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FRIDAY Studying Nutrition JANUARY 17, 2014 Replay Comes to MLB Education Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4A SPORTS 1B DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF Sunny 70/33 Weather forecast 8A 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 High school district superintendent ousted By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Red Bluff Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees terminated its contract with Superintendent Lisa Escobar Wednesday. "I am obviously saddened by the Board of Trustees' decision to dissolve our relationship at this time," Escobar said in an email to the Daily News Thursday. "I am proud of the accomplishments the district has made under my leadership," she wrote "There is still work to be done to ensure all students have access and opportunity to a quality education. I encourage the community that has demonstrated interest and commitment in the education of their young people to stay involved and continue to 'expect more' from their school district." Per Escobar's contract she 'We sincerely appreciate the dedicated work that Ms. Escobar brought to the Red Bluff High School District and we wish her well' — Board President Barbara McIver will receive 12 months' salary. The position's annual salary database of educational salaries. "We sincerely appreciate the dedicated work that Ms. Escobar brought to the Red Bluff High School District and we wish her well," Board President Barbara McIver said Thursday. McIver said the board will meet 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the parameters for a new superintendent and potentially was $136,990 in 2012-13 according to a Sacramento Bee Trails tallied See SCHOOL, page 7A Temps set new local records More record high temperatures were felt in Red Bluff Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday's high of 80 degrees set a new record for Jan. 15, according to the Nation al Weather Service. Thursday the high also reached 80 degrees, breaking the record high of 78 on Jan. 16, according to AccuWeather. Seven years ago the record low for Jan. 16 was set when the temperature dipped down to 22 degrees in 2007. Maximum temperatures across the Sacramento Valley are about 15 to 20 degrees higher than normal for the time of the year, the NWS reported. Record highs in Red Bluff were set earlier this month on Jan. 4 and 5. Chase ends in Corning crash Daily News photo by Andre Byik Casey Reeder, 16, of Red Bluff plays a round of disc golf Thursday at Dog Island Park in Red Bluff. The park, which is one of Tehama County's more than 60 trails and trail heads now listed on a newly announced website, features about 3 miles of asphalt and dirt trails as well as an 18-hole disc golf course. By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer What began as a labor of love for Alan Abbs, Tehama County's air pollution control officer and trails coordinator, has ended with a useful tool to navigate Tehama County's trails and trail heads. At the Sacramento River Discovery Center's Thursday evening program series at the Tehama County Farm Bureau, Abbs announced that a website he'd been working on to list known trails throughout Tehama County has gone live. The website, which can viewed at tinyurl.com/jwgnl32 and can also be accessed from the county website at co.tehama.ca.us, highlights more than 60 trails and trail heads throughout the county. When users click on a trail's marker, such as the one for Deer Creek Trail located in southeast Tehama, they are met with a description and a link to a trail map. "Approximately 3 miles one way," Deer Creek Trail's description reads. "Look for trail head parking just north of where Highway 32 crosses Deer Creek for the first time. Trail is rugged in some places." Abbs said an important step in promoting the county's trails was letting people know they exist. See TRAILS, page 7A A high speed pursuit through the Corning area Wednesday night ended when the 30-year-old driver crashed a stolen sedan into a parked pickup and through a chain link fence. Nicholas Kurt Hardwick, of Corning, was arrested at the scene for evading a peace officer with a disregard for public safety, hit and run property damage, possession of known stolen property and a parole violation. Around 9:42 p.m. a Tehama County Sheriff's deputy observed a silver Mercury Sable sedan traveling on Rawson Road near the Thomes Creek Bridge, according to a department press release. The vehicle immediately sped away from the scene upon seeing the deputy's marked patrol car. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, but Hardwick failed to yield to the deputy's emergency lights signaling him to pull over. A pursuit was initiated leading deputies, California Highway Patrol and the Corning Police Department on a high speed chase through the city of Corning and its satellite communities. During the pursuit several items were thrown out of the vehicle. Two laptop computers suspected of being stolen during a burglary earlier in the evening in Red Bluff were recovered. The pursuit ended when Hardwick crashed the sedan into an unoccupied parked pickup and through a chain link fence near the Northern Lights See CHASE, page 7A Bridge downgraded Drought prompts disaster declarations LAS VEGAS (AP) — in SW area of county Federal officials have desBy RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer A bridge about nine miles north of Paskenta primarily used for agricultural purposes was legally down-graded to one-way traffic Tuesday. The Tehama County Board of Supervisors changed the designation of the Lowery Road Bridge at South Fork Elder Creek from two to one lanes Tuesday after adopting an emergency ordinance. The Caltrans Department of Structure Maintenance and Investigation had deemed the bridge's floor beams were under designed and gave the county the option of posting the structure for a reduced load or reducing the structure to one way traf- fic along with reducing the roadway crossing from 22 feet to 16.5 feet. Tehama County Public Works Director Gary Antone said the bridge remains widely used for agriculture activity in the area. He said the bridge remains in good condition and should stay that way with the updated load changes. It will cost the county about $500 to place proper signage for the change as well as stripe the bridge for the reduced roadway. Supervisor Bob Williams said most traffic in the area already waits for a passing truck to come across the bridge. There are significant turnout areas on either side of the bridge. The bridge was built in 1942. Rich Greene can be reached at 527-2151, ext. 109 or rgreene@redbluffdailyne ws.com. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 ignated portions of 11 drought-ridden western and central states as primary natural disaster areas, highlighting the financial strain the lack of rain is likely to bring to farmers in those regions. The announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday included counties in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Kansas, Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Oklahoma and California. The designation means eligible farmers can qualify for low-interest emergency loans from the department. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he and President Obama want to ensure that agriculture remains a bright spot in the nation's economy. ''USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood.'' he said in statement. AP photo Mark Davis gives a thumbs-up toward a helicopter as he sprays water around his property, Thursday in Azusa. A wildfire burned out of control near homes in the dangerously dry foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains early Thursday, fanned by gusty Santa Ana winds that spit embers into neighborhoods in the city below, igniting trees. Counties adjacent to those affected also are eligible for assistance. While storms have dumped rain and snow in the East, droughts are persisting or intensifying in the West, according to officials connected with the U.S. Drought MoniSee DROUGHT, page 7A