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Friday, November 8, 2013 – Daily News Obituaries NORA LEE WILLIAMS Our Mama, Nora Lee Williams went to heaven November 4, 2013. She was 90 years old. She is survived by her husband Jackson, three sister-in-laws, and 134 children and grandchildren.he has unnumbered nieces and nephews, and beloved friends. She was preceded in death by one grandchild, Ruthy. Come celebrate her life with us on Saturday, November 9th at 1pm at Trinity Landmark Missionary Baptist Church in Red Bluff. God Bless. PAUL CUNNINGHAM Paul Cunningham, age 88, passed away November 3, 2013. He is preceded in death by his wife, Imogene and all siblings. He leaves behind his three sons, Gary, Jerry and Lonnie, and their wives, six grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren. Paul retired from Crane Mills after working there 42 years. Services will be held Saturday, November 16th at 1pm at Hall Brothers Mortuary. Death Notices Death notices must be provided by mortuaries to the news department, are published at no charge, and feature only specific basic information about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Classified advertising department. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by families of the deceased and include online publication linked to the newspaper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. Sterling Ray Manson Sterling Ray Manson died Wednesday, Nov. 6, at his Corning home. He was 82. Arrangements are under the direction of Hall Brothers Corning Mortuary. Published Friday, Nov. 8, 2013 in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Calif. high school asked to abandon Arab mascot THERMAL, Calif. (AP) — Go to a high school football game in the Southern California desert and you may be surprised to see belly dancers performing at halftime. Fans who come out to root for the prep team known as the Coachella Valley Arabs will find a snarling, black-bearded mascot wearing a headscarf egging them on. The mascot in this town east of Palm Springs that has existed for nearly a century has now drawn the ire of an anti-discrimination group that deems the caricature offensive and stereotypical. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee recently sent a letter to officials at the Coachella Valley Unified School District asking them to get rid of the mascot, according to the Desert Sun (http://mydesert.co/1iPrEX0 ). ''By allowing continued use of the term and imagery, you are commending and enforcing the negative stereotypes of an entire ethnic group, millions of whom are citizens of this nation, " Abed Ayoub, the group's director of legal and policy affairs, wrote in the letter. The request comes amid mounting pressure for the NFL's Washington Redskins to change its mascot because it's offensive to American Indians. The Arab mascot has been around since the 1920s and was chosen to recognize the area's reliance on date farming, traditionally a Middle Eastern crop. The nearby community of Mecca also pays homage to the Middle East. The mascot has evolved from a turban-wearing horseman carrying a lance to a standing figure with a scowl and a headscarf. Superintendent Darryl Adams said the topic will be discussed at a Nov. 21 school board meeting. He said he was taken aback by the ''Arab'' name when he first was hired two years ago. ''Being an African-American from the Deep South, I'm sensitive to stereotyping,'' Adams told the newspaper. ''But in this context, when this was created it was not meant in that way. It was totally an admiration of the connection with the Middle East.'' Adams said the letter from the anti-discrimination group was the first time the school had been criticized for stereotyping in the past two years. Some school alumni have defended the mascot, saying it's a matter of pride. ''There was no intention to demean Arabs or be discriminatory in any way,'' said David Hinkle, a 1961 graduate. ''I don't think it's right to decide now that you can't do that anymore. It is political correctness run amok, I would say.'' FEMA denies aid to CA county hit by Rim Fire SONORA, Calif. (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied continued aid to a Northern California county struck hard by the Rim Fire that raged in August and September. Tuolomne County, which is home to the northern part of Yosemite National Park, will potentially have to rebuild roads and other damaged infrastructure with only state and local resources. Kelly Huston, a spokesman for Gov. Jerry Brown's office, says FEMA has declined to extend a major disaster declaration. In a letter to Brown, FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate said FEMA's review found the damage to the county was not severe enough to require federal aid. Huston couldn't provide a damage estimate but says state officials would be going out to reassess the cost of repairs before possibly filing an appeal to FEMA by the beginning of December. CARE TO COMMENT? At redbluffdailynews.com, scroll to the end of any story, click the link and type away. Setting it straight –––––––– It is the policy of the Daily News to correct as quickly as possible all errors in fact that have been published in the newspaper. If you feel a factual error has been made in a news story, call the news department at 527-2153. ANDY Continued from page 1A "He was a great husband and a great friend," she said. "I'll just miss him." Beverly Giambroni said they met on a blind date and were married seven months later. "I don't think he ever met a stranger," said Lee Shope, secretary at the Red Bluff Elks Lodge, where Giambroni was a member for 60 years. "He was always joking. Even working he was easy to get along with." Shope added Giambroni was always there for the lodge, and would act as a master of ceremonies at numerous events. "He knew every joke there was to know," Shope said. "God, I remember the stories and the jokes," said Jess Giambroni, the younger of Andrew Giambroni's two sons. "He never told the same one twice. That was a big part of my dad's life." INMATES Continued from page 1A sents the state in the case, said there is no evidence of a system-wide problem. In fact, he said, the use of pepper spray to remove mentally ill inmates from their cells is relatively rare — 122 times over a recent 10month period. Rarer still are uses that could be interpreted as abuse of incompetent inmates, he said. The videos presented in court fail to show employees' attempts, sometimes lasting hours, to talk inmates out of their cells before they use force as a last resort. Batons are used only in lifethreatening situations. ''There has been no evidence that staff used force against the mentally ill for the purposes of inflicting pain or punishment. The opposite is true: Force is used to make sure they're receiving their necessary medication ... and ultimately receiving proper care,'' McKinney told U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton, who has presided over the underlying class-action lawsuit for more than two decades. The dispute is the latest chapter Jess added that he would accompany his father on trips to deliver medicine to people out of the area who couldn't get it during the week. "If he had something going on for a show he would practice all his material on me," Jess said with a laugh. He added: "I think everyone would say he always really enjoyed spending time and talking and getting to know people. And when he did he kind of spun them into his little web so he could cap- in a 23-year-old lawsuit that has helped prompt sweeping changes in the state's prison system, including a sharp reduction in inmate overcrowding. Federal judges, backed by the U.S. Supreme Court, have ruled that reducing the prison population is necessary to improve care for sick and mentally ill inmates. Yet one witness for inmates, Dr. Edward Kaufman, testified that little has changed in the 20 years since Karlton first ruled that guards were using excessive force against mentally ill prisoners who refused to comply with their orders. Kaufman first toured California prisons in 1992 and 1993 as an expert witness in the same lawsuit. Then, guards used stun guns and launchers that fired wooden or rubber blocks. Now they have batons and pepper spray. Karlton said he is torn on several issues in the case. Even if there were individual abuses, he questioned if there is enough evidence of a system-wide ''pattern and practice,'' the standard needed to prove a constitutional violation. And even if he finds a constitutional violation, Karlton questioned how far he could go to order reforms. The excessive force complaint 9A tivate them with his storytelling." That gift for storytelling translated into two books authored by the late Giambroni: "Odor of War," and "Dr. Joseph and the Animals." A viewing is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 16 at McDonald's Chapel in Redding at 1275 Continental St. Afterward, a celebration of Giambroni's life will be hosted at 1 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Elks Lodge in Red Bluff at 355 Gilmore Road. resurfaced after Karlton rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's attempt to end court oversight of inmate mental health programs in April. Separately, the judge is considering whether mentally ill inmates on death row are given proper treatment. The hearing over excessive force centered on the videos, which were recorded by correctional officers as part of their official duties. The death row debate was punctuated by the story of a condemned inmate who punched out his own eyes with a pair of ball point pens. The psychotic inmate tried to kill himself three times at San Quentin State Prison but was never hospitalized. He finally hanged himself in April. The judge and lawyers representing inmates and the state agreed that there have been significant improvements in caring for condemned inmates in recent years. The question is whether they have gone far enough or whether a licensed psychiatric hospital unit is needed at San Quentin. Karlton's written rulings on the alleged excessive use of force and the treatment of condemned inmates are expected in coming weeks. High-speed rail officials endorse 2nd rail SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The board that oversees California's high-speed rail project endorsed a 114-mile route for the second segment of the bullet train from Fresno to Bakersfield during its meeting Thursday. The California HighSpeed Rail Authority board gave approval to proceed with the route, allowing the agency to request environmental and rail approval from federal officials. The path now recommended by staff marks a turnaround from its previous choice for the segment near the Central Valley town of Hanford, home to some of the fiercest opposition to the $68 billion project. The board previously endorsed a route that would travel west of the town, but now is recommending that the bullet train go east of it. Doug Verboon, chairman of the Kings County Board of Supervisors, which is suing the HighSpeed Rail Authority over its plans, asked the board ''not to make a mistake'' by endorsing the proposal without sitting down to talk with county residents. He questioned why the rail line would not use exist- ing traffic corridors such as state Highway 99 or Interstate 5, which would affect fewer landowners. ''The view from Kings County is that either of those transportation corridors would make a lot more sense than the plan that your staff is currently presenting,'' Verboon said. The board approved the western route in April but then agreed to retract it and allow more time for community input. Board Vice Chairman Tom Richards said he had hoped the agency could devise something to satisfy critics, but said there is no perfect option. ''I'm sorry that we cannot find an alternative that's acceptable to everyone, but I happen to agree that this was an appropriate choice,'' he said. Rail officials say further environmental reviews show that the eastern alignment will be less harmful to wetlands and natural habitat. It also is closer to Visalia, which has supported the project. The route includes a train station in Bakersfield and a possible station east of Hanford if ridership warrants it. The plan still requires a host of approvals before it becomes final. Suspect in bus passenger fire charged as adult OAKLAND (AP) — A 16-yearold Northern California boy is being charged as an adult with hate crimes after authorities say he set another teenage boy wearing a skirt on fire on a public bus because of homophobia, authorities said Thursday. Alameda County prosecutors charged Richard Thomas, of Oakland, with felony assault and aggravated mayhem with hate crime enhancements in Monday's attack on Luke ''Sasha'' Fleischman, who is hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns. ''Richard Thomas' violent and senseless criminal conduct resulted in severe and traumatic injuries to a young and entirely innocent victim,'' District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said after charges were filed. ''The intentional and callous nature of the crime is shocking and will not be tolerated in our community.'' Thomas, who had no lawyer present with him, didn't enter a plea during his arraignment Thursday. He was being held without bail and is due back in court Nov. 12. His family could not be reached for comment. The Associated Press is naming Thomas even though he is a minor because of the seriousness of the alleged crime. The junior at Oakland High School was arrested at school Tuesday afternoon after surveillance video from the bus helped police identify him as the suspected attacker. Authorities say Thomas used a lighter to set Fleischman's kilt-like skirt on fire while Fleischman was asleep on an AC Transit bus in Oakland, authorities said. Other passengers came to the 18-year-old's aid after he tried to put out the flames himself. During an interview with police, Thomas said ''he did it because he was homophobic,'' Oakland police Officer Anwawn Jones wrote in a court affidavit. Fleischman's mother and friends have said he identifies as ''nonbinary,'' a designation sometimes adopted by those who see themselves as neither male or female. Fleischman, of Oakland, is a senior at a private high school in Berkeley. He remained in stable condition at a hospital in San Francisco, and his mother said he will require massive skin grafting. Fleischman's relatives set up a fundraising page for him Tuesday on Fundly.com, with the hope of raising $20,000 in 10 days to go toward his medical bills. The site said Luke Fleischman requires ''several surgeries.'' The goal was surpassed 24 hour later as more than 400 supporters donated more than $21,000. Parolee killed by police after confrontation FAIRFIELD (AP) — Authorities say a parolee suspected of stabbing his girlfriend more than 30 times has been shot and killed by police on a highway in Fairfield after he lunged at officers with a knife. The San Francisco Chronicle reports 24-yearold Deonte Traylor confronted officers early Tuesday when they responded to a disturbance call at an apartment complex. Offi- Red Bluff Simple Cremations & Burial Service Now Offering Eco-Friendly urns at economy friendly prices. 722 Oak Street, Red Bluff, FD Lic. 1931 527-1732 cers found a woman who had been stabbed at least 30 times. She was taken to a hospital where she was listed in critical condition. Traylor escaped and fled on foot to Highway 12, where authorities say he attacked officers with a knife. Officers opened fire and Traylor was taken to a hospital where he died. Police say Traylor was on parole for robbery and had a lengthy criminal history.