Downstroke

Did they retire his jersey?
Say goodbye to the Meggs era and hello to the Taylor era. Genius Chico State baseball coach Lindsay Meggs will be leaving the Wildcats to become head coach at Indiana State University, to be replaced—at least on an interim basis—by Dave Taylor, head coach at Cal State Los Angeles and a former pitching coach at Chico State.

Taylor will have his work cut out for him to match Meggs’ success. In 13 seasons, Meggs led the Wildcats to the College World Series seven times, won eight conference championships and seven regional crowns. Meggs was named coach of the year numerous times by the NCAA and Chico State.

As he did in Chico, Meggs will be trying to turn a struggling program into a model one—only this time he’s in Division I, which means he will have far more to work with.

Enloe gets first female chief
Speaking of new hires, Enloe Medical Center announced this week that it has an interim CEO to replace the outgoing Dan Neumeister. She’s Beth O’Brien (pictured), she starts work Aug. 1, and she’s Enloe’s first female CEO. Not only that, she began her career as a nurse.

O’Brien’s resume suggests she’s in the business of healing not only people, but also sick hospitals. A 30-year health-care veteran, she most recently served as the president/CEO of Baptist Health in Alabama, a financially troubled institution that she stabilized. Prior to that she held the same post at Catholic Healthcare West’s Southern California Division. According to an Enloe press release, she is one of only 28 women in the country to be named to Modern Healthcare magazine’s “100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare 2004.”

“Coming in as the interim CEO creates a special challenge,” O’Brien said in the release. “It will be a pleasure to be part of this hospital and community for as long as I am needed.”

Another era ends
Longtime Chicoans got a surprise—a shock, really—when Austin’s Home Furnishers announced it was closing up shop. The family-owned business, which has been located at its current Skyway location since 1985, will make way for a new retail development planned for the site.

The business was founded by Earl and Norman Austin in 1962 and has been managed recently by Brian Austin and his sister Brenda Austin Petersen. “After 44 years of serving the North Valley, Brian and I are certainly sad to be closing the store that our dad founded,” Petersen said in a press release, “but we are incredibly excited about our new venture.”

Shelter from the heat
The Torres Community Shelter is extra busy these days. With the heat in the 100s for days on end, people are flocking to the air-conditioned accommodation. The shelter reported a nearly 50 percent increase in guests since the heat wave hit, with about 75 guests. The Torres facility can hold 120 people.

Other places for the homeless to get out of the heat are the Jesus Center’s Sabbath House in Chico, which can accommodate 22 women and children, and the Oroville Rescue Mission, with room for 22 men and 10 women.