86 years ago   

A man was caught traveling 20 miles per hour through the heart of Susanville in an early model Ford. Sheriff’s officers arrested the man and sentenced him to one day in jail.   

The newspaper used the occasion to issue a strict reminder to its readers that no one was allowed to go faster than five miles per hour in any motor vehicle traveling through town.

61 years ago   

Army Corporal Donald Fremd of Susanville returned home from World War II after being held prisoner by German soldiers. He was maneuvering a tank which was struck by enemy fire during a battle in North Africa.   

He was subsequently captured along with others from the First Division Tank Corps.   

After spending time with his family, Fremd was scheduled to be transported to an Army hospital for treatment of minor injuries. He was then slated to return to the war and he hoped he would be back inside a tank.

36 years ago   

Lassen County escaped one of the fiercest snowstorms to hit Northern California this century.   

Susanville received just one-half inch snow while Fredonyer Pass hit with two feet and Redding received 22 inches, collapsing countless roofs.   

Also, more than 800 eastbound motorists on Interstate 80 were unable to travel up Donner Summit and were forced by the weather to spend Christmas in Colfax.

26 years ago   

The Susanville Peace Officers Association and the Susanville City Council ended a seven-month impasse on wage and benefit talks with the signing of a memorandum of understanding.   

The agreement was pending a study of the feasibility of a 2 percent increase in retirement benefits.

10 years ago   

Charges filed against a suspected drug dealer may have to be dismissed because law enforcement officers possibly violated her constitutional right against self-incrimination.   

Lassen County Deputy District Attorney Dan Howe stipulated a pair of veteran officers from the Lassen County Narcotics Task Force twice questioned a Susanville woman suspected of being a drug trafficker without advising her she had the right to remain silent and have an attorney present during questioning. A stipulation in a court proceeding is considered an admission of fact.

Five years ago   

Sierra Pacific Industries announced the permanent closure of its Susanville sawmill last week due to a serious log shortage.   

Sierra Pacific spokesman Ed Bond said all employees would get 60-days notice before the mill is closed and dismantled sometime during the first three months of 2004. Employees will receive the notices once an exact closure date is set. Bond said current employees will be asked if they would like to transfer to another Sierra Pacific facility.

A year ago   

The California State Attorney General’s Office initial response to the gas price issue in Susanville is that nothing illegal is going on.   

On Monday, Dec. 8, Deputy Attorney General Margaret E. Spencer responded to a letter inquiring about the city’s abnormally high gas prices written by Susanville City Administrator Rob Hill last month.    

“From the information set forth in your (Hills’) letter, it does not appear that any illegal conduct has occurred,” Spencer’s letter said. “Generally, and except under very rare conditions such as a declaration of emergency following a natural disaster, a retailer is entitled to set whatever price for a commodity that the market will bear.   

“While price fixing is illegal, a prerequisite to the offense is the collusion among competitors to set prices. No such conspiracy is apparent from the facts available to us and, and indeed we have failed to find collusion among the various oil companies and/or their dealers in any previous investigations.”