Here are some newspaper stories published this week in years past.
25 Years Ago
Downtown clean-up gets sentencing award
By John Michael, Staff Writer
If you do the crime, you will do the time.
But not in the county lock-up.
Under Chico’s award-winning downtown clean-up program administered by Butte County’s Consolidated Court, litterers, loiterers, drunkards, urinators and other urban environment violators are sentenced to 68 hours of community service work maintaining downtown’s squeaky clean image.
“If you foul the downtown area, our community, you will clean it up,” said Judge Darrel W. Stevens.
“It’s interesting. Young people say ‘I’ll pay the fine,’ he mused. “You should see the look on their faces when I say ‘You can’t pay a fine.'” …
“We’re getting a real sense of pride from downtown owners. They’re very, very happy,” said Katrina Davis, executive director of the Downtown Chico Business Association.
So were officials at the Judicial Council of California who named Steven’s program this month as one of 12 recipients of the Ralph N. Kleps Award …
In 1998, court work referral placed 1,227 violators, including juveniles, on the downtown clean-up detail.
Supervised by the DCBA, defendants worked seven hours each Friday, Saturday and Sunday, contributing 1,500 hours of labor to defouling the downtown area, said Susan Cavanagh, work program director. …
— Chico Enterprise-Record, March 27, 1999
50 Years Ago
Roach Rolling Is Feature Subject in CHS Student Paper
Chico High School’s newspaper The Student Voice today embarked upon what should surely prove a controversial course.
It takes little if any imagination for the reader to figure out what student journalist Jerry Allen and photographer Dan Quinn are getting at in their “Crafty Corner: column.
By implication — but never by name — it’s roach rolling made easy.
“This column has been designed to represent all you cool freaks somewhere who I feel have been poorly represented on this newspaper.”
The piece starts with the selection of the rolling material and ends with a picture of the finished product.
Newspaper adviser Barbara Copeland is fast to point out that nowhere is the word roach used, but she readily admits that is the implication.
She said she allowed the article run after deciding that “it contains nothing illegal, libelous or obscene.”
“Some students will laugh at it. Others could care less. But it is sure to cause controversy,” she said.
— Chico Enterprise-Record, March 22, 1974
75 Years Ago
Wild House Cats Rated At Top of Contest List
The Feather River Rod and Gun Club has announced the staging of a predatory animal killing contest. Prizes will be offered for the most points in killing these predatory animals — such as coyotes, skunks, rats, coons, mice and wild house cats.
The cats have been placed on the top of the list, with 30 points being offered.
— Chico Enterprise-Record, March 26, 1949.
100 Years Ago
Card Mailed in 1918 Received Here Yesterday
A postcard mailed in France, August 7, 1918 was received yesterday by H. E. Ward of Chico after it had wandered for nearly six years to various addresses, finally being forwarded from Ward’s former home in Washington. The card was written by Ward’s youngest brother, Jack, while he was in a French hospital, convalescing from wounds. Ward was stationed at an aviation training camp in California at the time. The two men have met since but yesterday was the first knowledge Ward had of the card being written.
— Chico Enterprise-Record, March 28, 1924
125 Years Ago
Bad Whisky
OROVILLE, March 17 — The heavy downpour of rain yesterday morning seemed to have a peculiar effect upon several of our young men, and the more moisture there was on the outside the more they seems to crave a like degree of wetness inside. But the internal moisture was of the liquid hilarity kind, and toward noon several of the young men were, in the language of the street urchin, “shot all to pieces.” The liquor also seemed to arouse their combative natures and a half dozen fights occurred during the day, Fortunately no heads were broken and no arrests were made.
— Chico Weekly Enterprise, March 24, 1899
150 Years Ago
The fine buildings
The fine buildings erected by John. R. Kennedy on the corner of Broadway and Third Street, have so nearly reached completion that Mr. Kennedy is prepared to rent the same. The upper story contains twelve elegant rooms, suitable for offices or sleeping apartments, while the rooms on the ground floor are built expressly for business rooms. The entire building is hard finished throughout, which every room is furnished with gas, and the provisions made for heating each room is perfect. We understand that it is Mr. Kennedy’s intention to rent these buildings at very moderate prices.
— The Northern Enterprise, March 27, 1874
