2013 Local News Archive Stories

Short of going out of state, California consumers cannot avoid the new quarter-cent sales tax increase that went into effect on Tuesday. Consumers started paying 1 cent more in sales tax for every $4 spent. And at least in Colusa County, merchants do not seem to be terribly concerned that the increase will impact sales. "

A masked intruder smashed his way into the Sportsman’s Club early today and stole an unknown amount of money from the music machine on the west wall, the Colusa police said. The burglary was nearly identical to one that took place at the Fifth Street bar about six months ago. Sgt. Josh Fitch said police responded to the ala

Students planning to pursue careers as farmers, ranchers or in other agricultural occupations may apply for 2013 California Farm Bureau Scholarship Foundation scholarships. The deadline to submit an application is March 1. Applications are available at www.cfbf.com/programs /scholar. Applicants must be students who are Farm Burea

The Orland Art Center has gone wild this month with the arrival of waterfowl and fish lining its walls. They are not real, of course, but the life-like images provide stunning detail of wildlife in the field. "Wildlife Wonders II" runs through Jan. 26 at the gallery, 732 Fourth St. Nationally known wildlife artists Sherri

Former Los Molinos High School teacher Thomas Crook was recognized Wednesday for 50 years in freemasonry at the Orland Laurel Masonic Lodge No. 245 in Orland. District Inspector Jim McKasson of the Paradise lodge and Worshipful Master Larry Donnelley presented Crook with his 50-year member's pin in a public Grand Honors ceremony.

Let's talk about roses. Why? Because January is the month to prune your roses and plant bare-root roses. Bare-root plants are taken from the field when they are nearly dormant, stripped of leaves, wrapped in peat moss and plastic, then held in cold storage until they are shipped. Bare-root roses must be planted before warm weathe

The holidays are behind us now. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year's Day. Larry and I spent ours quietly. We got tired of waiting for that darned ball to drop and went to bed at 11:30, pretty typical for us. And then, of course, there was football on Tuesday. There will be plenty of college and pro ball in

The Tuesday runoff between Republican Assemblyman Jim Nielsen and Democrat Michael "Mickey" Harrington may not be on the forefront of the public's consciousness, but turnout is expected to be higher than election officials first predicted. The two men are challenging to fill the vacated seat of Doug LaMalfa's District 4 Senate seat. LaMa

From Richvale farmer to Washington politician, Rep. Doug LaMalfa is now an official member of the 113th Congress of the United States. LaMalfa, R-Richvale, representing the state's First Congressional District, took the oath of office in the chambers of the United States House of Representatives. House Speaker John Boehner administered t

A former maintenance worker at Pierce Joint Unified School District is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages after he claims he was forced to resign because of retaliation for a complaint he filed against high school officials. Martin G. Tucker filed a claim against the district on Dec. 19, according to documents made available to the

Water- and septic-troubled Walnut Ranch residents are moving toward establishing a Community Facilities District to fund the actual annexation into Colusa. When that will happen will depend on a variety of things, but ultimately must also include the buyout of the Del Oro water system that serves the 73-home subdivision south of town.

Colusa County is handing the responsibility of paying for retirement to its employees — including the elected officials. No longer will the county pay for the employees' PERS contributions or even their Social Security. In turn, the Board of Supervisors are compensating the employees for those additional costs through their

A board that stood together during the spring campaign was seated together on Tuesday. Supervisors Gary Evans, Tom Indrieri and Mark Marshall took their oaths of office after being re-elected in the June primary. Denise Carter was handed the gavel as the new chairwoman, replacing Evans, and Indrieri was selected as vice chairman.

Tuesday was like any other night in Colusa County — very few surprises to upset the routine of the typically routine nature of farming communities. And that included the special state Senate election, which inspired only 26 percent of the county's eligible voters to cast a ballot. As expected, former senator turned Assembly

A couple have been reported missing in the Manton area since Dec. 24, and law enforcement is asking for the community's help in locating them. Eric James Eide, 54, of Manton, and his girlfriend, Camille Rae Kober, 52, of Berkeley, were reported missing by Eide's mother on Christmas Eve. The Shasta County Department Office conduct

A 33-year-old Yuba City woman grabbed her 3-year-old son and fled a home where Colusa police said they had been held captive since New Year's Eve. The woman, whose identity has been withheld, escaped sometime before 5 p.m. Thursday from the East Oak Street home where she had been kept, Colusa police reported. A passing motorist s

The Juniper is the kind of plant that my husband would refer to as pedestrian. Many others think of it as common or plain, or even uninspiring. I, on the other hand, think of the Juniper as the workhorse of the plant world. It can survive in almost any conditions — not only of weather, but also of soil condition and lack of a regul

Our chickens came home to roost! Well, one anyway. We had 11. We started with about 20, actually. And over time, one at a time, they would disappear. They usually went at night if we forgot to lock them up. We figured it was coyotes or raccoons or whatever lurks at night. Our brother Ted even heard one being taken in daylight. Th

It did not take long for the former site of Tommy's Market Street Grill to find a new tenant. Tacos El Amigo, which had been based in the back of a home on Bridge Street across from the Savemor shopping center, has taken over the spot along Market Street between Sixth and Seventh, across from Davison's Drugs & Stationery. Tom

There is nothing quite like the din of a crowd gathering for the start of a baseball game, nor the snap of a ball being caught in new leather. But above it all, there is a sound more than any other that represents the start of a new Little League season, and each game during that season. That is when the umpire yells out, "Play b

Ice on the Meridian Bridge is being blamed for two early morning incidents this week, and has the California Highway Patrol cautioning motorists about road conditions, particularly on bridges. "They seem to freeze first," said Officer Jodie Beck, the public information office for the Yuba-Sutter office of the CHP. No one was inju

A Williams restaurant owner is hopeful Gov. Jerry Brown will help rein in the cost of punitive first-time labor law violations, but came away less assured about workers' compensation after she and several other North State business owners met with him this week. "I met with Gov. Brown, state Labor Commissioner (Julie) Su, and Assemblyman

Lt. James T. Epperson, commander of the California Highway Patrol office in Williams, announced he is leaving to take a similar post in Ukiah. Epperson said his promotion will be effective in March. He came to Williams in July 2011. He is not sure who will replace him. Typically the position is open to all those who qualify for t

Members of the Colusa County Hi-4H adopted families for the holidays.Teen leader Kaily McKinley, back left, helped organize this year's project of four families. The Hi-4H group served lunches at the Arts and Crafts Expo and donated their proceeds to this project. Additionally, they received donations from Louis Cairo's, Maxwell

A 43-year-old Maxwell man suspected of being under the influence of alcohol suffered minor injuries when he lost control of his 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe and crashed into a ditch along Maxwell-Sites Road Sunday afternoon. Arturo Gonzalez was arrested at the scene then treated at Enloe Medical Center before being booked into Colusa County Jail