The Shasta County Libraries offer a three-week amnesty period for people who have outstanding fines. Through the new Food for Fines program, they can get a deal on paying off the debt while also helping out the needy.
Starting Nov. 1, people with fines can bring canned food to the library and trade it in — $1 off the library debt for every can, up to $10. The food will go to local charities for Thanksgiving meals given to those in need.
I serve on the libraries’ Citizens Advisory Committee, which approved this arrangement after it was proposed by library director Jan Erickson. The concern is that some people who have overdue fines stop using the library rather than settling up. Maybe this canned food program will encourage those folks to return.
You’re missing a lot if you’re not making use of the Redding Library and the libraries in Anderson and Burney. The libraries host so many activities, they’ve become true hubs of the community. Check out the library calendar (and more info on Food for Fines) by clicking here.
- Redding scored a coup this week when its Stillwater Business Park was the first development approved as a Certified Site in a new program by the state Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. The certification shows that a site has met a stringent criteria and is “shovel-ready.” For more, click here.
- Hey, it might not rain on Halloween after all. Several weather watchers (including KRCR-TV) have dropped rain from the forecast for Saturday. The Weather Channel still offers a 30 percent chance of showers for Halloween, but this little storm system may miss us. Otherwise, it’s sunny skies and highs in the 70s for the foreseeable future. Yeah, baby.
- Those of you following the marijuana debate in California will be interested in this story in the New York Times, which brings up to the date the various movements to get legalization proposals on the state ballot in 2010.
- Early word out the San Francisco Bay Area is that commuters were doing well today, handling the closure of the Bay Bridge. Extra trains and ferries are running. The bridge was closed Tuesday night after a cable snapped and pieces of steel fell onto three vehicles. For more, click here.
Tips appreciated: Send news tidbits to steveb.anewscafe@gmail.com.
