A Shasta County motorcycle rider was finally arrested Monday after a high speed chase west of Anderson.

CHP says 32-year old Devin Chandler was spotted riding a stolen motorcycle on Olinda Road. The highway patrolman recognized the bike from a previous report and tried to pull him over, but Chandler took off at more than 100 miles-per-hour.

The officer stayed with him and eventually pulled him over in Anderson. Chandler was arrested for stealing the motorcycle, evading the officer, and having hypodermic needles.

The countdown has officially begun for a major “green” project in Shasta County. County leaders and Pattern Energy officials said in that one year, the Hatchet Ridge Wind Project will be up and running.

Officials say the 44 turbines up on the ridge could generate enough energy to power 44,000 homes annually. Pattern Energy officials say one year from now, Hatchet Ridge will be an alternative energy model for the rest of the State.

The wind project is not just bringing energy to the area, it is also bringing much needed money. The countdown has officially begun for a major “green” project in Shasta County. County leaders and Pattern Energy officials said in that one year, the Hatchet Ridge Wind Project will be up and running.

Officials say the 44 turbines up on the ridge could generate enough energy to power 44,000 homes annually. Pattern Energy officials say one year from now, Hatchet Ridge will be an alternative energy model for the rest of the State.

The wind project is not just bringing energy to the area, it is also bringing much needed money. Hatchet Ridge will invest $5 million dollars in the local community over the life of the project through the Shasta County General Fund, the Shasta Regional Community Foundation, and the Burney Foundation Regional Education Fund as well as pay substantial local taxes.

The first phase of a major repaving project in Paradise is nearly finished. The repaving of Clark Road between Wagstaff Road and Skyway has been completed. Shoulder work and restriping are expected to be completed within the next ten days.

Construction on Clark is the first of three phases which is being funded by $1.5 million dollars of stimulus money. Officials say the project will reduce maintenance costs and increase safety for both pedestrians and drivers.

The project continues through next year with similar projects on Pentz Road and the Skyway.

Redding police have returned a stolen car to its owner after a chase that started on Churn Creek Road early Tuesday morning.

The car was a white Toyota Camry. According to police, Officer Rusty Bishop recognized the car.

As Bishop began to follow, the Toyota's driver quickly turned off Churn Creek onto Bodenhamer Boulevard and then on Chandon Court. The driver then got out of the car and ran away.

The driver got away despite a police search that included a CHP helicopter and teams of police dogs.

The Redding City Council could not come to an agreement regarding a marijuana collectives ordinance during Monday night's special session meeting. During their meeting last week, the council approved the guidelines, which required collective owners to provide the Redding's Police Chief with business plans. But, state law requires that the council take a "second look" at any ordinance before it goes into effect. Council Member Mary Stegall and Dick Dickerson voted to approve the ordinance under the agreement that the council would revisit the issue in a few months. But, Council Member Missy McArthur and Vice Mayor Patrick Jones voted against the ordinance. Mayor Rick Bosetti was not at the meeting. Jones was the only person to vote against the ordinance last week. This decision will not change the 45 day ban on new marijuana collectives that the council approved last week. That urgency ordinance went into effect last week.

The person killed in a fiery accident Monday night on Highway 299 East has been identified as 34-year-old Scott Peters of Redding.

Highway Patrol officials say that just before 7:30 PM on Monday night, Peters was heading east just past Oak Run Road. For some reason, he went off the right side of the roadway and hit a large tree. The truck caught fire and became fully engulfed, killing Peters.

A Chico couple were arrested over the weekend after police allegedly found evidence of a drug-selling operation in their apartment.

Ceasar Guzman and Juventina Lopez were arrested Friday night after police say they found over 30 grams of meth and 8 ounces of marijuana in their apartment.

The drugs were found individually packaged alongside a digital scale, along with $1,100 in cash. Guzman was booked into the Butte County Jail with $250,000 bail.

They are some of the hardest working people in Redding, usually working the graveyard shift, and they can end up with a lot of money. We are talking about burglars.

The City of Redding has seen a real spike in the number of burglaries from homes, businesses, and vehicles. In May, 110 residential and non-residential burglaries took place, along with 39 thefts from vehicles. There was a total of 127 in June.

The numbers then jump. There were 152 burglaries and thefts from vehicles in July, 168 in August, and it looks like even more in September, although Redding Police have not compiled the numbers yet for September.

It may be more than coincidence. A floor of the jail was shut down on June 30th, when non-violent criminals were released. The next day, July 1st, the burglary numbers started to climb.

Sergeant Bruce Bonner with the Redding Police Department says there is no one area; the burglaries are scattered throughout the city.

The thefts from vehicles are not necessarily when you are out and about. Bonner says burglars are getting bolder, like going into garages through side doors left open for pets or sliding under the main door. Then they get in your car.

Cars parked on the street are also being targeted. Police are seeing some “window smash burglaries”, where someone breaks the window to get to items, such as purses, GPS units, and credit cards.

So how do you protect yourself?

• Bring your electronic devices in your house, cell phones or GPS, even if your car is in the garage.
• Never leave your purse visible in your car.
• If you hear your dog barking in the middle of night, do not just yell at him to shut up, check it out.
• If it is suspicious, do not confront anyone, but call police.

Get ready to roll up your sleeve-Shasta County Public Health will start distributing H1N1 swine flu vaccines, starting Tuesday. 4,200 doses of shots and nasal sprays arrived Friday.

Public Health is keeping them locked up and cool in a secret location. They are contacting health care providers, so that they can start getting doses on Tuesday.

An afternoon bike ride turned into a trip to the hospital for a Redding man on Monday. He and an SUV crashed just south of Hartnell and Parkview Avenues.

The bicyclist is Michael Whitlock of Redding. Police say he was peddling north, when he collided with an SUV that was inching out of a driveway. Whitlock was taken to Mercy Medical Center, where he is recovering from a broken shoulder and leg.

Officers are still looking into who is to blame.

(On Monday morning, we reported that the meeting was on Tuesday night. It is actually on Monday night.)

The Department of Fish and Game is taking a close look at how fish stocking affects the environment especially native species. Fish stocking is raising fish in hatcheries and releasing them into rivers and lakes.

A court order forced Fish and Game to create a draft environmental impact report. The finished report will set up new guidelines for fish stocking. It is set to be released in January.

You have a rare chance to have your say before the report is signed, sealed, and delivered. Fish and Game have four scheduled meetings across California, including one in Redding Monday night. It will be held at the Shasta Builders Exchange at 5:30 PM.

President Obama declared the H1N1 swine flu outbreak a national emergency, which would be the first time it's been declared for health reasons.
We spoke with Dr. Jesse Wells, an emergency room doctor at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, about what this means for the people in the Northstate. It won't change current operations, said Wells, but the declaration could make a difference if the area has a surge in H1N1 cases. Basically, the declaration removes red tape for hospitals in the following ways:

- Hospitals would be able to set up alternate care sites outside the hospital without getting approval from a chain of regulators. That'll let them provide medical services for the "worried well" at places like schools, auditoriums and community centers, which would be especially helpful if emergency rooms get too crammed.

Dr. Wells says the number of current H1N1 cases in the Northstate wouldn't warrant such measures yet, but he's pleased the federal government is taking pre-emptive steps. He points out that while the disease can be serious, it's caused about 1,000 deaths in the United States so far. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the seasonal flu causes about 36,000 deaths each year.

The recession may be the monster under your bed, but it's not scaring off business at the Halloween Bootique in Redding.
In fact, employees said people were lining up to pick up their favorite costume this weekend.
Coach House Gifts Hallmark, which also has a store in the Mount Shasta Mall, owns the Bootique. A manager attributes this year's success to a new location. Last year, the Halloween costume store was in the mall. This year the company has set up shop in the former Circuit City building on Dana Drive. The manager expects to rake in $100,000 more than last year.

It's a story that will leave you scratching your head. A Cottonwood man plows his car through a Redding store in broad daylight, at one of the city's busiest intersections. It happened at 2pm Saturday afternoon. Police say 34 year old Paul Castaneda was trying to do a smash-and-grab at the car audio shop Clear Impressions on Cypress and Victor. Only one problem, he got stuck. Castaneda plowed over piles of sound equipment that left his car tires off the ground. The store's owner says the man was casually rummaging through merchandise when police arrived. Castaneda was tasered and eventually taken down by a police
K-9. He faces commercial burglary charges.

Two boaters are recovering from hypothermia but are alive after their boat capsized on Whiskeytown Lake Friday night.

A park ranger was on patrol near the Carr Powerhouse when he heard cries for help coming from the water. He spotted two men in water up to their necks about 200 yards from shore. They likely were standing on their boat, which hadn't sunk due to an air bubble keeping it from going to the bottom.

The ranger radioed for help and Don Walker, another parks employee at the lake from Grants Pass, Oregon heard it. Walker rounded up a man and his ski boat. They were able to reach the stranded men and pull them to safety.

The victims were transferred to a patrol boat and taken to Oak Bottom Marina where rescue crews were waiting. The men's names have not been released yet, but officials say at least one of them is from out of state.

Veterans in Shasta County received a tough blow this week. The North Valley Stand Down Association is trying to recover $26,000 in supplies. Its storage unit was ransacked Thursday morning.

1,500 blankets, cots and canopies were stolen. These hard-to-come-by supplies were for homeless veterans. The thief is still on the run.

The timing could not be worse. The supplies were supposed to be handed out at the Annual Veteran Stand Down at the Shasta District Fairgrounds.

It gives vets across the Northstate a chance to get some care, like shelter, a hot meal, and not to mention dozens of health services.

Hundreds of men and women will seek refuge at the stand down. For some vets, it is a safe haven. It is a place to rest their head and get the medical care they so desperately need.

For others, it is about reconnecting with their fellow comrades, and while this burglary hits home, it is not keeping them away.

Dozens of former vets and volunteers set up shop on Friday, including several State and local organizations. Friday was day one. As f Friday, 120 vets have signed in for the night. That is 40% more than last year.

The Swine Flu could take a chunk out of school budgets. Every district in the State loses $50 a day for every student who is absent, excused or not.

Enterprise High School usually has about 60 to 70 absent students a day. Recently that number spiked to as many as 170. That comes out to a loss of more than $8,500 a day.

School administrators want parents to do everything they can to make sure their children are in class, if they are not sick. Officials say it is very important to keep any sick child home.

The Swine Flu's impact on school budgets will not be seen until next year. Administrators say since they have time to plan, hopefully only small changes will have to be made.

Shasta County now has 4,200 doses of H1N1 vaccine. Starting October 26th, Public Health will start distributing those vaccines to the 81 provides in the County who have asked for them.

Modoc County has 500 doses of the swine flu vaccine, and they are getting ready to give them out. A flu clinic starts on Wednesday from 3:30-7 PM.

It will be at Alturas Elementary and Modoc High School. Only pregnant women and kids aged 6-months to 18-years will get the shots the first time around.

Tehama County Sheriff's Deputies are looking for whoever stole three cows from property in Gerber. It happened sometime on October 21st on a ranch located on Rodeo Drive.

Officials say three cows, estimated in value between $1,500-$2,000, were taken after the suspects peeled back a fence and gathered the heifers. It appears the suspects pulled up in a trailer and loaded the cows into it afterwards.

If you have any information, call the Tehama County Sheriff's Office.

A Shasta County woman was arrested Thursday for making more than $2,000 in fraudulent purchases, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies were investigating the theft of bank cards and checkbooks from at least seven cars broken into recently. They had a warrant to search Greene's property on View Point Drive in Anderson.

According to a press release, investigators found the fraudulent purchases when they conducted the search. Greene was taken into custody as a result.

A Shasta County man has been convicted of murder. Scott Varner was found guilty of first degree murder. The jury returned that verdict Thursday afternoon.

He could get the death penalty for kidnapping and murdering Jeanette Mariedth in 2005. A police report says Varner admitted to killing her.

It says Varner and a woman named Joanna Peterson hijacked Mariedth's car and made her stop at several places to buy things like fast food.

They forced her to drive to the Whiskeytown Cemetery, where Varner wrapped a plastic bag around Mariedth's neck, hit her in the face, and strangled her. Her body was found dumped in the cemetery.

Varner's sentencing hearing will start next Thursday. Peterson took a plea deal in August in exchange for testifying at Varner's trial. The DA's office has not released the specifics of the deal.

The Glenn County Sheriff's Department is mourning the loss of one of its deputies. 36-year old Mark Arnone was found unresponsive by a relative who was staying with him at his home Wednesday evening.

An autopsy will be done to figure out what killed the 10-year veteran of the department. Foul play is not suspected.

Arnone's wife is a supervisor with Glenn County's Department of Child Support Services. She was in southern California for training at the time. She is now back in the Northstate.

Arnone was also well known as a one-time radio DJ in Chico. Funeral arrangements have not been finalized yet.

Governor Schwarzenegger is restoring most of the money to domestic violence and sexual abuse shelters, but not all of it. $16 million will be restored to domestic violence shelters across the State, money that was cut from the budget in the latest crisis just months ago.

The cash is a one-time loan from the renewable fuel and vehicle technology fund. Anastacia Snyder of Catalyst Domestic Violence Services in Chico says the State money made up almost a third of the budget

Because of the cuts, they had to cut their counseling hours by 45%. They also had to let go of four people and close two offices in Paradise and Oroville.

Snyder says she has not heard yet how much money Catalyst will get. But earlier this week, the Executive Director of the Shasta Women's Refuge in Redding, Maggie John, told us she was expecting to get about 75% of the money the shelter lost in the State budget cut.

A man accused of stealing customers' identities in a credit card scam at a Redding restaurant is still on the loose.

Investigators say last February, a former server at New China Restaurant was using an electronic skimming device to get customers' credit and debit card numbers. He called himself Tom, but police are not sure what his real name is.

We went to the restaurant to find out more, and people there say the employee in question was hard-working and professional, and had only worked there for a month. They say they knew nothing about the alleged scam.

Tehama Interagency Drug Enforcement (TIDE) Task Force members busted one of Red Bluff's most famous event promoters Wednesday for allegedly growing more than the legal limit allows for medicinal marijuana.

47-year old Joseph Froome was arrested at his home by TIDE agents. In a culmination of a four-month investigation, TIDE agents raided four buildings, including an industrial building on Baker Road in Red Bluff. Both Froome and 26-year old Daniel Ludwig had allegedly used it as a grow house.

Agents described the building as an elaborate indoor grow house, saying Froome and Ludwig built a building inside the building, caulking the seams and using charcoal filters to control the smell.

Besides the plants, authorities took away six firearms. Froome and Ludwig may face gun and drug charges.