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MONDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2010 Breaking news at: Little Miss Tehama Fair Coverage www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4A, 5A RED BLUFF Red Bluff Invitational SPORTS 1B Sunny 101/59 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 Lessons as valuable as profits at livestock auction By GEOFF JOHNSON On the block DN Staff Writer For four months, the rou- tine was the same for Cadence Bonham. The Los Molinos resi- dent and Future Farmers of America member fed her sheep, Juliet, once in the morning and again at night, with time for exercise. “She was very outgo- ing,” Bonham said. That relationship came to a close Saturday as Bon- ham attended what she said was the hardest part of rais- ing livestock — the sale. Bonham parted with her champion lamb for $10 a pound, a high price that took her by surprise. “I was shocked,” she said. Juliet’s sale was one of 240 held Saturday in the Tehama District Junior Livestock Auction, a nearly 60-year tradition. Bonham’s experience was common, said Mark Collins, president of the Junior Livestock Auction Committee. Emotions run highest the day after the sale, when livestock are shipped off, often to the slaughterhouse. “We’re trying to teach these kids that there is an end result to this...it’s still pretty tough sometimes,” he said. The experience is vital because of the lesson it instills in FFA and 4-H members, Collins said. The children may lose a com- panion but they learn where their food comes from and feed hungry families. Along the way, sellers learn responsibility and the practical art of farming, tasked with everything from vaccinating their livestock to charting their weight. Thanks to the generous prices paid by buyers, the children usually wind up Board to vote to extend Building Director contract By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer The Board of Supervisors will consider renewing the contract of Building Director John Stover on Tuesday morning, exactly one week after union members and private sector contractors publicly attacked his policies. If the board votes in his favor of approving the contract, Stover’s tenure will be extended for another year at $7,113 a month. Like other recent contracts approved by supervisors, the agreement calls for a 3 percent contribution from Stover to his CalPERs account. In a telephone interview Stover defended his decision to reduce the hours of the department’s two inspectors by 50 percent each, a controversial proposal the board approved Sept. 18. Revenues are down 30 percent from what the department predicted, leaving Stover no choice but to match the drop by reducing staffing, he said. Ser- vices and response times should remain the same. “Inspections generally are (fewer) during the fall and winter,” he said. “And in the past they’ve been enough that one inspector can just about do them.” If more inspectors are required Stover will have to take up the inspections himself, he said. Detractors of Stover criticized him for not taking a salary reduction to make up for the difference. But Stover, whose pay is controlled by the Board of Supervisors, said a cut to his salary would scarcely dent the massive drop in building fees with which the department is contending. Altogether, the department, which is entirely paid for by building fees, anticipated $500,000 in revenue this year. If trends continue the figure may be closer to $350,000. “Take 10 percent of (my salary). That’s $7,000. Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson More than 240 animals moved through the 2010 Tehama District Junior Livestock Auction on Saturday. with a profit. Buyers hap- pily forking over prices two, three or four times the market value for the meat. “The buyers are our greatest asset,” Collins said. With that money, the children usually end up with money they can save for college or to purchase a new animal, Collins said. Some of that money reached the pocket of 17- year-old Megan Murphy, a Red Bluff resident born into a sheep-raising family. Murphy has raised and sold sheep at the auction for nine years, even as she took on a job at the Green Barn and studied her way through high school. But a decade of experi- ence has done little to dis- tance her from the animals she readies for sale. She raised Boo, whom she would later call “Booz- er,” from a baby to an adult who comes when you call her name. When she sees Boozer for the last time, she expects to cry, Murphy said. “She was a sweet sheep,” she said. By this time next year, Murphy plans to be in col- lege, leaving her animals at the county line. But not her knowledge. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or gjohnson@redbluffdailyne ws.com. Would that really make a difference?,” he said. Stover convinced the board to raise fees for unre- lated reasons May 2009. The department had long drawn on a reserve fund to keep fees artificially low for Tehama County, a policy the board kept for years until the money was depleted. “I hated to do it,” Stover said. “That’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, is raise those fees, because I feel real empathy for the homeown- er and the contractor.” His reasoning did little to comfort his critics who still argued Stover was wrong to raise fees in a recession. The Tehama County Board of Supervisors will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday in their chambers at 727 Oak St. in Red Bluff. More information is available by calling 527-4655 or visiting co.tehama.ca.us. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or gjohnson@redbluffdailynews.com. High pressure Skaters compete at Red Bluff skatepark system heating things up in North State Results from the North State Skate Series in Red Bluff, Saturday. Ages 11 and Under 1st Logan Marshall 2nd Dylan Hebert 3rd Bryson Farrill 12-14 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A strong high pressure system is keep- ing the heat turned up across most of Northern California. Though the return of coastal fog to the San Francisco Bay area cooled things down a bit overnight, the National Weather Service says temperatures across the inland areas of the region on Sunday were expected to range between 80 to 100 degrees. On Monday, forecast- ers expected tempera- News tip? Call 527-2151, Ext. 112 tures to rise even higher, with readings between 90 to 105. The heat has prompt- ed the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to issue a ‘‘Spare the Air Smog Alert’’ for Monday, the third consecutive day the district has issued an alert. Air quality officials say motor vehicle exhaust and other chem- icals in the air, along with high temperatures, are combining to form an unhealthy level of ground-level ozone. COMPUTER SKILLS! Thurs., Sept. 30 9:30am-12:00pm Cost $ 49.00 per person 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Job Training Center 718 Main St., • 529-7000 to reserve your spot! BASIC 1st Miles Lawrence 2nd Zack Wiegand 3rd Emanuel Mayfield 15-17 1st Zachary Kovacs 2nd Brandon Terry 3rd Johnny Scribner Open Class 1st Alex Shannon 2nd Sou Saephan 3rd Charlie Bowman 30 and Older 1st Ty Parks 2nd Bob Buckalew 3rd Brian Harris Finals at Anderson Skateboard Park, Satur- day, Oct. 9. Registration opens at 11 a.m. with competitions beginning at noon. GET WORK! Professional & Confidential Resumes Composed Since 1979 Business Connections Located in the Pine Street Plaza 332 Pine Street, Red Bluff 527-6229 Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson About 40 skateboarders attempted a chain Saturday at the Red Bluff Skatepark during the North State Skate Series. Red Bluff Daily News Saturday delivery will be late due to the football coverage. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you. D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY October 4-8 Secret Shopping and Customer Service Bootcamp: Season IV - A Brand New Experience Bring this one hour training to your business by calling the Job Training Center at 529-7000