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WEEKEND JUNE 22-23 2013 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Livestock Tour Continues Through Washington See Agriculture — Page 6A DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 94/65 Weather forecast 10A 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 Getting fresh Grenade clears Gerber campus DN Staff Report GERBER — An item that resembled a grenade was found at Gerber School Friday afternoon. "We're not sure at this time if the grenade is real or a prop," Tehama County Sheriff Lt. Dave Greer said. "We will know this soon." The incident was reported at 12:03 p.m. and Shasta County Bomb Squad was on scene at 3:30 p.m., Sheriff's Lt. Dave Greer said. The object was found in a safe in the office, which school officials suspect had not been opened in many years, Greer said. See GRENADE, page 9A Local jobless rate continues to drop By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Courtesy photo Saturday's farmers market at River Park in Red Bluff features fresh fruit and vegetables direct from the farm to consumers. By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer In his first year heading the pair of Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce farmers markets, Jason Bauer has honed in on a slogan aimed at attracting vendors. "We want more money in your pocket and less product in your truck," Bauer said at a recent Saturday farmers market, which is held 7:30 a.m. to noon at the River Park parking lot near the chamber office on South Main Street. The Saturday market attracts fewer shoppers looking for fresh produce than the chamber's Wednesday night market, which kicked off this week and hosts live music and cooking demonstrations 5 to 8 p.m. at Wash- 'The benefit for us is the interaction with the customers. I think the customers like that' — Allen Flemming ington and Pine streets. In an attempt to reel in Saturday shoppers, Bauer said the chamber is focused on providing attractions that can occupy children and adults alike. "You just need foot traffic," he said. Calif. lawmakers seek to enshrine open records law SACRAMENTO (AP) — Legislative leaders on Friday took a long-term step to end a controversy over access to documents, introducing a constitutional amendment to mandate that local governments comply with the California Public Records Act. The proposed amendment also specifies that the state would not have to reimburse those governments for the cost of complying with the law, potentially saving the general fund millions of dollars a year. The Senate is expected to take up SCA3 next week. The move by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Senate Presi- dent Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, comes after Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown backtracked on a bill included in the budget package that was approved last week. That bill would have made compliance with the records law optional for local governments, which led to a public outcry that the provision could allow governments to keep public information secret or not respond to requests for records. The Assembly removed the contentious part of the legislation and re-voted on the bill Thursday, and the Senate is expected to do the same next week. Brown's administration has indicated he will sign the revised bill. Brown, a Democrat, had sought the changes to avoid a requirement See LAW, page 9A "If we put it out there and say, 'Hey, you know, our market is down here on Saturdays.' If that is not enough to bring people down to want to enjoy the fresh fruits and veggies and foods and various items for sale, then it's like hey, if we can combine things and get some foot traffic down here, once they're down here they're going to see all the great things we have to sell and they're going to start coming on their own anyway." In its first Saturday market, kids could enjoy a bounce house, balloon art and face painting, Bauer said. "Word of mouth in a small town is huge," Bauer said. "If I can just get a few people down here to tell their friends who tell their friends, we'll See FRESH, page 9A Tehama County continues to inch closer to the 10 percent mark with 10.9 percent preliminary May unemployment, released Friday by the Employment Development Division. This continues a positive trend of dropping from 13.2 percent in March to 11.8 percent in April. Only Glenn County, ranking 45th out of 58 counties at 11.3 percent, has higher unemployment than Tehama County in neighboring counties. Butte is the lowest rate, ranking 32nd at 9.4 percent, and Shasta ranks 35th at 10 percent. Imperial County continues holding its spot at 58th with 22.8 percent unemployment followed by Colusa County coming in at 57th with 15.8 percent. Sutter County is ranked 56th with 14.9 percent followed by Merced at 13.6 percent and Stanislaus and Yuba counties tie to round out the five highest unem- ployment rates at 12.2 percent. Marin County continues leading the way with the lowest unemployment at 4.5 percent followed by San Mateo County at 4.9 percent unemployment. San Francisco County ranks third at 5.2 percent followed by Napa at 5.3 percent and Orange County at 5.5 percent round out the five lowest unemployment rates. State unemployment continues to drop, dipping 2.2 percent from May 2012, and is down from 8.5 in April to 8.1 percent in May. Nationwide unemployment sits at 7.3 percent, which is higher than April's 7.1 percent, but lower than 7.6 percent in March. It is a 0.6 percent drop from the 7.9 percent unemployment rate in May 2012. The federal government took the biggest hit with an 8 percent drop in jobs for the year, but saw a 9.5 percent increase between April and May. See RATE, page 9A Schools eye soon-vacant courthouse By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Corning Union Elementary School District is considering the possibility of moving into the former Tehama County Superior Courthouse building on Hoag Street in Corning. A special meeting will be held at noon Monday at the Superintendent's Office, 1590 South St., to discuss the matter. "The district office is a converted Air Force barracks that sits directly in the middle of the West Street School campus," Superintendent Catherine Reimer said. "We were approached by the county regarding the courthouse that is being vacated in Corning. The board will discuss whether they may or may not be interested in the purchase or lease of the building." In March, the Tehama County Superior Court announced it was closing Photo courtesy of the Tehama County Superior Court The Corning Branch of the Tehama County Superior Court, which closes June 30. its Corning branch, 720 Hoag St., effective June See SCHOOLS, page 9A NOW HIRING - MULTIPLE GREAT LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES Millwrights, HVAC Technician, Maintenance Tech and Electrician, Quality Control Staff, Experienced Lunch Cook, Bi-Lingual Associates and more. Want to get out of the heat? Apply for several positions at a Mountain Restaurant and Lodge! Visit www.jobtrainingcenter.org or come in Monday-Friday, 9am to 5pm. Come ready for a prescreen interview. 718 Main Street in Red Bluff 529-7000