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THURSDAY Orland Gallery JANUARY 16, 2014 All State Honors Seeing Double Pastimes Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 6A SPORTS 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 75/37 Weather forecast 6B TEHAMA COUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Dream library Corning OKs fire training ground By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer CORNING — The Corning City Council on Tuesday moved forward with a plan that would give the city's volunteer fire department a training ground near the Corning Municipal Airport. The 200- by 200-foot training center on city owned property at the northwest corner of Blackburn and Marguerite avenues would include burn structures and "training props." Because the location is in the approach zone of the airport, the project would need to be reviewed by the Tehama County Airport Land Use Commission before a permit is issued by the Planning Commission. Officials said they expect the proposal to go before the county in early February. The training facility "has been a need of the fire department for a long time," Fire Chief Martin SpanSee CORNING, page 5A Free spay and neuter clinic set Daily News photo by Rich Greene Tehama County Acting Librarian Sally Ainsworth discusses the possibilities for a new library with residents Tuesday at a public meeting. By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer Around 100 people gathered Tuesday to discuss the pros and cons of two proposed sites for the Tehama County Library and, maybe more importantly, share their dreams regarding what their fantasy building would include. The public meeting at the Red Bluff Community-Senior Center was unlike conventional governmental meetings as officials representing a variety of community stakeholders were sprinkled into small work groups with residents. Those groups of about six to eight people brainstormed amongst themselves before reporting back to the rest of the group. The Tehama County Library Site Ad-Hoc Board Committee called the meeting to gauge the public's input on a pair of sites narrowed down to house a new library. The sites couldn't be any more different in their potential appeals or distractions. One plan would build the library next door to the Community Center, while the other option would put the new facility downtown at 1106 Main St., the land that once housed a Dodge dealership and Foster's Freeze. Tehama County Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin conceded the site near the Community Center would be easier for the county to develop and execute, while acknowledging the downtown site offered more energy from residents — which could lead to more contributions and funding opportunities. An early concept would build a 2-story, 18,000-square-foot library with second story views of the Sacramento River. The plan called for 53 parking spaces. The other proposal would be a scaled down 14,000-square foot facility, that would be built smaller because the library could use the Community Center's conference and meeting rooms. Shared parking with the Community Center would decrease the existing parking from 220 to 210 spaces, although a supplemental parking lot of 57 addi- tional spots could be included in the plan. While no rezone would be needed for the Community Center site, the downtown cite would require a zoning change and land purchase from a private owner. Although Goodwin would not get into specifics about such a purchase, he said the landowner would make the property available to the county at a price that shouldn't be a concern. Besides debating the pros and cons of each site those in attendance were asked to list what they would want a new library to include if money was no option. Amongst the most common ideas were for a story room for children, a Tehama County historical room, a cafe style stop, attractive decor for reading and lounging, private study rooms and expanded hours and 7-day availability. While the group as a whole didn't reach a consensus on which site would be better — a private out the See DREAM, page 5A Tehama County Animal Care Center and Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter (PETS) will be hosting a four-day spay neuter clinic in Tehama County. Peninsula Humane Society will offer free spay and neuter to pets of Tehama County residents Jan. 30 through Feb. 2. The clinic will be in Rancho Tehama on Thursday, Jan. 30 and Friday, Jan. 31. On Feb. 1, the clinic will be in Los Molinos, and on Feb. 2, the clinic will be at the Tehama County Animal Care Center in Red Bluff. "We are very grateful to have Peninsula Humane Society come to Tehama County once again," said Animal Care Center manager Christine McClintock. "These free spay neuter clinics offer some of our residents the chance to improve their pets lives, some of whom might not have been able to afford spay neuter services otherwise. We cannot say enough good things about Peninsula Humane Society, and the San Francisco Bay Humane Friends, who make this clin- ic possible." Peninsula Humane Society's free spay neuter clinic is funded by donations made to the San Francisco Bay Humane Friends group. There will be up to 25 surgery spots available per day, but there are size restrictions and income qualifications that apply. Interested persons must come in to the shelter to sign up, starting Wednesday, Jan. 8. Surgery spots will be available on a first come, first served basis, and space must be reserved in person at the Animal Care Center. The Tehama County Animal Care Center is at 1830 Walnut St. in Red Bluff. Care Center hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. Saturday. Adoption hours are 10 a.m. to noon and 1-4:30 p.m. If you would like more information regarding adopting, fostering or becoming a Care Center volunteer, call McClintock at 530-527-3439 or email her at cmcclintock52@sbcglobal.net. Report: Recidivism Grad to work with at-risk youth fell before prison realignment By ELISE WILSON Special to the DN SACRAMENTO (AP) — California's recidivism rate dropped in the years before Gov. Jerry Brown's realignment law took effect, even though six of every 10 offenders returned to prison, the corrections department said in a report released Wednesday. The report said 61 percent of felons released between July 2008 and June 2009 committed new crimes within three years. High as that might be, it was down from 67 percent for inmates released in 2005 and 2006, when California had one of the nation's highest recidivism rates. Corrections officials could not say how the latest rate compares with other states, but Corrections Secretary Jeff Beard called the decline encour- 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 aging. Under realignment, which took effect in October 2011, the state began keeping lower-level offenders in county jails instead of sending them to state prisons. The move came in response to a federal court order to reduce prison overcrowding. Researchers said that change did not significantly affect the new report because it tracked offenders released before realignment. Beard said in a statement that he is confident rates will continue to decline as the state and counties spend more money on rehabilitation programs. The report tracked new arrests, convictions and returns to prison for nearly 113,000 parolees, with the recidivism rate based on how many offenders are given new prison terms for parole violations or new sentences. Nearly 69,000 ex-convicts were given more prison time. Red Bluff resident DeeDee LaChance has a heart for troubled youth and children in the foster care system. In order to help counsel them, she attended Simpson University's School of Adult Studies, ASPIRE program, to earn her B.A. in psychology. "I have always been interested in what made people 'tick,' and since I wanted to work with troubled youth it only made sense," LaChance said. "It is my belief that the children of today, who are the future of tomorrow, need to know that someone cares for them." LaChance was one of 195 students who received college degrees Jan. 11 during Simpson University's winter commencement. LaChance faced obstacles while earning her degree. In order to fund her education, she had to take money out of her IRA. She also struggled with a medical issue that affected her academic progress. Despite these strug- gles, LaChance persevered and completed her degree. She said she enjoyed many aspects of the ASPIRE program, including going to class in the evening and praying before class. One of her favorite things about the program was her professors. "The encouragement that I received was powerful," LaChance said. "I had some amazing professors who have no idea what a positive influence they had on me; they kept me going without even knowing it." A combination of things motivated LaChance to earn her degree. Before going back to school, she worked as a travel agent and spent time with her twin grandsons. As the economy went downhill and her grandsons got older, she said she realized it was time for a change. Her volunteer work with youth at the juvenile hall in Red Bluff also factored into LaChance's desire to earn her bachelor's degree. "I had a strong desire to be able to counsel them, but without that degree I knew it was impossible, so I got serious about pursuing higher education," she said. Now that she has finished her degree, LaChance is writing a non-fiction story about part of her life. She hopes the story will be in print by June of this year. LaChance is also going to work as an advocate for foster children through a program called Court Appointed Social Advocates (CASA), which she spent nine years working to bring to Tehama County. She first got involved in the program when she lived in the Monterey Peninsula and worked See GRAD, page 5A