Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/184290
WEDNESDAY Pulled Pork, Game 1 Starter Jalapenos OCTOBER 2, 2013 County Fare Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 5A SPORTS 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 78/52 Weather forecast 8B TEHAMA COUNTY DAILY 50¢ 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 Your fault! No shutdown end; Dems, GOP trade blame WASHINGTON (AP) — First slowed, then stalled by political gridlock, the vast machinery of government clanged into partial shutdown mode on Tuesday and President Barack Obama warned the longer it goes ''the more families will be hurt.'' Republicans said it was his fault, not theirs. Ominously, there were suggestions from leaders in both parties that the shutdown, heading for its second day, could last for weeks and grow to encompass a possible default by the Treasury if Congress fails to raise the nation's debt ceiling. The two issues are ''now all together,'' said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. Speaking at the White House, the president accused Republicans of causing the first partial closure in 17 years as part of a non-stop ''ideological crusade'' to wipe out his signature health care law. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, gave as good as he got. ''The president isn't telling the whole story,' he said in an opinion article posted on the USA Today website. ''The fact is that Washington Democrats have slammed the door on reopening the government by refusing to engage in bipartisan talks.'' Both houses of Congress met in a Capitol closed to regular public tours, part of the impact of a partial shutdown that sent ripples of disruption outward — from museums and memorials in Washington to For more on shutdown, see pages 4B and 6B Monsters land in RB Yellowstone and other national parks and to tax auditors and federal offices serving Americans coast to coast. Officials said roughly 800,000 federal employees would be affected by the shutdown after a half-day on the job Tuesday to fill out time cards, put new messages on their voice mail and similar chores. See BLAME, page 7A Shutdown closes Lassen Park Lassen Volcanic National Park announced it was closed Tuesday following the shutdown of the federal government and the lapse of budget appropriation. All visitor facilities including Kohm Yah-mah-nee visitor center, Loomis museum, Drakesbad guest ranch, Manzanita Lake cabins, campgrounds and roads – including Lassen National Park Highway thru the park– are closed. The park will remain closed until the government reopens. The National Park Service closed all 401 national parks. Tehama County Supervisor Dennis Garton announced at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting that Mendocino National Forest Supervisor Sherry Tune would not be able to attend the county's Coordination Committee member being held Wednesday afternoon due to the federal shutdown. The meeting was scheduled to focus speakers from a number of National Forests. Sheriff Dave Hencratt said despite federal money being used for a number of special projects including the drug task force, he did not anticipate the shutdown affecting his See LASSEN, page 7A Man sent to prison for diagnosis in molestation case By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer Daily News file photo By ANDRE BYIK If you go... DN Staff Writer Monster trucks have rolled into town for the 16th annual West Coast Monster Truck Nationals, which will take place starting Friday and go through the weekend at the Tehama District Fairground. Before the national competition gets underway, however, those looking to get an early look at the 11,000pound trucks can do so during a free downtown parade at 6 p.m. Thursday in Red Bluff. The parade route will start at Bob's Tire Center, go up Walnut Street, back to Main Street to Oak Street and onto Washington Street, where the trucks will park behind the Palomino Room. Gates will open at the fairgrounds at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the shows starting at 8 p.m., and gates will open at noon Sunday with the show starting at 2 p.m. Familiar faces, such as Tyler and Travis Groth of Mirror Image Racing, What: West Coast Monster Truck Nationals When: Friday-Sunday Where: Tehama District Fairground Tickets: NAPA, Bud's Jolly Kone, Chamber or call 527-6220 and Rick Swanson, who drives Wrong Way Rick for Obsession Racing, will be on hand for the competition, which includes racing and freestyle events. "Rick drives his truck backwards and the kids just love it," said Tyler Groth, who will be driving Double Trouble during the event. He added, with a laugh, "We were trying to put tires on the thing the other day and we were getting confused of where he wanted tires." Drivers want people to know that from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday fans can come down to the Calif. eases secrecy rules around health contracts LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday stripping broad secrecy provisions from the state agency overseeing health care reform in California, which gave it the power to potentially shield from the public how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent. The Democratic governor signed the bill on the same day online insurance marketplaces that are at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul went into business 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 around the country. The bill was drafted after an Associated Press investigation in May revealed that the agency known as Covered California was granted broad authority to conceal spending on the contractors that will perform most of its functions. AP found the degree of privacy granted the agency was unique among states attempting to establish their own health exchanges, and explicit exclusions from openrecords laws might run afoul of the state constitution. The new law lifts secrecy provisions for contracts involving marketing, public See RULES, page 7A track at the fairgrounds to take pictures, snag autographs and get an upclose look at the massive trucks during pit parties, which is included in admission costs. Racing teams and drivers come from across the country, such as Team Bigfoot (Missouri), Mirror Image Racing (Washington), Flame Motorsports (Texas), Obsession Racing (California), and Radoni Racing (California). Additionally, a pancake breakfast will be held 7-10 a.m. at Applebee's that will benefit the Tehama County Back to School Project. The sentencing of the 21-year-old Boy Scout leader who pleaded no contest in May to a felony charge of committing lewd acts upon a child in Tehama County was pushed back Tuesday, pending a diagnostic report from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Dustin Lee Hedrick, of Shingletown, faces up to eight years in state prison and could be seen quietly sobbing before his case was called before Judge John Garaventa at Tehama County Superior Court. The charge stems from a 2010 party that Hedrick, then 19, attended with a group of Boy Scouts to celebrate an Eagle Scout commendation, according to the Tehama County District Attorney's Office. Hedrick, who was an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 40 out of Redding, was accused of committing lewd and lascivious acts with two minors, ages 13 and 16. The party was not an officially sanctioned Boy Scout event, and a misdemeanor child molestation charge was dismissed in the case, according to online court records. Garaventa said the court received a probation report that found Hedrick is eligible for probation, and a 90day diagnostic report to be conducted by the CDCR was recommended. Garaventa added that the court had ordered an expert report from a doctor, who found if Hedrick was sentenced to probation he would not be a risk to victims or the community. Hedrick was ordered to See CASE, page 7A Calif. health exchange draws heavy interest SACRAMENTO (AP) — Thousands of Californians seeking to buy their own health insurance flooded call centers with questions and overloaded the state's online marketplace Tuesday on the first day of a new federal health care law that will dramatically change the way Americans buy health insurance. Dozens of workers at a call center in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova began fielding calls after a countdown to 8 a.m. Tuesday, the time the state's health exchange opened for business. The agency that runs the exchange, Covered California, reported on Twitter that more than 30,000 telephone calls were received during the first 90 minutes of operations. Another 1,200 were on hold and about 4 percent had hung up. ''We are here in California on the right side of history,'' Peter Lee, executive director of Covered Cali- fornia, said during a news event in the Rancho Cordova call center, one of three in the state. He said Tuesday was just the starting point, and it was evident that exchange officials had work to do after the website and phone system were hit with a crush of inquiries. While no major glitches were immediately reported, the site was slow to load once users clicked on a tab that said ''Start Here.'' Officials had predicted delays on the first day and said many would merely be seeking information rather than signing up for coverage, which begins in the new year. Telephone messages left on the Covered California media line seeking information about the delays were not returned. Gov. Jerry Brown, meanwhile, announced he had signed a package of bills to help implement the new law and expand the state's Medi-Cal program for those who are too poor to pay for the subsidized insurance. ''While extreme radicals in Washington shut down our government, here in California we're taking action to extend decent health care to millions of families,'' Brown said in a statement, referring to the impasse in Congress that has led to a partial shutdown of federal government operations. California officials said the shutdown had no effect on the state exchange. Some 5.3 million Californians are eligible to apply for coverage under President Barack Obama's health law, known as ''Obamacare,'' about 1.4 million of them through expanded access to the state's health insurance program for the poor, MediCal. The first completed health insurance application was taken at 8:04 a.m., said Carene Carolan, deputy See HEALTH, page 7A