Free Republic

Water releases from Shasta Lake are at the highest in 20 years as the lake nears full capacity Monday. The lake stood at 96 percent of capacity and 137 percent of the historical average, as of midnight Monday, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Water officials are releasing 70,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) from Shasta Dam as the lake stands just 5 feet from the top of the reservoir, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office said. "This is higher than it should be for this point in time," the sheriff's office said. "The release is necessary for space...

SHASTA LAKE, Calif. (AP) - An autopsy of a college student found dead at Lake Shasta last week indicates that she hanged herself, Shasta County Sheriff Jim Pope said Monday. Gina Zalunardo, 22, of Redmond, Ore., apparently committed suicide after she disappeared May 7 following an argument with her boyfriend at Slaughterhouse Island on Lake Shasta, Pope said. "The evidence from the scene was the indication of that," Pope said. Toxicology reports are pending. Zalunardo, a junior at Oregon State University, was staying on a houseboat with members of her sorority over the Mother's Day weekend. The boat, which was...