Downstroke

Shamrock shakedown: When we read late last year in Chico State’s The Orion newspaper about a group of investors planning to buy Chevy’s and turn it into a nightclub, we were confused. Had the News & Review been scooped on a story a scant two blocks from our office? It couldn’t be.

We searched public records and other sources for the man quoted in the article, Mike Shamrock, to no avail. Fishy, we thought—and unlikely that an unknown guy could afford to buy the huge building at Second and Broadway, even if it were for sale. Turns out Shamrock was one of several aliases, and the 38-year-old con man wasn’t doing any such thing.

Benjamin Wayne Ford was out to cheat Chico business owners, say police. He was arrested in Sacramento on parole violations and may face charges ranging from extortion to rape.

PV Highjinx: A student at Fair View High was suspended this week for his role in a water balloon war between juniors and seniors at PV High that escalated into fisticuffs. PV Principal Mike Rupp said there had been a good-natured rivalry between the two grades that turned sour after a group of seniors confronted the juniors off-campus and told them to knock it off. The Fair View youth, whom school officials declined to name, was apparently caught up in the conflict and decided to take his revenge with a water balloon in the PV High parking lot Friday. This led to a fight that was caught on videotape by a PV High junior who knew in advance of the plot. The Fair View junior was suspended for three days. Chico police are investigating the matter.