Citrus Heights News Briefs: choir, power outage, India Oven, old Sylvan, evacuation

Latest local news briefs include a choir performance inside Sunrise Mall, the Citrus Heights Community Center being briefly opened as an evacuation center for Oroville Dam evacuees, a car hitting a power pole on Sylvan Road, updates on the future of Sylvan Middle School, and more.

Public safety briefs: car vs. pole, power outage, arrest
About 1,500 SMUD customers lost power after a car crashed into a power pole on Sylvan Road Friday evening, according to tweets from the utility district’s official Twitter page. Estimated time of restoration was 11 a.m. Saturday, but power was reportedly restored earlier to some customers.

In a Valentines Day news release, Citrus Heights police said a 49-year-old man was arrested after allegedly attempting to manufacture hash oil from marijuana, using a chemical solvent. Police said several callers had reported smoke coming from a duplex on the 5800 block of Sperry Drive, where officers later determined that suspect David Aaron Jantz had been attempting to manufacture the hash oil. Police said Jantz suffered several burns from a “small chemical explosion.” (See full news release)

Sacramento choir brings musical evening to Sunrise Mall
More than 40 members from the Sacramento Choral Society performed at Sunrise Mall Thursday in front of the Macy’s store. The hour-and-a-half-long performance began at 6:30 p.m. and drew an audience of shoppers, with sounds carrying several hundred feet away down the mall’s corridors. The nonprofit society is made up of an all-volunteer chorus and a professional orchestra. (Learn more)

India Oven in Citrus Heights gets 4-star food review
“What do you get when you combine 3,500-square-feet of seating, [a] full bar, 11,400-square-foot banquet hall, and a chef from NYC? India Oven, of course,” the City of Citrus Heights tweeted Thursday evening, along with a link to a food review of the restaurant published in the Sacramento Bee this week. The review, titled “The best Indian buffet? This Citrus Heights restaurant makes us think we found it,” focuses on the lunch buffet and praises the beautiful location, food, flavors, and price. India Oven’s lunch buffet is offered from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, for $11. (See review)

Deadline set to apply for old Sylvan school committee
A deadline of Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. has been set to apply for a position on the committee charged with making a recommendation on the future of the old Sylvan Middle School property currently being demolished. Applications to serve on the committee can be submitted online at sanjuan.edu/3280, with representatives sought from the community at-large, teachers or administrators, parents, business and neighborhood association representatives, and an expert on land use issues. The committee is expected to meet three or four times in March and April, according to the District’s website.

Citrus Heights Community Center briefly opened as evacuation center
Just after midnight on Monday, Feb. 13, Citrus Heights responded to the mandatory evacuation notice for residents near the Oroville Dam by opening the doors of the community center on Fountain Square Drive. Michele Saario, a community center staff member, confirmed the location was opened as a Red Cross evacuation center for about 11 hours, before evacuees were directed to Cal Expo. She said two or three evacuees had come to the center.

Also published this week:

• More letters: autism center, ARCO opposition, new WinCo at old Sylvan?
• Police: home invasion suspect pepper sprayed, stabbed after residents fight back
• ‘Hidden Treasures’ art show to feature local, Citrus Heights artists at Sunrise Mall