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FRIDAY Quilters Teach Students Craft MARCH 22, 2013 Oregon Cruises Education Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 6A SPORTS 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 69/43 Weather forecast 10A TEHAMA COUNTY DAILY 50¢ 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 Judge rules Lassen Park destroyed evidence in 2009 death By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Judge Gregory Hollows ruled Wednesday that Lassen Volcanic National Park destroyed evidence crucial to the case in a lawsuit involving a Red Bluff family when it took down a retaining wall. The lawsuit was filed in June 2011 by Sacramento attorney Steven Campora on behalf of the Tom and Jennifer Botell and family, who were involved in a fatal accident on July 29, 2009, while hiking the Lassen Peak Trail. The family had stopped for a picture when a rock retaining wall, weighing between 400 and 600 pounds according to court records, gave way resulting in the death of Tommy, 9, and injury to their daughter, Katrina, who was then 13. A claim for the amount of $23.7 million was filed with the U.S. National Park Service, which was denied in May 2011. Hollows' findings are not binding, and the final decision rests with U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell, according to the Associated Press. According to court documents, the lawsuit, which includes claims of wrongful death, personal injury-negligence and negligence-infliction of emotional distress, is seeking $24 million. The lawsuit claims that park employees failed to maintain Hall of famer the trail, allowing it and the rock walls to fall into a state of disrepair and were well aware of the fact for several years before the accident, according to the complaint filed by Campora. U.S. attorney spokeswoman Lauren Horwood said the litigaSee DEATH, page 9A County, city to form animal shelter panel By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Tehama County Board of Supervisors and Red Bluff City Council agreed to form an ad hoc committee at their respective meetings Tuesday to examine an existing agreement regarding use of the Tehama County Animal Care Center. The city has contracted with the county since 1989 to take care of its animal shelter needs, but its costs have skyrocketed since the agreement was reached. Since the 2000-01 fiscal year the city's share has increased by 547 percent. In February the City Council approved a supplemental budget appropriation to cover a projected $95,144 of See SHELTER, page 9A Courtesy photo Joe Baumgartner, middle, fights his last bull, Class 6 Kat, during the 2011 Professional Bull Riders Finals. It was Baumgartner's 18th straight PBR appearance and his last. He retired after the event. By ANDRE BYIK DN Sports Editor A Red Bluff man known for being in the right place at the right time is, by all accounts, the right man to be inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Joe Baumgartner, whose prolific bullfighting career spanned more than 20 years and included 14 National Finals Rodeo and 18 straight Professional Bull Riders Finals appearances, has been selected as part of the 2013 ProRodeo Hall of Fame induction class. Baumgartner, 46, retired in 2011 and has been regarded by his peers as one of the best at protecting bull riders. He won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Bullfighter of the Year award four times from 2004-2007. "It's kind of like the cap of a great career," said Baumgartner, whose main goal when he started bullfighting at 16 was to reach a NFR. The hall of fame, he said, didn't come into play. Baumgartner, who grew up in the Bay Area, received his PRCA card in 1987 and worked high school and college rodeos before moving to Red Bluff in the early '90s. That was also the time he reached his first NFR. "If I was going to do something," he said, "I wanted to do something the best that I could." Bullfighting came naturally to Baumgartner, who avoided careerending injuries and attributed his success to two things — his hatred for losing and getting hit. Baumgartner had a "sixth sense" for bullfighting, said Harvey Camacho, who has known Baumgartner since the late '70s and turned Baumgartner's name in for the hall's consideration. Baumgartner's physical ability coupled with a natural instinct made what he did "look really easy," said Camacho, who is a director for the Red Bluff RoundUp, where Baumgartner also worked off and on since the late '80s. "Nobody even comes close to him," Camacho said, "and it's going to be a long time before someone breaks that record." John Growney, who owns Growney Brothers Rodeo Company and has been a longtime friend of Baumgartner, can't envision a bullfighter that will match Baumgartner's run. "They can't," Growney said, adding that the number of events Baumgartner worked is just too high. Growney said Baumgartner had a knack for knowing what a bull was going to do and when a cowboy would buck off. Baumgartner, Growney said, had the presence of mind to see the big picture. "What made Michael Jordan great? What made Joe Montana great?" Growney said. "Whatever that was is what made Joe Baumgartner great." See HALL, page 9A Corning chess team wins league championship Special to the DN Corning Elementary School District has participated in the Sacramento Valley Scholastic Chess League for the past 10 years. Ten years ago, most of the players on the team were 7th and 8th grade boys and the teams had only seven to 10 players total. The 2012-2013 team has 15 to 20 players consisting mostly of 5thgraders and half of them are girls. As this year's season came to an end, the Corning Elementary Chess Team found themselves in prime position to compete in the league championship tournament. When the season began, Corning's mostly rookie team was overwhelmed by the structure and etiquette of tournament play. "Our young players just didn't know what to expect," coach Raymond Rodriguez said. As the season progressed, Corning was able to finish second at Franklin School in Yuba City, third at Four Winds Indian School in Chico and then win the league tournament held in the Maywood Gym. "I'm really proud of the team," Rodriguez said. "They work very hard and are extremely enthusiastic about the game." On Wednesday, March 6, the team traveled to Chico for the League Championship Tournament. On hand, was the President of the United States Chess Federation President, Ruth Haring. "It is so nice to see so many girls playing at this year's event," Haring said. See CHESS, page 9A Logue renamed Plans for Sites Reservoir nearing review Republican Whip By HEATHER HACKING MediaNews Group SACRAMENTO — Assemblyman Dan Logue has been reappointed as the Chief Republican Whip for the 2013-14 California Legislative Session. Logue "I am honored to have been reappointed Chief Whip for the Assembly Republicans. I take leadership seriously, and I will 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 continue to fight for the hard-working people of California. I look forward to working closely with my fellow legislators in addressing our state's c h a l l e n g e s ," Logue said. He was appointed to the position by Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway. "No one has been a more effective leader for our party on the issue of job creation than Dan Logue," Conway See WHIP, page 9A WILLOWS — The plans to build a reservoir in Maxwell that will capture Sacramento River flow is nearing the time for environmental review. Known as Sites Reservoir, plans for storage north of the Delta has been in the exploratory phase for more than a decade. In 2010, Northern California water leaders formed the Sites Joint Powers Authority to work on the project. Funding was received through Proposition 204 the next year. This week, the Glenn County Board of Supervisors voted to spend $5,000 to continue the county's membership in the JPA. Supervisor Leigh McDaniel attends the JPA meetings. He said the project leaders will ask for a public review of the plans so far, after the environmental impact report is completed. The future of the project, at least in the near future, may hinge on a longdiscussed state water bond. "Even though I anticipate the bond to be sizable, if the public supports it, then this project and other projects would be available for funding," McDaniel said Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors meeting. Currently, construction plans call for a 50 percent match of funding by water users. "We know what the reservoir looks like (on paper). We know it provides flexibility of the water management system to the north state and the rest of the state," he said. The reservoir would be an "offstream" storage system, taking water from the Sacramento River, storing it, and releasing it later. "On a very wet year, it could provide 500,000 acre-feet of additional water to the water management system of the state." The members of the JPA have been considering hiring a staff member to "be a promoter of the project over the next two years," McDaniel said, "in anticipation of the water bond making it to the state election." But that would cost more money, he continued. The group's board of directors includes irrigation district leaders, Glenn and Colusa county leaders and Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. The question is whether to hire someone now, or continue having people promote the project individually, McDaniel said. Supervisors Dwight Foltz and Mike Murray said they thought things were fine as they are right now. During a later phone conversation, Thad Bettner, a member of the JPA, said the idea for a coordinator is to address concerns before the See SITES, page 9A