Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/786984
Staffreport RED BLUFF A 24-year-old man, whoisconsideredahigh-risksexof- fender, is sought by the Red Bluff Police Department after he cut off his ankle monitor Monday. Jose De Jesus Esparza Jr. was recently released from prison and paroled to Tehama County, according toapressreleaseissuedTuesdayby the Red Bluff Police Department. Esparza is described as a His- panic man with black hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion, who is about 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 188 pounds. If anyone has information or sees Esparza, it is advised not to approach him but to contact local law enforcement, according to the release. The Red Bluff Police Depart- ment can be reached at 527-3131. WANTED High-risksex offender cuts off ankle monitor By Julie Zeeb jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com @DN_Zeeb on Twitter RED BLUFF The Shasta County bomb Squad was requested to respond about 4 p.m. Tuesday after a suspicious device was lo- cated at a residence in the 1000 block of Monroe Street during renovation work, prompting a temporary closure of streets in the Red Bluff neighborhood. The device, described as a cylindrical device with a fuse attached, was found while the owners were pulling off some old siding in a studio unit on their property, said Red Bluff Police Sgt. Kevin Busekist. "We have Red Bluff Fire on standby and have given precau- tionary notice to the surround- ing neighbors, but no evacua- tions yet," Busekist said. "It's much better to be safe than sorry." Preliminary closures in- cluded Monroe Street between Cedar and Union streets as well CLOSURE Bomb squad called for device found on Monroe By Heather Hoelscher hhoelscher@redbluffdailynews.com @DN_Heather on Twitter REDBLUFF TheSacramentoRiver at Vina Woodson Bridge and the Tehama Bridge remains under a flood warning as continued re- leases from Shasta Lake and Kes- wick Reservoir, along with addi- tional rainfall expected later in the week, will keep the upper river high. The wet weather is forecasted to begin Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, accord- ing to the National Weather Ser- vice. There is an 80 percent chance of precipitation Friday and rain showers are expected to continue through Sunday. As of 1 p.m. Monday there was 79,000 cubic feet per second of water released from the Keswick Reservoir, the most water released since before October, according to data going back to Oct. 17, 2016. Cone Grove Road between Foot- hill Road and New Creek Bridge had been reopened as of 11 a.m. Tuesday. There are roads that remain TEHAMA COUNTY Floodwarningscontinue Watercoming around the stumps pictured here at Tehama Vina River Bridge Tuesday. On Monday the water was just in front of them. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY JENNIFER CAROTHERS By Andre Byik abyik@chicoer.com OROVILLE Butte County Sher- iff Kory Honea on Tuesday lifted a mandatory evacuation order for residents of Oroville, Gridley and other areas downstream of the damaged spillways at Oro- ville Dam. At a news conference Tuesday afternooninOroville,Honeasaid the threat of a concrete wall col- lapsing at the head of the emer- gency spillway has been mini- mized.Hesaidresidentscouldre- turn home and businesses could reopen. An evacuation warning re- mained in effect, which the sher- iff said considers the possibility that future inclement weather or problems associated with exist- ing damage to the spillways may cause another round of "immedi- ate" evacuations. More than 180,000 people in citiesandcommunitiesbelowthe dam and along the Feather River corridor in Butte, Yuba and Sut- ter counties were told to quickly evacuate at 4 p.m. Sunday be- cause dam operators feared the emergency spillway could col- lapse. Tractors and trucks full of huge boulders were working at thedamMondaymorning,trying to plug a massive hole that de- velopedSundayintheemergency spillway below the concrete wall after the lake overflowed it Sat- urday. Honea said that effort is ex- pected to be completed ahead of future stormy weather. "Taking into account the cur- rent level of risk, the predicted strength of the next round of in- clement weather and the capac- ity of the lake to accommodate increased inflow associated with those storms, we have concluded that it is safe to reduce the imme- diate evacuation order currently in place to an evacuation warn- ing," he said. Tim Taylor, Butte County's superintendent of schools, said all school districts — except for Chico and Paradise — will re- main closed through Friday. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, dam op- erators were releasing 100,000 cubic-feet per second of water down the broken primary spill- way, which started coming apart onFeb.7.Theyaretryingtolower the lake in anticipation of incom- ing storms, which are supposed to arrive late Wednesday. The OROVILLE DAM FLOOD THREAT EASES BILL HUSA — MERCURY-REGISTER Riverbend Park is under water Tuesday in Oroville as 100,000cubic-feet per second of water is released into the Feather River from Lake Oroville. EMILY BERTOLINO — MERCURY-REGISTER Workers stage rocks at a dam overlook parking lot on Monday. They are being trucked across the dam and dumped into erosion that developed when the emergency spillway overflowed. Community.....A3 Opinion............A4 Lifestyles........B3 Comics ............B4 Sports.............. B1 Weather ..........B6 INDEX Have a great day, Don McGreal GOOD MORNING Kim Jong Un's half brother assassinated at airport, telling workers he was attacked with chemical spray. PAGEB6 ASIA Official:N.Korean leader's brother killed Spokesman says the president was informed about mislead- ing statements weeks before aide was ousted. PAGE B6 WHITE HOUSE Trump told in January about Flynn Esparza FLOOD PAGE 5 Check out what's going on in your neighborhood and the community. PAGE A2 LOCAL CALENDAR BOMB PAGE 5 Sheriffli sevacuationorder DAM PAGE 5 U Dow Jones 20,504.41 (+92.25) U S&P 500 2337.58 (+9.33) U Nasdaq 5782.57 (+18.61) BUSINESS (530) 527-2151 • 728 Main St., Red Bluff The Daily News office will CLOSED Monday, February 20 in observance of President's Day » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, February 15, 2017 50CENTS AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD Online Find more news on our website. redbluffdailynews.com Canines Workshop set for therapy dogs and their handlers Lifestyles B3 Alpine Red Bluff's Sousa gets first place in skiing Sports B1 Volume132,issue62 7 58551 69001 9 Drizzle High: Low: 61 52 PAGE B6