Remember When for the week of 1/2/18
95 years ago
Lassen County residents were greeted into the New Year by 4 to 6 feet of snow in Susanville and more than 8 feet in the mountains. Merchants had to close down for nearly two weeks.
Since there were no crews or equipment to dig out the main transportation routes, residents had to band together and shovel their way around town. The newspaper labeled the storm one of the worst in California’s history and urged readers to help in the snow removal efforts.
70 years ago
Police apprehended Josh and Jeremy Umqua, of Janesville, after a car chase that lasted nearly 30 minutes. The brothers were spotted driving more than 90 miles per hour outside of Susanville and were followed down Main Street reaching speeds of more than 65 mph.
They were finally apprehended near Janesville after their car ran out of gas. According to police reports, the Umquas had stolen $500 worth of audio-recording equipment from a friend living at Eagle Lake.
45 years ago
Thomas Johnson, of Portola, uncovered four pieces of an Indian pottery bowl while panning for gold on the Susan River near Westwood.
Johnson sent the relics to an American history professor at the University of California who could not identify their origin. The pieces remained at the university for students to examine.
35 years ago
The Peace Officers Association filed a petition requiring the re-opening of wage negotiations with the city of Susanville. It was accompanied by a complaint for $36,036.06 in damages against the city for discriminating employment practices, according to attorney Rex Gay.
30 years ago
A State Education Department report claimed Lassen County schools had the highest crime rate in the state.
Between July 1, 1985 and June 30, 1987, Lassen schools had 135 assaults, three assaults with unspecified weapons, seven sex offenses, 75 substance abuse cases, six weapons violations, 190 property crimes and one robbery and extortion.
25 years ago
By the time 1992 gave way to the New Year, Lassen County lay under a blanket of snow, dropped by a series of storms that started rolling into the area before daylight on Dec. 28.
The snow ranged from 2 to 3 feet in the lowland areas of Honey Lake Valley, to an estimated 8 feet in Westwood and Clear Creek. Susanville received more than 4 feet of snow, and Lake Forest Estates reported 6 feet.
16 years ago
Plans to build a coal-fired, 300-megawatt power plant just west of Alturas on the site of an old lumber mill, struck a snag when Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation of Sacramento returned the $180 million grant for the project to the Department of Energy.
According to Modoc County Planner Scott Kessler, the recent withdrawal is only a temporary setback should city and county officials decide to proceed with the project.
Many obstacles must be negotiated on the way to constructing such a power plant. Noting that state agencies have set very high standards for such projects, Kessler candidly put the project’s chance of negotiating the state’s permitting process at 65 to 70 percent.
10 years ago
Six traffic signals, three new lanes for traffic through Westwood and other improvements needed to handle increasing traffic around Dyer Mountain and Lake Almanor by 2030 will cost taxpayers about $126 million.
Those facts from the Almanor Regional Transportation Assessment plan left the Lassen County Board of Supervisors wondering how to fund the improvements.
“It’s unbelievable that state and federal money to fix what needs to be done to keep an acceptable level of service is not there,” District 1 Supervisor Pyle said. There’s a huge gap.”
Last year
Four inmates at the California Correctional Center were injured when approximately 100 inmates were involved in a riot on the medium-custody Facility C yard on Dec. 20.
The incident began at 2:52 p.m. with correctional staff giving multiple orders to inmates to stop fighting. When they did not immediately comply, staff deployed non-lethal rounds, chemical agents and two mini-14 rounds as warnings. The inmates continued to riot and staff deployed a third mini-14 round striking an inmate in the buttocks.
Four inmates sustained injuries (three were from other inmates and one was by use-of-force), and were transported to outside hospitals for treatment. Two of those inmates have since returned to the prison and two remain at the hospital in fair condition. No staff members were injured.