2007 - the year in review

Nevada County news turned heads this year. Headlines included the firing of two public officials, two murder trials, a scathing Grand Jury report, hefty public pay raises, a slowing economy, white-collar crime investigations, and pot busts that highlighted marijuana as the county's top cash crop. Gibson, the world's tallest dog and a local resident, appeared on national TV again.

Here are the top stories in The Union that generated attention in 2007:

• After a three-week trial, Napa County jurors found Grass Valley resident Richard Williams guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of his estranged wife Hendrika "Hetty" Williams. He shot her three times with a nail gun.

The trial was moved to Napa after a judge granted a change of venue motion. The same judge was disqualified from the case after another judge ruled he might not be impartial because of personal ties to the victim's family.

• The county's economy sagged because of the prolonged real estate slump, continued foreclosures and a credit crunch - part of a national trend. Consumer costs, ranging from gasoline prices to sewer rates, continued rising.

• Gibson, the world's tallest dog, appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" - another feature collared by the Grass Valley canine. Gibson has appeared on almost all top national TV talk shows.

• Public workers and managers in the county, Grass Valley and Nevada City received raises this year - including some double-digit ones - despite a slowing economy. A raise for county supervisors was tabled, pending a Grand Jury review.

• Police raided Loan Sense, a mortgage company of local lawyer Thomas Hastert, in September after receiving numerous complaints of alleged fraudulent real estate lending and investing. The district attorney's office is investigating the allegations.

• Four large marijuana plantation raids brought the total number of outdoor marijuana plants seized this year in Nevada County to 38,261 - up nearly ninefold from 4,389 last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration reported. Marijuana was listed as the county's largest cash crop, rivaling Humboldt.

• Nevada County economic groups need to work together and attract new businesses instead of concentrating on the status quo and tourism, according to an economic report that was critical of existing efforts.

• Grass Valley City Council members fired Gene Haroldsen, the city administrator for 15 years. Jeff Foltz, former Yuba City city manager, replaced Haroldsen and served as interim city administrator for the rest of the year.

• Kathleen Smith, the clerk-recorder of Nevada City, was booted out of office by the Nevada County Board of Supervisors. Smith, who was widely criticized for fumbling local elections, had been working as the Rio Vista city clerk for a month when she quit.

• The Nevada County Grand Jury blasted Nevada City leaders for missing significant revenue by failing to bill or incorrectly billing for fees and taxes in a report titled "Asleep at the Wheel." The city said it has corrected the problems.

• Despite the county's large senior population, the Lutz Center adult day care facility in Nevada City closed its doors for financial reasons.

• Nevada County Supervisor Sue Horne prepared to run for the state's 3rd District Assembly seat held by Rick Keene, a Republican from Chico. Her opponent will be Yuba County Supervisor Don Logue.

• Young drivers racing to get a burrito and get back to school before the tardy bell rings may be a thing of the past as Nevada Union High School contemplates whether to become a closed campus.

• Nevada City's sales tax revenue is down nearly 10 percent compared to annual projections, which could lead to some budget cutbacks, according to Nevada City City Manager Mark Miller.

• Linda Balch, 61, of Nevada City, pleaded not guilty to embezzling more than $100,000 from her homeowners association as its treasurer. Her husband, Tom Balch, is a former mayor of Nevada City.

• Frank A. Zupan was sentenced in April to life in prison for murdering his wife, Shauneen Zupan, as she sat in the driver's seat of the couple's minivan in November 2005. The DA's office presented evidence that Zupan killed his wife for financial gain: He was not willing to part with the proceeds from the sale of his wife's Bay Area home. She was planning to divorce Zupan and give the proceeds from the sale of the home to her sons from her first marriage.

• Nevada City banned smoking in its parks in August, joining an ongoing trend to protect people from the dangers of second-hand smoke. The city hired two community service officers to crack down on illegal parking and loitering but temporarily pared staffing to one at year's end.

• Terry McAteer decided to step down from his longtime position as the Nevada County superintendent of schools. He was replaced by Holly Hermansen in mid-August. Tom Anderson and Cliff Newell were sworn in as Superior Court judge and district attorney, respectively.

• Nevada City's longtime city clerk, Cathy Wilcox-Barnes, sued the City of Nevada City, alleging wrongful termination, whistle-blower violations, defamation and numerous other allegations.

• For his fifth local conviction for drunken driving, a 47-year-old Nevada County man was sentenced to a treatment program and probation, incensing some law enforcement officers who say repeat DUI offenders should go to prison.

• A man accused of molesting his son, who retracted his guilty plea after a judge ordered him to register as a sex offender, pleaded guilty to felony child endangerment in front of another judge who did not require sex offender registration. The DA's handling of the case had upset Grass Valley police.

• A former prisoner said Nevada County paid him $10,000 for agreeing not to sue the county regarding the way he allegedly was treated by a deputy in the sheriff's office. According to the 23-year-old former prisoner of Pahrump, Nev., a part-time Nevada County deputy engaged in sexual misconduct with him in a hotel room in Tonopah, Nev., en route to the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility in 2006. The deputy never was arrested.

• The Nevada City Carriage Company will stop providing horse-drawn carriage rides in the historic downtown after New Year's Eve. This marks the end of a tradition that has lasted nearly three decades.

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Staff Writers Robyn Moormeister, Laura Brown and Greg Moberly contributed to this report.