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TUESDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2011 Breaking news at: Best of Friends American Profile www.redbluffdailynews.com See Inside RED BLUFF Playoff Previews SPORTS 1B Sunny 57/36 Weather forecast 8B 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 Parks redo Driver arrested in rollover on tracks The driver whose 2009 Ford Flex landed upside down on the railroad tracks Friday afternoon had struck a parked vehicle moments before. Heather Nicole King, 44, of Red Bluff was traveling eastbound on Walton Avenue near Oriole Drive when she struck a parked 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier, according to Red Bluff Police. She continued eastbound toward Main Street when her vehicle struck a metal pole guard at the railroad crossing, rolled over and stopped hood- down on the tracks. King was transported to St. Elizabeth Community Hospital for treatment and was cited for driving under the influence, police said. She was released at the hos- pital so she could receive medical attention for mild to moderate injuries. The case has been forwarded to the Tehama County District Attorney for review. — Andrea Wagner City to explore billboard proposal By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Daily News graphic by Andrea Wagner and Sandy Valdivia Long-term projects near completion By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Down to deadline, and in time for summer recre- ation, five parks through- out Tehama County are being or have been over- hauled and updated through eight separate projects, using $1.2 mil- lion in funds allocated by a state bond act. The Proposition 40 Park Bond projects are scheduled to be complet- ed by the end of April, and the bond expires at the end of June, said Julie Sisneros, County admin- istrative analyst. Sisneros has spear- headed most of the plan- ning and paperwork that went into the projects. “We tried to touch on every park we have,” Sis- neros said. Parks in or near Ger- ber, Los Molinos, Dairyville, Corning and Red Bluff have been enhanced by the invest- ments, and must be com- pleted in time for the county to be fully reim- bursed through the grant. In the beginning, Sis- neros and facilities man- agement staff toured each park and tried to under- stand what was there, what was needed and what could be done to improve the parks within the guidelines of the grant, she said. Although some of the parks needed more work than others, the commit- tee considered the type and amount of use of each park, she said. Projects have helped install dozens of new con- crete picnic tables, State lawmakers to mull 1,000s of bills SACRAMENTO (AP) — Neighbors and law enforcement agencies would get advance notice when they are dealing with child molesters and sexually violent predators under two of the thousands of bills that will be considered this year by the California Legisla- ture. Lawmakers submitted more than 2,323 bills by Friday’s deadline. That’s roughly 19 bills for each of the 120 members of the Assembly and Senate. Among them are four that grew out of the arrest last year of a paroled sex offender who later pleaded guilty to raping and murder- ing two teenage girls in San Diego County. Two of the bills would apply only to those convict- ed of sex crimes against children or who are found to be sexually violent preda- tors — ‘‘the worst of the worst,’’ said Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley. One, AB885, would require that their driver’s licenses or identification cards carry a coded notation that could be read by law enforcement. A similar bill unanimously cleared the Assembly last year but died in a Senate committee, in part because of concerns over confidentiality and costs. Supporters said offenders could pay for the program through higher license fees. The second, AB884, would require law enforce- ment to give written notice to neighbors living within 1,000 feet of a paroled molester within five days of the offender moving into the neighborhood. Nearby schools and daycare centers also would get notice. ‘‘Knowing the threat is half the battle,’’ said, Mau- rice ‘‘Moe’’ Dubois, whose 14-year-old daughter, Amber, was one of the mur- dered teens. John Gardner is serving a life sentence after plead- ing guilty to killing Dubois and 17-year-old Chelsea King, whose was killed in February 2010. Dubois had been killed the year before, but her body was not dis- covered until after the King 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See BILLS, page 7A Despite the Red Bluff City Council being less than attracted to the idea of entering into the bill- board business, the city will work with a consul- tant to find ways to move the project forward. Red Bluff Rebound has proposed building a full video billboard off Inter- state-5, which members said would bring traffic off the highway into the city and boost the local economy. Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner County Parks have been revamped in three years’ worth of projects such as concrete tables,which are scheduled to be completed by April 30. demolish and rebuild out- dated buildings and update watering systems. Many of the parks were left in disrepair after the county dissolved the parks department in the 1990s, Sisneros said. Park committees, made up of volunteers, were left in charge of the parks, but had no money to do any improvements. “We made improve- ments that were desperate- ly needed,” Sisneros said. Despite state bonds being frozen midway through some of the pro- jects, and complicated remodels, many of the See PARKS, page 7A The proposed site of the billboard is on the city’s property where the wastewater treatment plant sits. Federal and state laws do not allow a billboard to be at that site because it is a landscape zone. City Manager Martin Nichols has identified a company that could assist the city with the billboard project. The council approved Nichols entering into a contract with Allvision to conduct a strategic plan and feasibility study of options to locate the sign, but had some apprehen- sion about getting too involved with the project. “The city should not be in the billboard business,” Nichols said. “We have no expertise or time to build or operate a billboard.” The council had some confusion as to whether Rebound was its own group or a subcommittee of the Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Com- merce. If it is a chamber group, the council wanted to know why Rebound was not taking the project to the Chamber. Bill Moule, who at the time was chairman of the chamber’s Local Govern- ment Services Commit- tee, is one of the founding members of Rebound. While the group has the support of the cham- ber, it is not a part of the chamber, he said. “(Rebound) is a com- munity action group sponsored by the cham- ber,” Moule said. Chamber President- elect Greg Stevens, also publisher of the Daily News, was at the council See CITY, page 7A Lincoln Street School earns state award Special to the DN Three California public schools were recently rec- ognized by State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson for their excellent educational practices, including Lincoln Street Independent School. The school is an inde- pendent study program sponsored by the Tehama County Department of Edu- cation that serves about 70 students per year. “Lincoln Street School has evolved as a model pro- gram for parents wishing to teach their children at home, while having the support of highly effective teachers and state adopted curriculum,” said Larry Champion, superintendent of schools. The schools were select- ed by a joint project of the California Consortium for Independent Study and the See AWARD, page 7A Courtesy photo Pictured, from left, are Dana Brent, Lincoln Street School, Carol Abbott, CDE, Linda Gross, CCIS, Chris Byrd, Lincoln Street, Sandra Steiger, CCIS, Christi Deveraux, Lincoln Street and Leslie Brunetta, Lincoln Street. Happy Birthday COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR Smog Inspection $ 2595 + cert. (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) Pass or FREE retest 195 S. Main St. Red Bluff 530 527-9841 John Rife XO XO Me. I Love You Are you tired of those ugly, thick, painful fungal PODIATRY CENTER toenails? AEROFEET Painless Topical Treatment THAT REALLY WORKS. Treat your neglected nails and cracked feet in time for spring sandals! Call today for an appointment (530)527-7584 QuickBooks Class Six Wednesdays (3-9-11 to 4-13-11) Time: 5:15 pm to 7:15 pm Cost: $99.00 per person Job Training Center, 718 Main St., Red Bluff Call 529-7000