By Larry Judkins
Glenn County Observer
“Daisy’s News Briefs: The Long and Short of It” is dedicated to the memory of Daisy, the official newshound of The Glenn County Observer, who died on Jan. 22.
Mr. Q. cheats death: Former Orland High School music teacher, Orland City Councilman, Glenn County Supervisor, and Glenn County Superintendent of Schools Tracey Quarne narrowly escaped death last month.
Mr. Q., as he is known by many, was recently in Orland, along with his Quarne – er, corny ‑ jokes. (Example: Upon running into him – figuratively, not literally – at Sav-Mor market, The Observer asked him, “What brings you back to Orland?” Q. replied without missing a beat, “My car.”)
We’ll let Mr. Q. explain what happened after he got home in North Dakota. Below is his April First Facebook post, with only some minor editing by The Observer:
“And what a weekend it was!
“I returned from a road trip Thursday, March 21. I had a wicked stomach ache, thought the problem was my infamous cooking, so I dropped in at the Sanford drop-in Clinic North. The ER “Doc” I saw, Dr. Wolf, immediately told me to get to the ER Dept. I did.
“Once inside, the staff immediately took me to an ER room, where I was told to get a CT Scan. I did that.
“I returned to the ER room, where I was greeted by a surgical crew of some eight very professional-looking characters. The eldest of the bunch stepped out and shook my hand. He was Dr. Pansegrau. He is a surgeon.
“He said they normally provide surgery when the aneurism reaches 5 to 7 centimeters. I asked, What was mine?, not realizing I had one. He said, 12 to 13 centimeters.
“I asked how long would I have were I not to have the surgery. He then said, You’re not supposed to be here. I must’ve reacted with a bit of shock as he said you’re here for a reason.
“The next morning surgery, coupled with about three days of blur. Lots of phone calls, weird diet, and erratic sleeping hours – if at all.
I might be exiting the hospital tomorrow morning – alive!
“So, this is me,” Q. wrote, referring to a selfie he posted, “after a Triple A operation (Abdominal Aortic Aneurism). It’s a big operation and, if you need it, well worth it! Think Filet!
“The cut goes all the way down to the playground, and you absolutely look like hell!”
Cougar spotted northwest of Orland: Here, kitty, kitty, kitty! A “cat of a thousand names” (cougar, mountain lion, puma, panther, painter, catamount, cat of the mountain, mountain screamer, red tiger, Mexican lion, and American lion – and that doesn’t exhaust the list) was reportedly spotted Saturday morning, April 6, near the intersection of County Roads H and 7.
That is not far north of Stony Creek. As someone who responded to the warning posted by the person who saw the big cat, there are probably always mountain lions in the Stony Creek basin. We just don’t always see or hear them.
I have never seen a live one in the wild, but I once heard one when I was living north of Orland. It was very early in the morning, and I had just gotten home. As I was getting out of my van, I heard what I at first thought was a woman screaming, coming from the creek area. I continued listening, and I soon realized it wasn’t a human, but the mating call of a mountain lion – a scream I had previously heard on YouTube videos.
Anyway, Dear Readers who live near Stony Creek, don’t panic, but keep an eye on your pets and livestock, especially at night. There’s a ghost cat prowling (another name for a mountain lion, by the way).
Salgado busted for vandalizing church: Speaking of prowlers, Hermelindo Salgado was arrested shortly after noon on Thursday, April 4, for allegedly trying to break into the Evangelical Free Church, 614 A Street, Orland.
A couple of hours earlier in the day, he was seen trespassing on private property on County Road 12, near Taco Bell. According to the Glenn County Sheriff’s log: At 10:14 a.m. on April 4, Deputy Thompson was dispatched to a report of a Latino man who had been trespassing on private property at 6408 County Road 12. The deputy responded to the area but was unable to locate the man. The deputy spoke with the reporting party, Daniel Bell, who said he had last seen the man in the area of County Roads 12 and HH. Bell requested the man be admonished for trespassing. The deputy conducted an extensive check of the area but was unable to locate the man. Orland police officers later contacted the man, identified as Hermelindo Salgado. He was admonished for trespassing at 6408 County Road 12.
Orland police arrested Salgado. He was booked into the Glenn County Jail on charges alleging vandalizing a place of worship (a misdemeanor). His bail was set at $0.00 – in other words: nothing. He was out of jail the following morning. The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office soon received a call regarding a man attempting to rummage through the dumpster at the Dollar Tree on Humboldt Avenue in Willows. He was later seen on the property of Taco Bell, on the other side of Humboldt. Deputies finally caught up with him at the bridge on Wood Street where it goes over I-5. Salgado was admonished for trespassing at the Dollar Tree.
His stay on April 4 was not the only time Salgado has been a guest at the Grey Bar Hotel. Just two days before, he was booked for allegedly being under the influence of a controlled substance. According to the Orland police log: At 2:11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 2, in the “30 block of East Tehama Street”, Orland police officers were dispatched to a report of an unknown man standing in someone’s yard. Officers contacted Hermelindo Salgado, 35, of Orland, who was subsequently arrested and booked for allegedly being under the influence of a controlled substance. According to the Glenn County Jail, Salgado’s bail was set at $0.00 (nothing) on that occasion, also.
Ignoring the many times that Salgado was contacted by law enforcement and even booked into the jail but never charged for various offenses, Salgado was actually found guilty in court of the following: In November, 2022, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail and had his probation terminated after previously having been found guilty of possession of methamphetamine and violation of probation. In April of 2023, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail after previously having been found guilty of second-degree burglary and violation of probation. And, in June of 2023, he was sentenced to two years in prison after previously having been convicted of second-degree burglary and – you guess it – violation of probation.
Obviously, Salgado did not serve anywhere near his full sentence.
The Glenn County Observer 