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WEDNESDAY AUGUST 25, 2010 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 5A RED BLUFF Local pilots recognized Crown Nursery SPORTS 1B Sunny 106/69 Weather forecast 8B 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 Ishi escapee gets seven-year prison term A man convicted of second- degree burglary was sentenced to seven years after he ran away from a local minimum security work camp. Phillip Joseph Guthmiller, 30, was sentenced to seven years in state prison on Monday after a court convicted him of escaping from custody. Without a history of violence or sexual abuse, Guthmiller, serving five years for second- degree burglary, qualified for the Ishi Conservation Camp near Paynes Creek in northeast Tehama County, along with more than 120 other inmates. At the camp, laborers can work off time at twice the normal rate. But in April authorities say Guthmiller, aided by a friend, snuck out of the camp after midnight and fled to Stockton. He was apprehended in Stockton, where authorities said family members of Guthmiller lived, less than two weeks later. Court records show Guth- miller twice entering a plea of innocent before entering a guilty plea in August. More than 99 percent of camp escapees are eventually apprehended, according to sta- tistics form the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. —Geoff Johnson Fed to pick up slack after state drops water bond By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer The Legislature voted this month to pull a bond measure that would have paid for a number of water-related projects from the November bal- lot. About $60 million of the $11.1 billion bond was supposed to go toward the Fish Passage Improvement Project at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam. The funding shortfall will not affect the project, said Pete Lucero, public affairs specialist for the Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region. The project is already fully funded through appropri- ations and the American Reinvestment and Recov- ery Act. The federal govern- ment will pay for all the up front costs with the state providing reim- bursement when it has the money, Lucero said. The entire project is expected to cost about $220 mil- lion. The state has agreed to pay about 25 percent of the costs. When or how the state will pay back the loan has Fish plan endures bond halt Fairboard wary on solar funding By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Tehama District Fairboard considered an agree- ment Tuesday presented by California Construction Association, but has decided to hold back on signing until after seeking legal council. The association, which handles all improvements at state fairs, has made available a one-year grant through Fairs and Expositions that would help fairs with the cost of solar panels. The panels were financed through the Krebs bond, which didn’t receive the financing it was expecting, said Fair CEO Mark Eidman. While acceptance of the association’s offer would make the payment more manageable at $2,043 a month, several fairboard directors expressed concerns Tuesday that it would change the terms of the existing contract. At previous meetings Eidman and the directors have said that they would be willing to keep the system as long as it pays for itself, which it is doing so far, Eid- man said. The directors have asked for more information on See SOLAR, page 7A DN file photo Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger touted a $11.1 billion water bond during the ground breaking ceremony of the Fish Passage Improvement Project in March, but has since decided to postpone the bond until 2012. not been discussed. There are ways the state can pro- vide the reimbursement, as there are a number of projects on which the fed- eral government and the state are partners, Lucero said. With the bond measure Drunk driving crackdown under way Tehama County’s Avoid Five DUI Task Force Campaign announced it will join other law enforcement agencies throughout the country in support of an intensive crackdown on impaired driving through Sept. 6, known by its tagline, “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” Alcohol involved fatalities and injuries have dropped dramati- cally in the last three years of this end-of- summer enforcement campaign in California. Combined deaths and injuries in 2007 were 1,780, dropping to 1,682 in 2008. Provi- sional 2009 datashow that the numbers have dropped again, to 1317 — a 26 percent decrease in just three years. Avoid the Five Tehama County will deploy officers to con- duct two checkpoints, a multi-agency DUI Task Force operation, eight local roving DUI satura- tion patrols and a war- rant and probation sweep targeting repeat offenders throughout the county. “All too often, inno- cent, law-abiding people suffer tragic conse- quences and the loss of loved ones due to this careless disregard for human life,” said Christopher Murphy, director of the Califor- nia Office of Traffic Safety. “Because of the commitment to end the carnage, police, sheriffs and CHP officers are intensifying enforce- ment during the crack- down. They will be especially vigilant dur- ing high-risk nighttime hours when impaired drivers are most likely See DRUNK, page 7A 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power being postponed until the 2012, everyone involved in the project is looking at different options and con- tingency funds, said Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority. There are other pockets of money that are available. “As long as the ledger is balanced at the end of the day, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Sutton said. With the local agricul- tural economy and fish relying on the pumps See FISH, page 7A Video game stolen from RT school Rancho Tehama Ele- mentary school employ- ees returned to work to find the school burglar- ized Monday. Three classrooms were broken into but a complete tally of stolen goods was not available Tuesday afternoon, Sec- retary Vickie Darnell said. Among the missing goods was a Nintendo Wii used by the Safe Education and Recre- ation for Rural Families program, Darnell said. Doorknobs to all three classrooms were dam- aged and had to be repaired or replaced, she said. No further information was available Tuesday. —Geoff Johnson Gun group exec speaks in Red Bluff By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Opening by invoking the Founding Fathers, Jesus Christ and free- dom, Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of Califor- nia, addressed the Tehama County Patriots Tuesday night. Paredes divided his time between the history of his organization, which he credited with stopping former Gov. Jerry Brown from sign- ing any gun control laws, California’s pend- ing gun laws and his own political philoso- phy. In between, the for- mer East Los Angeles resident used the word “sheep dip” in place of cursing. Paredes called nego- tiation with gun control authors impossible. Members of the left will undermine the Second Amendment and lie if they feel it justifies the means — whereas for Paredes, “a lie is abhor- rent,” he said. “Those people are diametrically opposed to thinking the way we believe,” Paredes said. “They do not believe the public should own guns.” Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, speaks to the Tehama County Patriots Tuesday night at the Trinity Landmark Missionary Church. Instead of negotiation or reason, something Paredes said his organi- zation has tried for 30 years, he called for the crowd of about 60 to campaign and vote against anyone in favor of gun-control. Paredes gave particu- lar attention to three state bills designed to See GUN, page 7A PHYSICIAN REFERRAL A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 1-800-990-9971 CHW North State Region