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THURSDAY Concert Pryor Cleared Series OCTOBER 3, 2013 Pastimes Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4A SPORTS 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 74/54 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 Security cameras going up at River Park By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer A 5-camera surveillance system is coming to Red Bluff River Park. The Red Bluff City Council authorized city staff to complete a grant application Tuesday that would use around $21,589 in Prop 40 funds to install the sys- tem around the park and McGlynn Pool. Police Chief Paul Nanfito said the project will create a virtual fence around the area, which he has described as one of the places with the highest level of crime within the city. An actual fence around the pool area would have cost the city around $40,000, Planning Director Scot Timboe said. The infrared and low-light surveillance cameras will be installed in five areas around the park and will be monitored over a network at the Red Bluff Police Department's dispatch center. The system will have the capability of setting of an alarm on the television monitor depicting movement within the given perimeter during specified times, such as when the park is closed. The system has the capability of recording and storing recorded data for a minimum of 60 days. The quality will be such that the recorded images could be used for potential evidence Rec Area closes when crimes are committed. Nanfito said the system should prevent crime around the park and when crime does occur, increase the possibility of the department solving a crime. At worse, Nanfito said, the system should displace crime to See PARK, page 7A Center expects the best during Customer Service Week It's Customer Service season again and the Job Training Center would like to invite area businesses and agencies to join in celebrating great service and great service providers. Secret Shoppers are out and about, looking for amazing customer service talent in all industries throughout Tehama County and a morning workshop focused on training frontline staff will take place today at Rolling Hills Casino in Corning. Nationally, Customer Service Week is an event devoted to recognizing the importance of customer service and honoring the people that provide great service. It was started by the International Customer Service Association in 1988 and is always the first full week of October (although the Job Training Center likes to celebrate service all month long). Ten years ago, the Job Training Center decided to use the occasion to celebrate and champion great service locally. See CUSTOMER, page 7A Daily News photo by Andre Byik Access to the Red Bluff Recreation Area, which is operated by the Mendocino National Forest, was closed Wednesday because of a partial federal government shutdown. By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer The partial government shutdown that started Tuesday has closed access to the Red Bluff Recreation Center on Sale Lane, affecting a scheduled benefit for homeless animals in the county. The recreation area is operated by the U.S. Forest Service, and a sign posted at the closed gate on Sale Lane reads: "This U.S. Department of Agriculture campground is currently closed, due to the lapse in federal government funding. The campground will reopen once Congress restores funding." The 2013 Mutts Strutt hosted by Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter, or PETS, had been scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Red Bluff Recreation Area at 1000 Sale Lane, but that location may change should the federal government shutdown continue through today. The Mutts Strutt is a free admission event that includes a walk, entertainment, local merchants and benefits homeless animals in Tehama County. Sharon Russell, president of PETS, said organizers are holding their breath until midday today. Should the shutdown continue past noon, the event will move to the Tehama District Fairground, where plans already have been cleared. The date and time will remain the same. The Mendocino National Forest website notes that the U.S. Forest Service is closed "with the exception of certain essential services." Those essential services, according to a USDA shutdown plan, 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 There will be a set of new water quality regulations imposed on Sacramento Valley irrigated agriculture and managed wetland owners as soon as April 2014. This is due to adoption of a waste discharge requirements General Order for the LongTerm Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program. An upcoming public workshop, held by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board), will summarize the proposed new regulations and give opportunity to comment on issues of concerns to Regional Board Members. Interested persons are being encouraged to attend and present oral comments on Oct. 30 in Colusa. Written comments are due to Regional Board by October 11. In 2003, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board began implementing a regulatory program on irrigated agriculture by adoption of a Conditional Waiver of waste discharge requirements for discharges to surface water from irrigated agricultural lands. Irrigated landowners were allowed to join together to form coalitions in order to comply with the regulations; therefore, Colusa Glenn Subwatershed Program formed as part of the Sacramento Valley Water Quality Coalition. This Conditional Waiver was extended in 2006 to continue meeting the water See WATER, page 7A Flu clinics set to start Saturday By DN Staff Report As the flu season approaches, the Tehama County Public Health Division announced a spate of flu shot clinics through October. The Public Health Division is offering, for the first time, a drivethru flu shot clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Public Health Division parking lot at 1860 Walnut St. in Red Bluff, according to a press release. Those looking to protect themselves from the include activities that are "essential to protect life and property" such as fire suppression, law enforcement and emergency natural disaster response, among others. An official with the Mendocino National Forest would not comment Wednesday on the status of the East Sand Slough fire cleanup and rehabilitation project that started last week south of the East Sand Slough bridge on Antelope Boulevard. A 102-acre fire in June that burned between Interstate 5 and Sale Lane charred trees and vegetation in U.S. Forest Service jurisdiction, and officials had started a plan to fell hazardous trees in the area and rehabilitate the land for habitat. While national parks, such as Lassen Volcanic National Park, are closed because of the shutdown, state parks remain open. Water workshop set in Colusa flu will be able to drive in, roll up their sleeve, receive a flu shot and drive away. The cost is $4 per person, and a maximum of $8 per family, according to the release. Only cash will be accepted at the drivethru clinic. Additional dates include: Monday, Oct. 7 at the Senior Day Walk-In Clinic at the Public Health Division, 1860 Walnut St from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cash or Medicare Part B will be accepted. Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the Veterans Hall parking lot in Los Molinos at 7980 Sherwood St. from See FLU, page 7A Health exchange back online after upgrades SACRAMENTO (AP) — Online enrollment for California's new health insurance exchange resumed Wednesday after technical glitches on the system's opening day forced overnight upgrades. The enrollment portion of the exchange website was taken offline from 8:30 p.m. Tuesday until 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Covered California spokesman Roy Kennedy said. He said some pages were loading slowly and logos for insurance plans were not displaying correctly. Consumers were still able to browse insurance plan options while the enrollment pages were being fixed. Interest from Californians appeared high after the exchange opened for business Tuesday. Approximately 7,700 Californians began applications for insurance coverage, Kennedy said. The state's two call centers received 19,000 calls, and there were more than 5.7 million hits on the website by Tuesday afternoon. 'I think the pent-up demand for affordable health insurance is reflected in the volume of calls and hits to the website' — Patrick Johnston, Calif. Assoc. of Health Plans A third service center, in Fresno, is scheduled to open in November. Kennedy said he was not able to comment Wednesday about whether that high volume was continuing on the exchange's second day. Exchange officials will provide figures for the first week of operation next Wednesday. Some state insurers also reported high call volumes. Blue Shield of California fielded about 1,000 phone calls Tuesday almost exclusively about the exchanges, said Jeff Smith, vice president and gen- eral manager for individual and family plans. He said that was probably double the normal call volume, with most calls coming from people trying to get educated about the law and their options. ''From all indications, we're really full steam ahead and really didn't see anything that I would call a show stopper,'' Smith said. Smith said Blue Shield was waiting to hear from California's state exchange on how many people See HEALTH, page 7A