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FRIDAY JANUARY 14, 2011 Breaking news at: Running On ‘Idol’ Select TV www.redbluffdailynews.com See Inside RED BLUFF Vista MVPs SPORTS 1B Weather forecast 10A Mostly sunny 60/42 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 Wild, Wild West Teen claims innocence in murder charge A man charged with murder and multiple other offenses, including charges that stem from a jail beating, pleaded not guilty to all charges Tuesday in Tehama County Superior Court. Dylan Franklin Shires, 19, of Red Bluff faces charges of mur- der, home invasion robbery, first degree burglary, person present and conspiracy to commit a crime. Each charge has special allegations including gang or street terrorism and use of Shires See TEEN, page 9A Economist: Still hunting for signs of a recovery By LAURA URSENY MediaNews Group CHICO — Economist Robert Eyler didn’t have much new to say about the still-recovering economy of the north state, but he believes opportunity exists locally. DN file photo Red Bluff was named one of the Top 20 places to live in the West by American Cowboy magazine and will be featured in its April/May issue. By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer With its rural lifestyle, open range land and annual events, Red Bluff has been named one of the top places in the nation with a thriving Western heritage. The American Cowboy magazine has chosen Red Bluff as one of the top 20 places to live the west, said Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce CEO Dave Gowan. “Red Bluff is on the list, and they have congratulated us for that,” Gowan said. The magazine editor has asked for a lot of information regarding the city and county, and Gowan has been tasked with gathering it. Aside from a spread that will fea- ture photos that showcase Red Bluff’s distinct culture, information on popu- lation, average land price, average home price, agricultural acreage and median age will be included. The top five annual events high- lighting the area’s Western heritage will be listed. Two of the events will definitely be Red Bluff Bull & Geld- ing Sale, held a the end of January, and the Red Bluff Round-Up in April, Gowan said. Gowan is working closely with city and county officials to get the fig- ures and present a package that best Study by dump shows chemicals at safe level FRESNO (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Pro- tection Agency said Thursday a new study by the largest toxic waste dump in the West showed its level of cancer-causing chemicals was too low to harm the health of a near- by community where an unusually high number of babies have been born with serious birth defects. For years, families who live upwind from the sprawling Kettleman Hills landfill in central Califor- nia have been concerned that PCB contamination was linked to a rash of cleft palates and other birth abnormalities. Chemical Waste Man- agement Inc. announced the results of its long- awaited study showing instead that the level of PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, surrounding the dump was similar to contamination found in rural areas across the country, even in the remote wilderness. Top EPA officials helped design and oversee the study, which cost the company $800,000 to gather and test extensive air, soil and vegetation samples for a year. It followed another recent report by Califor- nia health officials that found no common cause for the birth defects and left residents to speculate about what other potential hazards — a constant flow of diesel trucks, pes- ticide residue in the sur- rounding fields and multi- ple high-tension power lines — might pose the biggest risk to their chil- dren. Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA’s Regional Adminis- trator for the Pacific Southwest, said the data 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See DUMP, page 9A represents the area. Anyone from vis- itors and tourists to those looking to relocate could potentially see the spread. Red Bluff, along with the other top 20 places will be featured in the April/May edition of the American Cowboy magazine, which will hit the newsstands in mid-March. Other California cities that have made the list in the past include Chico, Salinas, Brawley, Santa Maria and Oakdale, according to the maga- zine’s website. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527- 2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@red- bluffdailynews.com. This area’s largest job sectors — government and ag — are stabilizers when other industries struggle, but hard-hit under this recession, the Sonoma State University economics professor told an audience of about 430 during the 11th annual Tri-County Economic Forecast Con- ference on Thursday. Showing a graph of indicators, he said the north state’s recovery is parallel- ing the state’s, but not at the same rate. In analyzing the econo- my, he said the north state has lost a number of jobs in ag, manufacturing and gov- ernment, but seen growth in professional service, health care and finance. KNOWN: Sonoma State University eco- nomics professor Robert Eyler sees some indication of turnaround in the state and local economies. NEW: Speaking at Thursday’s Tri-Coun- ty Economic Fore- cast Conference, Eyler said while jobs have been lost in the recession, it’s also an opportunity to build jobs in new areas. NEXT: Encouraging new locally grown start-ups and exist- ing businesses should be a commu- nity focus. Real estate sales won’t bounce back in 2011, but See SIGNS, page 9A Corning approves two projects By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING — The City Council approved two new projects at Tues- day’s meeting including one that was approved pending funding from pri- vate sources after a bit of discussion. The council had previ- ously expressed interest in displaying the City Seal with the words “In God We Trust” in the council chambers and asked staff to check into the associat- ed costs. “It’s traditional for a City Seal to be displayed, but this can be a priority for the future or now,” said City Manager Steve Kimbrough. “However, we have a city worker who is able to help and his hours are already in the budget so that would drop the real cost of the seal.” While the estimated cost was just more than $2,800, with the city worker providing the labor, it would be closer to $1,400, Kimbrough said. Councilwoman Toni Parkins and audience members objected when told the money would Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Corning Mayor Gary Strack, City Manager Steve Kimbrough and Councilwoman Darlene Dickison discuss the proposed location of the city seal Tuesday after the council meeting. come from the Building Maintenance Fund. “My concern is that we do extend our budget to the fullest every year and if the money is needed for maintenance it won’t be there,” Parkins said. Resident Jerry Lequia responded to Parkin’s concern by asking if there was a way to have a group See CORNING, page 9A Learn Basic Excel Basic EXCEL Thursday January 20, 2011 8:30 am to 12:30 pm Cost: $65 per person Job Training Center 718 Main St., Red Bluff Call 529-7000 TEHAMA COUNTY GLASS MOULE’S TUB & SHOWER GLASS SALE! Supply only or Best of all we install! 515 Sycamore St. 529-0260 Microsoft