Downstroke

Missing CHICO woman’s body found: Charlotte Elizabeth Brown, 43, missing since Oct. 3, was found dead in the Feather River Wednesday. Her car was found on Highway 70 in the Feather River Canyon, and Butte County search and rescue helicopter spotted her body in the river. Police indicate that she died from an apparent suicide. Brown had been experiencing depression and was on medication when she went missing, according to a Chico Police Department press release.

Paradise for rabid bats: Just in time for Halloween, a pair of pet cats brought a rabid bat into a Paradise home last week, the second there this year. Five rabid bats have been found in Butte County so far this year—three in Oroville, one each in Paradise and Chico. Butte County Public Heath is advising those who might have had contact with the bat to get evaluated by a doctor. According to the Centers for Disease Control Web site, “People may get rabies if infectious material from a rabid animal, such as saliva, gets directly into their eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound.” Untreated, rabies is typically fatal in humans.

Pet owners are encouraged to ensure that vaccinations are up to date. If those Paradise cats had their boosters they are OK. If not, the owners must choose between euthanizing them or getting the vaccine and putting them in kitty quarantine for six months. Call Butte County Animal Control office 891-2907 for more information about rabies.

Yo’ CMOMA: Chico’s Dovetail Design Gallery is preparing a new gallery show featuring original paintings, etchings, drawings, art glass and sculptures by Renoir, Rembrandt, William Blake, Toulouse Lautrec, Edward Hopper, Henri Matisse and several more museum- (real museum) quality artists.

This is not a trick; in fact it’s a remarkable treat made possible by local art collectors Richard and Marion Frye.

“If you go to [their] house, it’s like a museum,” said gallery employee Vanessa Lambert about the Fryes’ collection.

Dovetail owner Bill McCoy joined forces with the Fryes (and purchased some additional insurance) to turn his gallery into a veritable Chico Museum of Modern Art from Oct. 18 through Dec. 31. There will be an opening reception for the exhibit Saturday, Oct. 23 from 7-9 p.m.

Dovetail Design Gallery is located at 173 E. Third Ave. For more info call 345-7500.

The end of crime: If you had some sort of nefarious plans in the works for this month, you should probably wait a while. October, though half over, was officially declared crime-prevention month at the Board of Supervisors meeting Oct. 12. Butte County Sheriff Crime Prevention Coordinator Cheryl Kyle said that there have been “three safety fairs held this month” and a fourth is planned this weekend at Palermo School in Palermo. “October is the busiest month to have [the fairs].” At the safety fairs “we go out and answer people’s questions and hand out information that might be relevant in their lives and for their community…and let them know what services are available to them and enlist their help in fighting crime.”