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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2010 Breaking news at: Oh, Snap Reader photos www.redbluffdailynews.com See 4A, 5A RED BLUFF Raye fired Sports 1B Sunny 104/61 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 Closer to an answer One woman missing, Beating victim’s family waits for murder trial By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer For seven months, Eugene Morgan lay in a hospital bed. For reasons his family may never understand, Morgan was in a vacant lot in October 2006 when someone beat him almost beyond recognition — eventually costing him his life. The right side of Morgan’s face caved in. He lost an eye. His brain required stints. His lip was split so bad it required surgery and never looked right afterwards. If he could use them, Morgan may have found his legs and hands unfamiliar. Family mem- bers describe his limbs as “con- torted” after the attack, even before they began to atrophy. In a vegetative state, Morgan's mind would have been unrecog- nizable. Unlike a coma, Morgan’s state was irreversible, his mother Bernadette “Bernie” Morgan said. “He was dead when they picked him up in October,” she said. In May 2007 the Morgan fami- ly took their beloved “Geno” off Courtesy photo Eugene Morgan holds his son, Colton, when the boy was just eight months old.Morgan was the victim of a beating in 2006 and passed away in the following year. His son is now five. life support. His sister Dawn, his closest sibling, laid by his side three days later as he took his last breath. The man police believe to be his killer would not be caught for another three years. In August they arrested a man described as a local transient, 30- year-old Russell Wray Rodgers. He has been held since in the Tehama County Jail on suspicion of murder. A troubled man... The brutality employed in Mor- gan's death haunts his family. “I have a lot of anger towards (his attacker),” his mother said. A comment Morgan made to his sister still rings eerily. “I did something really bad,” his closest sibling, Dawn, recalled See CLOSER, page 7A Biggest names coming back to Red Bluff one woman is found By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Red Bluff Police are still looking for a missing elderly woman who walked away from Shady Oaks Rest Home, 70 Gilmore Road, over the weekend. Police were called to the rest home at 2:26 a.m. Sat- urday where they learned 64-year-old Pamela Lemen had left the facility shortly after midnight, a Red Bluff Police press release said. Care providers had searched the area prior to calling police, but had been unable to locate Lemen. An area check was also made by officers, but attempts to locate Lemen were unsuccessful. Lemen was still missing Mon- day, a Red Bluff Police spokesperson said. Lemen, who is developmentally disabled and takes sev- eral medications, has no known family in Red Bluff, but does have a relative in Chico and ties to Glenn County, the release said. Pamela Lemen She is described as being 5 feet 2 inches tall and weigh- ing about 160 pounds with brown hair that is graying and blue eyes. It is not know what she was wearing when she left, but it is believed she was wearing mismatched slippers and a tan jacket. Anyone with information is asked to call Red Bluff Police at 527-3131. Red Bluff Police were also asked to help find another missing woman Sunday when she called 911 at 1:14 p.m. to report that she was lost. The woman, Robena Broussard, 68, told police she was in a dry creek bed somewhere in Red Bluff. Using global positioning, the dispatcher was able to determine Broussard was in Red Bank Creek near Rawson Road, which is just south of South Jackson Street, a Red Bluff Police press release said. Red Bluff Police were unable to locate Broussard and asked the California Highway Patrol helicopter to check the creek bed, but CHP was also unable to locate the woman. Tehama County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue sent seven members to check the creek bed on foot and using all terrain vehicles. Broussard, who appeared to be in good health, was found in the creek bed just west of Rawson Road at 4:03 p.m. California leaders set to continue budget struggle SACRAMENTO (AP) — Nearly a quarter of the way through California’s fiscal year, legislative leaders and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were scheduled to resume negotia- tions Monday evening in hopes of ending the state’s record budget impasse and making long-term reforms. Aides to Schwarzenegger and the Republican and Demo- cratic lawmakers worked through the weekend, but there was little sign that an agreement between the parties was near. After meeting Thursday in Schwarzenegger’s private office in Santa Monica, the governor and lawmakers announced what they described as a framework for a poten- tial solution to eliminate a $19 billion budget deficit. Among the sticking points in closing a deal are Courtesy photo Seven-time World Champion truck Maximum Destruction comes to Red Bluff,Thursday. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Long-time promoter of West Coast Monster Truck Nationals Joe Froome is bringing fellow promoter Dave Matthews on board to help bring several well- known names to Red Bluff. The West Coast Mon- ster Truck Nationals will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Tehama District Fairgrounds. “Dave Matthews is a consultant for the Motor Sports Division of Feld Inc. and a long-time friend of mine,” Froome said. “Because of Dave’s affilia- tion with Feld, who pro- duces the ‘Monster Jam’ series on the Speed Chan- nel, along with Ringling Brothers Circus and Dis- ney on Ice, we’re going to have the opportunity to bring back to Red Bluff the two most popular trucks in the country.” Matthews, who has been in the business for 32 years, was a huge help when Froome and Ali Abassi started the West Coast Nationals in 1998 and has continued to be a big help, Froome said. “Dave volunteered his services because of the enormous challenge of putting this together and the fact that he thought I’d appreciate his taking some of the load off my shoul- ders,” Froome said. “Rarely do we get the lux- ury of having (Grave Dig- ger and Maximum Destruction) along with their company’s other two entries, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and El Torro Loco, in a small community as Red Bluff.” The two most well- 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 known trucks, seven-time World Champion truck Maximum Destruction dri- ven by Tom Meents, and the legendary Grave Dig- ger, driven by Pablo Huf- faker, will be making their first appearance in Red Bluff in five years, Matthews said. “Both drivers (Huffaker and Meents) are incredibly excited about coming back here because they know they have thousands of fans and that fuels their enthusi- asm for coming,” Matthews said. Matthews said shows such as the one in Red Bluff are always more fun to be involved in since they allow for up close and per- sonal autograph sessions. “It’s unique to the motor sports industry,” Matthews said of the lengthy auto- graph sessions offered at each event. “It’s what built this company and this sport — autograph sessions that last as long as the line is still there.” The gates open at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday with the show beginning at 8 p.m. and noon on Sunday with the show starting at 2 p.m. with autograph ses- COMPUTER SKILLS CLASS Thurs., Sept. 30 9:30am-Noon Cost $ 49.00 per person Job Training Center 718 Main St., • 529-7000 to reserve your spot! BASIC sions available both before and after each show. Free toy Monster Trucks will be given out thanks to Lassen Medical Center for chil- dren 12 and under at Fri- day’s show. “We wanted to make sure there’s no question whatsoever that anybody who comes out to one of the three shows will leave with nothing but smiles on their faces and memories stored away that will last a lifetime,” Matthews said. There will also be the chance during each show to win one of three bags of merchandise worth about $100 to be given out by Meents during the show, he said. See TRUCKS, page 7A 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 Schwarzenegger’s demands for tax reforms, budget reforms including creating a rainy day fund, and public pension reforms including rolling back benefit increases approved 11 years ago. ‘‘There are a lot of moving parts that are still getting worked on: pension reform, reductions, budget reform. Believe me, the list is much longer,’’ said Department of Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer. Democrats are insisting that Schwarzenegger wrestle concessions from public employee unions through collective bargaining before they consider his proposals for legislative changes to the pension system, said Alicia Trost, spokes- woman for Senate Democrats. Negotiations are expected to continue with the 95,000- member Service Employees International Union, which rep- resents nine of the 15 bargaining units that lack a contract, although no talks are currently scheduled, said Department of Personnel Administration spokeswoman Lynelle Jolley. ‘‘Everyone agrees that pension reform will be part of the budget. It’s the details that still need to be worked out,’’ said Seth Unger, spokesman for Assembly Republicans. ‘‘We think it’s critical to California’s long-term fiscal stability.’’ Monday’s negotiations were delayed until evening so Schwarzenegger could give a speech on California’s climate change efforts to the Commonwealth Club in Santa Clara. He told audience members it should be possible ‘‘in the next week’’ for the state to have both a budget and the reforms he See BUDGET, page 7A ARTHRITIS, AND POST SURGERY. DR. SWAIM’S PAIN CREAM NOW AVAILABLE IN OUR OFFICE AT 2530 SR MARY COLUMBA DR. RED BLUFF, CA 96080 (530) 527-7584 STOP THE PAIN FROM NEUROPATHY, SHINGLES, COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR Smog Inspection $ 2995 + cert. (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) Pass or FREE retest 195 S. Main St. Red Bluff 530 527-9841