Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/10872
Saturday, May 22, 2010 – Daily News – 9A Death Notice Lorraine Louise Nicoll Lorraine Louise Nicoll died Thursday, May 20, 2010, in Red Bluff. She was 87. Neptune Society FD- 1440 in Chico is handling the arrangements. Published Saturday, May 22, 2010, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. PARENTS Continued from page 1A days, Hansen said. Parents agreed they were willing to give up the con- venience of the bus and make other sacrifices to ensure fifth graders stay at Antelope. When asked how she felt about the move, as she would be responsible for those additional students, Berrendos Middle School Co-Principal Teresa Cottier said the move is merited but needs to be thoroughly con- sidered. “The concept has merit but to make a decision two weeks before the end of the school year gives us not enough time to research and do our homework diligent- ly,” she said. The move can physically be done next school year, but there would be glitches that have to be worked out, Cottier said. Moving the fifth graders is supposed to be a cost-saving measure, but it could result in expens- es elsewhere. Hansen will present the pros and cons from the par- ent meeting to the board. The board will make the final decision during a spe- cial board meeting on Wednesday. At that meeting, Hansen also will propose three lay- off notices be rescinded. A retirement will open up one position. Cuts the district has implement resulted in a savings of about $155,000 and will allow two teachers to come back. Those cuts mostly affected staff. The school board will meet 6 p.m., Wednesday at Berrendos. GERBER Continued from page 1A out. At the time, the district official thought that the rate, which is 17 cents on the dollar for assessed property values was too high. “The fire rate is higher (than neighboring com- munities), but our school rates are lower so it’s actually just how the county allocates it,” said District Manager Mike Murphy. The rate for how much Gerber pays for fire pro- tection was set in 1974 when the district was formed and the district has no say in how the money the county takes in is allocated, he said. The board decided at its meeting Thursday to hold study sessions first to discuss matters before proceeding forward with restarting the process, which will include public hearings and approval by the Tehama County Board of Supervisors before it goes to LAFCO. The board also intro- duced its newest member, Curtis Brownfield, who will replace Gordon Culli- son, who resigned in Feb- ruary. Brownfield works for the Red Bluff Fish and Wildlife Services and moved to Gerber about a year ago to be closer to family. “I was approached and asked to consider (being on the board) and thought I might be able to serve the community and gain some interesting experi- ence,” Brownfield said. Courtesy photos Eighth grade students and parents enjoy lunch Friday at Maywood Middle School as part of a what could be a new tradition of Bring Your Parents To Lunch day. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING — There were 66 adults who went back to school, at least for lunch, Tues- day through Thursday in Corning as parents met up with their children at Maywood Mid- dle School for the day. Maywood started a new tradition this year with students from all three grades inviting their parents to join them for lunch at school. “It was a big success with Maywood con- sidering it was our first time doing this,” said Maywood Secretary Khrystie Shoemaker. “We reserved 10 school lunches a day for par- ents, however, more than that were encour- aged to come if they brought their own lunch.” On Tuesday, May 18, sixth grade students brought 23 parents while seventh graders brought 20 on Wednesday. For the final day, Eighth grade students brought 23. “We hope to carry this on and to make it a tradition every year,” Shoemaker said. The event was one of the suggestions brought to the school by its school site coun- cil. “It’s a chance for parents to come see our Maywood Cafe while enjoying a meal with their child,” Shoemaker said. The school would like to do the Bring Your Parents To Lunch day at least twice a year with one event at the beginning and the other at the end of the school year, she said. Homebuilder agrees to plea in fraud ring SACRAMENTO (AP) — A Northern California homebuilder has agreed to plead guilty to charges he artificially inflated the prices of 62 new homes as part of a sprawling mortgage fraud scheme that trig- gered an international manhunt, according to federal court docu- ments filed Friday. In the plea agreement detailed by U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner, Anthony Symmes, 59, acknowl- edged he sold homes to an unli- censed Sacramento mortgage bro- ker when housing prices began to fall in late 2006. That broker was Garret Griffith Gililland, who three years ago fled the country and was arrested in Spain. Gililland is await- ing trial and has pleaded not guilty to 24 charges alleging he participat- ed in a $100 million mortgage fraud ring in California and other states. Symmes, who is the largest home- builder in Chico, has agreed to cooperate in the Gililland investiga- tion. Wagner said Gililland approached the homebuilder in the fall of 2006 and offered to buy the LASSEN Continued from page 1A depending on wind direc- tion. Even a light dusting of volcanic ash can close roads and seriously disrupt com- munications and utilities dur- ing and for many weeks after an eruption.” The scientist doesn’t believe that anything of that magnitude is coming again. Clynne is uncomfortable saying a similar eruption will never happen in the Lassen volcanic area again, but he has said the potential “extremely unlikely.” That doesn’t mean the Lassen area is dead volcani- cally. homes using a network of so-called straw buyers to defraud lenders. The pair agreed to raise the home prices between $40,000 to $60,000, with Gililland pocketing some of the extra cash and paying back investors he used as straw buyers to qualify for the loans. ‘‘The market goes down, he’s saddled with a lot of properties he wants to get rid off,’’ Wagner said about the homebuilder. ‘‘He finds straw buyers to dump the properties on other people.’’ Lenders have foreclosed on 38 of Symmes’ homes and finalized 10 short sales, costing them roughly $5 million, Wagner said. The Internal Revenue Service has said Gililland and two others defrauded investors and mortgage companies in deals involving 500 homes and condo- miniums in California and other states. Wagner said the investigation into Gililland and others involved in the mortgage ring is ongoing. He declined to say how many other individuals might be connected with the fraud. Symmes, of Par- Prior to the eruptions that began in 1914, the most recent eruption in the region was at the conical Cinder Cone, located within the boundaries of Lassen Vol- canic National Park. For a long time, eyewit- ness said Cinder Cone erupt- ed in about 1851. Clynne said the scientific evidence absolutely precludes an erup- tion then, and establishes the real eruption took place in 1666. He said the ash and the lava flows in the Cinder Cone vicinity proves when the eruption took place, and he is forced to discount the eyewitness reports to the contrary. The scientist also says there will almost definitely be future eruptions in the adise, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for one count of mail fraud and 10 years in prison for a count of money laundering. However, prose- cutors are recommending he serve no more than 10 years in exchange for his cooperation. He has already paid $4 million in restitution to the U.S. Treasury as part of his plea agreement. Symmes’ plea agree- ment was one of three cases involv- ing mortgage fraud announced Fri- day by federal prosecutors. Wagner, who is co-chairman of a national mortgage fraud task force, said the Obama administration has targeted mortgage fraud cases in the after- math of the housing crisis. ‘‘Mortgage fraud covers a lot of different types of things,’’ Wagner said. ‘‘As the market changes, the schemes have changed and we’re trying to get our arms around it.’’ The second case announced Fri- day involved a Sacramento mort- gage-flipping venture that federal prosecutors said was orchestrated by a local real estate agent and loan officer. Prosecutors said real estate Lassen Center, but he pre- dicts the largest future event will be similar in size to the Cinder Cone eruption. Lassen Peak is not itself a good candidate for future eruptions. Future eruptions are more likely northwest of Lassen Peak in the vicinity of Poison Buttes, Tumble Buttes, and Chaos Crags. Clynne said those erup- tions when they come will be “strombolian” in nature. Strombolian eruptions, which are named after a vol- cano in Italy, are character- ized by relatively small but explosive events that blast glowing tephra and lava bombs hundreds and even a few thousand feet into the air. “It will be very interest- ing, spectacular from the agent Lawrence Davis, 26, associ- ate Joel Clark, 27, and loan officer Eric Mortenson, 28, recruited home buyers with the promise of cash- back on their purchases so they could upgrade homes and flip mul- tiple properties at a profit. Morten- son submitted false loan applica- tions totaling more than $6 million on behalf of four buyers who had previously been unsuccessful in get- ting home mortgage loans, accord- ing to the indictment. Lenders lost more than $2.6 million when they foreclosed on all 13 properties, Wagner said. The third case target- ed a ‘‘foreclosure recovery’’ scheme in which homeowners in financial distress signed over the deeds to their homes. In exchange, homeowners were told they could lease their homes and buy them back in two years. Jeremiah Andrew Martin, 32, of San Antonio, and Redding residents Darrin Arthur Johnston, 45, and Todd Allen Smith, 47, pocketed the rental payments instead of paying off the loans, Wagner said. point of view of people watching it,” said Clynne, but it won’t have significant impacts at any distance. Tephra and volcanic ash as much as a couple meters thick could spread out five miles around the eruption site. However, since the Is cremation your choice? Lassen area is heavily moni- tored by USGS, the move- ment of magma — molten rock — should be detected long before such an event would take place. Roger Aylworth is a reporter with the Enterprise- Record. Sharing lunch with mom and dad owns and operates the only on-site crematory in Tehama County. • Your loved one NEVER leaves our care. • For your peace of mind, we personally perform cremations on site. • No hidden charges. If cremation is your choice, there really is no other choice for you than the cremation experts at Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Contact us today so we may answer your questions. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers Funerals • Cremations • Prearrangements 816 Walnut Street | Red Bluff (530) 527-1174 www.chapeloftheflowers.net Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers