Everybody’s business

Back on the horse
Now, to check in on the status of the Crazy Horse Saloon. As reported in this column last December, the bar’s owners (B2HN, aka Brian Buckley and Brandon Harris) were contesting an arbitrator’s ruling that they move out of their 303 Main St. location.

“The lease is OK. We’re getting along with the landlord,” said Judy Buckley, Brian’s mother, who works for the club. She added that the state of the Crazy Horse and lawsuit are “nobody’s business.”

Jay Zellmer, the Auburn attorney retained by Russian River, agreed that the parties came to a “mutually satisfactory resolution.”

On Jan. 20, the court had issued a judgment in favor of Russian River, ordering Crazy Horse’s owners to stop operating by Jan. 24 and pay Russian River $30,902 in expenses relating to the lawsuit, which had initially been filed by B2HN.

Late last year, retired Judge Thomas Hill had decided the club owners broke the lease when they didn’t secure adequate insurance, but he also ruled that the property’s owner, Russian River Land Co., should pay for most repairs to the building. Russian River blamed Crazy Horse for various damages to the structure.

After that, the parties volleyed back and forth, and Brian Buckley is apparently now the sole owner of the club. In January, the Crazy Horse’s attorney, Jeff Carter, was granted permission to quit the case after telling the court that B2HN’s shareholders were giving him “conflicting direction” and hadn’t paid him $27,000 owed in attorney’s fees. But Judy Buckley said there was another issue at play and Carter is back on board. (Carter didn’t return a call for comment.)

Almonds are still good for you
Don’t let the FDA’s salmonella scare turn you away from local almonds. The voluntary recall applies only to raw almonds sold at Costco or under the Sunkist or Trader Joe’s brands and emerging from Paramount Farms in the San Joaquin Valley. About 13 million pounds are affected.

The 18 people who got food poisoning were eating those almonds, not the roasted, salted or flavored varieties to which many buyers are accustomed.

The Almond Board of California is on the defensive, pointing out that 95 percent of almonds sold to consumers are processed in ways that eliminate potential bacteria.

“The occurrence of salmonella in almonds is very rare,” the board reported.

I felt so flabby…
My field trip of the week was a visit to CrossFit, the gym/ training facility that opened on Highway 32 in December. I was invited out by Robb Wolf, a friendly, buff guy who co-owns the place and trains people according to CrossFit’s philosophy. CrossFit, which has a few other facilities (www.crossfit.com), promotes the idea of intense exercise compressed into a short period of time.

“They’re functional movements,” Wolf explained as he led a group of four, ranging from a college athlete to an older fellow, in pull-ups and “jerks” with a bar. The moves borrow from gymnastics, weightlifting and other disciplines. Wolf, a research biochemist, helped develop the CrossFit techniques. Members pay a monthly fee, just like a gym.

“Typically it’s pretty rigorous, but we scale it for each person,” said Wolf, whose clients include college professors, kids, recuperating athletes and the Butte County SWAT team.