Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/260878
REDDING (AP) — Authorities prepared Friday to burn down a mobile home where they said more than 60 pounds of highly volatile explosive material was found, making it risky for deputies to walk the Cal- ifornia property and forcing the evacuation of dozens of nearby residents. The chemicals, gunpow- der, primers for firearms cartridges and other materi- als were discovered on Feb. 6 after authorities responded to an explosion at the dwelling in a sparsely popu- lated area of Redding in Northern California. A resident, identified as D. Ray East, 63, lost his left hand, broke his right arm and almost lost sight in one eye in the blast, Shasta County sheriff's Lt. Dave Kent said. East remained hospital- ized, and Kent said a war- rant was expected for his arrest. East told investiga- tors he was making fuel for model rockets, according to Kent. The mandatory evacua- tions began on Feb. 7 and were expanded Friday by another 30 or so homes, Kent said. Roughly 55 homes were under evacua- tion orders. ''Unfortunately, we're going to have to destroy the house,'' he said. ''Whether it's cutting electricity to the house or placing materials to set the fire, anybody in that area is at risk.'' East's attorney, Jeffrey Stotter, told the Record Searchlight of Redding that East regrets the inconve- nience he has caused his neighbors but doesn't think the materials at his home pose a threat. The sheriff's office and local officials disagreed. The Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an emergency declaration, and the sheriff's NEW WORKSHOP! How to Get a Job with the State of California Friday, February 28 th , 9:30am – 11:30 am Over 40 jobs available in Redding alone! Call the Job Training Center 529-7000 to register Weather forecast 10A Scattered rain 62/44 N EWS D AILY $1.00 FEBRUARY 15-16 2014 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 WEEKEND THE DAILY NEWS OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17 FOR PRESIDENTS DAY. Retail advertising deadlin: Tuesday's edition is Friday, Feb. 14 @ Noon. Wednesday's edition is Friday, Feb. 14 @ 2pm. Classified deadline is Friday, Feb. 14 @ Noon. N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY (530) 527-2151 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff Bull Sale Wrap, Bull Sale Wrap, 1978 Christmas Letter — Page 1978 Christmas Letter — Page 5A 5A Notches in time Daily News photo by Rich Greene Ralph Ehorn found historical weather data on the back of a thermometer that once hung at the Red Bluff Drug Store as he was closing his antique shop down. Antique tells familiar tale By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer Ralph Ehorn and his wife Joanne have seen a lot of antiques in their day. But a few weeks ago as Ralph was preparing to close Ehorn's Antiques and More on Main Street in Red Bluff he stumbled upon something that spoke to the old say- ing that the more times change the more they stay the same. It was a wall thermometer that once hung in the Red Bluff Drug Store and ice cream parlor. Ralph estimated it was around 100 years old. There's writing and printing on the piece that suggest it was owned at some time or another by G.M. Craig and W.C. Fickert & Son. The thermometer had hung in the antique shop for years, but it wasn't until Ralph pulled it down that he realized what was written on the back of the wooden frame. Throughout the years someone had marked Red Bluff's weather history, more specifically the days Red Bluff's heat reached its absolute worst. The earliest marking reads: "July 25, 1933 — 110." The dates are quite random from there. One marking for July 25, 1945 for instance says it was 107 degrees. Corning garbage hike bumped up By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer CORNING — Property owners here expecting about a 1 percent increase in garbage collection rates scheduled for April can toss that figure to the curb. Waste Management Inc. and Corning Disposal Service, which have an agreement with the city of Corning to annu- ally request rate increases in line with consumer price index increases and fuel cost adjustments, initially requested a 0.99 percent rate hike for residential and commercial cus- tomers. That figure will now be about 3.3 percent. Postcards previously went out advertising the 0.99 per- Farmers: Obama's drought relief efforts are lacking FRESNO (AP) — Farmers in California's drought-stricken Central Valley said Friday that the financial assistance Presi- dent Barack Obama is delivering on his visit does not get to the heart of Cali- fornia's long-term water problems. Amid one of the driest years in the state's recorded history, Obama came to the Fresno area to announce $100 million in livestock- disaster aid, $60 million to support food banks and another $13 million toward things such as conservation and helping rural communi- ties that could soon run out of drinking water. Sarah Woolf, a partner with Clark Brothers Farm- ing in Fresno County, said anything will help, but the federal government needs to better manage the state's water supplies so farmers have enough during future droughts like the current one. ''Throwing money at it is not going to solve the problem long-term,'' she said. In the ever-present ten- sion between farmers and endangered fish, Woolf said she would like Obama to recognize the importance of providing the region with ample water for growers like her. Woolf typically plants 1,200 acres in toma- toes, garlic and onions, but this year 800 acres will remain bare because there's not enough water. Protecting the environ- Ag students protest Brown's grant cut By ANDRE BYIK DN Staff Writer They're coming for you, Mr. Governor. Red Bluff High School agriculture students and teachers are readying their pitchforks to protest the elimination of the Agricul- tural Education Incentive Grant in Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. This year, grant money totaled about $4.1 million, of which about $21,000 came in matching funds for Red Bluff High's agricul- ture program. The grant supports agriculture-related education programs and affiliated FFA organizations throughout the state. In the budget, as it stands now, those millions of dollars would be moved to a pot of Daily News photo by Andre Byik Red Bluff High School agriculture students give representatives for state Sen. Jim Nielsen a tour of the school's livestock barn on Friday. Shasta Sheriff to destroy explosive- laden home See TIME, page 9A See CORNING, page 9A See OBAMA, page 9A See SHASTA, page 9A See AG, page 9A