Volume XVI Issue 124

Thursday, January 25th, 2024

Happy Birthday Mom!

“LMUD will never call you offering a refund on your account,” explains Philips. “This is just one of many utility scams.”

These scammers are simply attempting to extort money from unsuspecting LMUD customers.

“We will always direct you to our website, www.lmud.org, our secure phone payment line, or you may come into our office and make a payment in person.”

You can identify a scam call from a legitimate LMUD collection call by remembering these guidelines:

• Scammers use intimidation tactics. They use threatening language meant to scare customers into making an immediate payment.
• If you are delinquent on your account, LMUD will send a reminder notice on the 21st day you are delinquent. If payment is not received within 10 days, a 48 hour disconnect notice is sent. You may receive a courtesy call from our employees prior to disconnection. This call will tell you that you must contact our office as soon as possible to pay your bill. If an LMUD employee is sent to your home or business to disconnect your power, they will identify themselves as an employee. They will be wearing authorized LMUD ID badges and will be driving a clearly marked LMUD fleet vehicle.
• Often, scammers will try to get you to pay your bill with a “pre-paid” money card.
• An LMUD employee will NEVER instruct you to purchase a pre-paid money card in order to pay your bill.
• LMUD does accept phone payments. You must have a credit card or debit card with the Visa, MasterCard or Discover Card logo. You may also pay your bill in person at the LMUD office with cash, money order or check (some restrictions apply.)

Signs it’s a scam!

• The scammer doesn’t know your account number or any of your account information.
• The scammer sounds like their “guessing” at information.
• The scammer tells you that you must pay immediately, even if you insist you are not past due. They will often say that they will “investigate” your account and if you are not past due they will refund your money.

To report any suspicious situation or to reach an LMUD representative, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week call 530-257-4174.

The Etta Tarry Memorial Scholarship of $1,000 will be awarded to a Lassen Community College graduate who is continuing their education at a four-year college or university.

Students interested in applying for these awards should contact the LHS counseling office for an application.

The deadline to submit a completed application for all scholarships is Monday, March 11th.

According to the organization the awards will be based on leadership skills, school involvement, community service, grades and financial need.

Georgianne Hall, Monticola scholarship committee chair, said the recipients will be named and honored on April 18th at the club’s monthly luncheon meeting as well as the high school and college awards nights in May.

The first Monticola scholarship was awarded at Lassen High School in 1959 and more than one hundred and ninety scholarships have been awarded since.

For more information contact the high school counseling office or LCC financial aid office.

“I’m very excited to be named General Manager of Lassen,” says Hamlin. “It has been a career goal of mine to serve a rural utility as GM and LMUD is a great fit.”

“My wife Deborah and I researched Susanville and Lassen County and we fell in love with the area. I was raised in rural Mississippi, and the closeness of small-town life is what we know, and love, and Susanville offers that. We’re looking forward to being part of the community.”

When it comes to leading LMUD, Hamlin explains that he is is looking forward to the opportunity to bring stability to the district and to create a workplace where employees look forward to coming to work, feel valued, and are recognized for the contributions they are making.

“I believe that our employees and the community we serve are extremely important to the district – I have an open-door policy and I want folks to know that I will be available to them, whether it’s in the office or the community, I’m happy to discuss issues and exchange ideas,” says Hamlin, “I believe in openness and transparency, my goal is to put customers first, to focus on those we serve.”

“We had a lot of good candidates, said Director Jess Urionaguena, but Robby’s experience, knowledge, and background put him head and shoulders above the rest.”

The board of directors welcomed Hamlin to the team by saying they look forward to his arrival and they know he will be able to hit the ground running and devote his time and talents to the district and the community we serve.

“We recognize that we share these accomplishments with our top-notch contractors, who competently implement the treatments on the ground for these projects, come rain or shine or even snow. They make us all safer. And we also want to acknowledge and thank our partner agencies whose input and funding make all of this possible.”

“Our LFSC team has done so much more than these critical large scale projects. They have also focused on the need to protect communities with projects such as revitalizing and refocusing the CWPP process to better protect communities, implementing the Defensible Space grant, and ensuring all of the existing Firewise communities were recertified and adding two new certified communities- Bieber/Big Valley and Doyle. They have assisted volunteer fire departments in obtaining grants and arranged for funding for needed equipment maintenance for Little Valley VFD.”

LFSC has now committed to the development of an ongoing Community Fund, whose first priority this year will be to assist volunteer fire departments serving Lassen County.

“We hope to be able to announce the details over the next few months, but this is an exciting step towards ensuring a bit more stability for our vital volunteer fire departments. We also plan to provide forms of financial support towards the efforts of our Firewise communities that are essential partners in keeping communities safer.”

Westwood from the air in 1937 from a negative at the UC Davis Eastman Collection.

Company Reports Record Production

Westwood Mill Output is Told

January 25, 1943

The Red River Lumber Company of Westwood this week reported its sawmill and dry kiln produced more lumber in 1942 than in any other year in the twenty-five years of operation in that city.

Officials reported that the sawmill cut 212,414,759 feet and the kilns dried 221,255,755 feet. The excess of the kiln output were the cedar squares for Venetian blind slats which are returned to the kilns from the company’s Susanville plant was also kiln-dried at Wetwood, it was reported.

A total of 5980 acres of lumber were shipped from Westwood, as well as one car of ties, 120 cars of moulding and siding, eighty-eight cars of shook and cut-stock, 159 cars of Venetian blind slats, 523 cars of plywood, forty-six cars of veneer cores, three cars of flitches and one car of logs.

A total of 6,921 cars of various types were shipped.