Moving&shaking

Local girl makes good promoter

Gentlemen, ring your bells. Chico’s own homegirl hottie, Amanda Detmer, is appearing in ads for Electra bicycles, sold locally at Pullins Cyclery and Sports LTD.

As part of a “Hollywood discovers Electra” promotion, which also features actors Maureen McCormick and Ian Virgo, there are six lovely pictures of Detmer at www.electrabike.com, with the caption, “Amanda personalized her bike with Electra accessories, including specialty valve caps, bells and mudflaps.”

You can catch Detmer, who often gives a shout out to Chico, in the movie Big Fat Liar and the new NBC series A.U.S.A.

But, Amanda, does your mom know you’re riding your bike in high-heeled boots?

The doctorates are in

For the first time since 1998, Chico State University is conferring honorary doctorates upon private citizens.

Businesspersons Steve Nettleton and Judy Sitton will be honored at this year’s commencement for their philanthropy.

The degree will read “Doctor of Humane Letters,” and the distinction was submitted by President Manuel Esteban, after referring with faculty committees. The CSU chancellor and Board of Trustees concurred.

Nettleton, the former grocery store and distribution service owner who was already widely known for his charitable donations and volunteer service, became the big man off campus when, in 1997, he and his wife, Kathy, donated a $2.5 million baseball stadium to the university. Nettleton got his “real” degree at San Diego State and also studied at Stanford.

Sitton, who is frequently seen volunteering for Chico State causes, was an executive at the hugely successful Bi-Tech Software, which she started with her husband, Gary. She got her bachelor’s degree and teaching credential at Chico State and then studied at the University of Alberta, Edmonton.

Beer saves planet

Also deserving props is Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, which is being honored by the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for reducing waste and helping the environment.

Only 10 businesses in the state received the “WRAP of the Year 2002” award, with Sierra Nevada being a standout for its practice of recycling almost everything, along with sending spent grains, hops and yeast to cattle for feed. The EPA totaled more than 10 million pounds of waste diverted from landfills. Also, Sierra Nevada saved $1.5 million with water-conservation measures by selling recyclables and reusing things.

One-time “microbrewery” Sierra Nevada, for those who have lost count, is the ninth-largest brewery in the nation.

OK, boys and girls…

The Boys & Girls Club of Chico, which has been working for years to get a new facility for local youths, is holding a groundbreaking celebration for the project. It will take place at 601 Wall St. on Monday, March 10, starting at 4 p.m., with the ceremony at 5.

There, you can see the building plans, enjoy refreshments, listen to Club 96.7 radio and tour the joint, with community members and city leaders who have supported the drive also in attendance.