45 years ago   

With the beginning of the current school year, the new library at McKinley School has become a full-scale operation. The task of preparing the initial 1,200 books was completed during the summer so the library could function the first day of school.  

In addition to the books owned by the school district, another 1,050 have been borrowed under contract from the Lassen County School Library.

30 years ago   

The Lassen County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to accept the appraisal of $129,000 for a Mesa Street property for the purchase by the county’s senior housing council. Criticism had been voiced that the appraisal was “ridiculously low” and was influenced with the knowledge that the property would be used for senior housing.   

Residents in the area feared the site might be used for student housing, but the board assured the head of the Lassen County Senior Housing Council it would automatically suspend the rezoning process if the property was not used for senior housing.

25 years ago   

High fees being paid by California hunters for deer tags were to help launch a concentrated rehabilitation effort on a key Lassen County deer winter range burned by a recent wild fire. Revenues generated by increases in deer tag fees would be used to begin seeding seared habitat with plant species such as bitterbush.

20 years ago   

The Lassen County Board of Supervisors took an action that pleased none of them by approving a $36.3 million budget that led to cuts all across the county and the loss of 30 jobs. Lassen County Employees Association President Steve Allen objected to the budget recommendations made by County Chief Executive Officer Bill Bixby.  

Allen said 28 of the 30 positions were cut from “the bottom ranks that actually provide face-to-face services to the citizens.” Allen said only two of the positions were supervisorial.

10 years ago   

Lassen County roads will see the lion’s share of repairs from $4.3 million in state transportation improvement coming to the area.   

However, the Lassen County Transportation Commission engaged in some debate before finally voting last week to give the county $3 million of the State Transportation Improvement Program Augmentation funds.

Five years ago       

Lassen County’s tax collector should not collect the more-than-400-percent increase in watermaster fees the state charged this year, according to Daren Hagata, president of the Lassen County Farm Bureau.   

Hagata gave the board copies at is Sept. 14 meeting of a letter to County Auditor Karen Fouch.   

“The Lassen County Farm Bureau is working with the California Farm Bureau and doing a lot of research,” Hagata said, “and it became an opinion that maybe the watermaster fees are not legal and should not be collected in the manner the state would like the county to do.”

Last year   

As it has done every year since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the Susanville Fire Department joined with agencies around the country to honor the men and women who gave their lives to protect others.   

Community members, city and county politicians, veterans, police officers, sheriff’s deputies, military representatives and more showed up at 7 a.m. to join in a moment of silence in honor of everyone who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks, including the 403 firefighters, paramedics, police officers and port authority officers who died in the attack.   

Fire Chaplain Bruce Ingle delivered a prayer following the moment of silence, calling for strength and courage for numerous Americans, from President Barack Obama to the service men and women fighting overseas to the average U.S. citizen.