Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/7111
GROVELAND (AP) — A federal safety offi- cial says inspectors were documenting the scene Sunday of a plane crash site where two people were killed near a rural Northern Cali- fornia airport. Eliott Simpson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, says what remains of the plane will be examined for further evidence at an The Board of Supervisors will begin a week-long public hearing at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday as it reconsiders everything relevant to Sun City Tehama. The long-awaited senior housing community was dealt a setback in late 2009 by a lawsuit from the Cali- fornia Oak Foundation. Most of the foundation's allegations were thrown out of court, but the California Court of Appeals sided with the foundation when it claimed the county ignored advice from a paid consultant over how much develop- er Del Webb could afford to invest in infrastructure. The decision led to a court order requiring the coun- ty to "set aside and vacate" all documents it had approved for Sun City. The original plan called for a 3,320-acre, 3,700- home senior housing community in northern Tehama County, just off Interstate 5. It was approved in 2006. Among the items the county will vote on again are an amendment to the General Plan permitting Sun City, the development plan itself and a development agree- ment between the county, Del Webb owner Pulte Home Corporation and property owners Nine Mile Hill Investment Company and Noby Venture. More information is available by calling 527-4655 or visiting co.tehama.ca.us. By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Alternately humorous and horrific, shifting between the personal and the global, the Vagina Monologues returned Sat- urday to Red Bluff. The play was derived from a series of inter- views playwright Eve Ensler conducted with women about their rela- tionship with their sexual- ity and their bodies. It was introduced locally in 2009 as a way to raise money for Alternatives to Vio- lence, a local nonprofit that helps victims of domestic violence, with local performers and director. The play is famous in part for its explicit nature. The characters, all women and in this case dressed entirely in red and black, talk candidly about their vaginas and their sex lives. Some initially write off their vagina as a separate entity altogether — one woman spends years thinking of her vagina as furniture before she learns to admire it, while an elderly woman thinks of hers as a closed off, for- gotten basement and eventually loses her reproductive organs to cancer. The play's happiest characters are those who embrace their bodies. "My vagina is a flower, an eccentric tulip," says one. The play ventures into darker territory. Several segments offer anecdotes from survivors of rape and abuse, including a South Dakotan woman who was beaten so badly that she had to undergo five brain surgeries. It took her 18 months just to relearn to cook breakfast, she said. A pair of lesbian char- acters are featured, one of which recounts her expe- rience as a "sex worker," and another who remi- nisces about her teenage sexual coming-of-age at the hands of an older woman. Weather forecast 8B Sunshine 61/42 N EWS D AILY DAILY 50¢ MONDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2010 Is your child's allergy real? Wrestling Wrap up Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 See Page 4A SPORTS 1B Vitality 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Dave Hencratt for Sheriff/Coroner ★ Tri Tip Dinner $ 15 00 Paid for by the committee to elect Dave Hencratt for Sheriff/Coroner February 26th, 2010, 6pm Red Bluff Community Center Auction & Silent Auction • Door Prizes Music by: Chad Bushnell Ticket available at: Crossroads Feed 595 Antelope Blvd. or call 526-5675 Paid Political Advertisement Walmart wind tower prompts bird concern By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Bird migration concerns did little to stop the Planning Com- mission from rubber-stamping a wind turbine for the Walmart distribution center. Two men, whose workplace or property neighbor the center, were the sole opposition pre- sent at a meeting Thursday morning, and both said they were worried the wind turbine would interfere with birds attracted to a series of retaining pools that collect on the land. "I'm not a bird watcher, but there are some really neat birds over there," said Doug Graves, who works nearby. The 140-foot tower uses technology to deter bird deaths. Traditional wind turbines can cause bird-and-bat hearts to pop when the air pressure changes. Green Electric Co. technology not only avoids this, but creates a signal the animals interpret as a solid building, making them likely to avoid the turbine alto- gether, according to company materials. Commissioners familiar with the company's proposal said the death rates are exceeding low in testing, as low as a handful among millions. Yet by erecting the tower directly above the pool, Graves and Greg Slade, a nearby ranch- er, feared the turbine could still disrupt bird patterns. "I don't think they under- Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson The Planning Commission Thursday approved a use permit allowing Walmart to install a wind turbine at its Distribution Center, but ponds such as this raise concern about birds that stop nearby. Decadent delight Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson Blake Tratham, 3, gets a taste of chocolate fondue with a little help from Michal Tratham, Saturday evening at Chocolate Fantasia, the revival of a fundraising event sponsored by Soroptomist International of Red Bluff. Mail theft on rise By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Tax season has brought a rash of mail theft to Tehama County, particularly in the countryside. Over the past month, mailboxes have reportedly been damaged or broken into on Highway 99W, Acorn Avenue and Wilcox Road. Mailbox break-ins typically increase when thieves look to cash in other people's tax refunds, Sheriff Clay Parker said. As different companies use different meth- ods for returns, some returns can be cashed with little to no identification. Parker recommended filing taxes online, directly through IRS.gov, which can electronically deposit the refund in your bank account instead of mailing it to you. The Web site is secure and poses no risk of identity theft, he said. Parker suggested checking mail regularly, and said readers should call law enforcement if they see suspi- cious people or vehicles lingering around mailboxes. Although deputies usually catch a few mail thieves, it can be more effective to take the right precautions, he said. Sgt. Kevin Busekist, of the Red Bluff Police Depart- ment, said mail theft still happens in city limits. Feb. 12, a caller discovered 10 mailboxes had been broken into at the corner of Jefferson Street and Luther Road, according to logs. But reports of mail theft are usually less frequent in city limits, likely because there are more potential wit- nesses, Busekist said. Whereas city mailboxes are flanked by windows and passing traffic, country mail- boxes are sometimes out of the view of both their own- ers and neighbors. Busekist advised paying for a Post Office box or using a mailbox with a lock, he said. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or gjohnson@redbluffdailynews.com. 'Monologues' becoming local favorite Daily News photo by Chip Thompson Jessica Rabalais, right, acts out a village scene described in a monologue by Amanda Davidsen Saturday night during a benefit performance of The Vagina Monologues at the State Theatre in Red Bluff. The performance was a benefit for Alternatives to Violence. County goes back to drawing board on Sun City plan Tuolumne plane crash See WIND, page 7A See LOCAL, page 7A See CRASH, page 7A