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Wednesday, October 6, 2010 – Daily News – 7A Obituary MAN Continued from page 1A foot. The suspects then drove away in either a 2009 or 2010 blue Chevrolet Tahoe with custom wheels, according to the release. The victim reportedly walked long enough to reach Love’s Truck Stop in Corn- GUARD BETTE McGOWAN Bette McGowan died Sep- tember 25, 2010 in Modes- to, CA. She was 87 years old. She was born in Lin- coln, Nebraska on Novem- ber 23, 1922. At the age of twelve she moved to Platts- burgh, New York to live with her sister and her hus- band. Later she worked at Diamond Match Lumber Company as a secretary and met her husband, Jim McGowan there. Ten years later in 1957, Diamond Na- tional transferred the family to Red Bluff. She was em- ployed at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital as a nurse for many years. She enjoyed her nursing along with spending time at the beach, golfing, and music, espe- cially Frank Sinatra. She leaves behind her five chil- dren: Kathy McGowan Lammay and son-in-law John Lammay of Red Bluff; Mickey McGowan Behnke of Modesto; Colleen McGowan Hollar and son- in-law Dave Hollar of Arvada, CO; Mike McGowan and daughter-in- law Paige of Reno; Patti McGowan and friend Jenni- fer Giffin of Sacramento. She has eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren. A private gathering of her children will take place in the near future to celebrate her life. Death Notice Helen Eva Schmitz Helen Eva Schmitz died Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010, at the Lassen House in Red Bluff. She was 94. Red Bluff Simple Crema- tions and Burial Service is handling the arrange- ments. Published Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. SCHOOL Continued from page 1A school year as local youth leaders seek to bring Chris- tian teens together for the common goal of glorifying God and shining his light into their campuses and community. FISH Continued from page 1A ald’s property. That could have had an impact on crops or required farmers to pay to install fish screens. In its latest decision, the Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice said scientific data failed to show a signifi- cant long-term decline of splittail populations. Instead, the agency cited ‘‘natural fluctuations’’ that demonstrate a pattern of successful spawning during wet years, fol- lowed by reduced spawn- ing during dry years. An environmental group blasted the deci- sion, which it said was made without up-to-date fish-count surveys. ‘‘This decision is clearly not based on sound science. This species is basically near extinction,’’ said Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, an Arizona-based group that sued the Interior Department last year. The department agreed to review the 2003 decision on the Sacramento split- tail as part of a settlement earlier this year. Miller called the latest ruling, which mirrors the 2003 finding, ‘‘pretty outrageous.’’ Continued from page 1A Branson was placed on admin- istrative leave after his arrest in June and will remain on leave until the county approves his ter- mination, Parker said. “In the state of California, I doubt if anybody would hire him,” Parker said. “But other states might.” Parker said he was present for Branson's sentencing. “I wanted to terminate him immediately,” he said. SURF Continued from page 1A nia Fish and Game War- dens Matt Wells, A.J. Bolton and Rob Mengel who had the vessel towed to the Samoa boat ramp. ing, where he was taken by ambulance to Enloe Medical Center in Chico. He was later released. Parker said he had yet to read the report filed by offi- cials. But “our investigators know when somebody’s not coming forward with the truth,” he said. Sheriff’s logs indicate Ortega-Perez was shirtless and shoeless when someone called the Corning Police Department and suggest his missing clothing may be in the Mountain View and Corning Road area, where the incident reportedly took place. Parker said he was unclear just how Ortega- Perez lost his clothing or how the attackers knew he Employee rights and liability issues, however, prevented him from doing so. It was not immedi- ately clear when Branson will be officially fired. “We’ve got a lot of crime going on Tehama County and we only have so many people to do the work, and we’ll try to get on it as soon as we can,” Parker said. Nunneley and Branson lived together as a couple, according to reports from the District Attor- ney’s office. Yet they filed paper- work as a tenant and landlord, respectively. Their joint finances made Nunneley ineligible for “Fortunately, we can walk away from this inci- dent without tragedy due to the standing of a dili- gent watch by the men and w omen at Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay,” Wolf said. ”Although they were wearing their life jackets, CORNING Continued from page 1A Dickison said the question was a hard one as someone who was a city employee for 41 years. The contribution was originally given in lieu of a raise and taking away the contribution was like taking away a raise. Lopez and Richards said, in light of the economic downturn, it would be a good idea to consider. Richards said it wouldn’t necessar- ily have to be something perma- nent. Cofer and Strack were asked what they would do to promote future growth. Strack said the coun- cil and staff were already working toward future growth with things like upgrading the water and sewer lines and sewer system capacity. Cofer said the council should reassess what money is coming in and where it goes. Council candidates were asked if they had researched the time commitment it takes to be an effec- tive council member and if they planned to stop often at City Hall to do research. Richards, Prather, Poison and Bowen all said they had considered the time and were willing to take as much as was needed. Lopez, a member of the Plan- ning Commission, and Dickison, who served as City Clerk for 25 years, also said they know and are prepared for the time commitment the job will take. Asked what plans they have to address Corning’s feral cat prob- lem, all candidates admitted there was one. Strack said its not just a problem in the city and, while staff and the council have looked at many issues over the years, the biggest problems had $1,000. Deputies were unable to find either the vic- tim’s missing clothing or the place where Ortega-Perez was mugged, Parker said. Logs make multiple mentions of Ortega-Perez being “stabbed in the but- tocks,” though the press release indicates nothing about a stabbing. Parker said he had also welfare money she collected for her children, ages 12 and 13 at the time of her arrest. Branson told investigators he learned the technique from a fel- low deputy in the department who, along with his girlfriend, explained “how to use the welfare system to their advantage,” according to the DA’s report. It was not immediately clear whether a second investigation was opened based on Branson’s testimony. Parker said he was not aware of a second investigation but would consider a review with- in the department once he reads the rescued individuals did not have any means to sig- nal distress.” The Coast Guard reminds all mariners to carry marine-type distress signal flares or a water- proof marine radio to sig- nal capable of transmis- sion on VHF Channel 16 been told Ortega-Perez had been shot. “The investigators think there’s credibility issues,” Parker said. “But we’ll look into everything and go from there.” Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Tehama County Sheriff’s Department at 529- 7920. the DA’s report. Branson had initially been charged with obtaining govern- ment aid through misrepresenta- tion and perjury. But the second charge was dropped and the first reduced to a misdemeanor in exchange for a guilty plea, according to court records. Nunneley has pled guilty and is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 12. ——— Geoff Johnson can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or gjohnson@redbluffdailynews.com. to alert the Coast Guard when in danger. The Coast Guard also recommends a Electronic Position Indi- cating Radio Beacon (EPIRB); many of which are designed to be carried by small vessels or per- sons in kayaks. These devices alert the Coast Guard of distresses and give a search position to rescues crews. Mariners are encour- aged to check the local weather, pay attention to issued advisories and evaluate risks before tak- ing to the water. Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Mayoral and council candidates lined the stage Monday at the Corning Veterans Hall for a candidates night. From left, moderator Linda Watkins-Bennett, mayoral candidate Dean Cofer, Mayor Gary Strack and council candidates Gena Bowen, Darlene Dickison, Jesse Lopez, Melodie Poison, Ken Prather and John Richards. are money and the Corning Animal Shelter, which is already full with dogs and does not have room for cats. Cofer said the problem is that you can’t keep a cat in the yard, but it is definitely a problem to work on. Bowen, who has a sister work- ing in cat rescue in the Bay Area, said she favors a trap, spay, neuter program, but knows it is costly. She recommended the city find other funding the way Chico has with a thrift store. Lopez agreed, saying he knows there are programs out there that can be tapped into and it should be researched. Dickison said the problem has been discussed, including a cat ordinance, but that requires a lot of volunteers. Poison, Prather and Richards favored a trap, spay, neuter pro- gram and said they would like to see the city partner with local vet- erinarians. Prather recommended finding a facility where local vet- erinarians could do a clinic every other week. Cofer was asked about the 25- year fixed base operator lease, pre- viously a five year lease, at Corning Airport that was approved recently by the council. Cofer said the whole deal was “flat wrong” because it didn’t allow for increases over time and having the item go out to bid more often STATE BRIEFING Ex-Shasta student admits molesting boy REDDING (AP) — A former Shasta County college student convicted of kid- napping and fondling a 6-year-old boy on campus has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. Twenty-two-year-old Kevin Carter pleaded guilty Monday, just as his trial was set to begin. Carter was enrolled at Shasta College in December 2007 when authorities say he approached a boy who was showering after taking swimming lessons on campus. The man fondled the child, then led him outside to a secluded area. The boy turned back and told his father what happened. The Record-Searchlight of Redding reports that Carter was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial in 2008 but even- tually was returned to the county the face the charges. Authorities say he’ll receive prison cred- it for time spent at a secured developmental center. State downbeat about jobs, economy SACRAMENTO (AP) — A new Field Poll finds most Californians remain pessimistic about the state’s eco- nomic recovery, as well as their own. The poll, which was released Tues- day, found 93 percent of registered vot- ers agree that California is experiencing poor economic times. Only a quarter expect the state’s economy to improve over the next year. The pollsters say the negative mood is the longest and deepest since they began keeping track in 1978. A majority think their own finances are worse than a year ago. Just 30 per- cent expect their financial situation to improve over the next 12 months. The telephone survey of 857 regis- tered voters was conducted between Sept. 14 and Sept. 21. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. Anti-pot campaign raises $117K SACRAMENTO (AP) — The cam- paign against a California ballot measure that would legalize marijuana is reporting having raised just over $117,000 in contri- butions during the three months ending Sept. 30. The No on Prop. 19 campaign reported figures Tuesday that showed law enforce- ment groups forming the backbone of oppo- sition to the measure. The campaign has raised a little more than $210,000 since the beginning of the year and has just over $54,000 cash on hand. owns and operates the only on-site crematory in Tehama County. • Your loved one NEVER leaves our care. • For your peace of mind, we personally perform cremations on site. • No hidden charges. If cremation is your choice, there really is no other choice for you than the cremation experts at Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Contact us today so we may answer your questions. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers Funerals • Cremations • Prearrangements 816 Walnut Street | Red Bluff (530) 527-1174 www.chapeloftheflowers.net Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers would allow for the city to receive the maximum benefit from the lease. Strack was asked about the lease and said he agreed with comments Cofer made about businesses tak- ing time to build. But the lease had been renewed every five years for a total of 20 prior to the new lease and the company, Rainbow Avia- tion, had more than put in their time. There will be a debate amongst the five council candidates at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Corning Senior Center, 1015 Fourth Ave. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Is cremation your choice?