I became familiar with Cody in 2021 as we were pregnant together. Both with baby girls. In May of 2021, I delivered my beautiful third daughter. She was healthy and chubby. Cody’s beautiful daughter, Poppy Jean was born sleeping on July 4, 2001.

I will never forget seeing Cody post on social media about the loss of her daughter. The loss of the little sister to her kids. I bawled. I bawled and I held Mavery. Crying over this woman who I had seen a handful of times.

We went to the same doctors. We went to the same hospital. Our stories paralleled each other and yet mine had such a different outcome. I wept for her. You see, living here connected me to her and her to me, without our consent, without us really knowing.

We became Facebook friends, and I began silently rooting for the Waltman family. I watched as Cody shared pictures of her beautiful children. She has two older sons and a beautiful older daughter. I learned that she and her husband are involved parents. I often see them out and about town, mostly at their children’s extracurricular activities.

I am connected to them through the very fibers of our community.

Then came her announcement that she was pregnant again. This time with a baby boy. A beautiful little nugget that had his own thoughts on when his due date should be, and Little Rooster came very early, but was already a little fighter. (August 17th), but he and Cody were taken far away from home to UCSF in an effort to get Rooster the best possibly care.

I would anxiously await her posts tracking his progress. Posts – smiling as she posted updates about getting to take him outside! A picture with her children smiling at their little brother. It gave me so much happiness.

Until the day it didn’t. Until the day, when I learned that Rooster had gone to be with his sister, Poppy in heaven (November 16th) and my heart was decimated. And they aren’t even my family.

Within hours, food meal trains were organized (again I can’t speak enough of the hearts in this community.) I volunteered to bring the family dinner. I met Cody outside and this sweet, tough woman and I hugged. There were no words. There are still no words.

I apologized for her loss. I deal with parents all day long who abuse their kids, ignore their kids, and here was a family willing to fight to the moon for their son, that God just had other plans for. I tried not to cry.

Cody was so kind and thanked me profusely for the dinner. It was the least I could do.

I told her I was thinking about her. And her family. Every day. You see, if we lived in a big city, stories like this one wouldn’t affect me as much as they do. Cody and her family are my family and if you are reading this – they are your family too, by proxy. By all the connections that we have with each other. They are a part of your Lassen County Family.

Our community melts together into one big pot, and as beautiful as it is to share triumphs there is a different type of beauty in sharing sorrow. I want the Waltman’s to know they are not alone. They have a whole community behind them, even people who don’t know them.

And while sometimes it may grow tiresome to be in such a close-knit community when something tragic happens, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s also our strength.

Other families who may or may not know the Waltmans personally are bringing her food, are offering to help offset the extensive medical bills for Rooster and now the cost for his funeral. People that never met them are going to be praying for her and her family. That is love. That is our community. That is one of the reasons I love where we live. Through the heartbreak and all.

Thompson Peak Charter teachers Jennifer Kirby and Christian Sakellariou hold the ribbon as

Lassen County Ambassadress Rebecca Kirklin uses the giant pair of scissors to make it official.

Thompson Peak Charter School Celebrates New Permanent Location

It’s official! At the end of October Thompson Peak Charter School closed escrow on their building at 995 Paiute Lane, making it the school’s new permanent home. To celebrate, they held a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony and ice cream social on November 8th.

Thompson Peak Charter School offers classes for students from Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade with a blended model of independent study and small group instruction.

Site Administrator/Principal, Stephanie Preston opened the ceremony, and was joined onstage by two TPCS teachers, Jennifer Kirby and Christian Sakellariou, for the ribbon cutting. Rebecca Kirklin, a current senior at the school, Ambassadress of Lassen County, and the daughter of board member Stacy Kirklin, used giant scissors to do the honors.

“Each student, in collaboration with the teacher and family designs a personalized plan to meet the student’s goals and to master the California State Standards with a maximum of student agency and engagement,” explains TPCS Clerical Assistant Jenn Roshau.

“Courses are aligned with standards and are expressed in student friendly “I CAN” language. Choices of online courses, traditional textbooks, project-based lessons, and other identified opportunities provide the foundation to master standards. Students then provide evidence to document mastery before progressing.”

TPCS Site Administrator/Principal, Stephanie Preston giving opening remarks

Rebecca makes things official

Bagged leaves may be dropped off at this location on Skyline Drive until December 5th

The bags are not to weigh more than forty pounds and are to contain leaves only.

If you are handicapped or elderly please call 530-257-1041 to arrange for pickup of already bagged leaves.

This program is made possible for Susanville residents through donations by C&S Waste Systems and Lassen County Air Pollution.

GSFA will host three in-person meetings and one virtual public meeting during the scoping period. The public meetings are an opportunity to learn about the proposed Forest Resiliency Project and submit feedback on the scope of the EIR. Each meeting provides the same content.

Tuolumne County Scoping Meeting #1

Monday, November 28th, 3:00 to 5:00p.m.

Board of Supervisors Office, 2 South Green St., Sonora, CA 95370

Lassen County Scoping Meeting #2

Tuesday, November 29th, 4:00 to 6:00p.m.

Bieber Veterans Memorial Hall, 657-575 Bridge St., Bieber, CA 96009

Lassen County Scoping Meeting #3

Wednesday, November 30th, 4:00 to 6:00p.m.

Board of Supervisors Office, 707 Nevada St., Susanville, CA 96130

Virtual Scoping Meeting #4

Tuesday, December 6th, 6:00 to 8:00p.m.

Location: Click here for registration information

Closed captioning and Spanish interpretation will be provided at this meeting.

Attendees will have the opportunity to share verbal comments.

If you require language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, please email gsnr@gsnrnet.org at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting you plan to attend.

Uptown Susanville in the late 1930’s

Lassen Man Shot in Jealous Row

November 23, 1932

A jealous argument ended in a shooting here today, when Joe Stanislau, alleged bootlegger, fired a shot at Ed Wasco, guest at his party, for suspected attentions to his red-headed wife.

Sheriff James Leavitt took Wasco to the hospital, where physicians extracted the bullet form Wasco’s hip.

Stanislau was gone on arrival of the sheriff at the scene of the shooting, but he returned later and was taken into custody. Both men were said to have been drinking.