Remember When for the week of 10/18/16
100 years ago
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.
70 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.
65 years ago
An 11-year-old San Francisco, California 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.
25 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.
15 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.
10 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
Opportunity, that’s what residents of Westwood were given when a vintage passenger train pulled into town, and many did not let this opportunity slip away.
The Westwood Chamber board of directors organized a fall market on the grounds of the visitor center, which is located next to the railroad tracks, to welcome the 190 passengers on board. It included vendors selling handmade items, food booths, music by Doug and Meg Sheehy and the showing of a short DVD on historic Westwood. The board worked with Trains and Travel International so all passengers would have a chance to walk the streets of Westwood whether sleeping on the train that night or riding a bus to nearby lodging. As a result people had time to tour the Walker Mansion Inn next to the visitor center, visit the Westwood Museum and also dine at the downtown restaurants.