Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/30523
Saturday, April 30, 2011 – Daily News – 9A SCHOOL Continued from page 1A Police officers told him only that the crime was a “significant issue” and that they would be there awhile, Gleason said. Gleason issued a memo to all the staff to let every- one know what the offi- cers had said and that the school was safe. To make sure students were monitored, staff and law enforcement worked together blocking First Street exits from the cafe- teria that opened to the crime scene. Students couldn’t get into the area, but they were allowed to look out the cafeteria win- dows that face the scene, Gleason said. There were at least a half-dozen law enforce- ment vehicles on scene, he said. Several parents called or showed up wanting to know what was going on, mainly wanting to know their kids were safe, Glea- son said. No students or staff on campus were really con- nected with the tenants at 1136 First St. It didn’t seem as if the man and woman had lived there very long, Gleason said. He tries to keep aware of the neighborhood around the school. The reaction on cam- pus was calm, a reflection of the staff’s experience with outside issues, such as the shooting of Officer Dave Mobilio, Gleason said. “I’m really proud of our staff who are closest to those kids and provide safety and stability,” he said. Rumors and speculation were going around, and the students were asking a lot of questions, he said. Staff was able to communicate with students and it was back to business, despite the horrific crime across the street. They weren’t sure what was going on, but every- one seemed to know it was going to be OK, Gleason said. “Kids clearly knew that we didn’t know,” he said. After school, sporting events were going on at the opposite end of the school just as law enforce- ment was finishing up the investigation at the crime scene. Friday morning, before police revealed the names and causes of death of the victims, all seemed nor- mal and unaltered at the home. A toy tractor and some other playthings were sit- ting next to a porch step. Mail was spilling out of a porch mailbox. A small, groomed lawn. Vehicles sit in the driveway and next to the curb. Parents continue to drop off and pick up their children in the street in front. Staff have faced the issues with students, Glea- son said. They can now put out any false rumors that have been circulating and keep school in busi- ness. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailyne ws.com. Ever wonder how to get a hot air balloon off the ground? Organizers of the annual Ribs, Rods & Rides event at Rolling Hills Casino will be offering a chance to learn how starting at 7 a.m. today. Anyone age 18 or older in good physical shape can reserve a spot for a free lesson on how to crew a hot air LOCAL Continued from page 1A Tonya Peddicord, presi- dent of the Lassen Associ- ation of Realtors, said banks have eased up, and the relationship between lenders and buyers has improved. “Banks we’re impossi- ble to work with,” Peddi- cord said. “They made things very difficult to deal with, but banks and the financial industry as a whole have gotten a lot better.” Short sales account for most of the increase in the market. Homes in the price range of $220,000 and below have been the most popular. Most buyers FOUNT Continued from page 1A ished his math and spelling home- work in 10 minutes, he said. “I usually mess around, and it takes me like two hours to do my homework, but not after I drank this,” he said. Purcell is convinced the water helped him concentrate on his home- work, so he is happy to see all the DEMS Continued from page 1A crafting new legislative and congressional dis- tricts, and legislative can- didates face a new, voter- approved primary system in which the top two vote- getters advance from the primary, regardless of party affiliation. Party chairman John Burton said there isn’t much the party can do to prepare for the redistrict- ing maps, the first draft of which will be released in June, save for “going to church a lot.” “No matter what hap- pens, I believe there’ll be Students treated to brass class at State Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner Some 90 students from Berrendos, Antelope,Vista and Plum Valley schools joined in a music program by Presidio Brass at the State Theatre Friday. The concert finale had the students joining the group onstage performing music from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The event was organized partly by the Community Concert Association. Music teachers at each school helped get the young musicians involved. Learn to crew a hot air balloon today at free class PLAN Participants will be eligible for balloon. Reservations aren’t required and anyone is welcome to show up. Participants are to meet at the north end of the casino. Weather permitting, two balloons will be put up to fly during the les- son. However, the lesson is more about learning how to put a balloon up than flying one. The lesson is in preparation for are entry-level, first-timers who are going from rent- ing to buying. “They’re people who have been renting for a long time but are realizing a mortgage is cheaper than paying rent,” Peddicord said. In Tehama County about 107 homes were sold in the first three months of the year, according to numbers from the Tehama County Association of Realtors. The average price range of homes sold in March was $119,838. In Chico, 200 homes have been sold so far this year. By comparison, 160 homes sold during the same period last year, Fedeli said. While the market is the June event, which includes a bal- loon festival, car show and rib cook off. invitation to help the ground crew at Ribs, Rods & Rides, June 4 and 5, when 25 balloons will be put in the air if weather permits. For more information, call 200- 0820. improving, it could be bet- ter and there is still a long way toward complete recovery. Banks are not foreclos- ing fast enough on delin- quent homeowners, allow- ing them to stay in homes they can’t afford when others are looking to buy, the Realtors said. They suspect banks are holding onto a number of shadow inventory, or bank-owned homes that have not been put on the market. “We’re not done clear- ing up this mess,” Fedeli said. “There’s still a lot of work to do.” For those who are look- ing to buy there are few things to keep in mind before making the com- mitment. Buyers need to be in it students at the school will be drink- ing it during testing week, he said. “I think this will really help us,” he said. Students received bottles as they left school Friday and were advised to not drink the bottle until Sunday evening, saving their brain power for their first test Monday. Students will each get two more bottles throughout the testing week. Wat-aah donated the bottles of water to the school after hearing challenges by somebody,” he said. Party delegates also are focusing on 2012, as Pres- ident Barack Obama faces what could be a difficult re-election contest and Democrats aim to retake the House of Representa- tives that they lost in a near-nationwide Republi- can tide. “We’ll do what we did last year to make sure that we have our state in order and then we can help other states, you know, by phone-banking in some of the battleground states where they need help,” Burton said. After last year’s big win, there is also likely to be little of the party for the long term, Fedeli said. “Make sure you’re buy- ing a house because you want to be there for five or more years,” Fedeli said. Smith said when shop- ping for a new home find- ing the right agent can be just as important as find- ing the right place. Buyers need to look for an agent they can work well with and someone who under- stand their needs. “They get to pick their ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdailynews.co m. agent,” Smith said. “It doesn’t have to be the per- son whose sign is in the yard.” about Purcell’s experience. The school’s goal is to achieve an API score of 845, which is 22 points higher than last year’s score and above the state’s required minimum of 800 points. A handful of students were rec- ognized for their advanced scores on last year’s test, with two student get- ting perfect scores. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527- 2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdailynews.com. infighting that consumed California Republicans at their recent Sacramento convention. Republicans were grappling with a process to nominate candi- dates under the new pri- mary system, but Democ- rats have had a nomination system in place since 1990. California Democrats proved their might by stopping the Republican wave last year, but their wins were no accident, the party’s executive director, Shawnda Westly, sought to remind the party faith- ful in an online post this week. Democrats have a 44 percent registration edge, compared with 31 percent for Republicans and 20 percent for independents, the fastest-growing seg- ment of the electorate, but one that typically leans blue. Westly said the party capitalized on its registra- tion edge last fall with a coordinated statewide effort to boost absentee voter turnout. The move led to an increase of near- ly 745,000 more perma- nent Democratic vote-by- mail ballots than the party turned out in the previous gubernatorial election in 2006. “And that made the dif- ference in the attorney general’s race, which was decided by about 75,000 votes,” Westly said. Continued from page 1A able for things like levees, culverts or even elevating properties, such as those recently done in the city of Tehama, they are a 25-75 percent match. That means a homeowner who gets a grant has to come up with a 25 percent match, she said. In the mitigation plan, hazards are prioritized based on magnitude, dura- tion and distribution. High risks for Corning’s plan include flooding, transportation and water or wastewater disruption. Hazardous materials and biological, health or pan- demic flu were on the list due to the fact that Corning is located along a major freeway running from Mex- ico, Rogala said. “Those are the kinds of things that really affect your community so we really need to take a look at them,” Rogala said. Earthquakes, explosions, severe weather and wild- land or urban fire were list- ed as moderate, while avia- tion disaster, civil unrest, dam failure, drought, vol- canic activity and tsunamis were listed as low risk. Building Inspector Terry Hoofard was concerned about another situation like the 2008 fire season and City Clerk Lisa Linnet was worried about the affects of volcanic ash, both asking Rogala what could be done. Rogala’s advice was to stay indoors with an air fil- tration system in place and wear particle masks to go outdoors. Most of the residents chiming in on the plan wor- ried about telecommunica- tion or data loss, flooding and volcanic activity. While volcanic activity has not happened in almost 100 years, it is disastrous, said Rogala who worked as incident command for a search and rescue team at the Mt. St. Helens eruption and in efforts after hurri- cane Katrina. “Flood and telecommu- nications is what we’re most concerned about (in Corning), but volcanic activity poses an extremely high health problem,” Rogala said. Ash causes secondary problems such damage to car engines, blown trans- formers and power loss, she said. Rogala recommended the committee talk to com- munities who recently had to go between 15 and 27 days without power due to ice storms. While FEMA recom- mends three days of food and supplies, people should have at least two weeks’ worth. It’s a good idea to have a central person everyone in the family can check in with who is out of the area. Messages can be left with that person for other mem- bers of the family, she said. “Continually look for new threats and more pub- lic input,” Rogala said. “Until the council has approved it, you can make changes and add things.” Wednesday’s meeting was one of several ways to get the public’s input, said Corning Fire Chief Martin Spannaus, chairman of the committee. Residents may visit City Hall, stop by the police or fire departments or take the survey at www.corning.org to list their concerns. “We want the public’s input because it’s their community and they’re the stakeholders in this,” Span- naus said. The plan is available on www.corning.org. More information is available by calling City Hall at 824- 7033. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, exten- sion 115 or jzeeb@red- bluffdailynews.com.