West
Wealthy California town bans pickleball over noise complaints from paddles hitting balls
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The wealthy oceanfront town of Carmel, California, has banned pickleball in its public park after residents complained that the constant sound of paddles striking balls was too noisy.
The Carmel City Council voted earlier this month to permanently prohibit the sport at Forest Hill Park, the only public pickleball location within city limits, marking the first such ban in the state, according to sfgate.com.
Residents reported that the “popping” sound had been echoing through the neighborhood as players participated in the game that has grown in popularity, particularly among seniors and retirees, the outlet reported.
The council put a temporary ban in place last month until it came up with a permanent solution, according to the report. Their best idea was to require soft paddles and balls to reduce the noise from plastic balls hitting wooden paddles.
CALIFORNIA SPORTS LEAGUE MEETING SEES PARENTS CLASHING OVER TRANS ATHLETES
The wealthy oceanfront town of Carmel, California, has banned pickleball in its public park. (The Washington Post via Getty Images)
However, at a city council meeting on Nov. 4, several residents said the temporary ban helped them enjoy a quieter community after the constant noise from the game.
“It’s been so peaceful and quiet,” Carmel resident Kimberly Edwards said at the meeting, adding that there had been an “uptick in tennis players,” especially younger people.
But Edwards was skeptical that the ban would be able to be enforced.
“There’s gonna be a problem,” she said. “These aren’t supervised courts. You know that. They’re not — there’s no parks and rec department. So as I addressed in my letter: Who’s going to enforce this? … Am I going to have to hear a noise and then call the police? Is a police officer going to have to be, you know, sitting there on these courts, supervising them?”
CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DESCENDS INTO EMOTIONAL CLASH AMID TRANS VOLLEYBALL PLAYER CONTROVERSY
The Carmel City Council voted earlier this month to permanently prohibit the sport at Forest Hill Park. (iStock)
“You guys are all in this position to protect us,” she said. “That’s your number one goal. That’s what your job is — not to placate these pickleball enthusiasts.”
Competitive pickleball player Barbara Lang, who said she no longer uses the Forest Hill Park courts, argued that even “quiet” pickleball at the park would be preferable to banning the sport.
“If you want to try it with the quiet ball, I think it’s only fair to the players to give that a chance,” she said, stressing that she speaks for many pickleballers not in attendance.
The city council decided against compromising by allowing the sport to be played with quieter equipment, which would have required monitoring.
Several residents said the temporary ban helped them enjoy a quieter community. (iStock)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“We’re just overcomplicating it in the name of compromise,” council member Alissandra Dramov said, adding that she had to “accept the reality this is not a good location for pickleball.”
The city will draft an ordinance to permanently ban pickleball at the park.
Opponents of the ban will have two more hearings to appeal the ban once it is created.
“It’s just a really difficult thing to enforce,” Mayor Dale Byrne said, siding with the ban. “And I can’t ask the [police] chief to send his people up there. … It’s really sad that we can’t figure this out.”
Read the full article from Here
State House considers reforms that allowed greater variety of construction in Big Sky State
Michigan could follow Montana’s lead after state House members introduced a bipartisan package of bills aimed at making housing less costly.
“The bipartisan Housing Readiness Package modernizes our development processes to reduce unnecessary costs and delays, making housing more affordable and available across the state,” according to a press release from the House Republican caucus. “This is about ensuring Michigan is prepared for growth and that more residents have access to safe, stable homes.”
The package draws on ideas Montana successfully enacted in 2023 and 2025 to ease the state’s housing shortage. It includes Michigan House bills 5529, 5530, 5531, 5532, 5581, 5582, 5583, 5584 and 5585. The package is intended to restrain cities and counties from restricting accessory dwelling units, duplexes, and other non-single-family units; to limit protests and impact studies on developments; and to reduce local red tape.
Housing costs in Michigan have almost doubled in recent years, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Michigan has exceeded the pace of housing inflation found in other states.
The average price of homes in the state was about 75% of the national average in 2012, but it is roughly 82% of the average today, according to Jarrett Skorup, vice president of marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
Inflation, interest rates, and rising construction costs have increased housing prices, Skorup told Michigan Capitol Confidential, but local government red tape is still making things worse.
“A lot of this is because of dumb, unnecessary, big-government policies at the local level,” Skorup told CapCon in an email. “This bill package protects the private property rights of citizens in a way similar to what Montana and many other states have done. It is good policy that will help people afford to live where they want.”
Montana made changes to legalize duplexes, allow accessory dwelling units, open commercial zones to housing, and permit taller buildings that can accommodate more housing units.
The laws faced a legal challenge, but the Montana Supreme Court unanimously upheld the bipartisan legislation.
“There are a lot of similarities between what is being proposed in Michigan and what we accomplished in Montana,” Forrest Mandeville, a Republican state senator from Stillwater County, told Michigan Capitol Confidential in an email.
Montana enacted laws that call for freedom to build duplexes and accessory dwelling units by right (with no need for extra approvals) in many cities. The Big Sky State also streamlined review processes and simplified public participation.
“These reforms were necessitated by a housing market that was seeing prices skyrocket and existing zoning that created a lot of single-family-only development in large areas,” Mandeville said.
A broad coalition supported the changes: builders, real estate agents, free-market advocates and some local government groups, Mandeville told CapCon. Housing prices and rents have stabilized since the legislation was enacted.
“We tried to get government out of the way to encourage building without red tape,” Sen. Jeremy Trebas, a Cascade County Republican, told CapCon in an email about the housing situation in Bozeman. With a population of 60,000 and slow growth, the city faced a housing crunch, with a large inventory of aging and obsolete buildings. Expensive housing and taxes, Trebas said, were driving people to move to Washington, California and other states.
“If we could change land-use policy, encourage development of higher density like duplexes as infill, allow for housing in commercial zones (as it was a 100 years ago), reduce minimum lot sizes, and allow by-right accessory dwelling units and such, we could let the market work to produce density and supply without spending government dollars to incentivize it,” Trebas said.
Opponents of Montana’s reforms expressed concerns about more people moving in from out-of-state, said Trebas. He countered that Montana natives were hurt by high costs that price upcoming generations out of the housing market.
The Nevada Division of Forestry and the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management are inviting high school-aged students from around the Silver State to participate in the 2026 Nevada Youth Range Camp essay competition.
“The Nevada Youth Range Camp is a yearly educational opportunity that has been held each summer in central Nevada since 1961,” stated a press release. “Last year, eight students were awarded scholarships and received a certificate of achievement.”
Selected essays will receive up to $250 to register for this year’s Youth Range Camp. Students must be between ages 14 and 18 in order to apply. Parental consent is also required. Essays that are flagged for plagiarism or that utilize AI will be disqualified.
“Range Camp has served Nevada’s youth for 65 years. It is a great opportunity for anyone interested in natural resources to learn basic rangeland and resource management skills,” said Kelcey Hein, Conservation Education lead at the Nevada Division of Forestry, in a statement.
According to the application form, this year’s essay prompt is:
“In your own words, tell a story or a few stories of when you were able to connect with a natural space such as a park, your backyard, a farm, a field, a forest, a beach, or so on. Please incorporate three (3) key words from the key word list that you noticed of that ecosystem into your response. Explain what you noticed about these aspects that drew your attention in that space. How did this influence you and your goals as a future steward of Natural Resources?”
Visit bit.ly/RangeCamp2026 for submission forms, essay instructions and the full rules. The contest is open until April 30.
For more information about the Nevada Division of Forestry, visit forestry.nv.gov.
Visit nevada.rangelands.org for more information about the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
Nevada Youth Range Camp: June 21 through June 27
“We invite high school youth to enjoy a week of fun, camping, and learning about rangelands and natural resource management,” states the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website. “This year the camp headquarters will be located in the Timber Creek Campground area Northwest of McGill, NV. This area provides a splendid setting for learning and recreation.”
“The week is filled with many learning opportunities. Instructors teach various subjects through group investigations. Camp instructors and counselors are trained specialists from the University of Nevada, Reno; Nevada State Parks; Natural Resources Conservation Service; Bureau of Land Management; Forest Service; Nevada Division of Forestry; Nevada Division of Conservation Districts; Nevada Division of Wildlife; and others,” the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website continues.
“Campers arrive by noon on Sunday and break camp the following Saturday morning. Campers register and form groups with an adult counselor and assistant youth counselor. The weeklong program runs from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and includes instruction, projects, rest, meals, and recreation,” the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website reads further. “Adult supervision occurs throughout the entire week. Parents and sponsors are welcome to visit the camp any time and are especially invited for the Friday night awards program. The evening programs are geared more for enjoyment and personal interest and include map and compass orientation, conservation skill workshops, wildlife presentations, and campfires.”
Showers and falling temperatures across Maryland Friday
Woman struck, fatally injured, while walking on the Lodge Freeway, state police say
Think you’re middle class in Massachusetts? Here’s the income range
Over 840,000 Minnesotans Assist Aging Loved Ones, Shaping Their Daily Lives
What channel is Mississippi State baseball vs Ole Miss on today? Time, TV schedule to watch college baseball game
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Video: Will ICE Change Under Its New Leader?
DHS shutdown breakthrough comes at cost for Republicans as funding fights nears end
Rubio joins crucial G7 talks as Iran war set to dominate second day
A surprise resignation could open the door for an independent to win a Montana Senate seat
Video: Savannah Guthrie Says She Believes Her Mother Was Taken for Ransom
-
Detroit, MI1 week agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Science1 week agoHow a Melting Glacier in Antarctica Could Affect Tens of Millions Around the Globe
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
Science1 week agoI had to man up and get a mammogram
-
Sports6 days agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico5 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Business1 week agoDisney’s new CEO says his focus is on storytelling and creativity
-
Texas1 week agoHow to buy Houston vs. Texas A&M 2026 March Madness tickets