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WEEKEND NOVEMBER 6-7, 2010 Breaking news at: Older is Better USA Weekend www.redbluffdailynews.com See Inside RED BLUFF Reader Photos Week Ten SPORTS 1B Partly cloudy 72/51 Weather forecast 10B DAILYNEWS In the zone 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 Corning schools head to retire By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer This will be the last school year for Corn- ing Union Elementary School District Super- intendent Steve Kel- ish. He announced his retirement last week to the staff and school board. The board gave its approval Wednes- day during a special meeting. Kelish will contin- Daily News photo by Tang Lor Vacant businesses along the Interstate 5 corridor, such as the former Helser Chevrolet build- ing, will benefit from a rezone that opens the space up for commercial use. Rezone opens up I-5 possibilities By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Red Bluff is open for business. That is the message the city is hoping to send as the City Council voted Tuesday for a rezone that would allow space to open up for commercial use. Rezoning would open areas des- ignated as freeway commercial to a more general retail and commercial use, Planning Director Scot Timboe said. Under zoning regulations free- way commercial properties have traditionally been set aside for auto dealerships, but as that industry has declined and the city continues to grow, opening the space to other types of uses will best benefit the city and local economy. The former Red Bluff Ford and Helser Chevrolet lots are two of the properties that would benefit from the rezone, City Manager Martin Nichols said. The rezone means anything from a Target to a Costco could be built in the area. In anticipation of the rezone, the city has already prepared flyers to Attorney general race could take weeks to decide SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Four days after he prematurely claimed victo- ry on Election Day, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley was trailing Friday by more than 17,000 votes in the race for state attorney general. However, the contest between Republican Coo- ley and his Democratic rival, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, could remain too close to call for several weeks. More than 2.3 million late or pro- visional ballots remain to be counted before the end of the month, according to the secretary of state’s office. Harris led Cooley by two-tenths of a percentage point among the more than 7 million ballots tallied so far. A victory by Harris would give Democrats a sweep of statewide offices. California’s size makes the position influential on a national scale, sparking added interest in the cam- paign and its outcome. Pres- ident Barack Obama attend- ed a fundraising event for Harris, while the Republi- can State Leadership Com- mittee, chaired by former Bush White House coun- selor Ed Gillespie, poured in money on Cooley’s behalf. The margin appears to be the tightest for a statewide office since 2002, when Democrat Steve Westly edged Republican Tom McClintock for state con- troller, said Shannan Velayas, spokeswoman for the secretary of state. Westly won by less than 17,000 votes, or three-tenths of a percentage point. Cooley had been ahead in early returns on Election Day. He told supporters Tues- day night that he was disre- garding his political consul- tants’ advice and declaring victory. He later told KNBC in Los Angeles that if he was wrong, ‘‘then it’s one of those Dewey moments.’’ The reference was to famous newspaper head- lines in 1948 that wrongly said Thomas Dewey had beaten Harry Truman for president. Cooley spokesman Kevin Spillane said it is too soon to say who won. ‘‘You’ll see a lot of fluc- tuation back and forth’’ in coming days, Spillane said. ‘‘Usually it doesn’t matter. Here, people are paying attention.’’ The count has been up and down by thousands of votes since election night, though Harris has consis- 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See RACE, page 9A be sent to more than 26 develop- ment firms and companies, includ- ing Target and Costco, advertising the available retail space. Those fly- ers will go out as soon as the coun- cil formally adopts the rezone reso- lution at its next meeting Nov. 16. John Troughton, the Cushman & Wakefield real estate broker mar- keting the former Red Bluff Ford building, commended the council on the decision. In the past, Troughton had stated his desire to see the area rezoned, saying it would open the area to a lot more See ZONE, page 9A ue to work until the end of the school year. His retirement will be effective July 1, 2011. The board is thank- ful for the job Kelish has done and knows he will continue to contribute to the community in other ways, Board President Helen Pitkin said. “He’s done a great job for our district,” Pitkin said. “He’s become a part of our community, and we will miss him. Our district appreciates every- thing he has done for us. He has worked very hard.” Under his leadership the district has made signif- icant progress toward improving student achieve- ment, achieved fiscal stability and dramatically improved the culture of the district. Kelish thanked the school board and staff for their dedication and teamwork, saying none of it would have been possible without them. “These past six years have been the most reward- ing of my career,” he said. Kelish has spent 35 years in public education, starting in the classroom as a science teacher and elementary school teacher before moving on to become an assistant principal, principal, director of instructional services and superintendent, all before coming to the Corning Elementary district in July 2005. Kelish During the meeting, the school board made the decision to hire a consulting firm to perform the search for a new superintendent. The consultant will work closely with the district and community to find a replacement, Pitkin and Kelish said. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdailynews.com. Downtown abuzz for Art Walk Daily News photos by Chip Thompson Downtown Red Bluff came alive Friday evening during the Tehama County Arts Council’s 8th Annual Art Walk. Merchants throughout downtown hosted exhibits and live music and offered appetizers and wine and beer tasting, including, top, California Kitchen & Co., bottom left, the former Fidelity Title building and We Shoot Ya Photography and The Big Picture. Art Walk continues 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.The event is free and open to the public.