Ranger Headquarters

Ranger Headquarters
Big Pine National Forest, Knotty Pine

Friday, December 25, 2009

RB-057 The Muddy River

Soil erosion is washing tons of black top soil into the Shady River turning its clear blue mountain waters into a muddy mess during each rain storm. Senator Baxter wants a dam on the Shady to control the river's flood waters and stop erosion. Ranger Bill has soil erosion under control in the national forest. Bill knows the same methods will work just as well for farmers and ranchers all along the Shady. Who is behind Senator Baxter's dam and assisting the senator to get the dam built? How can a government employee like Bill oppose a US senator? Will farmers be saddled with taxes to pay for a dam?

Christmas Greetings from Ranger Bill

The birth of our Savior Jesus is recorded in the second chapter of the gospel of Luke. Luke tells us that, as Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem, angels came and shared the good news that the Savior of the world was born with shepherds who were out watch their flocks at night. The sight of the angels made the shepherds afraid. But angel said don't be afraid for they were bringing good news of a savior.
The word angel means "messenger." The angels were messengers sent from God to share the gospel good news. The shepherds responded by going quickly to find and worship the baby Jesus. But that wasn't all. Those humble, often disrespected, she herds then left Jesus to tell everyone in those parts about the Savior in Bethlehem. So the shepherds became angels to those around them, being messengers of God's gospel.
You can be an "messenger" angel to those around you today. You have heard the gospel of Jesus. You know far more about Jesus and His life, death, resurrection and the forgiveness it brings through faith. Go be a "messenger" angel this Christmas.

And from Ranger Bill, everyone in Knotty Pine, and also from me, Dave, have a Christ-centered joyous Christmas!!!

Knotty Pine Gazette - Christmas 2009

Christmas Air Care
Ranger Headquarters will be much busier this Christmas morning than on other Christmases. Chief Ranger Bill Jefferson and his men will be working with the state's fire jumpers to bring a little Christmas joy to area residents whose homes are in remote sections of the forest. The rangers will be using two helicopters pick up and bring some of these isolated folks to Knotty Pine. Several families here in Knotty Pine and surrounding communities have adopted these isolated families for Christmas. These air lifted families will join their hosts in opening Christmas gifts (some donated by local businesses and churches), Christmas worship, as well as Christmas dinner. Christmas packages of food and wrapped Christmas presents will be dropped to more remote families who have no place for a helicopter landing. The fire jumpers and the forest service plane will drop the Christmas packages. Residents will be contacted by radio before the planes arrive so they can retrieve their package drop.

Christmas Caroling
Several area churches, including Knotty Pine Church, 4th Street Church, Forest Road Church and others, are combining their voices with the Knotty Pine High Choir to sing Christmas carols at noon Christmas Day on the Knotty Pine Square downtown. Residents are encouraged to come and to join in the singing. Song sheets will be provided.

Merry Christmas!!!
Everyone here at the GAZETTE wish all of you readers a very merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful 2010!!!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Bill Pearce then and now

There is a wonderful article in Wikipedia on Bill Pearce. I heartily recommend it. The article covers most of the major events in Bill's life. Here are a few excerpts from that article:
Bill served in the Marines as a band performer during WWII. After the war, Bill started attending Moody Bible Institute. Bill suffered from ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder. He flunked out of the institute after only one semester. God was there even in his failure at school. The head announcer at WMBI in Chicago got Bill a job there as an announcer. Bill worked at WMBI for 25 years.
Bill performed with the Melody Four and with Dick Anthony in Pearce and Anthony. Bill also recorded NightSounds until 2007.
Bill was born on May 20, 1926 in Carlisle, PA. That makes Bill 83, if my math is correct. Bill loved to perform on the trombone and did until 1995 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
A friend of the club tells me that Bill is currently living in a nursing home in Lancaster, PA.

Friday, December 18, 2009

RB-202 The Christmas Pageant

Henry and his boys club are putting on a Christmas pageant in the high school auditorium. The program will conclude with singing by Christian recording artist Bill Pearce. Henry even got permission to build an apron extension to the stage to allow more room to perform the pageant. Rehearsals are lots of work. Henry is the director and he has problems to iron out. Henry learns that one of the boys, Johnny, doesn't believe the Christmas story or the Bible. Henry takes the time to witness to Johnny, and Johnny begins to believe. Johnny asks Henry, "If the Bible is true, why everyone doesn't believe?" While putting up signs just before the pageant, Henry's friend Wally is hit by a car and must stay in the hospital during the pageant. How will the pageant go with Wally in the hospital? What will happen to Johnny? And what of Bill Pearce?

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Knotty Pine Gazette - Winter Surprizes

Blizzard and Deep Cold
Winter snows are the major news of the day all up and down the Shady Mountain Range. Cold and heavy snow have interrupted or totally stopped traffic throughout the region. Holiday shopping is down as road crews work around the clock to clear roads and highways. State plows and road graders are working overtime to get traffic moving again. Ranger Bill Jefferson has again pulled out his two Big Brute plows to assist city and state plows. The state's two Little Brute plows are currently clearing expressways in Canyon and Knotty Pine counties.

This current blizzard and cold have effectively ended any remaining corn harvest for 2009. Many area farmers lost significant portions of their corn crops to the late harvest and snows. The Canyon County Farm Bureau reports that corn crops lost to this snow have turned profits for some farmers into losses. Soy harvest was at least 99% complete before the storm.

Ski Resorts Open
Ski resorts such as the Big Six Lodges and Mile High Ski Lodge are enjoying the blessings of snow. Attendance at these and other area ski lifts and lodges is up with the snow. College students on break have flocked to the Knotty Pine area to ski. The numbers of Christmas vacationers is also expected to be up 25 to 50% based on reservations made in recent days.
(Blessings of Snow [RB066] and Skiers in the Sky [RB058] should be on our play list early in 2010.)

Visitor to Ranger HQ
Ranger Bill Jefferson and his men had an unexpected visitor to Ranger HQ in Pig Pine National Forest. Ranger Bill is in charge of all building, logging, and mining permits in and around the forest. Nationally known and respected nature writer and photographer Abraham Thorn applied for a building permit for a home near the Big Six Lodges. Mr. Thorn is a Inuit Indian from northern Canada along the Arctic Circle.
Mr. Thorn told Ranger Bill he was moving south to the Knotty Pine region for the warmer weather. Actually Mr. Thorn is here to live and study the wild life of the Shady Mountains.
Ranger Bill granted Mr. Thorn's permit. Construction is expected to begin when snows clear and temperatures rise above freezing.

Friday, December 11, 2009

RB-096 Jimmy's Christmas Miracle

It's Christmastime in Knotty Pine!!! Only three weeks before Christmas. The air is crisply cold, and snow has blanketed the countryside. Folks are out in their sleighs enjoying the sights and sounds of the season. Dave Benson takes his little boy Jimmy out for a sleigh ride. Jimmy can't walk. A couple of years ago Jimmy fell down some steps and lost the use of his legs. Bill asks a surgeon friend, Dr. Weston, to take a look at Jimmy. Dr. Weston thinks surgery might correct Jimmy's leg injuries. Medical tests and surgery would be expensive, very expensive. The Bensons don't have that kind of money. Bill asks Knotty Pine Church to help the Bensons. Burt Leason, an important board member objects to spending the money to help Jimmy. Stumpy gives Dave Benson a visual aid for his faith - a mustard seed.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Rex Brenner November passing

From a recent news post in broadcasting…

Remembering a Moody Radio “Voice from the Past”
A major player in Moody Radio dramas of the past, Rex Brenner, went home to be with the Lord on November 24th. Our resident “historian,” Phil Shappard, remembers Rex’s contribution to the ministry:
News has reached us of the passing of Rex Brenner, one of the key dramatic players of Moody Radio spanning over five decades. Rex often mused about coming directly to MBI in 1946, “right off the farm in Michigan.” Listed as Rex Maynard Brenner on the scripts of the very first “Stories of Great Christians” dramatizing the life of Charles Finney, Rex went on to act on many Stories of Great Christians, Sailor Sam and Ranger Bill programs , just to name a few. Not only an actor, Rex went on to direct many of the dramas as well, including work on the Sugar Creek Gang and the Adventures/Bookshelf series of stories. For those who knew and worked with him, Rex was known as a real character with a sense of humor that often caught you off-guard. In the late 80s and the early to mid 90s, Rex served as a resource person for Mike Kellogg providing research and devotional material for the Music thru the Night program. Throughout the years, Rex also made himself available to staff members who wanted to improve their vocal performance. Even though at times a teacher, he was always working with his own voice coach to stay on top with his vocal skills as well! Looking back at his life one can only say Rex Brenner was a uniquely original person who contributed greatly to the success of Moody Radio through a significant period of dramatic and artistic programming.
Take a look at our photo labeled "Group 10" on our Zoomshare pages:
http://rangerbill.zoomshare.com/1.shtml/During%20the%20Broadcast
Pictured here are some of the voice actors and actresses of Moody Radio’s past. (Rex is seated on the right.)

RB056 The Ice Prison

It's 30 degrees below zero in the Knotty Pine region. It is not a fit time to be out for man or beast. Even Frenchy DeSalle and his loggers are in their cabins huddled around blazing fires to keep warm. As Frenchy and the boys relax a nearly frozen man knocks at the door. It's Moose McBain. He has walked for three days to tell what he found - a man frozen in Big Pine Lake. Frenchy calls a doctor for Moose and then calls Bill Jefferson. Bill and our rangers come right out to find the frozen man. At the same time, Bill learns that a group of scientists are lost in the Big Pine region. Could this man be part of this party? The rangers will have to make a very dangerously cold trek to Big Pine Lake to find out.