Five people were rescued over the weekend when surprise stormy weather descended on Mt. Shasta and its surrounding areas, catching climbers and recreationists unaware.

On the afternoon of Saturday, June 11, weather turned from sunny to stormy and visibility was reduced to zero on the upper slopes of Mt. Shasta, according to Jamie Lynch, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department.

Refreshing news from Mount Shasta I read an article in the online magazine Yes! about the laudable steps the Siskiyou County town of Mount Shasta is taking to keep big corporations and other behemoths, such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola and PG&E, from sucking its lifeblood and trampling its environment via such practices as large-scale water extraction and regional cloud-seeding using the toxic chemical silver iodide.

The proposed rezoning of approximately 771 acres on the slopes of Mt. Shasta has garnered the attention of some Siskiyou County residents. However, planning officials say it’s early in the process to become overly anxious.

The land, which is owned by the Roseburg Resources Company, is currently a Timberland Production Zone. The proposed rezoning to Rural Residential Agricultural would allow for the land to be subdivided into parcels with a 40 acre minimum, according to county documents.

Ah, the life of a small-town cop. In 1998 when he first started working for the Mount Shasta Police Department, Parish Cross' first arrest was on a charge of domestic violence involving an old high school buddy.

For a small-town police officer it's like that much of the time, close and personal: Crime victims can be his neighbors. The guy he tickets on Wednesday may be coaching Little League with him that weekend.

The Shasta District Fair is scheduled to begin its annual five-day run at 11 a.m. this Wednesday, June 15, at the fairgrounds in Anderson, and it is not too late to buy advance tickets at a discount.