Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/23358
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 – Daily News – 7A CUTS Continued from page 1A don’t get state money next year we aren’t even close to be self-supporting. That’s going to be really tough.” The two events are being considered for sec- ond gate fees are the long- time favorite Destruction Derby, which is always held on Sunday of fair, and the new kid on the block, a tractor pull. An e-mail from Fairs and Expositions (F&E) Acting Director Rebecca Desmond was sent out on Jan. 11 contained a state- ment from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which F&E is under. The California Depart- ment of Food and Agricul- ture statement read that while the $32 million reduction to California’s fairs will be a setback to those operations, it is a necessary step in a diffi- cult budget-balancing process. The tractor pull will be put on by Donnie Fagun- des of Pacific Tractor Pullers Association, who puts on a tractor show at the Tulare Farm Show. “He does a very good show (in Tulare),” said Director Pete Dagorret. Having a $10 second gate fee would help the show pay for itself, if there were at least 1,500 people, Eidman said. The board asked local promoter Ali Abbassi who puts on the Rock Cross event, which will be Fri- day of fair, what his opin- ion was on the tractor pull. “It’s worth a try, espe- cially looking at all the cuts from the state,” Abbassi said. Board President Bob Kerstiens was in favor of looking at a second gate fee, he said. “This year we can play a little, but next year will be a while different game,” Kerstiens said. Asked about the Destruction Derby, Abbassi pointed out that the Destruction Derby held in Colusa does charge a second gate and has for years, but advised not charging more than $5. Abbassi and Director Tonya Redamonti said the derby pays for itself with the number of people it draws in to the fairground. revolved around the fact that rules were changed in 2010. “The new rules will make things more fair and keep drivers from welding and reinforcing things they shouldn’t,” Abbassi said. Eidman said he could- n’t believe the things peo- ple would do, including using concrete in their cars to reinforce parts, for a $1,000 purse. “It’s not just the money,” Eidman said. “It’s for pride and the trophy.” Abbassi has been work- ing with fairs in Anderson, Orland, Susanville and Gridley on the possibility of running all five shows under unified rules to make it easier for com- petitors. The board recommend- ed that Eidman research with other Fair CEOs to find out whether others are planning to charge for derby events. The board asked Abbassi to work on the details of the new rules and bring them back at a future meeting. Both events were tabled until the Feb. 15 meeting, which will be the first of three planned night meetings. The board voted in Jan- uary to hold night meet- ings in hopes of boosting public attendance. The board discussed a suggestion by Slow Foods Shasta Cascade, which implemented the Tehama Marketplace at the 2010 fair. The group has already decided the 2011 theme for the Tehama Market- place will involve walnuts and would like to place banners by vendors and make notes on fair maps of vendors using local products in the goods they sell. Banners would be made for things like best made from scratch item using local ingredients and best use of local prod- ucts, Eidman said. The Tehama District Fairboard meets at 1 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month except for three night meetings scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 15, July 19 and Oct. 18. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews. com. Police arrest CA man suspected of killing grandpa SACRAMENTO (AP) — Sacramento police have arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of fatally stabbing his 83-year-old grandfather during an argument. Officers arrested Arondrei Abel-Bey early Tuesday morning after finding his grandfather dead inside the home the two men shared. The grandfather, whose name has not been released, had stab wounds to his upper body. Police had initially responded to reports of a burglary at the home but say they found no evidence that one took place. The Sacramento Bee reports that investigators believe Abel-Bey and his grandfather were arguing when the younger man attacked his grandfather with his hands and then stabbed him. Abel-Bey’s girlfriend and their five children also live in the home. N. America’s oldest Asian elephant dies in Vallejo VALLEJO (AP) — North America’s oldest Asian ele- phant has died at a Northern California theme park at the age of 71. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom on Tuesday announced the death of Taj, who had lived at the Vallejo park for 33 years. The elephant was one of Discovery Kingdom’s most popular attractions. Her tricks included stacking logs and playing tug-of-war with guests. The park retired her three years ago. In honor of Taj’s 70th birthday last year, park staff threw a party that included a multitiered cake topped with her Other derby discussion DEBRIS Continued from page 1A chance to purge the con- tempt by cleaning up the site within 120 days. “Mr. Endicott will com- ply with court order,” his attorney Michael Cogan said following the ruling. But both Cogan and Endicott contend the material in question is not GRANT Continued from page 1A That brings the total spent on the program to $79,976. This will reim- burse the program back to Oct. 1, 2010 and fund it through Sept. 30. The program’s new ability for outreach will make it better for everyone involved, Moran said. “The more visible in the commu- nity, the more education into the population, the more confident vic- SEX Continued from page 1A employee lifetime benefit to pay for gender-reas- hazardous or contaminat- ed, and the county is mak- ing a bigger deal out of the issue than necessary. Assistant Tehama County Counsel Arthur Wylene said the county’s case has never been about whether the material is toxic or not but about proper disposal of solid waste. A trial regarding the illegal dumping will pro- ceed regardless of whether the site is cleaned or not, Wylene said. A trial date has not been set. The waste was illegally disposed of in a location that was not permissible by an air district permit, Abbs said. He wants to see the site cleaned. “It’s been a long process, but our ultimate goal is to get the site cleaned up,” Abbs said. The county sought tims of crime become,” Moran said. That confidence makes them bet- ter witnesses when they are reas- sured of the process, she said. Services provided by the pro- gram include crisis intervention and referral counseling, emergency assistance, a child-friendly private and safe waiting area for witnesses before testifying and other methods of being a liaison between the crim- inal justice system and the victims. In a brochure about the Tehama County Victim/Witness Program, signment surgery in 2001. By 2006, the surgery was covered as a regular part of employees’ health insurance with a lifetime cap of $75,000. Not everyone in Berke- reimbursement of $12,610 in attorney fees incurred in filing the contempt order. Scheuler granted the county partial reimburse- ment, and ordered Endi- cott to pay $5,000 in attor- ney fees. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdailynews.co m. District Attorney Gregg Cohen wrote about his commitment to the process. “It is my hope that we can make a difference in helping victims over- come the physical, emotional and financial impact of crime on their lives and the lives of their families during and after the criminal pro- ceedings,” Cohen wrote. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailynews.com. ley is happy with the plan. Former zoning commis- sioner Ann Slaby told the Chronicle the city should be paying more attention to basic services. ‘‘How come I’m paying for this?’’ Slaby said. ‘‘There might be some people who really need this, but right now my street badly needs paving.’’ Police say student leapt to death SANTA MONICA (AP) — Matthew Mezza was a student ath- lete, leader of his temple’s youth group, regular at the pizza place down the street and a 14-year-old whom friends said didn’t seem to have a care in the world. Then police said he suddenly bolted from baseball practice, ran to a high-rise hotel and leaped from the 10th floor to his death. On Tuesday, friends, fellow stu- dents, teammates and seemingly anyone else who had crossed paths with Mezza in laid-back, beach- front Santa Monica over the years struggled for words as they tried to make sense of what could have prompted him to do what he did. In the end, not one of them could offer an explanation. ‘‘He was one of the brightest kids I’ve met. He exuded incredible self-confidence and an interest in helping to change the world and make it better,’’ said a subdued Neil Comess-Daniels, rabbi at Beth Shir Shalom where Mezza and his fami- ly had worshipped for years. In pictures posted on Facebook, and at a makeshift memorial near the hotel, the curly haired Mezza is almost always seen with a broad smile on his face. He was the go-to guy for his temple’s youth group and a teacher’s assistant at its reli- gious school. To Jeff Everett, who works at STATE BRIEFING favorite fruits and vegetables. Park spokeswoman Nancy Chan tells the Times-Herald of Vallejo that a necropsy on Taj will be performed at UC Davis. The average life expectancy for Asian elephants is 44.8 years. DAprobes quick settlement of fatal hit and run CLOVERDALE (AP) — Prosecutors are investigat- ing if special treatment was given to the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run who was represented by the former Sonoma County district attorney’s brother. New Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch told the Press Democrat of Santa Rosa that she is reviewing the quick resolution of the case against 17- year-old Mitch Carlson. Carlson’s lawyer, Joe Passalacqua, is brother of for- mer county prosecutor, Stephen Passalacqua. Carlson is accused of fleeing the scene of a Dec. 27 accident in which his pickup hit 83-year-old Miguel Sanchez. The case was settled on Dec. 29, and Sanchez died in the hospital two days later. Ameci’s Pizza, Mezza was the bois- terous, friendly kid who dropped by often after school to hang out with friends. According to those who saw him Friday, the day he died, he was that same person then, too. ‘‘My brother has a fifth-period class with him,’’ said a shaken Andrew Calderon, who visited the memorial. ‘‘He told me on that day he was normal. He doesn’t know what could have happened.’’ According to police and some of Mezza’s baseball teammates, it was just a few hours after that fifth-peri- od English class when Mezza, a member of the freshman baseball team, ran from the school’s practice field, dashed across the street to the Sheraton-Delfina Hotel, smashed a 10th-floor ballroom window and jumped out. Police declined to release any more information, saying the case is still under investigation. Deborah Pierce, whose daughter had known Mezza since middle school, said students were told he paused briefly to call his mother to say goodbye. Mezza’s parents couldn’t imme- diately be located for comment and his grandparents did not return a call for comment. Some of his teammates gave chase but lost Mezza when he ducked into the hotel. They watched in horror when they saw him jump. ‘‘It’s been kind of hard for us,’’ said Alex Turner, a centerfielder on the junior varsity team and one of several players to visit the memori- al. ‘‘We aren’t practicing today, just talking about it.’’ The memorial featured not only flowers and candles, but balloons, baseballs, Santa Monica High base- ball caps, posters, even a photo of Mezza with his kindergarten class. ‘‘I wish I had the chance to get to know you better. You had tremen- dous promise as a student and ballplayer,’’ read an inscription on one of the caps. The school was providing grief counselors to students and the base- ball program said on its website it would dedicate its season to Mezza. A funeral service was scheduled Wednesday at 3 p.m. Until then, a steady stream of people were dropping by the memorial. One of them, Santa Monica High senior Jessica Santiago, shook her head when asked if she could think of anything that had happened on campus to provoke Mezza’s action. ‘‘How do you explain Samo?’’ said her friend Yoshi Karikomi, using the school’s nickname. ‘‘Everybody gets along here. You wouldn’t expect to see anybody who would do anything like that.’’ WE SAID in July of 1965 writer. The answer, in my case, is money. This column costs about $1.20 per inch. It is classified as advertising copy. Of course, if you don’t get the commercial, then it’s my fault. If you enjoy this column you should ask for Minch’s meat in your favorite butcher shop. If you don’t like this column, then kindly keep it to yourself or you will break a mother’s heart. Mother dotes on my every printed word, and her only objection is that Editor Jim McGiffin’s editorials seem to be better placed on this page than the “I Say” column. She thinks we should switch. I explained that and editor has a lot to worry about…what with the local tax mess and all, and that the editorial is all the fun he gets. A young reader asked what it takes to be a Thoreau said, “ How vain it is to sit down and write when you have not stood up to live.” Well, many of us qualify in this case. In my youth, living and vandalism went hand in glove. If got away with some destructive stunt, you were thought of as a hell- raiser. If caught and convicted, you were a candidate for reform school or jail. I look back now and shudder. The line between the hell-raiser and the criminal was exceedingly thin…is exceedingly thin. * * * * ** The Benchwarmer (aka C. Larimer The Word Merchant) used the expression “consensus of opinion”. If he had to pay for his column as I do mine, he might be interested to know that a consensus is a collected opinion, so you need not use them together. Merely say “…the consensus is” and thereby save two words. Incidentally, after reading his column, you still don’t feel sleepy, try turning the head of your bed to the north. Ben Franklin believed it insured a good night’s sleep. * * * * * * It just won’t be the same when walking into Bayles’ Studio and not seeing Francis behind the counter. A healthy, happy young man is suddenly gone from the scene and we are left to wonder why. * * * * * * Jim Worthen, proprietor of Humbolt Meat in Eureka, is a man of principle. The Eureka area is still suffering economically from the devastating floods of last winter. Jim doesn’t smoke or drink and he doesn’t think it is good for others to do so. However, despite the poor economy, he does not sell liquor or cigarettes in his store. When it hurts in the pocketbook, one is truly a man of principle. * * * * * * A couple of oddities last week: We had a five legged calf at the plant…and I beat Dr. Martin two straight sets of tennis. There’s a picture of it on our bulletin board in the office. The calf, not Dr. Martin. Robert Minch, 1929 - WE SAID is brought to you by by Minch Property Management, 760 Main Street specializing in commercial leasing and sales. 530 527 5514