Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/255268
FRESNO (AP) — Fed- eral officials lent a hand to California's drought crisis Tuesday, announcing that $20 million in aid focused on water conservation will be available to Cali- fornia farmers and ranch- ers who are the hardest hit. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters in a teleconfer- ence from Washington, D.C., that this will be the first in a number of announcements to be made regarding drought relief, including one expected Thursday aimed at forestry assistance. The first round of money, to be given in grants under the Natural Resources Conservation Services Environmental Quality Incentives Pro- gram, will be directed at improving irrigation methods, heading off ero- sion of unplanted fields and creating better ways to water livestock, Vilsack said. He was joined by phone by California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross and Rep. Jim Costa, a Fresno Democrat and third-generation farmer. ''What we're real- ly talking about right now is a lifeline,'' Costa said. California is going DN Staff Report A man and woman were arrested early Monday morning after leading offi- cers on a chase for more than 70 miles. As officers approached a blue Suzuki parked in the area of Rodeo Avenue in Gerber around 2:20 a.m. Monday the vehicle pulled away, according to a press release issued by the Tehama County Sheriff's Department. Officers pulled the car over and as they got out of their patrol car they were advised the Suzuki, which had Texas plates, was stolen. The car then fled the scene and officers pursued. During the chase the Suzuki reached speeds exceeding 120 mph over the course of 73 miles and led officers through two coun- ties. The car made multiple attempts to escape officers, driving through several fences, fields and ditches in the Proberta area. The chase proceeded in the area of Flores Avenue, west of Interstate 5, when the Suzuki drove through a wire fence and into a large, open field. Officers from the Cali- fornia Highway Patrol, a CHP helicopter and the Red Bluff Police Department assisted the sheriff's office in the pursuit and attempted to contain the suspect on Flores Avenue, the release said. The suspect drove the stolen Suzuki through a fence bordering I-5 south of Flores Avenue, then drove northbound in the south- bound I-5 lanes for 1.6 miles. The Suzuki crossed over the center divider into the northbound lane and continued evading law enforcement to Red Bluff. The Suzuki exited the freeway and then returned to the southbound I-5 on ramp, the release said. The Suzuki was then pursued on southbound I-5 into Glenn County before it returned back into Tehama County. CHP set up a spike strip that punctured the Suzuki's front driver's side tire and it came to a stop in the center divider south of Corning Road. A felony car stop was initiated and 26-year-old Richard Anthony Lecompte, of Louisiana, was identified as the driver and 25-year-old Sharee Fal- lon Mount, of Redding, was identified as the passenger. A search was conducted of the vehicle and a CO2 air pistol within an assault pis- tol conversion was located on the driver's floor board along with two billie clubs. Lecompte said he fled because he knew the vehicle was stolen and he didn't want to go back to jail. Both Lecompte and Mount were arrested and booked at the Tehama County Jail on the above listed violations. Basic class Intermediate class Job Training Center • 718 Main St., Red Bluff Call 529-7000 Pre-Registration Required Thurs. Feb. 27, 2014 8:30 am to 12:30 pm Cost: $65.00 per person Thurs. Feb. 6, 2014 8:30 am to 12:30 pm Cost: $65.00 per person Just 10 slots available/Each person at a computer (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) Smog Inspection $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate • Members Welcome 195 S. Main St., Red Bluff 530 527-9841 Weather forecast 8B Mostly sunny 56/36 N EWS D AILY DAILY 50¢ WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2014 Tex Mex Chili Boxing Rematch Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 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 See Page 5A SPORTS 1B County Fare 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Teacher accused of relationship with student By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer A Red Bluff Union High School auto shop teacher was arrested Monday after allegedly sending inappropriate text mes- sages to a 17-year-old female student, Red Bluff police said. Kenneth Wayne Binder, 42, was arrested on suspicion of felony sending harmful matter to a minor about 4:15 p.m. at the high school, according to a Red Bluff police press release issued early Tuesday. Sgt. Kevin Busekist said the student is not in Binder's class- es, but did not have information on whether she had been in his classes in the past. He added that the relationship between Binder and the student is believed to have started in Octo- ber. Busekist said he was not aware whether additional stu- dents are involved. Red Bluff police said an assistant principal contacted School Resource Officer Aaron Mur- ray about 1 p.m. Monday with infor- mation that a teacher was having an inap- propriate relation- ship with a minor student. Investigators say they learned Binder had sent inappropri- ate text messages to the student. Binder was booked into Tehama County Jail with bail set at $15,000. Red Bluff Union High School Princi- pal Ron Fisher on Tuesday directed questions to Joe Harrop, interim superintendent at the Red Bluff Joint Union High School District. Harrop said Binder has been employed at the school for two years, five months. Harrop said Binder was arrested at the high school after law enforcement conducted interviews with the female stu- dent involved, her mother, Binder and another student who Monday morning brought forth Binder Lassen restoration MINERAL – Lassen Volcanic National Park will take advantage of low snow levels and begin work on the Northwest Gateway Forest Restora- tion Project. This fuel reduction project is located in the northwest corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park where forest condi- tions present a severe risk of high intensity fire. In partnership with Lassen National Forest, a one- time entry with mecha- nized equipment will be used to reduce live under- story and ladder fuels in this popular recreation area. These activities will specifically focus on the reduction of excessive understory tree densities and surface fuel loads pre- viously managed with prescribed fire. "One hundred years of fire exclusion in Lassen Volcanic National Park has resulted in overly dense and unhealthy for- est areas," said Park Superintendent Darlene Koontz. "In the absence of surface fires, shade-tol- erant white fir have formed dense thickets crowding out old growth pines, aspen stands, and understory shrub and grass vegetation. The process will reduce old- growth mortality rates, promote a more varied stand structure, and restore and protect wildlife habitat." The Northwest Gate- way Forest Restoration project is composed of six areas with a total treat- ment area of up to 2145 acres. In early February weather permitting, mechanical thinning will begin in two of the six areas totaling approxi- mately 500 acres. Should the park receive a signifi- cant amount of snow, the project may be postponed for the season. The overall restoration goal of this treatment strategy is to reestablish a fire adapted forest land- scape by restoring a more resilient, diverse forest structure. Once the forest structures and/or surface fuel profiles have been restored, natural and pre- scribed fire applications can be utilized to further restore, enhance and maintain the system with- out further use of mechan- ical equipment. There are no trail or facility closures associat- ed with this project; how- ever visitors in the Man- zanita Lake area may see and hear the equipment used for mechanical thin- ning. For more information, call the park at (530) 595- 6102 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or visit www.nps.gov/lavo/park- mgmt/nwg.htm. Manton man threatens shoppers with gun A 51-year-old man was arrested Monday afternoon for pulling a gun in a grocery store parking lot and aim- ing it at others. Officers were called to Food Maxx at 94 Belle Mill Road around 3:45 p.m. Monday after Kip Cody Hern, of Manton, was seen yelling and waving a gun around in the parking lot, according to a press release issued by Red Bluff Police Department Monday evening. Film takes focus off disabilities The Tehama Country Visitor Center will host a photography and film reception 5-8 p.m. Thurs- day, Feb. 6, featuring the work of three area pho- tographers. The center is at 250 Antelope Blvd. in Red Bluff. Works to be presented include the short film and gallery prints for "…that's me!" by Doug Churchill, scenes from Butte County by Frank Smith and local migratory birds by Coby Walters-Fournier. "…that's me" is a 13- minute short film using still photo portraits and audio interview portraits. It was shown at the 2012 Focus Film Festival along with a gallery show of the still photo portraits. Churchill teamed up with local NPR news director Lorraine Dechter to do the audio interviews and CSUC film editor Matthew Ritenour to put the pieces together. The end project will be shown to parents, community members, people with disabilities and service providers. For more infor- mation about "…that's me!" visit, http://www.dougchurchill .com/thats_me. Churchill is a commer- cial/celebrity/fine art pho- tographer and film maker who began his career in Chico, as a student at Butte College. His two recent short films "…that's me" and "…that's me too!" focus on local area developmen- tally disabled adults. During his decades long career as an editorial photographer he has pho- tographed a number of celebrities, among them, Ira Glass, Shaquille O'Neal, Kathy Ireland, Jane Fonda, Charlie Sheen, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sugar Ray Leonard and George W. Bush. An award winning photogra- pher, he was the first Couple arrested after lengthy chase Feds announce $20 million for California farmers See RBUHS, page 7A See GUN, page 7A See FILM, page 7A See FEDS, page 7A