Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/256783
S A C R A M E N T O (AP) — A top Califor- nia wildlife official said the gray wolf should not receive endangered species protections in the state. Chuck Bonham, the director of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said Wednes- day that the scientific evidence suggests some protections are needed for the gray wolf, but not a listing on the endangered species list, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Bonham, who was speaking at the Califor- nia Fish and Game Commission meeting, said his decision was reached after a yearlong department study spurred by conserva- tionists, who filed a petition seeking protec- tions after a lone gray wolf wandered into Cal- ifornia from Oregon. Officials say that wolf, called OR-7, is the first known to have entered the state in 90 years. It has since returned to Oregon but has made a few short jaunts back into Califor- nia territory. Bonham said he did not reach the decision easily. ''It's possible I may lose friends over this, which is why I ask everyone to read the documents before pass- ing judgment.'' He is recommending the gray wolf be listed as a species of special concern and that a pro- hibition be placed on killing of gray wolves in California. He said he would consider an endangered listing again at a later date. ''Wolves deserve a chance to recover in California, so it's disap- pointing to see the Department of Fish and Wildlife's recommenda- tion against protec- tions,'' said Amaroq Weiss of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that petitioned to have it list- ed. 7A Friday, February 7, 2014 – Daily News R ed Bluff Simple Cremations & Burial Service Now Offering Eco-Friendly urns at economy friendly prices. 722 Oak Street, Red Bluff, FD Lic. 1931 527-1732 Death Notices Death notices must be provided by mortuaries to the news department, are published at no charge, and feature only specific basic information about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Classified advertising department. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by families of the deceased and include online publication linked to the news- paper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. Setting it straight –––––––– It is the policy of the Daily News to correct as quickly as possible all errors in fact that have been published in the newspaper. If you feel a factual error has been made in a news story, call the news department at 527-2153. received preferential treat- ment, Johnston said that did not and would not hap- pen. "We treated this just like it was any other citi- zen that would have an open or conceal carry (license)," Johnston said. "(He) hasn't been given any extra consideration. It wouldn't make any differ- ence to us who he was." Other aspects of the event have been disputed as well. Torres questions the timing of the story as, from his own experience, the jogging trail would have taken longer to dou- ble back from. The family also believes the jogger was on their property, as were the dogs when they were shot. Johnston said the inves- tigating officers found the dogs on the shoulder of the road. He said the jog- ger had a zone tracking system on his phone that showed the path he had jogged and that he wasn't on the Torres property. "For us there's no fur- ther investigation that we're conducting," John- ston said. Torres said as long as his mother had the dogs, they never posed a threat to anyone, even children. He said many families in the area have dogs and the neighborhood association has no leash rules in effect. Rich Greene can be reached at 527-2151, ext. 109 or rgreene@redbluffdailyne ws.com. Continued from page 1A Madge E. Matousek Madge E. Matousek, of Red Bluff, died Thursday, Feb. 6 at Brentwood Skilled Nursing. She was 95. Arrangements are under the direction of Neptune Society-Chico. Published Friday, Feb. 7 in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. DOGS No injuries reported in head-on collision Daily News photo by Andre Byik Red Bluff firefighters clean up after a head- on collision occurred about 3 p.m. Thursday at Luther and Paskenta roads. A California Highway Patrol officer said the driver of a Nissan Altima turning left toward Luther Road appeared to have failed to yield to an oncoming Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck. No injuries were reported. Factoring out account aberrations sales across Tehama County increased 6 percent over the period and 5.5 percent across the North State region. Across the state new and used auto sales and leases grew at double- digit rates. Recovering building and construction activity posted a 9.7 per- cent increase, according to the HdL report. The company reported that forecasters are expecting a change in the way holiday sales will be accounted for in the future. Online shopping is expected to account for about 40 percent of the holiday sales activity, which would transfer that portion of tax from retail stores to the county allo- cation pools. The rise in gift cards is contributing to another change. Since taxes are not applied on their pur- chase, but rather when they are redeemed, the final result of how many were purchased during the holiday season may not be known until June. A National Retail Fed- eration survey showed 80 percent of shoppers gave at least one gift card, according to the report. The Top 25 producers of sales tax in Red Bluff from July to September 2013 were, in alphabetical order: Adobe Minimart, Antelope Valero, Arco AM PM, Circle 7 Days, Dollar General Store, Exxon Food Mart, Food Maxx, Growney Motors Buick/GMC, The Home Depot, Les Schwab Tire Center, Liquor & Food, Main Street Chevron, McDonalds, More for Less Gas, One Stop Gas & Food, Pneumatic Convey- ing & Manufacturing, Raley's Supermarket, Red Bluff AM PM, Red Bluff Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Red Bluff Shell, Sta- ples, Taco Bell, Tesoro West Coast, Tractor Sup- ply Company and Wal- mart. Rich Greene can be reached at 527-2151, ext. 109 or rgreene@redbluffdailyne ws.com. Continued from page 1A TAX Vineyards, located at 31636 For- ward Road, earned a gold award for its 2012 Viognier and a silver for its 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. "Our small lots of high-quality grapes, attention to detail and expe- rience in winemaking enable us to produce great-tasting wines," Alger Vineyards owner John Alger said in the release. Alger Vineyards, according to its website, was established in the early 1970s and sits at an elevation of 2,500 feet. "The altitude of the vineyard pro- vides cool nights during the hot summer growing season," according to the website. "The vines are plant- ed in well-drained, volcanic soils on arid slopes. As a result, the grapes have great tannic structure and firm fruit acids." New Clairvaux Vineyard is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on holy days. Phone: 530-839-2200. Cedar Crest Vineyards is open on weekends from noon to 5 p.m. and during the week by appointment only. Phone: 530-474-4242. Alger Vineyards is open on weekends from noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment during the week. Phone: 530-474-9463. Continued from page 1A WINES Sacramento could get a couple of more inches of rain, the National Weather Service said. Still, the state would remain well off its normal rainfall totals for the year. February is normally the wettest month, as recorded in downtown Los Angeles, with average rainfall of 3.8 inches. The region, however, has yet to see a generalized rainstorm this month. Sacramento normally experiences more than 12 inches of rainfall between July and now, George Cline, another National Weather Service forecast- er, said. Even if the week- end storm dumps as much rain as expected, Sacra- mento will only be at half its normal levels. Continued from page 1A RAIN At redbluffdailynews.com, scroll to the end of any story, click the link and type away. CARE TO COMMENT? Study: Valley fever killed 3 prison workers SACRAMENTO (AP) — Illness caused by a soil-borne fungus killed three employees at two California pris- ons in recent years and sickened 103 others, according to a federal health care agency report made public Thurs- day. Employees at Avenal and Pleasant Valley state prisons near Fresno appear more likely to contract valley fever than adults in the surrounding popula- tion, the report by the National Insti- tute for Occupational Safety and Health said. The institute found that the employ- ee deaths and illnesses occurred between January 2009 and last June. The state requested the report after nearly three-dozen inmate deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations at the prisons were blamed on the fungus that causes the illness known as valley fever. A federal judge ordered the state to move nearly 2,600 inmates to other prisons last fall because those inmates were deemed to be more susceptible to the fungus, which grows naturally in the soil in the Central Valley and other dry locations such as Arizona and Mexico. The inmate deaths and illnesses are being separately reviewed by the fed- eral Centers for Disease Control, which has yet to release its findings. Blacks, Filipinos and inmates suf- fering from diabetes and HIV are among those thought to be most prone to valley fever and were ordered out of the prisons. The report by the affiliated occupa- tional safety institute focuses on employee illnesses. It makes recom- mendations that already have largely been adopted, including covering exposed soil or wetting it down to con- trol dust; sealing doors and windows; replacing air filters; educating employ- ees; and limiting their outdoor activi- ties during dust storms or on windy days. Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Reha- bilitation, with the union that repre- sents most prison guards and with the federal court-appointed official who runs prison medical care all said they were reviewing the report and had lit- tle immediate comment. Pleasant Valley State Prison in Fresno County had 3,358 inmates and more than 1,300 guards and other employees last May. The institute con- firmed 65 valley fever cases among the prison's employees over the 3 1/2-year period of its study, including two employee deaths. That equates to an average rate of 1,039 cases per 100,000 individuals, higher than the general rate of infec- tion of 40 cases per 100,000 among the non-inmate adult population in Fresno County, the report says, though it cautions that there can be no direct comparison because of differences in the populations and the reporting of the illness. Avenal State Prison in Kings Coun- ty had 4,538 inmates and more than 1,500 employees last May. The insti- tute confirmed 38 valley fever cases there, with one death. It had an average rate of 511 cases per 100,000, higher than the average of 110 cases per 100,000 adults in Kings County. Researchers couldn't determine if the prison employees contracted the disease at work or outside of work, and said most were likely exposed to the fungus on and off the job. The state thwarted a previous study by the Centers for Disease Control in 2008 and decided against spending $750,000 for improvements at one of the prisons in 2007 because of the high cost. Yet three experts appointed by the federal judge found last year that the state spends more than $23 million annually to treat inmates hospitalized with valley fever. The fungus usually produces no symptoms, but in about 40 percent of cases it causes mild to severe flu-like symptoms or more serious infections. Valley fever can spread to the brain, bones, skin and eyes, leading to blind- ness, skin abscesses, lung failure and death. In California, rates of reported fever cases increased more than six-fold over the past decade, from about 700 in 1998 to more than 5,500 cases reported in 2011, according to the CDC. School apologizes for black history lunch menu CONCORD (AP) — Officials at a Northern California private school are apologizing after a lunch menu option to celebrate Black History Month angered some parents and students. Students at Carondelet High School for Girls in Concord wanted to come up with ways to commemorate the occa- sion during a lunchtime celebration Friday. But when the school announced a menu of fried chicken, cornbread and watermelon on Monday, other students and parents became offended. KNTV-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1bu28DH ) that school officials held an assembly Wednesday to discuss the issue and also sent a letter apologizing to parents. Principal Nancy Libby wrote that the items were taken off of the menu and that the school doesn't perpetrate racial stereotypes. Libby also wrote the school will hold a diversi- ty assembly. A school spokeswoman said Thursday that there was a communications breakdown and the menu was planned and publicized without administrative knowledge or permission. Snoopy license plates to benefit Calif. museums SACRAMENTO (AP) — A smiling Snoopy is making his way onto California license plates to raise money for museums and related attractions. The plates initially cost $50 or $98 for personalized ver- sions, with a lower price for renewing annually. Proceeds will fund grants for California's 1,400 muse- ums, science centers, zoos, aquariums and children's muse- ums, to be administered by the California Cultural and His- torical Endowment. The plate design was revealed Thursday during a news conference hosted by the author of the license plate bill, Democratic Assemblywoman Toni Atkins of San Diego. Californians can apply for the plates at snoopyplate.com. Calif. official advises against listing gray wolf