Show: On The Town Station: KNCO File: 9:3.mp3 Air date: 2026-09-03 Source: OpenAI whisper-1 · shrunk from 30.6 MB to 6.1 MB --- transcript --- It is 1133, 65 degrees, and Tom Fitzsimmons is on The Town at Serino's. Good morning, Tom. Well good morning, Moe. It's great being at Serino's. As a matter of fact, I usually have Jerry Serino to talk to, and sometimes I have Ryan Serino to talk to. We have gone to the top. We have Donna Serino here to talk about Serino's at Main Street. And by the way, Donna, you're about to have your football broadcasting debut tomorrow down at Bear River High School, joining me in the broadcast booth. I'm excited about it. It's taken me four years to get here because you've always pulled that away from me once you've offered it to me. So finally this year, here I am. So I'm excited. You should be, but it could still be pulled away. Don't believe me. It could still go. No, I know that. I do. Yeah. They actually have a plaque in there. It says Tom's Place inside the broadcast booths. Does it really? Yes, it does. It's going to dawn out there pretty soon. Yeah. So you want Tom and Donna's place or Donna and Tom's place? Yeah. Donna and Tom's place. That's better. All right. Well, this is your place as far as eating. You just had one of your best friends, Barbara, over here for a birthday dinner, I think. I did. And birthdays and anniversaries, proms, all kinds of things are being celebrated here more and more. And if you look at the placemat right here, it says it's the way it used to be. And Serino's has been this way for 43 years. It's family-oriented. It's all about sharing the family table, great recipes, good people, sense of community. And we do a lot of special things here for people when they're celebrating, and it's a great place to be. All right. And one of the special things, is Jerry actually singing to people, you know, like, happy birthday? He does it on the radio. Does he do that? I think he does sometimes. You know, he does. And he sometimes, if there's families here with babies, he'll go and pick them up and carry them around so families can celebrate. It is a family. Babies don't cry? No. They kiss the cook. Are you kidding? Yeah. No. It really, it's a fabulous place for that. And if you come downtown, we've got Mill Street, and we've got the movie theater, we've got the Center for the Arts, and people come here just for dinner and a date. And it's a special place to be. Forty-three years. So, but you have an inside look at the menu and stuff, and you probably have your favorites. What are some of the favorites on the Donna Serino palette? Well, I love the calamari, and I love the, well, everybody likes the fettuccine alfredo. That's like a signature dish. And gosh, the ribeye steak is good. I get everything. I mean, I love it all. I really do. There's not anything I don't like. And Barbara likes that spicy little thing. Oh, the pepperoso. Yes. Pepperoso. I like the penne pasta with salmon or chicken or sausage, and she likes it with the chicken. It is very good. I have that a lot, too. That's a favorite. All right. You were kind of a tomboy growing up, and you're surrounded by men here at this table. And you kind of made a mention that you kind of like it that way. I kind of do, because they're real. Everybody's teasing everybody. Everybody's having a really good time. And again, that's what it's all about. I like that. That's life. All right. Are you excited about doing football? Have you been practicing? Have you done any work on maybe preparing? I've watched a couple games. No, I know the game, and I was an athlete, so I am looking forward to it. I think it's fun working with you. I really do. I give you a bad time all the time, but I do enjoy it. It should be fun. Just know that, just like in basketball, because you were confused about the warm-up outfit that the girls had, why they had a pause on their thing, the Bear River also is the Bruins. It's like the same animal. You're aware of that, right? I am aware of it, and I know you'll never let me forget it either. So there you go. I will say this. You helped call the section title, though, for the girls. Maybe you could bring some luck to the boys' football team. I would love that. That was such a great game. It really was. And it's an honor to do it. Thank you for having me. If people want to make reservations, how do they do it? They dial 530-477-6000 and talk to one of our lovely hostesses. Or leave a message. It's, yeah. Can they ask for you? No. Unless I'm here eating. No. That's fair. All right. That's Donna Serino here. Serino's from Main Street hosting us here on the town. We're going to check in on Wall Street. We're in downtown with Nevada County's Law Enforcement Fire Protection Council and Nevada County Consolidated. We come back. It is 1137-65 degrees and time to chat with Nathan Leishman, financial advisor with Ostro Financial Consultants, LPL Financial, member SIPC. And I don't know about you, Nathan, but I really like this, the clouds. Are you a lover of clouds? Oh, yeah. I love fall. So it's good to get some cool weather. Yeah. And it's a big contrast from not that long ago when we were getting into the 90s. That's right. Very nice. And just to let you know, if you want to get your umbrella out, that there may be a thunderstorm tonight. There's a possibility of a thunderstorm. All right. So how about Wall Street? How are things looking on the East Coast? Yeah. So we're seeing some positive price movement today with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up about 1.2% at $53,680, the NASDAQ up 1.6% at $26,630, and the S&P 500 up 1.2% at just over $7,750. Taking a look at commodity markets, we're also seeing some positive price movement. Crude oil is up $0.30 a barrel at $91.32, gold up $117 an ounce at $4,531, and silver up $2.20 an ounce at $67.66. Lastly, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield is at 4.77%, which is down slightly from yesterday's close. And we'll get an update from you right after the 5.30 newscast. And since we won't be chatting tomorrow, I hope that you have a delightful weekend, Labor Day weekend. You too. Thank you. Thank you. Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA SIPC. Advice offered through Ostroff Financial Consultants Incorporated, a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial. Hi, this is Jerry Serino. Thank you for voting Serino's at Main Street the best of more times than any business in Nevada County. If you can't join us for lunch or dinner today, stay tuned to On the Town, and we'll keep you informed of the great changes taking place at Serino's award-winning restaurant. Remember, Thursdays, lunchtime, KNCO, Serino's at Main Street in Grass Valley. All right, I didn't sign up for this show, but welcome back to On the Town here at the Serino's at Main Street. Donna Serino hosting us here. Tom O'Toole's in the house. Tom Vallee's here. But Tom and Tom, how are you doing, Tom O'Toole? It's been a long time. No talk. Well, Tom, great. Thank you for having me up here. I truly appreciate Tom Vallee. He's done a great job with this. I just want to say briefly, because I know you're busy with the fire guys here, but I'm never too busy for you, Tom. Come on now. You gave us permission as the Nevada County Law Enforcement Fire Protection Council to take part of On the Town in 2017, almost 10 years ago. Since then, we have put together, coordinated between Tom Vallee, me, and Billy Roach, who incidentally, yesterday was just three years since Billy passed away, so our heart goes out to Donna. Going back to NCLFC and this program, we put on 500 shows, or coordinated 500 shows, 450 of which have been sponsored by Serino's, and so Donna, we thank you, your family and staff here for your great generosity. Thank you very much. You know what? There's no shortage of shows, because these men and women, and these first responders put it on the line, and your group happens to support so many different type of groups, so it's not just police and fire. It's animal control. It's probation. It's about every aspect of first responder. I contacted animal control, but we'll talk about that later. About my dog? You know, the dog's named Ranger. Didn't you have a relative of yours, like a third cousin once removed, or a nephew that was playing Ranger? Yeah. It's a grandson. Unfortunately, in fact, I was just telling Jason that he suffered his seventh concussion, so he's no longer playing ice hockey, but he's coaching roller hockey. He was the 11th leading scorer in the nation last year. He was part of the Ranger organization for a while. Junior Rangers, yeah. He's good. What are you guys doing now with the organization, with Law and Fire Protection Council? Are you guys taking in requests from other agencies and stuff? Yes. Well, Tommy Vallee could tell you more about that than I. You're just here for show? Is that all you're doing, Tom? You're just here for show? Yeah. Yeah, to be a show. I will say this, that when we gather funds, and we just had a donation made in Billy Roach's name to the Nevada County Law Enforcement Fire Protection Council, and so if any citizen wants to donate, it's nclawfire.org. Again, that's nclawfire.org. Just checking with Tommy over here, because he's relaxing. You're not even getting close to this table. Why is that? I'm just staying clear. When we get three Toms together, usually it kind of goes sideways. So far, it's definitely going sideways. All right. Now, you've got this Rothenberger-Robitaille connection going on today. We sure do. We've got our kids. Yeah. You know what? It's good of them to step up today. We had somebody not able to make it today, and they jumped in like they always do. Chief Rothenberger just showed me a picture of the first landing on the new helicopter pad. All right. That was your guys doing that? It was us who put all that together, and thanks to Jason Robitaille, he had it all set up perfect. We walked in the door, and three weeks later, we had it paved. So it is fantastic that it's being used as much as it is. And by the way, Jason, it's not just you guys that are using it, right? CHP uses it as well and stuff, I think, right? Absolutely. So we have a partnership with CHP. They have two helicopters there, an Auburn H20 and H24. So we're part of their helicopter rescue team. So anytime they deploy for a hoist operation, not only here in Nevada County, but in the region, they now can land in our landing zone there at Station 84 on Coyote Street, have a nice, clean, safe, hard surface to land so the rotor washes and impact the rescuers that are standing by. And yeah, we were able to deploy for the first time last week, and it went seamless. And yeah, we're so grateful for the Law Enforcement Council. I've worked other areas. I've never seen an organization like this just be a catalyst of so much great cooperation between not only the fire partners, but law enforcement. And yeah, we're very fortunate to have them as a resource here locally. Of course, clouds are here, nice, cooler weather, maybe some rain this afternoon. You know what I'm going to ask, right? Should we just not worry about fire season? Well, I wouldn't say that. It's definitely too soon to call, but it is nice. I know our folks are enjoying the cooler weather. They were out there training this morning, all morning in it, so it's a nice break and kind of do a little tactical reset and continue the fire season, and we're definitely looking forward to this break. Fire starts have been happening, though. People have been out there weed eating and stuff middle of the afternoon. It seems like when I'm reporting on fires, if ever there's a time to do it, if you have to do it in the afternoon, probably today would be a good day to do it. A day like today when, yeah, the humidity is higher, there's very little wind, much cooler temperatures than normal for this time of year would be a perfect time to be out. I'd still advise you to do it before noon and try to get out in the morning and do it from sunrise until noon at the latest, but yes, this is good weather to get out and do some of your outside projects. You know, I had on Jason Tedder on his talk show this past Tuesday, and his property was on the Clover fire. It was like, right, I guess his neighbor's house is the one that actually went up, and he was right there. He gave a great testimony about defensible space, like where he was able to get to the weeds and get them down and all that stuff. He says it was remarkable how it kind of laid down once the active fire hit it and stuff. Can you talk about that a little bit and how important that is? Oh, 100%. Defensible space is very important, obviously. The shorter the fuel, the less intensity you're going to have off the fire, and a lot easier it's going to be for the fire department or fire agencies to defend your property. We're going to pick ... Unfortunately, there's only so many fire engines that go around, and so we're going to pick homes that we feel that we can defend versus ones that we feel are going to be probably unsavable or very time-consuming to save. Defensible space on the homeowner's part is huge, huge. A lot of times, the fire will burn right up to the edge of the house and just kind of go out, just because it runs out of fuel to burn. Cutting your weeds down, keeping your trees pruned up as high as you can reach, limbs overhanging your roof, keeping those back, keeping the brush way, keeping that ... Well, there's the new five-foot exclusion zone, they're calling it, where you have no vegetation within five feet of your house, and then going out from there 100 feet or more, depending on where you're located on slope or flat ground, and yeah, it's huge. I think you did almost like a cigarette almost, like the butt of a cigarette where it kind of glowed, but then it kind of just kind of went down where the stuff was taken care of. That was a remarkable thing, because like the rest of us, we cut our weeds and all that stuff, we always wonder, okay, so what's that really mean? You got to see it, I guess. Yeah, I mean, like I said, it means a lot, because the fire intensity is not there, and there's no fuel, so fire has to have fuel to keep it carrying, and so that reduction of fuel hopefully will buy enough time for either a fire engine to get there, or the fire will just kind of die down enough where it's not a huge threat to that home or homes around it. Another thing is just him on the ground seeing the fire fight itself, both on the ground and on the air, and how incredibly choreographed it is. Yeah, it is a very coordinated effort. That Clover incident, I was in my office, and then when that thing popped off, it was just a really great validation of the efforts that are taking place here in Nevada County. We have a countywide response plan. We work extremely well with our partners, with CAL FIRE, with the aircraft, the dozers, the crews, and it's not only the incident response, it's the backfills, because there's still emergencies going on, how we can coordinate. We had Roseville, Placer Hills Fire come in and flex and staff some of our stations, and that's what it's about. What she said about the fuel reduction, really to make Nevada County as safe as possible, it's a two-pronged approach. You have the defense side, which is defensible space, the fuel reduction, but also the aggressive offense, and that's what we bring, is having those firefighters that can aggressively limit the growth of these fires. In Station 89 there on Clover Valley, the fire came within feet of a structure, and I know that our crews, I think, what, three different incidents this year have saved houses where actually flames was hitting the siding, so no one can do it by themselves. We all work together. One of our challenges moving forward as a fire chief, I need to focus on increasing our engine staffing. We only have two firefighters, and in this environment, that is no longer going to be acceptable, and we're seeing things intensify, and the need for depth and capacity, and this next year, since our consolidation is complete, that's what we want to do, is set up our community for the best success, and having that third firefighter is 50% more effective on an engine. You mean you bring Valley back, does it? If he wants to, we'll let him drive once in a while. We can't ride the tailboard anymore, but yeah, we'll put him to work. Anyway, we're on the town here at Serino's Main Street, Donna Serino, our hostess. Quick break. We'll be right back. Hi everyone, it's Tom Fitzsimmons. Join me the first Friday of every month at 9 a.m. right here on KNCO News Talk 830 for a thoughtful, honest conversation exploring our community through culture, science, wellness, and the people shaping our future. I'll be joined by our friends from Grass Valley Provisions. If you're curious, cautious, or just craving grounded conversation, this show is for you. That's the first Friday of every month at 9 a.m. on KNCO News Talk 830. Colorectal cancer is the leading cancer killer in men under 50, and the second leading cause of cancer death for women under 50. The American College of Radiology urges you to get screened starting at age 45. Now Medicare and insurance companies are required to cover not only colonoscopy, but less invasive exams like virtual colonoscopy. Talk to your doctor about your options. For more information on virtual colonoscopy, visit radiologyinfo.org slash virtualct. Yo city drivers, you know the grind, the potholes, the constant stop and go, the mileage racking up quick. When your ride suddenly gives out, that's a problem you don't need. It's time to future-proof your ride. CarShield gets it. 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We're talking, you know, being fire safe, just because it's cool out there. We've got some clouds, maybe some rain this afternoon, which would be a wonderful thing. It is still very much fire season, and Chief Rothenberger, when I think about it, we're right in the teeth of it right now, aren't we, with fire season, regardless of the clouds? Yeah, I mean, we have a little lull in the action right now, but historically, September into October are when we have some of the most major fires we've had in the state. You know, the Camp Fire was in November. It was November 8th, I believe, when it started, so we're not out of the woods yet. You know, it's great weather right now, but there's still time for it to get hot and dry again. North wind events to take place. Like I said, all it takes is a good north wind day, drop the humidity back down, dry those fuels back out, and, you know, we're right back in the thick of things. The 49er fire was September 11th for us. It literally started September 11th here, so that kind of proves it. That is correct. That was a September fire. It started on September 11th during a north wind event. Like I said, the weather now is great and nice, but, you know, we don't want to let our guard down, and hopefully the public will not let their guard down either. And, you know, be fire safe out there and, yeah, keep it safe. Since I have three firefighters here, including you, Tom, September 11th is knocking on the door. I mean, in all seriousness. What does it mean to you? Well, it's one of those days in history. I think we all know where we were at that point in time when that event took place. It's 25 years. I have some friends that are actually traveling to New York to be a part of that ceremony and those recognition. But, yeah, it's just a good reminder of, you know, what people do in this line of work. It's something that we don't want to think about all the time, but just, you know, the sacrifice, and it's really, I think, a testimony of what we all signed up for. It is the consequences of service, and when we hear service before self and what that really means, and they lived it. So it's just a way to reflect on their lives and their service, and we just want to continue to carry on that torch, and we know our responsibility as our firefighters anywhere in the world is to carry on that legacy and that commitment to service. So it is, and you think about the people that, you know, that impacted. I could imagine just losing one person on an agency versus that many. So, yeah, it is a time of absolute reflection and appreciation for what they did. All right. Same for you, Chief. What's it mean to you? Like Chief Robetall said, you remember that day and where you were at when it happened. We didn't know about it for several hours because we were on a fire in Butte County by Jarboe Gap, and when we came into fire camp that night, it was, I mean, so somber. I mean, to know, to see what had finally happened on the television and, you know, the devastation and knowing that 343 firefighters lost their lives that day was, you know, something you'll never forget, and your heart goes out to those people and their families and the remaining first responders that were, that are still being affected to this day by it. Yeah, something I'll never forget. A lot of people call it Tom Ground Hero instead of Ground Zero just because of the loss that was there. 343 guys were running into those buildings trying to save lives when they lost their own. So it is so somber, and it's, you know, I can remember the second exactly that, you know, we were right at shift change almost, and you could have heard a pin drop in that day room, you know, and nothing. It was just quiet and unbelievable to sit there and try to absorb that, you know. Which brings up a point because there was a worry about it sweeping the nation, and obviously they grounded flights and stuff, but was there a certain anxiety just because of, you know, you're in Marin County, maybe, with the high rises that are in the city and stuff like that, that think something might happen out here? Well, the plane that went down in Pennsylvania was supposedly heading to the Golden Gate Bridge. So, yes, I mean, everybody had things on their brain, and, you know, I think just the whole idea that it could even happen was just, it was mind-blowing, you know, to realize that somebody could terrorize the United States and pull it off like they did, you know. And look, everybody's lives have changed because of it. So it was a terrible event. Well, one thing, just to kind of wrap up the show, is, you know, we have this Law Enforcement Fire Protection Council, and it's kind of sombering when you think about September 11th, and the first responders that put it on the line. You know, we talk about firefighters, but obviously there were Port Authority cops, there was a whole bunch of first responders that were there that maybe even died afterwards from exposure and all that stuff. It does mean something to have organizations like this to support the men and women you have, huh? Absolutely. And I think it's, you know, we have the support system internally with the other firefighters and that camaraderie, but also with anyone in public safety. And I kind of know what we go through, and we're there to support each other no matter what. Because, like we just mentioned, those fires that happen locally, our law enforcement partners are, you know, taking some responsibility in making sure everyone's notified and those evacuation orders. And, again, it's us all working together for the greater good. So, yeah, the Law Enforcement Council to be, again, a catalyst for that is phenomenal. Is there anything going on for the 25th anniversary that is being organized? Because I really haven't heard much, to be honest. Yeah, I know I haven't heard anything planned right now. Again, it's fire season. But I know that there are several individuals that are flying back to New York City to commemorate and celebrate that day. Anything big happen with Consolidated here the weeks and months ahead? No. Well, again, our consolidation, we're just integrating Oprah Hill Station into our deployment strategy. And, man, it's just been good integrating. We've talked about it so long, a lot of planning, and actually to see the folks come together and work together for the greater good and the response, it's been wonderful. How have the neighbors been there at that station, by the way, especially the ones across the street? Oh, our neighbors right across the street, you cannot ask for better neighbors. I mean, they are fantastic. Oh, you know, I will say this. All the noise and all the engines pulling in and out at night and our headlights pointing towards their house, never, ever one complaint. I will say this, though, in closing. There's a lady that lives over there who used to make me fantastic birthday cakes back in the day. And she, cake lady, doesn't make cakes anymore. So I really miss the birthday cake. Just saying, you know. In the broadcasting, now she's kind of a prima donna. That's Donna Serena we're talking about here. Again, we want to thank her for hosting us here on the town as well. And don't forget, September 11th is knocking on the door. So make it part of your plans to think about it and make sure you remember it's 25th anniversary. It's very important to think about it, whether it's in prayer or thought. But just remember about the first responders that are here locally. One way you can help is with the Law Enforcement Fire Protection Council as well. So get involved. That will do it for us from here at Serena's. I'm Tom Fitzsimmons. We've got ABC News coming up next. --- end of transcript ---