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WEEKEND JULY 3-4, 2010 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Winning Americans USA WEEKEND See Inside RED BLUFF Little League SPORTS 1B Sunny 95/63 Weather forecast 8A 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 Proud American essay contest winners What makes me proud to be an American is the amazing legacy that has been handed down to me and this current generation. Those that came before us have deposited their strength, their passion, their vision, their finances and even their lives, to sow into the rich soil of this nation. They have sown into freedom and respect for the indi- vidual, they have sown into pro- tecting our diverse characteris- tics with a government that rec- ognized that ifs power came from the people and not the other way around. It’s not that the American people are by nature better than others. Rather I'm proud that Americans have chosen to pay the price for a government that lifts people up and inspires greatness by making room for initiative and Anderson See ANDERSON, page 7A With July 4th approaching, there is much to be thankful for as our country celebrates 234 years of freedom and democracy. With the signing of the Declaration of Indepen- dence and the implementation of the Constitution, Bill of Rights and other amendments, our country has weathered many storms. We’re still here. As an American Citizen, I sit in my backyard and watch my tomato plants grow and the hollyhocks sway in the gentle afternoon breeze. My ancestors came to this great country from Ireland in 1750 and China in 1849. Peter Downey boarded a ship in Liverpool, Eng- land, bound for the colonies, to Darnell escape prison and persecution. Lee Gum left Hong Kong bound for a quest for gold in 1849. Amazingly, descendants of these two men, my parents, met in San Francisco in 1952 See DARNELL, page 7A Brothers in arms I have the freedom of speech and my opinion. As do those whose opinions I don’t agree with. I have the right to worship any god I choose without fear of persecution. I have the right to serve my country in the armed forces; I have the right to serve my country in a public office. I am proud to be an American because I served my country for four years defending these rights. I live in a nation where if a member of our armed forces is killed or wounded in combat, our nation fully supports their family in every way possible. I am a proud Ameri- can because I have the right to vote. I am proud to be an American because on days like Memorial Day and Veterans Day, I can stand next to a fellow veteran and cry as we mourn the losses of those who have gone before us and give them due respect. Iiams See IIAMS, page 7A Arrested man dies in custody By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer A man died in Tehama County Jail, Thursday after- noon, hours after being arrested for possession of methamphetamine and driving under the influence of a controlled substance. George Emerson Newcom, 63, Redding, was arrest- ed shortly before 4:30 a.m. Thursday at the northbound Interstate 5 Red Bluff rest area after California High- way Patrol Officers had been called to the scene for a male requesting medical attention. Upon arrival, officers smelled marijuana and as they contacted Newcom he complained of pain to his lower leg and abdomen, a Tehama County Sheriff’s Depart- ment release said. Officers located suspected methamphetamine in Courtesy photo by Pvt. Zach Zuber Spc. Joshua Wagner, a Red Bluff native and cook plays ping pong with his brother, 2nd Lt. Justin Wagner, an executive officer, during a reunion in Iraq. Special to the DN A Red Bluff native and his long- separated brother reunited half-a-world away. Since he was four, military cook Spc. Joshua Wagner lived apart from his brother and sister. For years, his fondest memory of his brother was when they said “good- bye” at the airport. It was a memory he carried through foster homes, high school and middle school, living without a traditional family structure and wondering what he would do as an adult. Wagner’s uncertainty stayed with him until he joined the military, work- ing through the ranks to join Bravo Company, 296th Brigade Support Bat- talion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. “When I got done with school, I tried the whole college thing but could- n’t really stay focused,” Wagner said. “So I decided to join the Army because I always liked to cook and I figured I could get more experience there.” Just as he passed Advanced Individ- ual Training, Wagner learned his sister had found his brother, Justin Wagner, through MySpace. Growing up with his father, Justin See ARMS, page 7A Newcom’s vehicle and later during a pat down at the jail found another baggie of suspected methampheta- mine on him. Newcom was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine, driving and being under the influ- ence of a controlled substance. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Community Hospital where he was medically cleared for his complaints of pain and then taken and placed on an observation watch shortly after arriving at the jail around 6:22 a.m. Thurs- day. Newcom was removed from watch about 11 a.m. and about three minutes later a correctional officer could not get Newcom to respond, the release said. Staff immediately started CPR, but were unsuccess- ful in their attempts. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. According to the release, an autopsy will be per- formed next week. Sheriff Clay Parker could not be reached for com- ment. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Court sides with Schwarzenegger on minimum wage SACRAMENTO (AP) — A state appellate court on Friday sided with the Schwarzenegger adminis- tration in its attempt to temporarily impose the federal minimum wage on tens of thousands of state workers. It was not immediately clear how the ruling would affect Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s order a day earlier to pay 200,000 state workers the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour as the state wrestles with a budget crisis. The state controller, who cuts state paychecks, has refused to comply with the order. Friday’s ruling affirms a lower- court decision in favor of the administration in a lawsuit filed two years ago after the governor’s first attempt to impose the minimum wage. The latest ruling from the California 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacra- mento concludes that state Controller John Chiang cannot ignore the mini- mum wage order from the state Department of Per- sonnel Administration. It says ‘‘the DPA has the authority to direct the controller to defer salary payments in excess of fed- erally mandated minimum wages when appropria- tions for the salaries are lacking due to a budget impasse.’’ But Chiang said in a 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 news release that he inter- preted the court ruling to mean that his office would not have to comply with the executive order if it was practically infeasible to do so. ‘‘I will move quickly to ask the courts to defini- tively resolve the issue of whether our current pay- roll system is capable of complying with the mini- mum wage order in a way that protects taxpayers from billions of dollars in fines and penalties,’’ Chi- ang said in the statement. The Republican gover- nor issued the order this week on the first day of the new fiscal year because the state remains without a budget, as law- makers remain far apart on ways to close Califor- nia’s $19 billion deficit. Lynelle Jolley, spokes- woman for Schwarzeneg- ger’s personnel depart- ment, said the ruling means the controller’s office must follow the minimum wage order. ‘‘This underscores the fact that everyone loses when we have a budget impasse. Every day the Legislature fails to deliver a budget costs the state $50 million,’’ Schw arzene gger spokesman Aaron McLear said. Workers will receive full back pay once a bud- get is passed. In the mean- time, state employees such as Rhonda Smith say they will be hurting. They are just ending more than a year of three-day-a- month furloughs that cut their pay by 14 percent. ‘‘It’s a little scary,’’ said Smith, 39, who joined the Department of Water Resources three weeks ago. ‘‘I’ve got bills, rent, insurance, a car. I like to have groceries at home. I don’t know what this is going to do.’’ She said the believed the governor was using state workers as pawns in trying to negotiate a bud- get deal. ‘‘If I wanted a mini- mum-wage job, I would- n’t have gone to school and gotten the training. I would have gotten a job at Subway or some place else,’’ Smith said. Representatives of sev- eral state employee unions did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Schwarzenegger’s min- imum wage order will not affect all of California’s 250,000 government employees. The 37,000 state workers represented by unions that recently negotiated new contracts with the administration will continue to receive their full pay. The con- tracts, including one with California Highway Patrol officers, contain pay cuts and pension reforms. Salaried managers who are not paid on an hourly basis would see their pay cut to $455 a week. Doc- tors and lawyers who work for the state will not be paid at all until a bud- get is signed because min- imum wage laws do not apply to those profes- sions. Schwarzenegger is pushing for minimum wage based on a 2003 California Supreme Court ruling. In White vs. Davis, the court held that state employees do not have the right to their full salaries if a state budget has not been enacted. At the same time, the state cannot ignore federal wage laws. The governor issued a similar order during a budget impasse two years ago, but it never took effect because Chiang refused to go along with it. That refusal prompted Schwarzenegger to sue the controller, leading to Friday’s ruling. It was not immediately clear whether Chiang will appeal the latest ruling to the California Supreme Court. Chiang has maintained that the minimum wage order is illegal, even in the face of court decisions indicating the opposite. He has taken in more than $190,000 in cam- paign contributions from labor groups representing state employees and other unionized workers so far in his 2010 re-election bid. Those donations accounted for about 22 percent of all his contribu- tions, according to cam- paign reports through May 22. Chiang also has said California’s computerized payroll system cannot handle the change, specif- ically because it cannot cut some checks at full pay and others at mini- mum wage. He said his office is working on a system upgrade that will be ready in 2012.