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WEEKEND JANUARY 1-2, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com RED BLUFF 2011 Business Chronology Supporting you, Supporting them Pages 4A & 5A Final Sunday SPORTS 1B Cool, Few Showers 46/35 Weather forecast 10B DAILYNEWS 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 Fires break out late Friday afternoon Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner Firefighters hand off a dog rescued from a burning Lassen Avenue home Friday. Dodge building, home razed By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Two homes that caught fire around 4 p.m. Friday in the 800 block of Lassen Avenue may have claimed the See FIRES, page 9A Daily News photo by Chip Thompson The former Red Bluff Dodge building burns around 4:45 p.m. Friday. Top stories of 2010 Economy The economy has been one of the top stories of the year for the last cou- ple of years and this year is no exception, as declin- ing sales tax revenue con- tinues to plague the local economy and keep unem- ployment numbers high. The most recent fig- ures for the month of November place the county’s unemployment rate at 15.3 percent. A number of local businesses, struggling to stay open, permanently shut their doors in 2010. Helser Chevrolet, one of the city’s Top 25 pro- ducers, closed in August further straining the city’s budget and the local econ- omy. But the business com- munity is no longer sitting back and waiting for the economy to bounce back on its own. With new leadership at the Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Com- merce, the chamber has been working to get locals to shop locally and buy into the 3-50 campaign — spend $50 a month at three local stores, and the money stays here in Tehama County. The newly-formed Red Bluff Rebound group is trying to do its part in jump starting the local economy, presenting the City Council with 10 ideas that it thinks could improve the economy. The council, however, has been just as sluggish as the economy in respond- ing to the group’s request. The Tehama County Branding Project hopes to employ the services of an outside consultant to help brand the community to attract tourism and encourage them to con- sider calling Tehama County home. Election Several big races, including two for judge and the district attorney, were decided in June, but 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 The groundbreaking for the Fish Passage Improvement Project brought Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, right, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to Red Bluff. none was more closely watched than the race for sheriff in which long-time Sheriff Clay Parker was challenged by Detective Dave Hencratt. Parker lost amid alle- gations of mismanage- ment and other controver- sies. The sheriff-elect has promised a revamp of what he says is a top- heavy department. Hencratt, along with the other winners, includ- ing retiring Undersheriff Dennis Garton who will become a county supervi- sor, will be sworn in Mon- day. In the November elec- tion, things got more per- sonal when anonymous letters about city council candidates circulated. In Red Bluff, incum- bents Jeff Moyer and Jim Byrne’s late health insur- ance payments became an issue within weeks of the election. Whether it was that or something else, Moyer and Byrne were not re- elected. Despite a focus on Corning City Council candidate Jesse Lopez’s 2005 felony forgery con- viction, which has since Daily News file photos The World Hemp Expo Extravaganja in late May 2010 raised the ire of many in the community, though it came an went with no major issues. been reduced to a misde- meanor, Lopez was the top vote-getter. He has not been sworn in and is still waiting for a determina- tion as to whether he is eligible to serve. In Corning’s mayoral race resident Dean Cofer, whose Concerned Citi- zens group has been criti- cal of the City Council and administration, chal- lenged Mayor Gary Strack but was unsuccess- ful. City Hall infighting Who knew and when became the No. 1 issue as Red Bluff worked on finalizing a budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. In March the City Council was told the city would be short $300,000. Three months later, the deficit grew to $1.3 mil- lion much to the surprise of the council. Then-Finance Director Margaret Van Warmer- dam said she knew the deficit was in the millions and, even though she noti- fied City Manager Martin Nichols, he failed to bring it to the full council. Van Warmerdam was fired shortly thereafter, but not for reasons regard- ing the budget or finances, Nichols said. She has filed a claim against Nichols and City Attorney Rick Crabtree alleging they violated her privacy rights and inflict- ed emotional distress when a response to her pending termination was made public. Meanwhile, then- Mayor Jeff Moyer and Councilman Jim Byrne became increasingly criti- cal of Nichols as the elec- tion drew near, saying Nichols was only one vote away from being ousted. Moyer and Byrne both lost re-election, while Councilman Wayne Brown got his seat back, making any plans to get rid of Nichols moot. Budget Committee member Bob Carrel, now mayor, said Van Warmer- dam’s departure would not affect the city’s ability to finalize its budget. Still, with no one at the helm of the finance department, the council has yet to make any deci- sions on the budget. Corning unrest It was an interesting year for the Corning City Council following the Feb. 19 resignation of Councilwoman Becky Hill, who moved to Ore- gon, leaving the council with four members. A 2-2 split amongst the remaining council mem- bers left Hill’s position vacant and delayed sever- al big decisions, including the budget and two part- time contracts. The budget was finally passed and the two part- time contracts, for City Manager and Police Chief, were accepted in December when newly- elected councilwoman Darlene Dickison took her seat. The fifth seat remains open. When the dust settled from the November elec- tion, run-away vote getter Jesse Lopez was left in a position of hurry-up and See 2010, page 9A