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WEDNESDAY JUNE 16, 2010 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 7A RED BLUFF Chamber gets a facelift Bulls, Nuts face off SPORTS 1B Mostly sunny 83/56 Weather forecast 8B By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer With 170 provisional votes remaining, the Tehama County Elections Department Tuesday issued semi-final election results. The count carries over the pre- sumed winners from earlier totals, with Detective Dave Hencratt edging out incumbent Sheriff Clay Parker for sheriff by fewer DAILYNEWS TEHAMACOUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Final count favors Hencratt for sheriff than 450 votes — 3 percent. At the District Attorney’s office, Gregg Cohen looks to serve another term, beating attorney Ken Miller by nearly 1,800 votes — just shy of 13 percent. Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Skillman will become Tehama County Superior Court judge, Office I, with 22 percent of the vote and nearly 3,100 more votes than attorney Lisa Muto. For Tehama County Superior Court, Office II, Todd Bottke took the election with more than a 25 percent victory over Coun- ty Counsel William Murphy for judge, with Bottke ahead by about 3,500 votes. The biggest margin of any contested local race went to Undersheriff Dennis Garton, running against Lake California resident Mel Freimuth for the Third District seat on the Board of Supervi- sors. Garton took more than 70 percent of the vote, winning by 1,200 — more than twice as many as Freimuth. Official, final results may be avail- able Wednesday as officials sort through provisional Torch passes through Hencratt ballots issued at the ballot box, some of which are likely to be dis- carded as officials check to see if they were issued to reg- istered voters or if they match people who already voted. Full results will be posted at co.tehama.ca.us. Antelope to vote on sewer system By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer A solution to the water quality issue in the Antelope area is moving forward. The Tehama County Board of Supervisors and the Red Bluff City Council have agreed to create a joint powers authority agency to oversee the process of building a sewage system and treatment plant in the area. When the State Water Resources Control Board did an initial testing of water in the Antelope area it found the nitrate level in the groundwater exceeded the maxi- mum. The nitrate contamination, which is as high as 45 mg/L in some areas, is attributed to improper disposal of sewage and lack of sewage water treatment. See SEWER, page 7A County hears Bend update Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Torch bearers California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Christiansen and Dr.Ted Shea take the torch south on Main Street in Red Bluff near Luther Road Tuesday. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Special Olympics Flame Of Hope Torch Run made its way through Tehama County Tuesday starting about 8:30 a.m. in Cot- tonwood at the county line thanks to volunteers from the California Highway Patrol. Tiffany Keffer, wife of Red Bluff area CHP Officer James Keffer, started the journey, run- ning the streets of Cottonwood to the Texaco Starmart at Bowman Road. The torch was then driven under CHP escort by Sgt. Stephanie Drake and officers Roger Smith and Troy Somavia to Red Bluff city limits with Offi- cer Ken Reineman holding the torch. Officer Scott Christiansen and Dr. Ted Shea picked up the torch and ran it down Main Street for 2.7 miles, starting at the CHP office near Adobe Road to just before Luther Road. The torch was then driven to Corning, where it wound its way through a 1.5-mile section of downtown carried by Reineman, his daughter Hailey and one of Hailey’s friends, Ashley Avila, before making its way to the CHP office in Willows. Reineman was joined by Shea Manton man found dead in PG&E canal By GEOFF JOHN- SON DN Staff Writer MANTON — A 65- year-old man seemingly drowned Monday after- noon in three feet of water, but sheriff’s per- sonnel will need autopsy results before they can say with certainty how the man died. “We figure that, for whatever reason, he fell into the creek, hitting his head,” Undersheriff Den- nis Garton said. “That’s just an assumption. That’s not a fact.” A Pacific Gas & Elec- tric worker working with law enforcement found the body of John Warnke Monday in the South Intake Spillway of a com- pany-owned ditch, about three miles from his house and after he had been missing for about three hours. “It’s a very swift-run- ning ditch,” Garton said. Warnke was reportedly clearing brush in the backyard of his Wild Mustang Trail home. His wife, Linda Sue Warnke, had recently left the hos- pital and was on an oxy- gen tank, with John Warnke checking up on her every 15 to 20 min- utes, Garton said. But then, about two- and-a-half hours passed without contact from Warnke, leading his wife to call the Sheriff’s Department around 5 p.m., according to depart- ment logs. The same logs show See CANAL, page 7A 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power and Christiansen for the Corning section of the journey. The Flame of Hope is on a 10- day journey that started Monday in Redding and will cross 21 Northern California counties on its way to the Special Olympics Northern California Summer Games in Davis. The Tehama County leg of the journey was roughly 28.4 miles. The torch arrives in Davis June 25 for the opening cere- monies of the games, which run through June 27. The torch run, in which more than 500 law enforcement per- See TORCH, page 7A By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer The Bureau of Land Management continues work on the Sacramento River Bend Area as the controversy over its potential national recog- nition endures. Supervisors voted 3-2 in May to endorse the cre- ation of a National Recre- ation Area, a move that would elevate the 18,000- acre area, theoretically bringing more funding to local BLM officials and more tourists to Tehama County. County endorsement is no guarantee the change, which hangs on the fate of a bill by Sen. Barbara Boxer, will take effect. The Stuff Our Back- packs with Cash fundraising campaign has kicked off in and around Tehama County. The Back to School Project’s fundraiser has placed mini-backpacks on the counters of local businesses for monetary donations. Donations will be used to support the project and sponsor local children on a shopping trip for new clothing in August. The fundraiser will run through the month of June and culminate with a Gourmet Pancake Breakfast on June 26. Tax receipts are avail- able upon request. Donations can be mailed to POB 292, Red Bluff, 96080. Since 2004, more than 500 local disadvan- taged school-age chil- dren have been treated to a shopping day to purchase new clothing, shoes and backpacks. The children receive free haircuts donated by Supervisors have, at times, given similar bills unanimous support only to see the idea die in Con- gress, and this time the bill has been met with resistance from members of the nearby community of Bend. The BLM, meanwhile, acting with funds it describes as “close to zero,” continues work on the land, as it has for years. Speaking at the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Natural Area Manager Kelly Williams highlight- ed some of the efforts his agency has undertaken in the past year, and what it plans for the future. See BEND, page 7A Back to School applications due by Friday Courtesy photo Backpacks, like this one at Tremont Cafe and Creamery,have been placed at area businesses to accept donations for the Back to School Project. local hair stylists in preparation for the new school year. The project organiz- ers and volunteers believe every child should return to school with confidence and a feeling of self-worth. Applications will be received for this year’s project noon to 7 p.m. See DUE, page 7A PHYSICIAN REFERRAL A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 1-800-990-9971 CHW North State Region