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Tuesday, February 22, 2011 – Daily News – 7A Death Notice Florentino Ibarra Florentino Ibarra of Red Bluff died Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 at his home. He was 89. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers is handling the arrangements. Published Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. CITY Continued from page 1A meeting Tuesday, but was not involved in the discus- sion. Rebound is a commu- nity group that can and should stand on its own, he later said. The chamber supports the spirit and intent of what Rebound is trying to do, just as it supports other committees with goals in line with the chamber’s own objectives. For exam- ple, the Branding Com- mittee and the Fourth of July Festival Committee, Stevens said. Rebound has asked for chamber sup- port, and because the chamber has provided that support, the chamber’s involvement may have been misunderstood as having ownership. “This well-intentioned cooperative assistance by chamber staff likely resulted in the confusion about whether Rebound was a community commit- tee in its own right, or a subset of the chamber,” Stevens said. “The Execu- tive Committee of the chamber has confirmed repeatedly that, so far at least, Rebound has been the former.” During the meeting, Councilman Wayne Brown asked why the city, not the chamber and Rebound, was signing the contract with Allvision for the feasibility study. Rebound member Ken Robison said the city has to be involved in billboard project because the pro- posed site is city-owned property. Nichols said the city will enter into the contract with Allvision for the ini- tial study, but if the con- sultants find the project is not feasible on city-owned property, the city would pull out of the project. “This sign does not have to be on public prop- erty,” Nichols said. “It could be on private (prop- erty).” Allvision has proposed to do the study at no cost to the city. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdailynews.co m. Autopsy planned for Mt. Shasta snowboarder MOUNT SHASTA (AP) — Siskiyou County authorities suspect that a snowboarder whose body was found just outside the Mount Shasta Ski Park suffocat- ed, but they won’t know for sure until an autopsy is completed. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Allison Giannini tells KCBS radio that more than 100 volunteers and law enforce- ment officers spent three days looking for 23-year Alexander Gautreaux before his cell phone signal led them to his body Sunday. Gautreaux went missing Thursday after calling his family around noon to say he was going to make one more run before returning home. The mountain received more snow after that, and rescue teams often trekked through chest-high drifts while combing the routes Gautreaux was known to fre- quent. They found him about 100 feet outside the ski park’s boundaries in an area at risk of avalanches. Autopsies show teens drowned while creek rafting MARTINEZ (AP) — Authorities say two teenagers whose bodies were found in a rain-swollen creek drowned. The Contra Costa County coroner completed autopsies Monday to determine the causes of death for 16-year-old Matthew Miller and 17-year-old Gavin Powell. The boys were last seen alive Saturday when they told their families they planned to take an inflatable raft to a local waterway during a storm that dumped heavy rain and brought strong winds to the region. Their families reported them missing early Sunday when they did not return from the outing. The sheriff’s department says the drownings appear accidental. Both teens, who attended Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, were wearing helmets but not life vests. BILLS Continued from page 1A slaying. ‘‘My only child had to suffer the worst possible thing that a child should have to face,“ Maurice Dubois said during a Capitol news conference to discuss the four-bill package. ”I don’t want anyone else’s family to go through this.’’ Officials with the Ameri- can Civil Liberties Union and California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, which rep- resents defense lawyers, said they had not reviewed the bills and could not com- ment. A third bill, AB883, was requested by the state Department of Justice. It would let the department consider the underlying facts of a case when deciding whether someone convicted in another state must register as a sex offender in Califor- nia. The fourth, AB886, would require judges to keep victim impact statements confidential until they are read aloud in court during a criminal’s sentencing hear- ing. Dubois’ written state- ment was published a day before Gardner’s sentencing hearing. ‘‘My ability to tell this person how I felt was ripped away from me,’’ he said. The statements are public records that should require a court hearing if a victim wants them kept from public view, said Tom Newton, general counsel for the Cali- fornia Newspaper Publish- ers Association. Moreover, restricting their disclosure would harm victims’ inter- ests, he said. ‘‘If you want to maxi- mize the power of the state- ment, then let the media have it and do what it does,’’ Newton said. Laws enacted last year, including one named after Chelsea King and three oth- ers sought by Dubois, increase penalties and super- vision of sex offenders and speed up law enforcement’s response to missing persons reports. Legislative committees will begin considering those and thousands of other bills in the coming weeks after lawmakers act on proposals to close the state’s $26.6 bil- lion budget deficit through June 2012. Here is a look at some of the other bills: PARKS Continued from page 1A park projects are finished or getting very close to being done. Each park, including Gerber Park, Tehama County River Park, Cone Grove Park, Mill Creek Park and Ridgeway Park, was updated to meet the Americans with Disabili- ties Act standards. ADA restrooms, paths of travel and some ADA-accessible tables replaced the old ones. Barbecue grills and drinking fountains were added to each site. Gerber Park An entanglement of politics and old, dilapidat- ed facilities had some Ger- ber residents fussing over the park’s development, but 2010 saw the comple- tion of the second of two projects that revitalized Gerber Park. “I’m probably the nut that got the park started,” said Earlene Cullison, a park neighbor and advo- cate. A rotting swimming pool that closed in 2004 and was enclosed by fenc- ing and barbed wire drew mischief and safety con- cerns. It took some time to decide what to do about it, Cullison said. A park that could have used all the funding and more, had to be addressed with only a portion of the $1.2 million. In the end, the swim- ming pool, equipment building, shower/storage facility, bathroom and decking were demolished. In place of those ameni- ties, the site embraced a new picnic area, basket- ball court, grass volleyball court, soccer goals, new fencing and security light- ing. Concrete block bleach- ers and an announcers booth were replaced with three sets of aluminum bleachers that met the Uniform Building Code AWARD Continued from page 1A California Department of Education to receive the Exemplary Independent Study Recognition Award. “I am proud that California's public school system provides a variety of options so that all students can suc- ceed,” Torlakson said. “The (schools chosen) challenge students with a rig- orous academic program while provid- ing flexibility and personalization through independent study. Congratu- lations to all the students, teachers and administrators, and the parents who are helping to make these schools models of educational excellence.” Lincoln Street uses a proven, stan- dards-aligned curriculum which helps them maintain a strong core subject focus. “It’s our dedication to the core sub- jects that helps our students to be suc- cessful,” said Chris Byrd, lead teacher. — California would charge a tax of a penny per ounce on sugar-sweetened beverages, with the project- ed $1.7 billion going to fight childhood obesity, under AB669 by Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Monterey. Critics at the nonprofit Cen- ter for Consumer Freedom countered that soft drinks make up less than 6 percent of the average person’s calo- ries. —Cities would have to give public notice twice before they award raises to city managers, consultants and other top employees under a bill sought by state state Controller John Chi- ang. AB582 by Assembly- man Richard Pan, D-Sacra- mento, is responding to last year’s pay scandal in the Los Angeles County city of Bell. —The controller’s office would have greater discre- tion to audit local govern- ments under a second bill sought by Chiang after the Bell scandal. The controller currently can audit local governments’ handling of state and federal money. SB186 by Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, would expand the authority to include local taxes, bonds and other funds. two years previously. Now, more than 20 children play in the park every afternoon, Cullison said. “The park is fantastic now,” she said. Cullison is grateful that county supervisors lis- tened to concerns and helped to take the blight out of Gerber, she said. The Bleacher Replace- ment Project cost $7,722, while the portion called the Gerber Park Improve- ment Project cost $324,133. Tehama County River Park Tehama County River Park committee members were in disbelief to see the completion of the park ren- ovations. The Park Improvement Project won’t be completed until April, but most of the work has already been done, Sis- neros said. One of the largest and most used of the county parks, the park straddles Woodson Bridge, a section of South Avenue, County Route A9, that passes over the Sacramento River, near Corning. Chairman of the River Park committee, Curt Mar- tin, is grateful the park is now a little easier for everyone to use, he said. “It’s just a lot better park than it was a few years ago,” Martin said. The dilapidated, non- functioning restroom was replaced. An automated irrigation system was installed with a new well pump. “I think it’s really great we were able to secure bond funding and refurbish this park because it was in really bad shape,” Martin said. Concrete picnic tables replaced most of the older, decayed wooden or other tables that were prone to wander during flooding. Cone Grove Park Cone Grove Park, a site for annual Peace Officer’s Association picnics, is tucked amid orchards along a creek two miles off Highway 99E. The shady, small park, between Dairyville and Red Bluff, was enhanced with a new septic system. Playground equipment accompanied new side- walks and tables. Mill Creek Park Mill Creek Park near Los Molinos is often a site for river access and school sporting events. Renova- tions focused on an area between the boat dock and playing fields. The only thing missing is a sign pointing the way in. On Dec. 7, 2010, the Board of Supervisors voted in favor of allowing Austin Kemp, a Life Scout with Boy Scouts of America, along with members of the local community to go for- ward with building a sign and repairing a fence and a gate. Voting the project exempt from review and adding a contingency of inspection by the building department, supervisors authorized the project. Plans, labor and materials were all to be donated. Ridgeway Park The final park project, and one of the most expen- sive and extensive ones, is at Ridgeway Park, near the outskirts of Red Bluff. The building at the park used to be a community center for the neighbor- hood and was rented out by Shasta College for classes at times, Sisneros said. Over many years, it fell into disrepair. By the end of April, the building will be fully- updated, asbestos-free and ready to rent. County Administrator Bill Good- win has been bringing a few last-minute items to the board regarding the Ridgeway Park building in January and February. Sisneros, one of the few active members of the Ridgeway Park committee, is pleased there was enough money in the bud- “It’s also what allows us to offer, with support from community partners, the other fabulous opportunities that our students enjoy like photo club, field trips and hands-on art activities. We’re very pleased that the state has recog- nized our model with this award.” Students were asked to share their experiences with the selection commit- tee, which drives home the message on the benefits of a flexible learning envi- ronment and the success of the model that Lincoln Street School uses. One student said, “Lincoln Street School is very important to me. My life can get very busy and I have learned to orga- nize my time to fit school work in first. I like being able to spend more time on the things that interest me and do my school work quietly at home.” This type of flexibility, combined with rigorous study is becoming an increasingly popular and highly suc- cessful model of instruction. The award is designed to recognize excellent educational practices in schools where independent study is the —Smokers would lose some of the last remaining indoor locations where it is legal to inhale under SB575. The bill by Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, would end exemptions that allow smoking in some areas of motel and hotel lobbies, meeting and banquet rooms, retail or wholesale tobacco shops, warehouses, break rooms and at businesses with five or fewer employ- ees. —California’s tobacco tax would increase another $1.50 per pack under a bill by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles. His SB330 propos- es to spend the projected $1.2 billion on smoking pre- vention and cancer research efforts, with a portion going to help balance the state bud- get. He says the state’s cur- get to do something mean- ingful with the building and the park, she said. Although Ridgeway is one of the only county parks with a building, the grounds are not as appeal- ing as others, Sisneros said. It is not on a river or creek and it has fewer trees. It is more of a neighborhood park. After the completion of renovations, which include ADA-accessible entries and bathrooms, new floor- ing and windows and a minor kitchen remodel, Sisneros anticipates an increase in rentals and overall usability of the site, she said. The project included the replacement of a 2,600- gallon pressure tank with an 86-gallon captive air tank, installing new auto- matic valves and extending the irrigation system. This will all help to sustain the landscaping in the hot sum- mer climate and feed sev- eral new trees to be planted with project funding. Many people who used the parks last summer will probably be shocked at the improvements, if they haven’t used them since, Sisneros said. As the projects are near- ing completion, day-to-day maintenance falls on com- munity members, caretak- ers and committees, as the county still does not have a parks department. Major maintenance issues are handled by county facili- ties management crews. “I hope people take more pride in their parks,” Sisneros said. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailyne ws.com. primary mode of instruction. Eligible applicants must have 75 percent or more of the school's students enrolled in independent study, a statewide API rank of 6 or above, and may not be in Program Improvement. Schools must have successfully completed a rigor- ous, three-part review before they can be designated as recipients. Also recognized with the award were The Classical Academy High School and El Camino High School at Ventura College. “These three schools join a cadre of other EISRA recipients who demon- strate an impressive track record of helping students succeed academically in alternative settings designed to meet their unique needs and the full grade level academic expectations,” Torlak- son said. “I encourage other schools that offer independent study to learn from the successful strategies used in these schools.” For more information on Lincoln Street School, visit www.teham- aschools.org. rent tax of 87 cents per pack is one of the nation’s lowest. Padilla’s SB331 would restrict tobacco sales within 600 feet of schools, and his SB332 would allow land- lords to ban smoking in and around their rental proper- ties. — Sen. Alex Padilla wants to outlaw the sale of caffeinated beer beverages such as Four Loko, Joose and Tilt in California. Padil- la, D-Los Angeles, says the drinks are popular with youths, and the caffeine masks the effects of the high alcohol content. California would join Kansas, Massa- chusetts, Michigan, New York, Utah and Washington in banning the drinks under SB39. Many of the compa- nies have reformulated their products after criticism in Red Bluff Simple Cremations & Burial Service Family owned & Operated Honor and Dignity 527-1732 722 Oak Street, Red Bluff, FD Lic. 1931 529-3655 www.affordablemortuary.net recent months. —Welfare recipients would be barred from using their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to buy alco- hol or tobacco under a bill by Senate Minority Leader Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga. His SB417 responds to reports that the cards also were used to with- draw money at casinos, strip clubs and cruise ships. Recipients are prohibited from buying alcohol and tobacco with food stamp money, but there is no ban on using CalWORKS funds for the products. Located in Chico, CA