, [[if only|Start][state.restart()]]...\n
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD: 'MY WIFE SAVED ME FROM MYSELF.'</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield credits his wife for turning him around.\n\n"She's my rock," Stanfield says of Linda Beretsky, heiress to Thomas Beretsky, creator of the Vac-U-Pac brand of vacuum cleaners. "I don't know what I'd do without her."\n\nThe two met six years ago on a ski trip in Sun Valley. Stanfield was still reeling from an acrimonious divorce from television producer Martha Lang two years before. "I was feeling aimless, with no direction in my life," he says. That changed when he met Beretsky in the Bogus Basin lodge. They married six months later.\n\nBeretsky's net worth is estimated to be $3 million. She sits on the board of the Hannah Broad Foundation, which raises money for brain cancer research, and is a voting member of the Producers Guild of America.\n\n"We're a true power couple," Beretsky says. "Our family is defined by its strength in all aspects."\n\nBeretsky has appeared at multiple 'I Stand With Stanfield' campaign events.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant - 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .3>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .3>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 14>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .3>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .3>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 14>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - .59>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + .59>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 27>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $ronAbuser = "no">>\n<<endnobr>>\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
from: ron@stanfield.com\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: New Beginnings\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nHello <<$byline>>,\n\nI am honored to be the new owner of Lake News, a Ponderosa institution. I believe the paper's best days are still ahead of it, and look forward to this new chapter in its history.\n\nAs a member of the old regime, however, your services are no longer needed in this new order. Please empty your desk. If you are not gone within the next hour, I will have you arrested for tresspassing.\n\nAll the best,\n\nRon Stanfield\nOwner, The Lake News\nOwner, Stanfield Lodges\nThe Next Major of Ponderosa, Idaho\n\n[[-->|sellRonWin]]\n\n<<if $cruzStatus is "questioned">>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 3.02>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 3.02>>\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>\nCRUZ'S PROPERTY TAX: A DESPERATE MEASURE FOR A DESPERATE TIME</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Lake County has changed, no one will disagree there.\n\nPonderosa transitioned from logging to tourism when the saw mill closed in 1978. For the longest time it was a sleepy resort community. But in the past couple decades it has slowly but visibly grown to include more second homes and vacation properties. As a result, many local workers, making service industry wages, have not been able to keep up and have been forced to leave. Bailey Cruz is looking to change that.\n\n"It's shameful," says the candidate, a three-term City Councilwoman. "The housing market here is out of control and needs to change."\n\nCruz points to high rents caused in turn by rising property values. Her solution would be a progressive tax increase, starting at 15%, on properties valued 25% higher than the Lake County median property value.\n\nIt's an idea that could get traction. "We've been in a bubble ever since the market recovered," says social worker Christine DeWitt. "We need to lance it before it blows up in our face again."\n\nCritics, like realtor Jack Metzger, say it will hurt the market. "You create this death spiral. If your rate of taxation is always tied to a shifting median, those properties will be valued lower and lower, until finally everybody's mortgage is underwater."\n\nCruz brushes off such concerns. "Right now the market is hurting <i>us</i>," she says. "What's the bigger priority?"\n\nIt's a question that will be answered in a matter of weeks.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 1>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .4>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .4>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 23>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .4>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .4>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 23>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + .81>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - .81>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 46>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsTax]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
What about his policies?\n\n[[They sell out the public to the business class.|attackRPolicies]]\n\n[[They'll free the economy from needless burdens.|defendRPolicies]]\n\n[[They have big trade-offs.|balanceRPolicies]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> EXTRA EDITION Saturday, November 3</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>HECTOR CRUZ SHOT OUTSIDE CAMPAIGN OFFICE</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>></span>\n\nPONDEROSA--Hector Cruz, husband of Democratic mayoral candidate Bailey Cruz, was shot outside of Ponderosa Elementary School Friday afternoon.\n\nCruz was attending a campaign appearance with his wife. Mrs. Cruz was giving a speech about her plans to construct a new elementary school, when several gunshots were heard.\n\nThe shooter, later identified as Arthur Matthew Michaels, had been standing mere feet from Cruz and had been concealing a handgun in his jacket pocket. After firing, Michaels was quickly tackled and restrained by several attendees and police. He could be heard yelling "We will not be colonized."\n\nMrs. Cruz was unharmed.\n\nParamedics brought Cruz to St. Luke's Hospital, with Mrs. Cruz in tow, where they attempted to stabilize his condition. Mr. Cruz was pronounced dead at 7:32pm.\n\nMrs. Cruz thereafter gave a short statement, in which she announced she was suspending her campaign. "Thank you for your condolences and your prayers. Please respect my family's privacy at this time."\n\nMrs. Cruz's opponent Ron Stanfield made a public statement that afternoon: "I am sickened and saddened to hear of this terrible tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with the Cruz family."\n\n[[-->|shotStats]]
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: November 4, 2018\nsubject: <<if $responsible is "yes">>Termination<<else>>results<<endif>>\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n<<if $responsible is "yes">>Dear <<$byline>>:\n\nI am writing to tell you you are terminated from your position as Editor of the Lake News, effective immediately. People are blaming the paper for the shooting on Friday and calling for blood. I'm sorry, but someone's got to take the fall, and that someone is you. Thank you for your service, and please empty your desk by the end of the workday.\n\nSincerely,\n\nScott Wilkinson\nOwner, The Lake News\n\n<<else>><<if $readers > 3000>>Hey <<$nickname>>,\n\nYou did it. I asked you to get our numbers back up, and you did. <<$readers>> puts us on an even footing. You'll be getting a little bonus in your next check. If we can keep this up I might even be able to pay for another staff writer.\n\nCheers,\n\nScotty\n<<else>>\nDear <<$byline>>,\n\nI hate to write this, but we're only at <<$readers>> subscribers, and that's just not enough. I have to sell and am looking for a buyer. On top of that we're getting a lot of heat for letting that stuff about Hector Cruz slide, so I'm afraid I have to let you go. Please empty your desk and turn in your keys by the end of the day.\n\nSincerely,\n\nScott Wilkinson\nOwner, The Lake News<<endif>><<endif>>\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $cruz > $ron>>\n[[-->|shotEndingCruz]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|shotEndingRon]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, November 8, 2018</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD WINS MAYOR'S SEAT</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<if $readers < 3000>><<$enemy>><<else>><<$byline>><<endif>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield emerged triumphant from <<if $ron - $cruz < 1.5>>a closely-fought<<else>>his<<endif>> contest against City Councilwoman Bailey Cruz in the election for Mayor of Ponderosa on Tuesday night.\n\nAt his Culvert Street campaign headquarters, Stanfield declared that "The people of Ponderosa have spoken. They have rejected <<if $readers < 3000>>hte<<else>>the<<endif>> tired liberal ideas of taxation and dependence and have voted for freedom and self-reliance."\n\n<<nobr>><<if $ron - $cruz < 1.5>>Cruz congratulated Stanfield in her concession speech. "We came close," she said, "but ultimately the people wanted something different. Stanfield took <<$ron>>% of the vote to Cruz's <<$cruz>>%.\n<<else>>Cruz congratulated Stanfield on his victory in her concession speech. "I wish it were otherwise, but the results are clear. Ponderosa wanted Ron Stanfield." Cruz lost <<$cruz.toFixed(2)>>% to Stanfield's <<$ron.toFixed(2)>>%.<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n\n<<nobr>><<if $ronControversy > 0>>\nStanfield had an unusually difficult fight.\n<<else>> Stanfield won by making the case for himself to voters.<<endif>><<nobr>>\n<<if $ronNepotism is "yes">> Stories about Stanfield's nepotism brought up questions about his judgment.<<else>><<endif>><<endnobr>><<nobr>>\n<<if $ronPluto is "yes">> His business-friendly policies were extreme enough that many voters came to see him as being against their interests.<<else>><<endif>><<endnobr>><<nobr>>\n<<if $ronAbuser is "yes">> Though it had a negligible impact on his polling, Stanfield's image was nevertheless tarnished by revelations that he had abused his first wife Martha Lang.<<else>><<endif>><<endnobr>><<nobr>>\n<<if $ronAirBnB is "yes">> The revelation that Stanfield had purchased several distressed residential properties during the 2009-2011 recession and had rented them out as AirB&B units was particularly damaging to his campaign and nearly cost him the election. When asked on Election Night if he now planned to sell off the properties, he laughed and said he had no comment.<<else>><<endif>><<endnobr>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $readers < 3000>> During the campaign he clashed with The Lake News, then under the editorial leadership of <<$byline>>. He has said he plans to buy the paper from its owner Scott Wilkinson.<<endif>> \n\n<<if $ronControversy > 0>>But <<else>><<endif>>Stanfield also succeeded in painting Cruz as being against the voters' interests.<<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzEcon is "yes">>\nOver the course of the campaign, Cruz struggled with the image of rabble-rouser who put ideology before community.<<else>>\n<<endif>> \n<<if $cruzStatus is "documented">>\nShe had to parry accusations that her husband Hector had come to the United States illegally, charges repeated by Ron Stanfield himself. \n<<endif>>\n<<if $cruzCorrupt is "yes">>\nHer record on the City Council came under heavy scrutiny, with some accusing her of corruption.<<else>><<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n\n<<if $readers < 3000>>Stanfeld<<else>>Stanfield<<endif>> ended the night on a note of optimism. "The people always get the government they deserve."</span>\n\n[[-->|restart]]
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n<<$nickname>>,\n\nAre you nuts with this AirB&B story? Keep at it. The asshole tried to buy us out, this is what he gets.\n\nThe numbers are at <<$readers>>. <<nobr>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\nYou're mooning over Cruz an awful lot. Rein it in. I don't want people thinking they can't trust us.\n<<elseif $slant < -6>>\nEasy on the Stanfield worship. I don't want people thinking we're a partisan rag.\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\nYou have <<$weeks>> weeks.\n<<else>>\nTime's up.\n<<endif>>\n\nBest,\n\nScott\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzStatus is "questioned" and $weeks is 1>>\n[[-->|cruzShot]]\n<<elseif $weeks is 0>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|followupAirB&B]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
Lake News
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In, and...\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nHey <<$nickname>>,\n\nHearing a lot of buzz about this Hector Cruz story, not all of it good.\n\nThe numbers are at <<$readers>>. <<nobr>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>You're mooning over Cruz an awful lot. Rein it in. I don't want people thinking they can't trust us.\n<<elseif $slant < -6>>Easy on the Stanfield worship. I don't want people thinking we're a partisan rag.\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\nYou have <<$weeks>> weeks.\n<<else>>\nTime's up.\n<<endif>>\nBest,\n\nScott\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzStatus is "questioned" and $weeks is 1>>[[-->|cruzShot]]\n<<elseif $weeks is 0>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|followupFamily]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>CRUZ'S CITY COUNCIL LEGACY: RESENTMENT, WASTE, CRONYISM</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--If mayoral candidate Bailey Cruz wins her run for the mayor's office, she will be leaving behind her a questionable record on the City Council.\n\nCity Council members describe their three-term fellow as hard-working but misguided. One of her signature accomplishments, a study of invasive mussels, cost tens of thousands of dollars to implement. Boaters have complained about the registration fees and rigamarole of inspections that resulted.\n\nThe paving of Boone Way, which she spearheaded, is also frought with questions. It's now a thriving subdivision, Boone Acres, thanks to developer Dan Christie, one of Cruz's best friends.\n\nWhen she wasn't helping friends, Cruz was making enemies. Her defeated primary rival, fellow Democrat Bob Schneiderman, considers her ungrateful and ambitious.\n\n"It's... bad form to run against a senior member, especially when he's the only other party member on the council," says Schneiderman.\n\nOne can only guess what she will do if she wins the mayor's office.</span><<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant - 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 39>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .68>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .68>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 39>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .68>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .68>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - 1.32>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + 1.32>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 68>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $cruzCorrupt = "yes">>\n<<endnobr>>\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n<<$nickname>>,\n\nThe numbers are at <<$readers>>.\n\nWho'da thought that tax policy story would be such a hot potato? Yowsa! <<nobr>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\nYou're mooning over Cruz an awful lot. Rein it in. I don't want people thinking they can't trust us.\n<<elseif $slant < -6>>\nEasy on the Stanfield worship. I don't want people thinking we're a partisan rag.\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\nYou have <<$weeks>> weeks.\n<<else>>\nTime's up.\n<<endif>>\nBest,\n\nScott\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzStatus is "questioned" and $weeks is 1>>[[-->|cruzShot]]\n<<elseif $weeks is 0>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|followupTax]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD BUSINESSES THRIVE, EXCEPT WHEN THEY DON'T</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield's business background offers a window into how he would govern if elected Mayor of Ponderosa. It suggests a focused drive for profitability, with less concern for how it is acquired.\n\nStanfield inherited a small railroad fortune from his father Beau Stanfield. Twenty-one years ago he invested it in several failing hotels around California. He turned them around and from them created the Stanfield Lodge luxury hotel chain.\n\nHe now owns 17 hotels in California, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, and Texas. He's targeted the non-California states for their low tax rates, and has often spoken out against California's high rate of taxation. He claims it was California taxes that led him to relocate to Idaho eight years ago.\n\nThe Stanfield Lodge brand brings in over $20 million a year. The grandest of these, San Diego's Prima Vista, brings in $3 million a year, though of late those numbers have fallen to $2.3 million.\n\nTwo Stanfield Lodge locations have previously tried to unionize, with the staff claiming they were over-worked and under-paid. Stanfield responded by closing them down.\n\nAlong with the hotels, Stanton also owns a number of residential properties and apartment units that he rents out, in multiple states.\n</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 1>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .61>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .61>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 23>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .61>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .61>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 23>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.22>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 1.22>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 45>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $readers < 2880>>\n[[-->|statsSell]]\n<<elseif $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsBusiness]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>IN HIGH SCHOOL CRUZ SHOWED EARLY PROMISE</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz was more than your typical Ponderosa High School student.\n\nShe had lived in the community all her life, and her family's presence in the Ponderosa Valley went back several generations. Born Bailey McMahon, her grandfather Ted McMahon set up the old Lake Shore Merc storefront back in the 40s, and her father Joe owns the Signs 4 U sign-making business, which has done jobs for nearly every business in town. McMahon Street, along which Ponderosa High School is found, was named after Ted. \n\nWhile other students were partying away, Bailey had her eye on the future. Rick Gruenweldt, who still teaches environmental science at PHS, says she was a model student.\n\n"She took charge of the fundraising for our field trip to the Frank Church Wilderness," he says. "She was always asking questions in class. She couldn't get enough."\n\n"Bailey's always been someone who could do it all," says Katie Loomis. "And yet she never had any attitude about it. She's always been someone who, no matter how much she had going on, could be there for you."</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 22>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .22>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .22>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 22>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .22>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .22>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + .43>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - .43>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 44>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
Alright, alright. [[I'll leave the story alone.|stories]]
Stanfield's questioning Hector's citizenship. I could...\n\n[[... press the question.|attackStatus]]\n\n[[... investigate for myself.|defendStatus]]\n\n[[... drop it and investigate something else.|stats]]\n\n<<set $cruzStatus = "questioned">>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD RESORTS HOSTILE TO WORKERS, REGULATION</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield's business background, a record of personal enrichment at others' expense, offers a troubling window into how he would govern if elected Mayor of Ponderosa.\n\nStanfield inherited his fortune from his railroad tycoon father Beau Stanfield. Twenty-one years ago he invested it in several failing hotels around California. He turned them around and from them created the Stanfield Lodge luxury hotel chain.\n\nHe now owns 17 hotels in California, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, and Texas. He's profited from the low tax rates of the non-California states, and has often spoken out against California's high rate of taxation. He claims it was California taxes that led him to relocate to Idaho eight years ago.\n\nThough the Stanfield Lodge brand brings in over $20 million a year, in recent years it has suffered considerable losses. The profits of its flagship hotel, San Diego's Prima Vista, have fallen to $2.3 million from $3 million just a couple years ago.\n\nMoreover, the chain has suffered from self-inflicted losses. Two Stanfield Lodge locations tried to unionize, with the staff claiming they were over-worked and under-paid. Rather than negotiate with the newly formed unions, Stanfield closed and sold the hotels, putting hundreds of people out of work.\n\nAlong with the hotels, Stanton also owns a number of residential properties and apartment units that he rents out, in multiple states, including several in Ponderosa.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .21>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .21>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 14>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .21>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .21>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 14>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + .42>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - .42>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 27>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $ronPluto = "yes">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, November 8, 2018</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>CRUZ WINS MAYOR'S SEAT IN BITTERSWEET VICTORY</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<if $responsible is "yes">><<$enemy>><<else>><<if $readers < 3000>><<$enemy>><<else>><<$byline>><<endif>><<endif>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz <<if $responsible is "yes">>beat<<else>>bested<<endif>> Ron Stanfield in the election for Mayor of Ponderosa on Tuesday night, only days after losing her husband to an <<if $responsible is "yes">>assassins<<else>>assassin's<<endif>> bullet.\n\nAt her Main Street campaign headquarters, Cruz thanked her voters and staff, <<if $responsible is "yes">>stoping<<else>>stopping<<endif>> frequently to regain her composure. "Thank you, Ponderosa. My husband, Hector, had so much faith in the people of this community. It touches me deeply to know that they have so much faith in me."\n\nCruz's opponent, Republican candidate and hotel magnate Ron <<if $responsible is "yes">>Stanfeld<<else>>Stanfield<<endif>>, congratulated her in a public statement. He closed by saying "Now is the time for healing," to which some booing could be heard.\n\nThe shocking murder rocked the campaign, resulting in a 12 point shift that delivered the mayor's office to Cruz, who garnered <<$cruz.toFixed(2)>>% to Stanfield's <<$ron.toFixed(2)>>%.\n\nIt was a dramatic end to a campaign marked by acrimony, with both Cruz and Stanfield lobbing accusations of extremism and competing to be <<if $responsible is "yes">>authenticly<<else>>authentically<<endif>> Ponderosan. <<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzEcon is "community">>\nOver the course of the campaign, Cruz established a reputation as a respected member of the community who could back up her aggressive and ambitious tax plans with knowledge of the community's needs.\n<<elseif $cruzEcon is "radical">> Over the course of the campaign, Cruz struggled with the image of rabble-rouser who put ideology before community.\n<<endif>><<endnobr>>\n\nEventually, all other issues were <<if $responsible is "yes">>overshadowed<<else>>subsumed<<endif>> by the issue of her husband's citizenship. <<if $responsible is "yes">>An article in this publication<<else>>Ron Stanfield<<endif>> raised the question of whether Hector Cruz had been born in Columbia and come here illegally. These questions were reiterated online, where the story caught on nationally and dark conspiracy theories went viral on right-wing news sites. Mr. Cruz's assassin, Arthur Matthew Michaels, frequented these sites was prompted to action by their apocalyptic warnings.<<nobr>>\n\n<<if $responsible is "yes">>(<<$byline>>, who fanned the speculation, was terminated from this publication on Sunday.)<<endif>><<endnobr>>\n\nCruz will be the town's first Democratic mayor since 1992.</span>\n\n[[-->|restart]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>CRUZ'S RECORD GROUNDED YET BLINKERED</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--If Bailey Cruz's record on the Ponderosa City Council is any indication, she has big plans for the mayor's office.\n\nCruz's fellow City Council members describe her as hard-working, if not somewhat ambitious."It's normally bad form to run against a senior member, especially when he's the only other party member on the council," says fellow Democray and Council member Bob Schneiderman, whom she defeated in the mayoral primary. "But she's got drive, and she's getting it done. I hope she succeeds, or else we're all in trouble."\n\nHer legislating is marked by careful study. One of her signature accomplishments was a study of invasive mussels in Lake Ponderosa. The study led to policies that reduced the mussel's numbers, as well as preuventative inspections that boat owners must undergo when register their boats.\n\nYet for all her diligence, Cruz can miss out on the human side of policymaking. The mussel study also cost tens of thousands of dollars to implement, and some boaters have complained about the registration fees and rigamarole of inspections.\n\nSometimes Cruz simply is a victim of her own tunnel vision. She spearheaded the paving of Boone Way, formerly a remote back road which is now a thriving subdivision, Boone Acres. Yet the chief developer of Boone Acres, Dan Christie, is one of her best friends. No wrongdoing has ever been proven, but her cavelier attitude towards perceived favoritism is nonetheless worrisome.\n\nBailey Cruz has a grand vision, no doubt. But if she wants to be successful as Mayor, she needs to keep that bigger picture in mind as she drills down the details.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 1>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 15>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .32>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .32>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 15>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .32>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .32>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + .64>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - .64>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 33>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD'S FEUDALISM: POLICIES WOULD PUT POWER IN BUSINESS OWNERS' HANDS</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Rob Stanfield's plans for Ponderosa would transfer control and wealth away from the community and into the hands of its business class.\n\nStanfield, a hotel magnate running for mayor, thinks taxation and regulation are hurting Ponderosa's businesses and wants to slash many of them. \n\nEnvironmental regulations on boat emissions, inspections for invasive species, and timber waste, would all be curtailed. Doing so would worsen air and water quality and damage Ponderosa's natural beauty, its biggest draw for tourists. \n\nStanfield also wants to lower property taxes, and with them infrastructure investment. Yet there is no shortage of housing in Ponderosa, rather <i>affordable</i> housing. The plan would leave the maintenance of roads, street lights, electricity and water, at the mercy of business owners. This is bad enough in good times; it would be disastrous during a recession.\n\nStanfield's riskiest idea has to do with housing availability. Businesses would build and administer dorm-style employee housing on the outskirts of town. If there are no employees to fill them, temporary workers would be brought in. \n\n"This does nothing to address the crisis of affordable housing," says Better Neighborhoods chair Judy Parker. "It's feudalism, making housing contingent on employment and giving workers even less control over their own lives."\n\nWhen Stanfield says "Business... will make [Ponderosa] great again," one has to ask: great for whom?</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .61>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .61>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 28>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .61>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .61>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 28>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.21>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 1.21>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 56>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $ronPluto = "yes">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
Ed Stanfield...\n\n[[...is a racist.|attackSon]]\n\n[[...is an accomplished scion of his father's name.|defendSon]]\n\n[[...should probably not be running his dad's hotel.|balanceSon]]
Cruz went to town on Stanfield after the article came out. Stanfield is complaining about his son being dragged into this.\n\n[[But his son's a giant racist!|attackRacism]]\n\n[[And how <i>is</i> he running things at Prima Vista?|attackHiring]]\n\n[[Whatever. It doesn't have anything to do with the community.|stats]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>\nIS CRUZ'S HUSBAND AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT?</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz's husband Hector says he is "of Columbian descent."\n\nWhat he doesn't say is if he is in fact Columbian himself. He leaves open the possibility that he may not be American at all.\n\nHector grew up in Caldwell, which is notable for its large illegal immigrant population. His parents, Alonzo and Claudia, do not speak English and did not want to answer questions.\n\nHector himself is cagey. "I find the question offensive on its face, and I refuse to answer it."\n\nJust because he won't answer, however, does not mean there is no answer. What could it be?</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant - 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.08>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - 1.08>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 43>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.08>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - 1.08>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 43>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - 2.16>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + 2.16>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 86>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $cruzControversy = $cruzControversy + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsFamily]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD AND SON AND THE PERILS OF NEPOTISM</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--With his father's blesshing, the son of mayoral candidate Ron Stanfield is driving his father's flagship hotel into a ditch.\n\nEd Stanfield was given control of the Prima Vista luxury hotel in San Diego two years ago at age 28, just after getting his MBA at the University of Nevada with only a 2.7 GPA.\n\n"I consider it a rite of passage," the elder Stanfield says. "The Stanfield Lodge chain is his birthright."\n\nIn the two years since, business has fallen from $3 million a year to $2.3 million. \n\nThe stumble may be explained by Ed Stanfield's history of racially inflammatory rhetoric. He is a frequent commentater in far-right circles, with public statements railing against undocumented immigrants and complaints about the number of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs that are held in his hotel's conference rooms.\n\nThe younger Stanfield was dismissive of criticism of his statements. "Some people just can't face reality." He went on to describe his business troubles as a transitional period. "Business is a bit more volatile than normal."\n\nAdds Ron, "Capitalism is volatility made manifest, so he must be doing something right."</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant +1>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .57>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .57>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 17>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .57>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .57>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 17>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.15>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 1.15>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 34>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $ronControversy = $ronControversy + 1>>\n<<set $ronNepotism = "yes">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsSon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>\n
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>>September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD'S EX-WIFE ACCUSES HIM OF ABUSE</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nOrange County--Ron Stanfield's first marriage ended amid accusations of abuse, an investigation shows.\n\nPublic records of the mayoral candidate's 2013 divorce from television producer Martha Lang, lists 'mental cruelty' as the reason for dissolving the marriage.\n\nStanfield declined to comment on the subject. Speaking over the phone, Ms. Lang elaborated. "He was constantly belittling and abusing me," she says. "If I ever made him angry, which was very easy to do, he would tell me that I was stupid and the only reason I had any success was because I was married to him. And I believed him."\n\nLang was quick to add that he never hit her. "He didn't need to; all he had to do to get me to stop arguing was tell me if I didn't like it I could leave. Finally, I did."\n\nStanfield's adult son, Ed Stanfield, would not comment about the nature of his parents' divorce.\n\nStanfield has presented himself as a family man, with his current wife Linda Beretsky standing by his side with their four year-old daughter Jessica when he announced his candidacy for mayor.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .22>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .22>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 32>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .22>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .22>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 32>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + .43>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - .43>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 63>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $ronAbuser = "yes">>\n<<set $ronControversy = $ronControversy + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsWife]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
Bailey Cruz: <<$cruz.toFixed(2)>>%\n<<actions "What about her husband Hector?" "What was her tenure on the City Council like?" "What do her high school classmates have to say about her?" "What about her wanting to raise property taxes?">>\n\nRon Stanfield: <<$ron.toFixed(2)>>% \n<<actions "Who is this wife of his?" "What is his business background?" "What about his son?" "What are his policies?">>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, September 6, 2018</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD WILL TAKE ON CRUZ IN MAYOR'S RACE\n</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield and Bailey Cruz are the respective winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries for the office of the mayor, after an unusually crowded and contentious primary season.\n\nStanfield ran an insurgent campaign against incumbent Republican Mayor Charlotte Henderson, who has presided over sluggish tourist seasons and a growing housing crisis. Stanfield, the owner of the Stanfield Lodge chain of luxury hotels, promises to bring "Prosperity to Ponderosa" by cutting taxes and infrastructure spending and doing away with unnecessary regulations. His solution to the housing shortage is the construction of employee dorms, paid for and owned by a consortium of local businesses.\n\nStanfield will face Bailey Cruz, a mother of one and three-term City Councilwoman who defeated five-term Councilman Bob Schneiderman. She is running on a platform of tax increases and regulations to mandate construction of affordable housing and to pay for a new community college. She is a graduate of Boise State University and got her Master's degree from the University of Utah.\n\nCruz is polling <<$cruz>>% to Stanfield's <<$ron>>%. Democrats have historically struggled to compete, so while she is down, her numbers are close enough to make her competitive.\n\nThe election will be held Tuesday, November 6.</span>\n\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<set $slant = $slant - 1>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - .24>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + .24>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 21>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n<<$nickname>>.\n\nThe numbers are at <<$readers>>.\n\nYou're playing with fire with that immigration story. Drop it.\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\nYou have <<$weeks>> weeks.\n<<else>>\nTime's up.\n<<endif>>\n\nBest,\n\nScott\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $cruzStatus is "questioned" and $weeks is 1>>[[-->|cruzShot]]\n<<elseif $weeks is 0>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|followupStatus]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, September 6, 2018</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>MAYOR'S RACE SHIFTS TO DARK HORSE CANDIDATES\n</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz and Ron Stanfield are the respective winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries for the office of the mayor, after an unusually crowded and contentious primary season.\n\nCruz, a three-term City Councilwoman, defeated her fellow Councilman Bob Schneiderman. She looks to tackle Ponderosa's housing shortage with targeted taxes and tax breaks to incentivize affordable housing and discourage speculation. She is a graduate of Boise State University and the University of Utah as well as a third-generation Ponderosa resident.\n\nStanfield ran his own insurgent campaign, against incumbent Republican Mayor Charlotte Henderson. The California-born owner of the Stanfield Lodge hotel chain accused Henderson of coddling environmentalists and taxing people out of the community. He promised to lure investors and jobs with a lowering of taxes and infrastructure spending and loosening regulations. For the housing shortage, he advocates the construction of employee housing by a consortium of local businesses.\n\nCruz is polling <<$cruz>>% to Stanfield's <<$ron>>%. Democrats have historically struggled to compete, so while she is down, her numbers are close enough to make her competitive.\n\nElection Day is Tuesday, November 6.</span>\n\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - .14>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + .14>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 13>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>CRUZ'S RECORD OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz looks to bring the same brand of community-based policy she brought to her three terms on the City Council.\n\nHer fellow City Council members describe her as hard-working and ambitious. "It's normally bad form to run against a senior member, especially when he's the only other party member on the council," Fellow Council member and Democrat Bob Schneiderman. "But she's got drive, and she's getting it done."\n\nOne of her signature accomplishments, a study of invasive mussels, led to policies that reduced the fish's numbers in Lake Ponderosa, as well as preventative inspections taken when owners register their boats.\n\nCruz also spearheaded the paving of Boone Way, formerly a remote back road which is now a thriving subdivision, Boone Acres.\n\nHer accomplishments, Cruz says, can be chalked up to a willingness to deal with situations as they are and not impose her own readings.\n\n"It's important to me that city policies be rooted in facts," she says. "Both in terms of scientific facts, and the facts on the ground of what this community needs and how it can grow."\n\nCruz is confident that, come November, her electoral victory will be one more fact affecting policy.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 23>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .5>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .5>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 23>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .5>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .5>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 1>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 46>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $cruzCommunity = "yes">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>CRUZ PROPERTY TAX CONTROVERSY HIGHLIGHTS COMPLEXITY OF ISSUE</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz was defiant in the face of criticism of her property tax plan.\n\nThat plan, which called for an increase on properties valued above 25% of the market media, was attacked by rival Ron Stanfield and others for being "a death blow to the housing market."\n\n"It's madness," Cruz's rival Ron Steinfeld said in a recent speech. "Cruz is a profligate liberal who would tax Ponderosa into oblivion."\n\n"This has always been the excuse," said Cruz, in a public statement. "Look, the current system is unsustainable. And nothing is set in stone, and I am open working with others to come up with the best possible approach to help Ponderosa's workers be able to live here." \n\nCruz emphasized that she wants to find the best possible approach to help Ponderosa's workers be able to live here. "That starts with reforming the housing market in one way or another."</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 1>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .27>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .27>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 13>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .27>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .27>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 13>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - .54>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + .54>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 23>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $cruzCommunity = "yes">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, September 6, 2018</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>FRESH FACES IN MAYOR'S RACE\n</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield and Bailey Cruz are the respective winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries for the office of the mayor.\n\nStanfield defeated incumbent Republican Mayor Charlotte Henderson and promises to bring "Prosperity to Ponderosa" by bringing jobs to the community. He promises to provide affordable housing, by having it paid for by local businesses. He brings to the race business experience and glamor, both as the owner of the Stanfield Lodge chain of luxury hotels, and the husband of vacuum cleaner heiress Linda Beretsky, with whom he has raised a daughter from his first marriage, 18-year-old Jasmine Stanfield, a Freshman at Duke University.\n\nStanfield's opponent is Bailey Cruz, a Ponderosa native and graduate of Boise State University and the University of Utah. Cruz promises to bring housing prices down and to bring opportunity to the town in the form of a community college. A longtime outdoorswoman, Cruz works for the Forest Service and is married to Fish and Wildlife analyst Hector Ruiz, with whom they are raising a 13-year-old boy, Victor. \n\nCruz is polling <<$cruz>>% to Stanfield's <<$ron>>%. Democrats have historically struggled to compete, so while she is down, her numbers are close enough to make her competitive.\n\nThe election will be held Tuesday, November 6.</span>\n\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + .13>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - .13>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 43>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD BOUGHT AIRB&B UNITS CHEAP DURING RECESSION</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Properties owned by Ron Stanfield, several of which were rented out on AirB&B, were purchased at markdown prices after the housing bubble burst in 2008.\n\nThe four AirB&B properties, which have since been de-listed, as well as the other two units, were all purchased between January 2009 and April 2011. All had been foreclosed and were auctioned off by Umpqua and U.S. Banks. The most expensive property, a two-bedroom house in the Pinewood Place neighborhood, was purchased for $93,000 in June 2009, after being sold for $174,000 in 2006. It is currently valued at $281,000.\n\nStanfield originally denied that the AirB&B properties were his. However, an investigation showed that all four listed properties were being managed by Sequia Management, a Stanfield company.\n\nStanfield's opponent for the mayoral election Bailey Cruz criticized Stanfield, saying he "is contributing to the hollowing-out of our community." \n\nNow Stanfield, in a written statement, has said he will sell the properties, if he wins.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - 1.12>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + 1.12>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 43>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - 1.12>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + 1.12>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 16>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 2.24>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 2.24>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 87>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsProperties]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: November 1, 2018\nsubject: cruz husband shot\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nget over to the elementary school right now\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 6.25>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 6.25>>\n<<if $responsble is "yes">><<set $readers = $readers - 155>>\n<<endif>>\n[[-->|shotArticle]]\n<<endnobr>>
Her tax policies sound...\n\n[[...commie.|attackTax]]\n\n[[...revolutionary.|defendTax]]\n\n[[...ambitious and risky.|balanceTax]]
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: September 4, 2018\nsubject: The next couple months\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nHi <<$nickname>>,\n\nI'm not going to mince words. Circulation is bad. Subscriptions are down to <<$readers>>, from 4200 just two years ago. We can't afford to keep hemmoraging readers. We don't get this up soon, I'm going to have to let you go and hand editing over to <<$enemy>>. I know they're not the best with typos, but you get what you can pay for.\n\nThe mayoral primary's done and the general election's picking up, so you've got two months to do some real work and bring those numbers up to at least 3,000. I know you've only got the time and resources to do one story per week on the race, but that's a price I'm willing to pay.\n\nKeep your readers in mind. They may be a more mixed crowd than you think, but they're still a small town. They're not going to like if you're constantly kissing one candidate's ass. And watch out with Stanfield. He's got a hard core of supporters, and he also hates criticism. I'm not telling you what you should or shouldn't do, just that whatever you do, you do it carefully.\n\nI'll be checking in every week. Failure is not an option.\n\nHugs and kisses,\n\nScotty\n\n[[-->|race]]
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n<<$nickname>>,\n\nThe hits just keep on coming. Don't stop.\n\nThe numbers are at <<$readers>>.<<nobr>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\nYou're mooning over Cruz an awful lot. Rein it in. I don't want people thinking they can't trust us.\n<<elseif $slant < -6>>\nEasy on the Stanfield worship. I don't want people thinking we're a partisan rag.\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\n\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\nYou have <<$weeks>> weeks.\n<<else>>\nTime's up.\n<<endif>>\n\nBest,\n\nScott\n\n<<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stories]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>
from: swilkinson@frontier.net\nto: editor@lakenews.com\ndate: <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 8, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 15, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 22, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 29, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 6, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>October 27, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>>\nsubject: Checking In\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nDear <<$byline>>,\n\nTalked to Stanfield earlier today. He's in a rage about what he's calling libelous treatment of his hotel empire. He said, and I quote, "You seem to think that my business is doing as bad as yours." He offered to purchase the paper. \n\nI'm accepting it. I'm sorry, but the numbers just aren't there. <<$readers>> isn't enough.\n\nI leave you in Stanfield's hands.\n\nSincerely,\n\nScott Wilkinson\nOwner, The Lake News\n\n[[-->|stanfieldEmail]]
[[Corrupt.|attackRecord]]\n\n[[Sterling.|boostRecord]]\n\n[[Mixed.|balanceRecord]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>EXCLUSIVE: STANFIELD SON EMPLOYS UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield's son employs undocumented immigrants at his father's flagship hotel, a Lake News investigation shows.\n\nInterviews with current and former employees of the Prima Vista luxury resort, which has stumbled since Ed Stanfield assumed control two years ago, reveal that the hotel employs dozens of kitchen and custodial workers from Latin American countries.\n\nThe names of the employees interviewed have been changed to protect their identities.\n\nA dishwasher, Ricardo, says that the staff is primarily undocumented workers.\n\n"Most of the staff here are Mexican and Guatamalan, some Peruvian," he says. "The whole kitchen, some of the bar, the cleaning ladies."\n\nOne such cleaning lady, Esmeralda, says it's a matter of policy. "They tell us, 'don't worry, we'll take care of it.'" She says it's so they don't have to pay them as much as they would workers who are legally here.\n\nEd Stanfield has previously complained about the "hordes" of "illegals" that are in this country. Neither he nor Ron Stanfield could be reached for comment.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .9>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .9>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 24>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .9>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .9>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 24>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.8>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 1.8>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 53>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD CITES BUSINESS EXPERIENCE, 'TOUGH-MINDEDNESS'</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield's business background, a record of a determination to succeed at all costs, offers a window into how he would govern if elected Mayor of Ponderosa.\n\nTwenty-one years ago Stanfield invested in several failing hotels around California. He turned them around and from them was born the Stanfield Lodge luxury hotel chain, with 17 locations in California, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, and Texas. \n\nThe Stanfield Lodge brand brings in over $20 million a year, with the grandest of these, San Diego's Prima Vista, bringing in $3 million a year.\n\nIn order to keep the hotels profitable, Stanfield has cracked down on any attempts to form a union. He says that their presence would drive him out of business.\n\nAlong with the hotels, Stanton also owns a number of residential properties and apartment units that he rents out, in multiple states. His experience in property ownership and management make him uniquely suited to tackle Ponderosa's housing crisis.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant - 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .63>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .63>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 19>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .63>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .63>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 19>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - 1.24>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + 1.24>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 38>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $ronPluto = "yes">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>AMID HOUSING SHORTAGE, STANFIELD RENTS TO VACATIONERS</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Ron Stanfield has profited from renting multiple Ponderosa properties out to vacationers.\n\nRecords show Stanfield owns, alongside his lakeside home, six other houses or condominium units within the city limits. Four of these match the information given on listings on the vacation-rental website AirB&B. The properties include two condos and two three-bedroom houses. The rates range from $90 to $120 per night. The median rent in Ponderosa is $820.\n\nAirB&B rentals are not subject to the taxes and regulations that hotel rooms are. They are seen by many homeowners as a way to bring in supplemental income. They are controversial in Ponderosa, due to the ongoing shortage of affordable housing for workers.\n\nStanfield could not be reached for comment.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - 1.38>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + 1.38>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 54>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.38>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - 1.38>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 54>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + 2.76>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - 2.76>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 108>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $ronAirBnB = "yes">>\n<<set $ronControversy = $ronControversy + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsAirB&B]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>CRUZ'S JOURNEY FROM TEENAGE REBELLION TO PUBLIC SERVANT</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA-- Bailey Cruz was a typical Ponderosa High School student.\n\nShe had lived in the community all her life, and her family's presence in the Ponderosa Valley went back several generations. She did well in classes, but got into her fair share of trouble.\n\n"She could be a wild child," says Mike Moore, an ex-boyfriend of hers from that time. "She used to race people through that long back stretch of Ole Road, 60, 70 miles an hour."\n\nYet even then she showed promise. Rick Gruenweldt, who still teaches environmental science at PHS, says she was a model student.\n\n"She took charge of the fundraising for our field trip to the Frank Church Wilderness," he says. "She was always asking questions in class. She couldn't get enough."\n\n"Bailey's always been someone who could do it all," says Katie Loomis. "And yet she never had any attitude about it." She laughs while saying this. "She could have taken over the world, but she's taking over Ponderosa instead!"</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 1>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 7>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .22>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .22>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 7>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz - .22>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron + .22>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + .44>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - .44>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 13>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
Stanfield's wife...\n\n[[... never mind her, what happened with his first wife?|attackWife]]\n\n[[... is worth doing a fluff feature on.|defendWife]]\n
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Stanfield's business background is...\n\n[[... exploitative.|attackBusiness]]\n\n[[... extensive.|defendBusiness]]\n\n[[... uneven.|balanceBusiness]]
<<display angles>>\n\nDon't want to forget my subscribers are at <<$readers>>...
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Ben Verschoor
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, September 6, 2018</span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>CRUZ, STANFIELD EMERGE AS MAYORAL RIVALS</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz and Ron Stanfield are the respective winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries for the office of the mayor, after an unusually crowded and contentious primary season.\n\nCruz, a researcher with the Forest Service and three time City Councilwoman, defeated her fellow Councilman Bob Schneiderman with promises to deal head-on with Ponderosa's housing shortage with an array of targeted taxes and tax breaks to incentivize affordable housing and discourage speculation. A graduate of Boise State University and the University of Utah as well as a third-generation Ponderosa resident, she brings to the race both education and local roots.\n\nStanfield ran an insurgent campaign against incumbent Republican Mayor Charlotte Henderson. The California-born owner of the Stanfield Lodge hotel chain accused Henderson of coddling environmentalists and taxing people out of the community. For the shortage in affordable rentals, he advocates tying housing to employment, and is pushing for the building of employee dorms owned by a consortium of local businesses.\n\nCruz is polling <<$cruz>>% to Stanfield's <<$ron>>%. Democrats have historically struggled to compete, so while she is down, her numbers are close enough to make her competitive.\n\nElection Day is Tuesday, November 6.</span>\n\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<set $slant = $slant + 1>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz + .21>>\n<<set $ron = $ron - .21>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 13>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>
Stanfield attacked Cruz's tax policies, and she tried to defend herself. She was...\n\n[[...equivocating.|attackLiberal]]\n\n[[...hitting back.|defendLiberal]]\n\n[[...trying to explain a complex issue.|balanceLiberal]]\n\n[[.... Whatever. I have other things to write about this week.|stories]]
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>\nFACING CRITICISM, CRUZ FLIP FLOPS ON PROPERTY TAXES</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Bailey Cruz backed away from controversial elements of her property tax plan.\n\nThat plan, which called for a tax increase on properties valued 25% higher than the market median, was attacked for being "a death blow to the housing market."\n\nCruz, when pressed about the matter, offered the caveat that "nothing is set in stone." She added, "I am open working with others to come up with the best possible approach to help Ponderosa's workers be able to live here."\n\n"It's madness," Cruz's rival Ron Steinfeld said in a recent speech. "Cruz is a profligate liberal who would tax Ponderosa into oblivion."\n\nCruz's comments comments may have had an effect on her polling. She is currently running <<$cruz.toFixed(2)>>% against Stanfield's <<$ron.toFixed(2)>>%.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant - 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.28>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - 1.28>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 33>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + 1.28>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - 1.28>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 33>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - 2.56>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + 2.56>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 66>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $cruzEcon = "flipflop">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>CRUZ REFUSES TO PROVE HUSBAND'S LEGAL STATUS</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--Questions continue to mount over the alleged citizenship of the husband of mayoral candidate Bailey Cruz.\n\nHector Cruz has refused to confirm whether or not he was born in America. He is joined by his wife.\n\n"This is an obvious smear campaign meant to incite hatred and distract voters," Bailey Cruz said in a written statement.\n\n"I think the public has a right to know," Cruz's rival Ron stanfield says. "They should if their elected officials are going to be serving their interests or those of outsiders."\n\nWhether Mr. Cruz was born in the country is irrelevant to his citizenship. That would have been attained in either case with his marriage to Mrs. Cruz.\n\nBut it raises questions about the rest of his family, whether his citizenship could be used to make them citizens too.\n\nIt's a question that haunts the Cruz campaign, as it should haunt us all.</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant - 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .8>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .8>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 33>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .8>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .8>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 43>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz - 1.61>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + 1.61>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 65>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $responsible = "yes">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|statsStatus]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>
<center><span class="headlineFont">THE\n\n<font size=36>LAKE NEWS</font></span>\n<span class="articleFont">Serving the Ponderosa community and Lake County since 1941.\n\nVOL. LXXVII... No. <<$ed>> Thursday, <<nobr>>\n<<if $weeks is 8>> September 13, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 7>>September 20, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 6>>September 27, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 5>>September 4, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 4>>October 11, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 3>>October 18, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 2>>October 25, 2018\n<<else if $weeks is 1>>November 1, 2018\n<<endif>>\n<<endnobr>></span></center>\n<span class="bannerFont"><h1>STANFIELD PROMISES PONDEROSA PROSPERITY THROUGH PRIVATIZATION</h1></span>\n<span class="articleFont">by <<$byline>>\n\nPONDEROSA--The city of Ponderosa is in a slump, and Rob Stanfield has a plan to get it out.\n\nStanfield, a successful hotel magnate running for mayor, wants to cut the many taxes and regulations he says are hurting Ponderosa's businesses.\n\n"The government tells you to give them money and tells you what you can't do," he says. "I want to let people feel like they <i>can</i> do."\n\nUnder his administration, environmental regulations on boat emissions, inspections for invasive species, and timber waste, would be loosened. Doing so would boost outdoor recreation and the lumber industry by making boating and lumber extraction more affordable and profitable.\n\nStanfield would also give a boost to the construction industry by lowering property taxes and lowering city outlays. Doing so would encourage growth in the housing market, and allow businesses to develop infrastructure as they see fit.\n\nTo tackle the issue of housing availability, Stanfield is pushing for construction of dorm-style employee housing on the outskirts of town. Rather than have the city pay for it, a consortium of local businesses will build the units and rent them out to their employees. \n\nStanfield promises these will save the city and taxpayers money while making it a more vibrant place to live and start a business. "Business is what made this town great," he says, "and it will make it great again."</span>\n<<nobr>>\n<<set $slant = $slant + 2>>\n<<if $slant > 6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .67>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .67>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 16>>\n<<elseif $slant > -6>>\n\t<<set $cruz = $cruz + .67>>\n\t<<set $ron = $ron - .67>>\n\t<<set $readers = $readers - 16>>\n<<endif>>\n<<set $cruz = $cruz -1.37>>\n<<set $ron = $ron + 1.37>>\n<<set $readers = $readers + 32>>\n<<set $weeks = $weeks - 1>>\n<<set $ed = $ed + 1>>\n<<set $ronPluto = "no">>\n<<endnobr>><<if $weeks > 0>>\n[[-->|stats]]\n<<else>>\n[[-->|whoWon]]\n<<endif>>