Royalty, runaways remind community to smile

Not all Mid-Valley news in 2005 changed the face of the region or was particularly thought-provoking.

Some headlines came from the lighter side of Yuba-Sutter life.

Remember the chicken-shooting incident?

An Olivehurst man was arrested in November for allegedly shooting a chicken that wandered into his yard.

Keith Kariker, 66, was arrested by Yuba County sheriff's deputies at his home on suspicion of discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner and cruelty to animals.

The chicken crossed into Kariker's yard, and he allegedly got a shotgun and fired at the offending animal, striking it in a wing and side.

Pellets from the blast struck a nearby residence, but no humans were injured. Whether the assaulted chicken lived never was revealed.

Yuba City royalty

Quiet, unassuming Bill Capell of Yuba City discovered in June he would be Britain's next Earl of Essex. The 53-year-old retired groceryman had known for years he had British royalty in his family, but he had no idea he was next in line for the title.

“I wasn't sure exactly what spot I was at,” he said.

Capell, a lifelong Yuba City resident, doesn't know for sure what his duties would be, but he likened his position to a mayor or governor.

When the current Earl, Frederick Paul de Vere Capell, dies, Capell can take the seat because he is the Earl's fourth cousin, once-removed.

Later in the year, Capell got a chance to visit his family's native country on the “Inside Edition” newsmagazine show's dime.

The show paid for six family members to tour London for three days in September.

Lost and found

A 11/2 year-old Collie named Pippin went missing in the Yuba foothills at Collins Lake over Memorial Day weekend. The owners, Margo and Kevin Riach, were so heartbroken over their loss they quit their jobs in the Bay Area to search for their pet full-time.

After seven months, the dog was found on property in Browns Valley, where Pippin had dug a shelter under an old pumphouse. He had lost three pounds and had some minor scrapes and cuts.

“It's a miracle,” Margo Riach said. “With all the coyotes, cougars and bears up there, he made it, and he's home.”

And we can't forget Rosemary, the four-legged evacuee from Hurricane Katrina. Rosemary - a small, black dog with white markings on her chest - was staying at a foster home in Yuba City after the Gulf Coast was ravaged by storms. She ran away in early October but was found and taken to another home East Marysville, where she escaped again.

The dog was then found by two women as they drove on Highway 20 in Marysville the third week of October. They spotted Rosemary scampering in traffic, and she was rescued.

Cross-country trip

Rick and Sharon Frank made news when they rolled into their driveway in Yuba City the evening of Aug. 22, sweat pouring from under their bicycle helmets and tan lines striping their faces.

After 3,290 miles, 13 flat tires, five broken chains and two new sets of tires each, the couple returned home from their cross-country trip that began in May in Virginia.

“Before we left, I was becoming fairly cynical about people in general,” Rick Frank said. “Since we've done this ride, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the people in this country are good. This is a good, strong country.”

The couple, avid bicyclists, had retired and felt they were ready to make the cross-country trip. They had trained for about two years and began the first leg of their journey May 23, 2004, by flying to Yorktown, Va.

They finished 140 days later.

Glimpsing the president

Colusa residents Sue Gibbs and Lynne Spivak were dressing for the Democracy Ball after President Bush's inauguration in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20.

The duo already had glimpsed the president as he ducked into his limousine on Pennsylvania Avenue after a parade, and they were hoping he would “pop” into their party that night.

But alas, the two Colusans never got closer than half a football field away from him at the inauguration.

Gibbs and Spivak are members of the Republican Central Committee of Colusa County. They have donated funds to the Republican Party over the last few years, and as a sign of appreciation, Spivak received two inauguration tickets.

“I'm glad I did it, but I've never stood in so many lines, and had so many security checks in my life,” Gibbs said.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Kymm Mann can be reached at 749-4708. You may e-mail her at kmann@appealdemocrat.com.