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FRIDAY Healthy Life Expectancy JULY 19, 2013 All-Stars Rally World Briefing Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4A SPORTS 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 105/73 Weather forecast 8A 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 Jobless rate ticks up, but new jobs added By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer After months of decline, Tehama County's unemployment rate ticked back up in June to a preliminary estimate of 11.6 percent, according to statistics released Thursday by the Employment Development Department. However the forecast wasn't all that negative as civilian employment increased by 240 jobs from May to June. The uptick in employment rate came from a labor force that grew by 2 percent to 25,170 from the prior month. The month's 11.6 percent rate is still far below the 14.2 percent unemployment Tehama County experienced in June 2012. Only three industry sectors reported job losses for the month — construction, whole- sale trade and educational and health services. They accounted for a total loss of 40 jobs. All three of those industries have still seen positive job growth in the past year. Total farm jobs were up 12.1 percent, while an additional 50 jobs bumped federal govern- ment jobs up by 21.7 percent. Across California Tehama County's unemployment was the 45th lowest out of the 58 counties. Butte County had an unemployment rate of 10.3 percent See RATE, page 7A By BOBIE HUGHES Fireworks set for next July Special to the DN By RICH GREENE Walmart's push toward green energy and specifically the Red Bluff Distribution Center's wind generator was the focus of a recent Sacramento River Discovery Center Thursday evening program. Guest speaker Darwyn Jones, general manager the at the distribution center, said the wind generator is now operational 247. The company initially faced some unexpected difficulties connecting the wind turbine to the regional electrical grid. Those issues have since been resolved. Jones shared some of the history and the efforts of Walmart to have its stores and distribution centers fully powered by sustainable energy by 2020. The wind generator in Red Bluff is the first in the nation for a Walmart Distribution Center. The generator provides 25 percent to 30 percent of the power needed to operate the center's facilities. The wind turbines only need 4 mph winds to be useful and since they come in a variety of sizes there may be applications for other area industries to help reduce the area's carbon footprint and make greater use of sustainable energy. These efforts would also improve air quality. The Red Bluff generator was purchased in partnership with Foundation Wind Power of Palo Alto. The Distribution Cen- DN Staff Writer Turbine on line The Tehama County Fireworks Committee unanimously decided Wednesday to hold on to the money raised in the past year for the canceled Fourth of July pyrotechnic show to host a show July 4, 2014. The committee had discussed using the funds to pay for a show later in 2013, with the week of the Tehama District Fair a leading candidate, but untimely went with the idea that the Fourth of July spirit couldn't be captured on any other day. Those who were leaning toward a rescheduled 2013 show said they believed they owed it to those who See JULY, page 7A Workshop offered for job seekers By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer Daily News file photo The Red Bluff Walmart Distribution Center's wind generator is fully operational. ter is looking into technology that would store some energy in batteries when there are breaks or short periods of plant clo- 30 pounds of meth seized in Anderson SACRAMENTO — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today, charging San Jose residents Jose Angel Martinez Chairez, 38; Angel Avilio Martinez-Diaz, 26; Jose Maria Villareal, 24; and Sunnyvale resident Jose Luis Ramirez Verduzco, 27, with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and with the distribution of methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin Wagner announced. According to court documents, on July 10, a confidential informant arranged to buy 15 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine for $195,000 from MartinezDiaz. They arranged to meet in a parking lot in Anderson. Martinez-Diaz initially showed the confidential 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 informant a one-kilogram sample. Martinez-Chairez, Villareal, and Ramirez Verduzco brought the rest of the methamphetamine, to total 15 kilograms. Upon showing the drugs, agents arrested the defendants and seized the drugs. This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Shasta County Interagency Narcotic Task Force. United States Attorney Richard Bender is prosecuting the case. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, July 26 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall Newman. If convicted, the defendants face 10 years to life in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent. sure. Energy generated and not needed by the center is transferred to the PG&E power grid with Walmart receiving financial credit. Jones shared some of See TURBINE, page 7A The Tehama County Job Training Center will be offering a career planning and assessment workshop July 27 headed and developed by Helen Horyza, a career counselor at Sacramento State University. The workshop, titled Elevations, hones jobseekers' talents and value, said Carrie Clark, talent and development manager at the center. "Often times our job seekers have little to no direction," Clark said. Whether one has been laid off, is in the middle of a career or has just graduated college, the program refocuses on the value a job seeker possesses. The workshop will run from 8 a.m. to noon at the Hampton Inn & Suites at 520 Adobe Road in Red Bluff. The cost is $40 per person, but there are full scholarship opportunities for those who qualify. Clark said everybody's circumstance can be different in their job search or job transition, but the workshop caters to any emotional state: from the relief of changing course to the feeling of devastation from hitting rock bottom. The most important aspect of seeking help, Clark said, is the momentum that builds when people work together as a group. "Unfortunately people feel like the online job boards are the only way people hire, and that's just not true," she said, adding, "It's a group effort. The more community, the more support, the more camaraderie you can See JOB, page 7A DN's website gets new look By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Daily News launched a redesigned website Thursday morning, featuring a cleaner, less cluttered look with deeper navigation links, faster load times and other new features. The new look is the result of several months of work by the Daily News and its parent company Digital First Media, which is unveiling more than 70 redesigned news service websites in the coming weeks. Redbluffdailynews.co m is the most-visited local website in Tehama County with more than 50,000 unique visitors and between 250,000 and 300,000 page views every month. "We're excited about the benefits for advertisers that are built in to this website redesign, created to keep visitors on our site even longer," Publisher See LOOK, page 7A