Claude Withers was accidentally killed at his ranch near Janesville. A stray bullet from his son’s shotgun, while he was shooting a target, struck Withers in the chest. It took nearly five hours for his son to get him to a doctor and by that time, Withers had died from severe blood loss.

65 years ago

A blow to the head killed an unidentified transient during a barn robbery near Bieber. According to Sheriff Olin Johnson, three men struck the man with a blunt object after discovering him sleeping under a patch of hay. Another homeless man found the body the following afternoon when attempting to spend the night in the barn known as “The Beanery.”

40 years ago

Col. S. J. Espelund, commanding officer at the Sierra Army Detpo presented a Purple Heart to Larry R. Johnson, son of Hugh Johnson of Susanville. Johnson was wounded in Vietnam April 16, 1966.

30 years ago

The State Fire Marshal’s office confirmed arson was the cause of the fire completely destroying Christie Furniture store and Murray Insurance Company on Main Street. A joint investigative team of the Susanville Fire and Police departments announced a flammable liquid, possibly thrown through the back window of Christie Furniture, started the blaze.

15 years ago

Lassen is one of more than 30 California counties suffering a crank epidemic, according to State Attorney General Dan Lundgren. A measure now in congress could provide the manpower to fight the methamphetamine plague.

The bill in congress would provide $18 million specifically to hire 50-60 new officers and support staff for the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.

11 years ago

A recent conflict between local contractor and the county building inspector has underscored the need to establish an independent Board of Appeals to iron out the differing interpretations of the county’s building codes.

On Tuesday, July 10, the Lassen County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the creation of a Board of Appeals.

In addition to facilitating conflicts, the board would also help county officials develop ordinances.

Six years ago

A freight train derailment in Big Valley kept emergency officials and crews on high alert for most of the day July 13, for fear of a potential explosion.

The southbound 100-car Burlington Northern Railroad train, en route from Klamath Falls to Reno, jumped the tracks at about 9:30 a.m., just beyond the Highway 299 underpass at the entrance to the Nubieber switching yard, coming to a halt only after for of the five locomotives pulling the train and the first seven cars behind them derailed.

Three of the derailed cars were tank cars, fully loaded with propane, causing officials to promptly close the two-lane highway, the main artery between Redding and Alturas, and evacuative the residents of Nubieber, a small town at the south end of Big Valley. The mandatory evacuation to create a three-quarter mile safety zone around the wreck in case of an explosion affected fewer than 60 people.

One year ago

The United States PostalInspector is investigating mail box break-ins in the North County and Janesville and Milford.

David Rupert, postal spokesperson, called the alleged break-ins a “traveling road show.”

He said eight boxes and a parcel locker in the Madeline Post Office were broken into during the off hours of Tuesday, July 12, but he said it is not known what was taken.

In addition, two rural boxes and a centralized box unit in Milford were also burglarized.