90 years ago

President Woodrow Wilson announced the federal government was taking control of the nation’s railroad system. Every line engaged in general transportation, including steamship lines, would be used to assist the Army during World War I. Lassen County had only two railroads engaged in heavy traffic.

65 years ago

Dan Koelz, a cook at Jewett’s Restaurant in Doyle, stabbed and killed Roscoe E. Sutton early Christmas morning. Keolz and Sutton were involved in an argument over a female waitress when, at approximately 1. a.m., Koelz ran into the restaurant’s kitchen and grabbed a 10-1/2 inch knife and stabbed Sutton four times in the stomach and once in the groin.

40 years ago

Marvin Dirksen, of Shaffer, assumed duties of the county office manager of the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service in Susanville. He succeeded Ray Vogel, who transferred to a similar position in Madera.

30 years ago

New drunk-driving laws went into effect at the beginning of this year. One change in the law is if a driver is suspected of drunk driving, the driver now requires a blood or urine test. A simple breath test does not accurately indicate the presence of alcohol in the body, police said.

25 years ago

County Supervisor Gary Lemke was installed as the president of Northern California County Supervisor’s Association, which represents Lassen, Modoc, Glenn, Plumas, Sierra, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity counties. Lemke said county funding was the most important issue facing the association.

20 years ago

The Lassen County Board of Supervisors voted last week to include Westwood, Janesville, Johnstonville and Shaffer School Districts into the County Service Area (CSA) No. 3, with those areas of the county to receive continued library service.

Under the new proposal approved by the board at its Tuesday, Dec. 22 meeting, CSA No. 3 will be divided into three zones.

Ten years ago

Chances are you won’t notice the difference at the Lassen County Fair, but more than $100,000 has been slashed from the budget.

The Lassen County Board of Supervisors approved a $101,000 budget decrease in the 2003 fair budget on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Fair Manager Claud Neely reported expenditures would be drastically reduced including salary wages by $10,758 with employee benefits cut $5,000.

Contractual services were eliminated with a savings of $7,000 and Neely told the supervisors he slashed his budget for supplies and grounds maintenance by $20,000.

Five years ago

Susanville native and California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Brian Elledge was honored with a gold Medal of Valor for saving a burning, trapped motorist in Contra Costa County.

Elledge, one of nine CHP officers and 22 others, received the highest heroic honors from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during an awards ceremony.

One year ago

A Susanville bank teller has been arrested for allegedly embezzling $60,000 from an 87-year-old woman’s bank account.

Kristy Lee Olson, 37, was booked into the Lassen County Jail on five counts of forgery and financial elder abuse. She later posted a $20,000 bail and is free from custody awaiting a court appearance.

According to a press release from the Susanville Police Department (SPD), on Tuesday, Dec. 20, the SPD received a report of embezzlement by a Bank of America employee. The investigation revealed a bank teller from the Susanville branch had withdrawn approximately $60,000 from a customer’s bank account over a two-month period from an 87-year-old woman who banks at the local branch.