2013 Top Story Archive Stories

Shirley Maupin had barely pinned up one quilt, when another was flapping loose in the stiff wind that greeted the May Surprise crowd on Saturday. But the wind did little to upset the good mood of the crowd that attended the event, which in addition to the Pacific Flyway Quilters show, also featured the annual wine tasting by the Friends

Fifth-generation rice farmer Derrick Ash depends on a lot of people and negotiates a lot of decisions to get his rice in the ground. And every year, there is a hitch. On Monday he sowed his fields — west of the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge — just ahead of the wind. "I did seed on Monday to beat the wind, bu

The Williams City Council is considering an ordinance prohibiting feeding or providing water to feral cats. The ordinance introduced Wednesday would ban the feeding of the cats unless part of an approved program to trap the cats to be neutered or spayed. They would then be released. It would be the first such ordinance in Colusa

After a short hiatus, developers of the Walker Ridge Wind Park are again moving forward with the project. AltaGas — a Calgary-based business — has filed a new plan with the US Bureau of Land Management in Ukiah to construct a wind park saddling Lake and Colusa counties on Walker Ridge. The plan includes 29 turbines, r

Students and parents spoke through tears as they gave personal testimony in defense of a popular teacher and coach at Princeton High School who has not been retained for next school year. Protests of the decision were felt on campus throughout the week and three students were suspended due to activities related to the protests. &

Volunteers in the Stonyford community are keeping the East Park Resevoir open for recreation after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation closed the lake due to automatic budget cuts from federal sequestration. Colusa County Supervisor Gary Evans found out East Park Resevoir was closed while driving by on May 10 and called the bureau to confirm.

Nevermore Farm in Arbuckle produces more than 50 kinds of fruits in addition to nuts, row crops and the same variety of wheat said to be grown by Joseph of Egypt 1,000 years ago. The farm, covering just over 9 acres, is Colusa County's only Community Supported Agriculture program. CSA is a program many small farms use to guarante

The Grimes Library seems to be sinking. Thick weight-bearing beams in the 30-year-old building appear to be rotting, as the plaster around the beams is cracking and crumbling. "You look at something like this and you think it'll hold up the Earth. But really, the Earth will swallow it," said County Librarian Wendy Burke.

The Colusa Unified School District will still need to cut close to $600,000 from its next budget, but the restoration of Proposition 30 funding into local school budgets has generated a cautious sigh of relief throughout the county. Despite the 2018 funding cycle written into the measure, districts like Pierce and Maxwell are viewing the

John Troughton was a member of the Williams Community Recreation Project when Lue "Lulu" Salter approached the group in the early 1960s about restoring the 1911 Williams Union High School building as a museum. Fifty years later, and hundreds of hours of volunteer time and ongoing restoration work, the Sacramento Valley Museum celebrated

River Rat Customs is not a typical Colusa County business. Then again, the owner is not a typical rice farmer. "Not too many rice farmers have long hair," said Rob Moriconi, who farms rice, has long hair and is the owner of River Rat Customs, which designs and builds motorcycles. It is at Bridge and Webster streets in Col

Employers expect workers to be able to think critically, have better than adequate math skills and to be able to work on a computer. They also expect applicants to have a high school diploma — or what has always been viewed as an administrative equivalent — a general educational development certificate. "Most employer

A 21-year dream came true with the snip of ceremonial scissors on Saturday — and life was restored with full remembrance of the veterans who had once called the new Williams Community Center home. "None of this would have been possible without the sacrifice of our veterans who have given so much to fight for the freedom that we all

Leonardo Velazquez was 19 when he lost control of his vehicle after choosing to drive drunk. When his van rolled, his good friend, Jose Luis Vera Mendoza - who was not wearing a seat belt - was ejected from the vehicle and killed. "I found him face down in the roadway," Velazquez said. "I called his name, but he never responded."

Leonardo Velazquez was 19 when he lost control of his vehicle after choosing to drive drunk. When his van rolled, his good friend, Jose Luis Vera Mendoza - who was not wearing a seat belt - was ejected from the vehicle and killed. "I found him face down in the roadway," Velazquez said. "I called his name, but he never responded."

After anticipating speaking at the 12th annual Stamp Out Stigma Wellness & Recovery Rally for months, Rob Wilson stood in front of a large crowd to tell his personal story of depression on Monday night. "It felt good to get it out. I didn't have any qualms. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed at all," he said after the event. Wils

Classic cars, dancing horses and Maxwell firemen dressed in neon green rolled down Main Street for the parade opening of the 83rd Maxwell Rodeo on Saturday. Continuing a long-standing tradition of performing a humorous and theatrical presentation for the crowd, Maxwell firefighters put on an act of an environmentally friendly fire respon

The influence of environmental interests and state regulations on farmers in California were discussed in a joint town hall meeting with Assemblyman Dan Logue and Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada at the Colusa Theatre Thursday night. The event may have been the only bipartisan town hall of state legislators in California in five years, accord

About 30 people gathered at the Williams Farmers Market and Bazaar last Friday evening to discuss, among other things, the need to organize and gain Hispanic representation on the Williams City Council. Councilman John Troughton Jr. attended the meeting and addressed the crowd after leaders spoke about the need for people to come togethe

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. "

Like many Maxwell High students, freshman Molly Dunlap cannot remember when she wasn't involved in some agriculture group or another. Of course, Dunlap and many students grow up on a farm or ranch. Stil, Dunlap admits she was surprised to finish second in the Light Horse Judging competition at the 15th annual FFA Field Day at Pie

Colusa fire Capt. David Harbison lead a young boy and his mother into a smoke-filled room. "You're in the bedroom. It's the middle of the night. All of the sudden the smoke alarm goes off. What do you do?" he asked. The room was in the back of a mobile trailer borrowed from the Glenn County fire departments and is used for basic

A circle of chairs created a center stage in the grass for performances of Samoan fire knife dancing, California Native American dancers representing the Grindstone Rancheria, and perhaps the first-ever performance by Cachil DeHe Band of Wintum Indians within the Colusa city limits. The crowd, about 200 people throughout the day, was lar

All new development in the Sacramento River basin of Colusa County could be halted and flood insurance rates could soar. That is the extreme and highly unlikely result of a Federal Emergency Management Agency flood map that shows levee protection to be wholly inadequate. The reality is much more likely that the FEMA flood map wil

Dan O'Connell is convinced that there are not many people who live in Colusa County who haven't been to the summer fair and left with a smile. He believes the tradition trails back generations. Now, the Colusa County Fair Board director and the other board members are hoping to tap into those fond memories and pride to generate f