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WEEKEND MARCH 9-10 2013 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Ride For Life Deadline See Below DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 69/40 Weather forecast 8A TEHAMA COUNTY $1.00 T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Queen of the courts Fundraisers set for Nichols family By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer In the days following the tragic death of 14-year-old Red Bluff High School student Marysa Nichols, the community has come together to raise funds for the family. Some fundraisers have been put on by family friends and one was put on by Bidwell School, where Nichols attended elementary school, on Wednesday. On Monday, two women, Yvonne Ruiz of Red Bluff and Leslie Watts of Chico, are putting on a spaghetti dinner. The event began with someone who didn't even See NICHOLS, page 7A LosMo drains favored for grant By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer Courtesy photo Virginia Kaer is pictured here in 1989. Local tennis champion remembered By SHANNA LONG Special to the DN Tennis lost a genuine fan and player last week when Virginia Kaer died at the age of 82. But Red Bluff is where her labor of love remains in the name of Valley Oak Racquet Club, a family friendly resort where lifelong friendships are born and memories sculpted for nearly 36 years and counting. Virginia's passion for tennis was passed down to each of her four children, who coach and play today, and to her grandchildren, who com- pete in USTA – United States Tennis Association - events and play for their high school tennis teams. Virginia's love of the outdoors came on her father's farm in Junction City, Ore. The oldest of three, she was happy to hop on the combine at a young age and harvest Kaer seed on Oregon's third largest fescue grass farm. "She felt so sorry for her younger sister who had hay fever and had to work in the house," says oldest daughter Karen Shaffer, who manages Valley Oak Racquet Club. "My mom never was an indoor, household chores kind of person." Virginia graduated from Oregon State just like her parents and siblings. "My dad told us we could attend City to mull firefighter contract Tuesday By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Red Bluff City Council will hold a special meeting 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to consider adopting a new contract with the Red Bluff Firefighters Association. Firefighters have been working without a Memorandum of Understanding since the end of 2012, after a side letter between the city and association extended its previous contract for one year at the end of 2011. The firefighters association would be the fourth and final city union to sign a new 3-year contract with the city extending through the end of Dec. 31. Similar to contracts agreed upon by the Miscellaneous Unit, police officers and police mid-level management, the contract would give raises in the final two years based on the city's prior sales tax revenue. Those raises would be between 2 percent and 4.5 percent. The contract calls for association firefighters to pay the employee portion of their PERS contributions and convert to a composite leave system. City Manager Richard Crabtree made the transition from separate sick and vacation hours to a composite leave system a priority after being hired into the position. Previously employees accrued sick and vacation pay in separate banks and were able to cash out See CITY, page 7A any college as long as it was Oregon State," said younger sister, Glenadine Strome of Sacramento. After graduation, Virginia landed a job as the high school P.E. teacher in Tule Lake. A young USC graduate, Mort Kaer was traveling with his basketball team from Doris to Tule Lake when his eyes met Virginia Strome's. The high school basketball coach asked for the PE teacher's hand in marriage later that year. The couple's early married years were spent teaching and moving and having children and launching a hamburger business. Karen was born in Oregon, Kristin in Mt. ShasSee QUEEN, page 7A A potential $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant pitted community against community Tuesday at the Tehama County Board of Supervisors meeting. Supervisors were forced to support either a storm drain and flood improvement project in Los Molinos or a Sky View County Water District improvement project to provide water. The supervisors selected the Los Molinos project by a vote of 3-1. Chairman Dennis Garton voted for the Sky View project, which falls in his district. The California Department of Housing and Community Development is making around $41 million in federal grant funding available for the pro- gram. However counties can only submit one application for review. Both projects have received community grant funding in the past to pay for study assessments. A year ago the Los Molinos project just missed the final funding cut. The county's grant consultant, Paul Ashby, said he believed Los Molinos would therefore stand a strong chance of receiving funding this year. The supervisors cited that possibility along with the readiness of the Los Molinos project as reasons to prefer the project over Sky View's, which they all said was of more dire need, but had prevailing questions surrounding it. Previously CDBG funded projects have assessed the overall storm water issues in Los MoliSee GRANT, page 7A Ride For Life deadline is Sunday By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Northern California Hero Ride For Life will celebrate its fifth year from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 6 at the Tehama District Fairground. The event, an equestrian form of the Relay For Life that is co-sponsored by the Northern California Reined Cow Horse Association, was started by Jessica Macdonald, then 14, and Bailey Brownfield, then 13. Both Macdonald and Brownfield, who were Antelope 4-H club members, have been around horses since a young age and started the event as an Emerald Star 4-H project. The two started the event, after hearing about one in Humboldt County five years before, because they had been affected by cancer with friends and family, Macdonald said in a 2009 interview with the Daily News. The event was a success from the get-go and the girls, who were hop- Courtesy photo Ride For Life participants ride the track during the opening ceremony at the 2012 event. The 2013 event is April 6. ing to raise about $5,000, exceeded their goal, raising about $20,500 in the first year. Just fewer than 200 people showed up for the first event, which drew the Mandatory Information Meeting support of the community Wednesday, March 13 at 1:30pm with about 60 businesses Job Training Center, 718 Main Street, Red Bluff donating prizes for a raf(children welcome to attend with their parents) fle. To Sign Up Are you bilingual and interested in becoming a Medical Office Assistant? Call or visit the Job Training Center. Ask for Skye Lown @ 530.529.7000. See RIDE, page 7A Job Training Center is an Equal opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to people with disabilities. TTY: 530.527.2306.