Lassen County residents were taken by surprise when a rare early-October snowstorm dumped nearly 2 feet of snow. Many people were left stranded in rural sections of the county and travel between towns was impossible for several days.

65 years ago

The Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance to prohibit dumping trash along public highways and city streets. The ruling followed a rash of mass dumping along Main Street in Susanville. Wind, animals and children were scattering about the debris.

60 years ago

An 11-year-old San Francisco, Calif. boy was shot and killed while hunting from a tree five miles west of Chester near Stover Mountain. Local residents were saddened to hear that Melvin Serio was shot in the chest from approximately 22 yards away while hiding from a deer. Serio was immediately taken to Westwood Hospital and underwent surgery performed by Dr. Greenman. Serio died several days later. The assailant was not found.

20 years ago

Lassen County officials discussed the formal dissolution of Lassen County if the state was not going to meet its financial obligation for services. The next step would have been to petition Congress to detach Lassen County from California and join Nevada.

10 years ago

Test scores for the state-mandated Academic Performance Index improved for nearly every school in Lassen County, according to figures recently released by the state. Richmond Elementary School became the first school in Lassen County to crack the 800 target score set by the state.

5 years ago

Lassen County “failed to conduct a legitimate competitive bid process,” when it gave Sierra Medical Services Alliance exclusive rights to provide ambulance services in most of Lassen County, according to a claim for damages from South Lassen EMS.

The claim filed Sept. 8, which the board rejected without comment at its Tuesday, Oct. 12 meeting, named former County Administrative Officer Bill Bixby, Officer of Emergency Services Chief Chip Jackson and potentially others as the county employees who caused the injury.

It described the property damaged as South Lassen’s “right to operate ambulance services in Lassen County — a ‘taking’ of property under the Constitution,” and said the exact amount of damages is unknown but exceeds $25,000.

Last year

The Susanville planning commission reopened the public hearing to discuss the future of the St. Francis Bar and Hotel use permit. The Historic Uptown Susanville Association president Kathy Garnier said the association was against the use permit, as they would be using the hotel and bar for other than originally intended purposes.

John Nicoli, the only person present at the meeting, speaking on behalf of the flea market permit was also the current owner of the St. Francis Hotel.