Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/273625
By Jason Straziuso The Associated Press HARGEISA, SomAlIA » An American volunteer gently brushes away dirt to reveal the bones of a Somali victim buried in a mass grave some 30 years ago. Tens of thou - sands of skeletons may lie in mass graves here, on the northern edge of Somalia, where many want to see jus - tice prevail, even if delayed. Last year 38 bodies were uncovered in two graves by the Somaliland War Crimes Investigation Commission, which is overseeing the work on a third site where another dozen bodies are buried. More than 200 mass graves with the bodies of 50,000 to 60,000 people may be in the region, according to the commission. Digging up the past Why dig up the past now? Many African countries try to forget about atrocities carried out in their recent pasts, said Kadar Ahmed, chairman of the commission, speaking at the gravesite. He wants this northern tip of Somalia — a self-govern - ing region called Somaliland — to confront those ghosts head-on. He said he hopes an outside tribunal will take up the case of the unknown numbers of deaths. The commission was cre - ated in 1997 with the dual aim of offering a proper burial to the victims and taking judi- cial action against those re- sponsible for the killings. Ahmed, who was not in So- maliland during the 1980s vi- olence, has headed the com- mission the last four years. If government's aren't held responsible for mass killings, then killings will continue, said Ahmed. An - other aim is to "find the in- dividuals and take them to court," he said. Ahmed be- lieves that one general who gave the order to commence a slaughter is dead. The other, he says, is outside the country. Those killed were civil - ians and militia members from the Isaq clan who were hunted and slain in the late 1980s by the regime of Siad Barre, Ahmed said. Barre's overthrow in 1991 unleashed 20 years of chaos, making Somalia a failed state. The victims' families "are all grieving and all sad be - cause of non-recognition of the government. We can't get any recognition from any court or any individ - ual," Ahmed said about the killings. About a dozen people from the Peruvian Forensic An - thropology Team are help- ing Somaliland unbury the past, and also helping to train Ahmed's staff so they can one day take over. Franco Mora leads the team and says the work is about helping close the mourning process. "Families are waiting for answers," said Mora, who has worked on similar proj - ects in Congo, Guatemala and Mexico. But the Somali team needs more training: "We are explaining to them you can't go into the field and use heavy machinery. We are teaching them to recover the remains in a way you can use them for prosecution." Mora noted that the skel - etons being uncovered in the latest mass grave were all buried facing toward Mecca, a holy site for Muslims. He suspects that means the vic - tims were buried with care by local residents. "This country is a big mass grave. There are graves everywhere. People are living with death. It's ev - erywhere," Mora said. A mb er Ba r t on i s a 26-year-old volunteer on Mora's team from the San Francisco region in Califor - nia. On a recent sunny morn- ing she gently brushed dirt away from a skeleton lying in a row of several bodies. She hopes to apply the skills she has studied in archaeology to a forensics context. She says the Somalis here are in - terested in the group's work. The War Crimes Commis- sion says that Cold War pol- itics helped protect Barre's regime from punishment from the U.S. and others de- spite the gross human rights violations. Most of those who carried out the killings now live outside Somalia, the commission says. "They collected whoever they saw. Child, woman, man, taking them and killing them. They were executing them, sometimes torture, then shooting them," said Ahmed, of the commission. A great deal of work is needed and Ahmed appears determined. After speak - ing, Ahmed walked down into the grave, picked up a bucket of dirt from beside a newly uncovered skeleton and carried it away. AfRIcA Skeletons uncovered in mass graves in Somalia Jason straziuso — the associated Press a mass grave in hargeisa, somaliland, a breakaway region of somalia, is shown on Feb. 18. an american volunteer gently brushes away dirt to reveal the bones of a somali victim. alexander F. Yuan — the associated Press children walk home aer school on a severely polluted day in shijiazhuang, china, on Feb. 26. By louise Watt The Associated Press PINGSHAN coUNTY, cHINA » Huge chunks of concrete and broken machinery are all that is left of a cement plant that once spewed clouds of pollution over Chi - na's most polluted province, Hebei. Demolished in De- cember, the factory was one of 35 closed or torn down in Pingshan county as part of the government's drive to clear up China's notoriously smoggy skies. Combatting pollution has shot up the agenda of the ruling Communist Party, which for years pushed for rapid economic devel - opment with little concern about the environmental impact. Under public pres- sure to reduce the air pol- lution that blankets Beijing and cities across China, the country's leaders are rebal- ancing their priorities. That was evident during this week's ceremonial Na- tional People's Congress. Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday the government would "declare war" on pol - lution in the same way China had fought poverty. The drive to clean up China's industry has added impetus to the govern - ment's campaign to reduce excess production capacity in the polluting steel and ce- ment industries. But shutting plants has taken a human and eco- nomic toll in lost jobs and income. The demolition or closure of the 35 plants in Hebei's Pingshan county, about a four-hour drive southwest of Beijing, re - sulted in layoffs of 3,780 workers, according to state media reports. "I do want the govern - ment to do something to im- prove the air quality. If the air gets better, it is good for everyone," said Guo Quan- quan, 52, one of those laid off. "But my life has gotten worse after the closure." For years, the central government has issued var - ious environmental targets and pushed for industries to reduce excess capacity that had built up during China's years of growth, but they were resisted by local offi - cials whose performances were judged more on their region's economic growth than sky cleanliness. Pressure has increased on local governments since September, when China's Cabinet released an action plan to control and prevent air pollution through 2017. Since then, more than half the provinces have released their own plans, including new restrictions on coal. The Cabinet also an - nounced a $1.6 billion fund last month to reward the prevention and control of air pollution in key areas. And in December, the party required local governments to revise the criteria used to evaluate their officials away from economic growth to their "overall work," includ - ing "ecological civilization." China takes aim at pollution problem ASIA LEGAL NOTICE STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE # 2014000077 The following person(s) has/have abandoned the use of the following fictitious business name: Grower's Choice Crop Consult- ing, 25800 Post Ave., Orland, CA 95963 The fictitious business name re- ferred to above was filed on: 3/21/2013 in the County of Tehama Original File #2013000112 Stephen M Gruenwald 25800 Post Ave. Orland, CA 95963 Becky M Gruenwald 25800 Post Ave. Orland, CA 95963 S/By: Becky May Gruenwald Becky May Gruenwald This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Tehama County on 2/27/2014 Beverly Ross Tehama County Clerk Publish: Mar 7, 14, 21, & 28, 2014 LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF Alan Louis Held CASE NO. 15039 To all heirs, beneficiaries, cred- itors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Alan Louis Held A Petition for Probate has been filed by Gary Held in the Superi- or Court of California, County of TEHAMA, The Petition for Pro- bate request requests that Mi- chael J. Rocke, Gary K. Held, Phi- lip D. Rocke & Claudie Held be appointed as personal represen- tative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent¹s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are availa- ble for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal repre- sentative to take many actions without obtaining court appro- val. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to inter- ested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The inde- pendent administration authori- ty will be granted unless an in- terested person files an objec- tion to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. good why should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 1, located at 633 Washington Street, Rm 17, P.O. Box 911, Red Bluff, CA 96080. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or a contin- gent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative ap- pointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or per- sonal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the Cali- fornia Probate Code. Other Cali- fornia statues and legal authori- ty may effect your rights as a creditor. You may want to con- sult with an attorney knowl- edgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Re- quest for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inven- tory and appraisal of estate as- sets or of any petition or ac- count as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner Craig L. Judson BOLD, POLISNER, MADDOW, NEL- SON & JUDSON 500 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 325 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 925-933-7777 Publish: March 7, 14, 21, 2014 LEGAL NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2014000040 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: California Kitchen and CK Cater- ing, 22170 South Wallen Rd., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Karyn Harvey 22170 South Wallen Rd. Red Bluff, CA 96080 Hugh Harvey 22170 South Wallen Rd. Red Bluff, CA 96080 The registrant commenced to transact business under the fic- titious business name or names listed above on N/A This business is conducted by: Married Couple Couple S/By: Karyn Harvey Karyn Harvey This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Tehama County on 2/4/2014 BEVERLY ROSS Tehama County Clerk & Recorder Publish: March 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2014 LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE TO BIDDERS COUNTY OF TEHAMA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Sealed bids for the following THREE projects will be received at the Department of Public Works office at 9380 San Benito Avenue, Gerber, California, 96035 on APRIL 3, 2014. Refer to each project listed for bid submission times. ALL bids received by the respective times will be opened at 4:00PM (PST) and read aloud in the conference room at the aforementioned address. Con- tractors can bid any or all of the following projects. SAN BENITO CURVE REALIGN- MENT PROJECT PROJECT PLANS AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS FEDERAL-AID PROJECT NUMBER: HRRRL 5908(074) COUNTY PROJECT NUMBER: 236681 BID SUBMISSION TIME The Department will receive bids for the San Benito Ave. proj- ect until 2:00PM (PST). DESCRIPTION OF WORK Reconstruction of approximate- ly 2,390 LF of roadway including removal of existing asphalt roadway, horizontal curve re- alignment, shoulder widening, drainage course realignment and updated pavement delinea- tion. ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE The Engineer's Estimate for this contract is $645,000.00. DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS EN- TERPRISE GOAL The DBE contract goal for this project is 8% CONTRACT TIME This project has 35working days. SOUTH AVE/ HALL RD & HOAG RD/ HALL RD INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS PROJECT PLANS AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS FEDERAL-AID PROJECT NUMBER: HSIP 5908(079) & HSIP 5908(080) COUNTY PROJECT NUMBER: 235991 & 204891 BID SUBMISSION TIME The Department will receive bids for the South Ave./Hall Rd. & Hoag Rd./Hall Rd project until 3:00PM (PST). DESCRIPTION OF WORK Construct auxiliary turning lanes on South Avenue and mi- nor realignment of Hall Road. Work includes widening of road- way, grinding portion of existing roadway, HMA overlay, and placement of signage, striping, and rumble strips. placement signage, striping, and rumble strips. ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE The Engineer's Estimate for this contract is $1,200,000.00. DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS EN- TERPRISE GOAL The DBE Contract goal for this project is: 7% CONTRACT TIME This project has 45 working days. ORANGEWOOD ROAD VERTICAL REALIGNMENT PROJECT PROJECT PLANS AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS FEDERAL-AID PROJECT NUMBER: HSIPL 5908(073) COUNTY PROJECT NUMBER: 237681 BID OPEN TIME The Department will receive bids for the Orangewood Rd. project until 4:00PM (PST). DESCRIPTION OF WORK Clearing and grubbing orchard trees and roadside vegetation, removing and/or replacing other roadside objects for reconstruc- tion and widening of 0.4 miles of two lane roadway including importing borrow to realign ver- tical curve. ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE The Engineer's Estimate for this contract is $602,000.00 DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS EN- TERPRISE GOAL The DBE Contract goal for this project is 6% CONTRACT TIME This project has 40 working days. PRE-BID MEETING A non-mandatory pre-bid meet- ing for ALL three projects is scheduled for March 20, 2014 at 10:00AM at the offices of Tehama County Public Works, 9380 San Benito Ave, Gerber, CA. This meeting is to inform bid- ders and potential subcontractors of project re- quirements, arranging solicitations, times for the pre- sentation of bids, quantities, specifications, and delivery schedules in ways that facilitate DBE, and other small businesses participation (e.g., unbundling large contracts to make them more accessible to small busi- nesses, requiring or encourag- ing prime contractors to sub- contract portions of work that they might otherwise perform with their own forces) of sub- contracting and material supply opportunities. The County will also answer any questions per- taining to the Plans, Contract, and Specifications including the Alternative bid procedures, if any. Bidder's attendance at this meeting will be NON- MANDATORY. BUY AMERICA PROVISIONS THESE PROJECTS ARE SUBJECT TO THE "BUY AMERICA" PROVI- SIONS OF THE SURFACE TRANS- PORTATION ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1982 AS AMENDED BY THE INTERMODAL SURFACE TRANS- PORTATION EFFICIENCY ACT OF 1991. CONTRACTOR'S LICENSE CLASSI- FICATION The contractor shall possess ei- ther a Class A OR C12 license at the time this contract is award- ed. This contract is subject to state contract nondiscrimina- tion and compliance require- ments pursuant to Government Code, Section 12990. OBTAINING OR INSPECTING CON- TRACT DOCUMENTS The Project Bid Book and Con- struction Plans may be inspect- ed at no cost at the Depart- ment's offices, or copies of these documents may be ob- tained for a NONREFUNDABLE FEE OF $ 50.00 PER SET including ½ size formatted on "11 x 17" paper. Full size individual sheets are available at a cost of $3.50 per sheet. These docu- ments can be obtained from: TEHAMA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS 9380 SAN BENITO AVENUE, GERB- ER, CALIFORNIA Technical questions should be directed to the office of the County Engineer, Kevin Rosser, Senior Civil Engineer, telephone (530) 385-1462 ex. 3051. The successful bidder shall fur- nish a payment bond and a per- formance bond. The County of Tehama affirms that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enter- prises will be afforded full op- portunity to submit bids in re- sponse to this invitation. FEDERAL AND CALIFORNIA PRE- VAILING WAGE REQUIREMENTS Federal minimum wage rates are not included in the specifi- cations. They may be obtained at the Internet Web Site http:// www.wdol.gov/dba.aspx A copy is also available at the Offi- ces of Tehama County Public Works, 9380 San Benito Avenue, Gerber, CA 96035 If there is a dif- ference between the minimum wage rates predetermined by the Secretary of Labor and the general prevailing wage rates determined by the Director of the California Department of In- dustrial Relations for similar classifications of labor, the Con- tractor and subcontractors shall pay not less than the higher wage rate. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS; COUN- TY OF TEHAMA By: Gary B. Antone, Director of Public Works Publish: March 7, 2014 and March 14, 2014 FridaY, March 7, 2014 redBluFFdailYneWs.coM | CLASSIFIEDS | 5 B