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WEEKEND SEPTEMBER 21-22 2013 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Pit River Bridge Ag Page 5A DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Showers likely 68/51 Weather forecast 10A TEHAMA COUNTY $1.00 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 Slough cleanup to start Local jobless rate drops by almost full point By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer Tehama County's unemployment rate dropped by nearly a full percentage point from July to August, according to preliminary numbers released Friday by the Employment Development Department, which pegged the county's unemployment rate at 11.2 percent. State (8.8 percent) and federal (7.3 percent) rates also fell in the past month, but only by about a halfpoint each. The annual uptick of farm jobs in August helped contribute to the monthly employment rise in Tehama. These jobs accounted for about 37 percent of the added jobs from July to August. See JOBS, page 9A RB man earns CSU top honor Daily News file photo Fire raged through the East Sand Slough June 3 and the U.S. Forest Service has announced cleanup of the charged vegetation in the slough is set to begin Monday. By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer The U.S. Forest Service on Monday will start fire cleanup efforts at the East Sand Slough in Red Bluff after a June blaze burned 102 acres between Interstate 5 and Sale Lane. Forest Service officials unveiled their plan Thursday at the Tehama County Farm Bureau to fell hazardous trees burned by the blaze in their jurisdiction, clean up trash and rehabilitate habitat in the area. "The priority when we first go in is to go in and remove any hazard trees to mitigate safety issues," said Shilo Springstead, a grindstone fuels technician with the U.S. Forest Service. Officials also will be designating a firewood pickup area off Sale Lane at the Sycamore Grove Campground in the Mendocino National Forest. Springstead said hazard trees with a diameter at breast height of more than 12 inches will be left at the site for habitat. All others will be used for firewood. Personal use firewood permits will be required to haul firewood from the wood pile area. Visit www.fs.usda.gov/main/mendocino/passes-permits/forestproducts to download a permit request form. Permits cost a minimum of $20 for four cords. The maximum number of cords that can be purchased during the calendar years is 12 cords, at $5 per cord. Springstead speculated there could be "quite a bit" of firewood collected for the pile, and it would be distributed on a first-come-firstserved basis. She did warn those thinking of going to the fire area to cut their own firewood. "We will not allow uncontrolled firewood cutting for the public," Springstead said. She added unlawful cutting will be monitored. The Forest Service is seeking volunteers for the effort, which could last about two weeks. Those interested in volunteering can visit cleanforestproject.org or meet officials at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Sacramento River Discovery Center at 1000 Sale Lane. Officials See SLOUGH, page 9A By DN Staff Report A Red Bluff man will travel to Long Beach on Tuesday to accept the California State University system's highest student honor, according to an Inside Chico State report. Tim Sain, a California State University, Chico graduate student pursuing a master's in education, was honored as the top-ranking nominee for the William Randolh Hearst/CSU Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement, according to a Chico State news release. "The annual award recognizes students who have overcome adversi- ty, demonstrated financial need and have attributes of merit including superior academic performance, significant personal achievements and exemplary community service," according to a Chico State news release. Sain, who moved to Red Bluff in 2004 and overcame a life of drug and alcohol abuse, was awarded the Trustee Emeritus Ali C. Razi Scholarship, the highest student award, which comes with $10,000. "I feel really honored; this isn't supposed to happen to people like See HONOR, page 9A Calif. OKs new Fire burns nine vehicles at tow yard water monitoring order for farmland FRESNO (AP) — State water regulators have adopted an order for farmers to monitor and clean up groundwater in California's Central Valley, home to some of America's most contaminated aquifers. The order, adopted by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board on Thursday, affects about 10,700 growers in the Tulare Lake basin — including parts of Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties — who farm on about 3 million acres of irrigated farmland. It's the second order adopted by the board. The first was adopted for the eastern San Joaquin region, and the board is poised to adopt a halfdozen orders for other parts of the region in the next six months. There will also be a commoditybased order for rice growers. A total of 33,000 farmers and 8 million acres of irrigated land will eventually be affected by the orders. The new rules cover not only groundwater but also surface water, which has been regulated on an interim basis since 2003. Nitrate contamination of groundwater is a pervasive problem in California's agricultural heartland and is bound to intensify in coming years, according to a University of California, Davis, study released last year. The nitrates pollute drinkSee WATER, page 9A DN Staff Report A Friday morning blaze damaged or destroyed nine vehicles at a J & L Towing yard in Red Bluff. Officials are calling the fire, which started at 5 a.m., "suspicious." The Red Bluff Fire Department responded to four vehicles engulfed in flames and controlled the blaze in about 20 minutes, according to a press release. Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to nearby structures and vegetation. Four vehicles were destroyed and another five were damaged. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Employees at the towing yard at 1765 Main St. declined comment on the fire. The Red Bluff Fire Department responded with three engines and seven personnel. CalFire assisted with two engines and seven personnel, and the Red Bluff Police Department assisted. Daily News photo by Andre Byik Matthew Shobash, division chief at the Red Bluff Fire Department, investigates a Friday morning blaze that damaged or destroyed 9 vehicles at a J & L Towing yard in Red Bluff. Officials are calling the fire "suspicious." CARE TO COMMENT? At redbluffdailynews.com, scroll to the end of any story, click the link and type away. Open House with the California Common Core State Standards September 25, 2013 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm Presentation at 5:00 pm Tehama County Department of Education Library Refreshments will be served Larry Champion, Tehama County Superintendent of Schools