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RENO, Nev. (AP) — Drought worries are far from over, but the weekend storm in the Sierra more than doubled the mountain snowpack and should ensure normal river flows into western Nevada for at least part of the summer, federal water officials say. ''It was a game-chang- er,'' federal water master Chad Blanchard said Mon- day after experts tallied accumulation from the storm that dumped more than 6 feet snow in some upper elevations around Lake Tahoe. The lake itself rose by nearly 5.5 inches for a total of 17.2 billion gallons of new water, he said. That's 53,000 acre-feet, or enough to cover 83 square miles a foot deep — an area equal to the size of Seattle. The snowpack in the Truckee River Basin jumped from 16 percent of normal for the date last Fri- day to 35 percent on Mon- day. Lake Tahoe Basin's went from 26 percent to 53 percent, the Carson River Basin from 31 percent to 53 percent and the Walker River Basin from 27 percent to 38 percent of normal. ''We're still extremely dry, still way behind, but it's a great start to what could hopefully be a turn- around,'' Blanchard told the Reno Gazette-Journal. Before the storm, Blan- chard feared he would be unable to maintain court- mandated flows out of Lake Tahoe at Tahoe City, Calif., into the Lower Truckee River, which feeds into a series of reservoirs and irri- gation districts downstream. The outlook is much better now, he said. ''We'll have a normal river for at least part of the summer,'' he said. At Tahoe City, 4.41 inch- (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 Isolated rain 66/51 N EWS D AILY DAILY 50¢ WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2014 Gratins - Winter Comfort Food Spartans Alpine 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 State of Jefferson to appear on ballot By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Tehama County Board of Supervisors approved adding an advisory ballot measure Tuesday that will ask voters on the June 3 ballot whether they support a proposed separation from California to form a new state. Even before public comment was opened all five supervisors said they favored the ballot measure to gauge their con- stituents' opinion regarding the State of Jefferson movement. However the majority of State of Jefferson supporters in attendance at the Board Cham- bers voiced opposition to the ballot measure. Instead they pressed the board to adopt a Declaration of Support for the Jefferson move- ment, arguing Tehama County residents had already made their voice heard and question- ing the $5,000 price tag for the measure to be placed on the bal- lot. Many proponents also objected to the measure being advisory in nature. County Counsel Arthur Wylene said the state's Election Code dictated that such issues be placed before voters in such a manner. Supervisor candidate Mitchell Drury said those types of limitations from the state were the reason Tehama County needed to join the Jefferson Measure A will read: 'Should the Tehama County Board of Supervisors adopt a Declaration of Support for the pro- posed separation from the State of Cali- fornia and formation of a new State?' 2-1-1 goes live Daily News photo by Andre Byik Organizers and community members attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday in Red Bluff for the launch of 2-1-1 Tehama, an information line that refers callers to area human services agencies. By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer A phone service five years in the making and three numbers long launched in Tehama County on Tuesday, referring residents to area agencies that provide such services as drug and alcohol treatment, utili- ty assistance and child care. Tehama 2-1-1, which was creat- ed through of a collaborative effort between the not-for-profit Tehama Together organization and United Way, aims to reduce the amount of time and calls spent searching for area job training services, senior services, legal services counseling and more. "It's extremely important because it's going to make our ser- vice organizations more efficient," said Orle Jackson, one of the founders of Tehama Together who also is a volunteer executive direc- tor for the organization. "Right now they're getting a lot of calls that are wasted calls because people are calling to get a service which that agency does not provide." Jackson added that the free-to- use information line, which can be reached by phoning 2-1-1 or visit- ing www.211tehama.org at any time of day, will also reduce non- emergency 9-1-1 calls and provide monthly assessments that can show if there are gaps in services needed in the county. Callers are directed to a Sacra- mento call center where representa- tives have access to a database of Tehama County's human services Museum to celebrate book release The Kelly-Griggs House Museum will wel- come the public to a new display of rare Tuscan Springs memorabilia at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 at the 311 Wash- ington St. Victorian home. The display, which coincides with the release of the first book ever writ- ten on the famous 19th century resort, will include numerous relics from the hot springs' 100- year history, many photos, a slide show presentation and book signing by author Bryon Burruss. Tuscan Springs, well known for its "miracu- lous" healing springs, was frequented by Native Americans before the white settlers arrived in the 1840s. It was also where borax was first dis- covered in America in 1856, and the property quickly became a health resort that drew visitors from throughout the Unit- ed States. It burned several times, but was finally decimated by fire beyond repair in 1916. Lying dormant for 30 years, a great effort was made to rebuild it in the late 1940s and early '50s, but the best laid plans came to an end with Courtesy photo This photo was captured by Rufus Cook, a 16-year- old Boy Scout from San Francisco, who visited Tus- can Springs with his family in September 1907. Among the prominent businessmen pictured are Louie Lubratich of the Peerlees Coffee Company, third from left, Mike of Oakland's Acme Grill, fifth from left, and Tuscan Springs proprietor Edgerton Walbridge, far right, in one of one three photos of him known to exist. Man found guilty of molesting girls A Tehama County Superior Court Jury found a 68- year-old man guilty of five felony offenses related to the unlawful sexual conduct of 5- and 6-year-old girls Monday morning. It was the third time Leslie Gordon Smith has been convicted of molesting minor victims. "Smith chose to testify and admitted that he was pre- viously convicted of molesting other minor victims in both 1992 and in 2007," District Attorney Gregg Cohen said in a press release. Smith was convicted of six felony counts of lewd act Antelope water to be discussed The Sacramento River Discovery Center's Feb- ruary Thursday Evening Program will feature Bill Ehorn, groundwater spe- cialist from the California Department of Water Resources, sharing some of the history and trends that are being tracked by the DWR in the Antelope area. The concern about the shrinking aquifer in the area has DWR measuring data on a monthly basis instead of only three times per year. Ehorn will have some current data to share and will share some possi- ble trends. Ehorn will also bring some statistics on the number of wells and their depths. How much rain we will need to start rebuilding and aquifer is an area of concern, but we know that we will need to conserve water wherever possible for the foreseeable future. There will be a ques- tion and answer period after the presentation when refreshments will be available. For more information about the Discovery Cen- ter and the Discovery Garden, visit srdc.tehama.k12.ca.us or 1000 Sale Lane within the Mendocino National For- est's Red Bluff Recreation Area. You can call 530- 527-1196 or email bhughe1@tehamaed.org. The Center is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sierra storm doubles snowpack, eases drought pain See BALLOT, page 7A See 2-1-1, page 7A See GUILTY, page 7A See BOOK, page 7A See STORM, page 7A