Warm weather heralds wedding and graduation season

It's hot outside, which means we've officially entered graduation and wedding season. Luckily, the weather looks to be improving on Saturday for an outdoor wedding we've had on the calendar for a while. Maybe I won't be looking to buy those nifty battery-operated personal fans I saw at Red Bluff High's graduation after all.

We braved the heat and still air to watch my adorable niece receive her diploma from Red Bluff High School on Thursday evening. And while I enjoyed the front-page graduation photo of Saturday's paper of graduates proudly walking down the stairs to the stadium while their loved ones looked on proudly in return, that's not exactly how the evening took place.

I'll probably get some official hate mail for my strong opinion on how the evening went, but I'm willing to take the heat so next year's audience can enjoy the awards experience. diplomas without fear of glitter bombs – two feet long and four inches in diameter – and the blue and pink gender reveal powder bombs exploding above our heads and scattering their contents on beloved family members diplomas. I'm pretty neutral on paper confetti tubes, but I'm leaning toward a “no” on these as well.

After each graduate's name was called, they walked triumphantly across the field toward a board of trustees, who greeted them with a handshake, a photo opportunity and an unofficial diploma. That's when about 30 percent of parents, siblings, aunts or uncles decided to cover the other 70 percent with shiny, sticky objects.

The first explosions were harmless pieces of tissue paper-like confetti floating in the still night air, eventually adhering to the sweaty crowd of proud family members and friends. But most of the time, they fell to the ground and waited for the cleaning crew to get rid of them.

The poor farmer was not so lucky. Just behind him, a loud noise released a stream of glitter, shredded paper, and long strands of shiny red aluminum. He was covered from head to toe in this mess. As usual, he didn't complain at all. Meanwhile, the farm girl and I tried to remove at least the ones from his ears and eyebrows. For real.

It's been seven days since graduation and I still find glitter and shreds of shiny paper in my bathroom. Despite my analysis of the evening, it was a great celebration of Red Bluff High School's Class of 2024. I will end my review by acknowledging the wonderful family members who kindly brought flowers and balloons. I salute you.

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Maybe it's the heat that's bringing out my negative energy, so I'm going to continue recounting strange things that have happened in Tehama County since my column appeared last week.

The farm girl was minding her own business on Highway 99W near Richfield on Sunday when a bright red Mustang passed her at speeds in excess of 140 miles per hour. She pulled over to the shoulder to avoid being hit by this crazy driver and stayed there until two CHPs passed her in pursuit of this figure who had apparently stolen a rental car.

The scanner reports on social media are definitely worth reading. I’ll share some of them with you: “It was crazy! He almost crashed on the bridge. “I just witnessed it. I like the ones who think, “Oh, I can outrun the cops.” » “Now I'm going 125 mph.” “Holy shit. This is so bad. Please update.” “He is on North at 110 mph.” “Just passed us on 99 heading to Chico.” “Now the car is heading east on Eaton.” “CHP with the vehicle Rogue River Dr. Code 33. Beep.” “CHP said a Ford F150 took off from the car. CHP has a white Ford F150 honking its horn, and he claims he is the driver.

“It seems really strange because the driver of the truck was honking the horn to get the CHP's attention and tell them he was the driver. Weird. I do not believe that. “Why run from the cops and then run towards the cops? » “Maybe he had to give up illegal stuff, drugs, weapons, etc. And then he came back?” “An arrest warrant from Red Bluff.”

Anyway, it goes on and on. It's no wonder people read social media more than local newspapers. We need to print facts, while a group of people inside their homes interact in real time and present compelling theories about why the guy may have switched from a red Mustang to a pickup up white Ford. I think conspiracy theories are more exciting than what actually happened.

On a positive note, this madman didn't kill any of my family or yours. He is now in custody, the rental red Mustang was towed after hitting a tree and his bond is set at $183,000, according to Butte County Fire, Accident and Crime.

Fingers crossed he's still behind bars. Phew. What a week. Stay safe and sound, everyone.