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Tuesday, March 12, 2013 – Daily News Obituaries AC fire reported at gas station Photo by Ross Palubeski RICHARD O. BROWN At 1:03 p.m. Saturday, Red Bluff Fire, CalFire and Tehama County Fire were dispatched to a reported commercial structure fire at the Shell gas station, 440 S. Main St. The first unit at scene reported a small air conditioning unit fire. The fire was quickly contained. Nothing further was available. 1933 - 2013 Richard O. Brown passed away on Friday March 1, 2013. Born in Willows, CA in 1933 to Owen and Kathryn Brown, he graduated from Maxwell High School, and earned his Bachelor's Degree at Chico State after serving in the Army. He leaves behind his wife of 54 years, Betty, and family: Karen and David Marlatt, Gretchen and Thomas Allen, youngest daughter Heidi, and grandchildren Michael, Brittany, and Rachelle. Richard will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. He enjoyed his lifelong passion as a farmer. He was also actively involved with several Masonic Organizations. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday March 23rd at 11:00am at the Presbyterian Church in Corning followed by an open house at the family home. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to the Shriner's Children's Hospital or your favorite charity. For more information call 528-0651 or 8929272. PARKS Continued from page 1A SUSAN MARIE WIGGETT January 7, 1943 - March 8, 2013 Susan Marie Wiggett died March 8, 2013, at Providence St. Pete's Hospital in Lacey, WA, after an extended battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). She was born on January 7, 1943, to Fred and Betty Wiggett. The eldest of five children, Susan grew up in Red Bluff, California, where she returned at several stages of her life. She attended Oregon State University for her undergraduate degree and the University of Oregon Medical School for her Masters in Nursing. Professionally, Susan pursued a career in teaching, where she instructed multiple generations of aspiring nurses at the University of Nebraska, Providence School of Nursing in Oakland, Shasta College in Redding, CA, and South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, WA. Susan had a passion about movies and acquired an extensive collection of classics. She watched them endlessly throughout her illness and could name the characters off the top of mind. One of her favorite adventures was in joining a brother on a trip to China where she soaked up the culture and made new friends. Many of her treasures came from overseas and were her exposure to distant lands. Her Siamese cats were her "kids" and several entered her life over the years. Pampered, loved and always spoiled, they were an endless source of joy. She is survived by her sisters, Louise Whalen, Sarah Wiggett, and her brothers Jim Wiggett and Phil Wiggett. She is preceded in death by her parents. The family wishes to thank the many care providers and friends who extended themselves on Susan's behalf during her long battle with M.S. Susan always appreciated the love and support from others. A service will be held on Sunday, March 17th, at 10 am at the Woodlawn Funeral Home in Lacey, WA. A second service will be held in Red Bluff, California in April. Death Notices Death notices must be provided by mortuaries to the news department, are published at no charge, and feature only specific basic information about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Classified advertising department. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by families of the deceased and include online publication linked to the newspaper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. Mary E. Richter Mary E. Richter died Sunday, March 10, 2013, at her residence in Los Molinos. She was 76. Hall Brothers Corning Mortuary is handling the arrangements. Published Tuesday, March 12, 2013, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. MARYSA Continued from page 1A Escobar, superintendent of Red Bluff Joint Union High School District, after the service. "This is a way to start healing and to move forward together," Escobar said, "In a way that makes Red Bluff really special." Escobar said Red Bluff has changed dramatically due to poverty, an increase in crime and drug abuse and that it will take the community to address those problems "so that we all feel safe and secure." Sports Editor Andre Byik can be reached at 527-2151, ext. 111 or at sports@redbluffdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @TehamaSports COURTS Continued from page 1A said the governor has tried to maintain stable funding for the courts throughout the recession while other areas such as public schools and universities have endured deep cuts. Palmer said state grants to seniors and the disabled have been cut to their lowest levels since 1982 and that the state's welfare-to-work program has been cut to 1987 levels. ''What we have been able to do through a combination of fees and transfers is to keep operations stable,'' he said of the court budget. Last month, the state judicial council voted to delay 11 courthouse construction projects in case none of that money is restored this year. The contingency plan comes after the council voted in January to indefinitely delay court construction in Sacramento, Nevada, Los Angeles and Fresno counties while money is being spent to replace a Long Beach courthouse damaged by an earthquake. Some state lawmakers have suggested restoring some of the money. During a stop in Sacramento last week, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said the political branches of government have an ''absolute obligation'' to make sure the judicial branch can function. He said trial courts have no way to control the number of cases coming in. ''You simply must give to the courts the resources that they need or you're undercutting the rule of law for which we stand,'' Kennedy said. ''I think it's a very important obligation that legislators have, and they have to find the resources.'' 5A have no active members and the county has had difficulty finding interested people to serve. Most of the parks had long established committees prior to 1993, when the board voted to no longer fund or maintain county parks due to budget cuts. The committees were, at that time, charged with the task of daily operations and maintenance at the parks, despite the county maintaining mowing and liability insurance. Since then the county CORNING Continued from page 1A Brewer said. The transient occupancy tax (TOT) normally averages about $260,000 and with three quarters of information in is at about $240,000, he said. "It's a promising upward trend that, if continued through the first quarter, would mean exceeding our $260,000 budget projection by between $63,000 and $80,000. Fuel sales tax is an area of concern since statewide sales show a 1.7 percent increase, but Corning's shows a 5.7 percent downward trend. "We're still unsure about what's responsible for that trend," Brewer has incrementally taken back park responsibilities. Since 2011 county administration has handled booking reservations for Cone Grove, Mill Creek, Ridgeway and Tehama County River parks. Camp Tehama and Simpson-Finnell are the exceptions. said. "It is an important matter, since fuel sales amounts for over 61 percent of the sales tax revenue for the city of Corning. We will continue to monitor the revenue stream." Property tax and vehicle license fees remain on target while at least two items in the other category of general fund are areas of concern, he said. The building permit and plan check categories were projected to bring in $50,000 in revenue, but so far have only brought in $10,000. Caused in part by very little development taking place in the city, there could be shortfalls of between $30,000 and $35,000 in the two categories, Brewer said. The council will discuss the positions of city attorney, which is filled by Michael Fitzpatrick, and assistant city attorney, which is filled by The ad hoc committee will be headed by Supervisor Burt Bundy and examine the pros and cons of forming a single parks committee. A combined committee would advise the board on park planning and use of the shared rental fee revenue. Jody Burgess. According to the staff report, there have been changes made to CalPERS laws that have caused Fitzpatrick to recommend that Burgess be appointed city attorney with Fitzpatrick retained to help him in the transition. The council is expected to approve awarding a bid for the first phase of development in the Corning Community Park project, which will cost about $1.8 million. Corning City Council meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at City Hall, 794 Third St. Meeting minutes and agendas are available at www.corning.org. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @DN_Zeeb. Bill would ban the use of lead ammo across Calif. SACRAMENTO (AP) — A bill that seeks to ban lead ammunition in California promises to revive a debate between gun groups and environmental advocates. Assemblyman Anthony Rendon on Monday introduced final language of the bill designed to keep the neurotoxin out of the food chain of condors and other scavengers. The recently elected Democrat from Lakewood says that after lead bans in paint, gasoline and in shells used by hunters of waterfowl, the legislation would remove a lingering source of pollution from the environment. Lead is the major cause of death for condors and impacts other scavengers such as bald eagles, golden eagles and turkey vultures. The bill was sponsored by three environmental groups. The National Rifle Association has opposed past efforts to ban or restrict the use of lead ammunition. Medical board's physician oversight criticized SACRAMENTO (AP) — A physician heading the state's medical board told lawmakers on Monday that acquiring information necessary to investigate cases of potential prescription drug abuse poses a challenge to the oversight panel. Board president Sharon Levine said a complaint is needed to begin a review and determine whether the prescribing doctor bears any responsibility. ''Complaints regarding prescription drug-related offenses can be somewhat difficult for the board to obtain,'' Levine told a joint legislative committee that was considering whether to reauthorize the state medical board and other boards set to expire. ''In many instances, patients who are receiving prescription drugs in a manner that is not within the standard practice are not interested in bringing a complaint to the board,'' Levine said. The Medical Board of California, which licenses and oversees physicians, came under fire following a Los Angeles Times investigation published last year. The newspaper found that drugs prescribed by physicians caused or contributed to nearly half the accidental deaths involving prescription drugs in four Southern California counties between 2006 and 2011. The newspaper also reported that during the period it reviewed, at least 30 Southern California patients died while their doctors were under investigation. The board sanctioned all but one of those 12 doctors. In most cases, doctors are allowed to con- tinue writing prescriptions after they are sanctioned. The Times found that a disproportionate number of the deaths were associated with just a fraction of the doctors practicing in the four counties. In response to the investigation, board officials had asked those whose relatives died of overdoses to contact them if they believe physician misconduct was a factor in the deaths. Officials also promised to review records of the specific overdose deaths detailed in the newspaper's investigation. During Monday's hearing, Levine commended the newspaper for raising the profile and visibility of the issue. She also said she supported a bill from state Sen. Curren Price, D-Los Angeles, that would require county coroners to report any death that is related to prescription drug use to the medical board. Levine also said the board would like sufficient funding for an existing state system that tracks prescription drugs — the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System. Attorney General Kamala Harris has estimated that about $3.8 million is needed to upgrade it. Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, questioned whether the complaint-driven process that Levine described is the proper process to use in trying to protect patients from unsafe prescribing. ''What about physicians who are purposely overprescribing and looking and seeking out these individuals?'' Hernandez said. ''Is it not the responsibility of the board to seek out those individuals, and how do you do it?'' Levine replied that the Just In Time For Warmer Weather! 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She recounted how her son, a student at Arizona State University, was found dead in his apartment near the campus a day before he was supposed to return home.