Briefs: Streets closed or Christmas Stroll

Plumas Street and surrounding streets in downtown Yuba City are closed to traffic most of Friday for the annual Christmas Stroll.

The main street is closed from Bridge Street to Colusa Avenue.

Nearby streets closed from 1 p.m.-11 p.m. also include sections of Teegarden Avenue, Center Street, Church Street, Forbes Avenue, Scott Street and Rockholt Way.

The event is from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. The street closure times are for vendor setup and take down.

For more traffic information, call the Yuba City Police Department Traffic Education and Enforcement Unit at 822-4660.

Yuba-Sutter

Blood drives planned for month

Several sites in the community are hosting blood drives, celebrating the Season of Giving sponsored by BloodSource.

Scheduled blood drives include:

Dec. 13 — 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Walmart Supercenter, bloodmobile, at 1131 N. Beale Road.

Dec. 16 — 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Cinemark, bloodmobile, at 1410 Whyler Ave., Yuba City.

Dec. 19 — 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Beale Air Force Base, Community Activity Center.

Dec. 20 — 7:30-11:30 a.m. at the California Department of Transportation District 3 office, the Cedar Ridge Training Room, 703 B St., Marysville.

Donors at all sites will receive a Season of Giving T-shirt and MyBloodSource rewards.

Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds, be at least 17 years old and in generally good health. Photo identification is required.

In addition, potential marrow donors can register in the Be the Match national marrow registry.

For more information, visit bloodsource.org or call 866-822-5663.

Wheatland

Teams to discuss veterans' benefits

National and state teams from the American Legion will be in the area to discuss veterans' benefits and the organization during three days next week as part of a community and veteran service campaign.

Information will be available from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14 and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Bear River American Legion Post 789/Pioneer Memorial hall, Fourth and B streets, Wheatland.

An American Legion service officer will also be on site from noon-4 p.m. Dec. 14-15 for veterans with claims or other veteran-related questions.

The American Legion National Headquarters is in Indianapolis, with the state office in San Francisco.

Yuba City

Registration for Polar Bear plunge

Registration is under way for the 2013 Polar Bear Plunge and Slide sponsored by the Yuba City Parks and Recreation department.

The event starts at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 1 at Gauche Aquatic Park, 421 C St., Yuba City.

Participants who register before Dec. 15 will receive a T-shirt. Cost is $20 per person before Dec. 26 or $30 afterward.

To register, visit online at gap.yubacity.net or pick up an application at Gauche Aquatic Park or recreation department, 1201 Civic Center Blvd.

Sutter County

Jump may have been suicide

Investigators believe the unidentified man whose body was found Sunday under the 10th Street Bridge may have taken his own life.

Foul play is not suspected, according to Sgt. Brian Baker of the Yuba City Police Department.

"There's no indication that he's a victim of homicide," Baker said Wednesday.

An autopsy determined the man died from blunt force trauma, according to the Sutter County Coroner's Office.

The body was found early Sunday under the bridge in Sutter County.

Yuba County

Manslaughter now a felony

A manslaughter charge against a Yuba County farmer was upgraded on Tuesday to a felony, the Yuba County District Attorney's Office confirmed.

Mark P. Dewsnup is scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 9 in Yuba County Superior Court.

Prosecutors filed a misdemeanor manslaughter charge earlier this year.

Dewsnup, 51, was charged in October with the 2011 death of his employee Rene Rodriguez Gutierrez.

Investigators said Dewsnup neglected basic safety procedures before fixing a broken tractor which caused the machine to roll over and crush Gutierrez in a District 10 rice field.

The Department of Industrial Relations said Dewsnup failed to ensure Gutierrez was clear of the machinery before pulling the tractor's accelerator throttle.

Marysville attorney Arturo Marquez appeared in court Tuesday on Dewsnup's behalf, but no plea was entered, authorities said.

Yuba City

Streets closed for 5K run/walk

Streets around the Yuba City Town Center's fountain will be closed to traffic Saturday morning for the second annual Girls on the Run 5K run/walk.

The event starts and ends around the fountain, at Plumas Boulevard and B Street.

Streets in the area closed from 9 a.m. to about 11 a.m. include Plumas Street, Franklin Avenue, Clark Avenue, B Street, Courthouse Way, C Street and Wilbur Avenue.