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TUESDAY MARCH 22, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Where the wild things are See Inside American Profile RED BLUFF Bench contest Sports 1B Few showers 55/43 Weather forecast 8B DAILYNEWS TEHAMACOUNTY DAILY 50¢ 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 3 rescued from rising water Cottonwood man struck by train By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer A Cottonwood man is dead after his pickup truck collid- ed with an Amtrak train about 6:15 a.m. Monday at the Union Pacific railroad tracks on Tyler Road, east of High- way 99W in Tehama County. The man, identified as Jose Partida, 51, was one of two vehicles trying to cross the tracks after the crossing arm was down, said California Highway Patrol Officer Phillip Mack- intosh. Partida was traveling south on Highway 99W and stopped behind the first vehicle to make a left turn onto Tyler Road. The first vehicle was able to successfully make it across the tracks, however, Partida’s white 1998 Dodge pickup was hit by the southbound train and pushed for 0.4 of a mile before the train was able to come to a stop, Mackintosh said. Partida, who was the solo occupant of the pickup, died of fatal injuries at the scene, Mackintosh said. The train, which was out of Seattle en route to Sacra- mento, had 356 passengers, none of whom were injured, he said. The collision resulted in the pickup catching fire, which was already out upon CalFire and Tehama County Fire’s arrival at 6:27 a.m., said CalFire Capt. John Wilson. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Weather concerns remain tonight By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer In the wake of the weekend storm, many are waiting to see what Mother Nature will bring next. Sunny skies on Monday left many who had taken pre- cautionary measures, preparing for the worse, in a limbo about what tonight’s storm will bring and the damage it could do. Courtesy photo One of three victims stranded by rising waters Sunday at a homeless encampment in the area unofficially known as Spider Island next to the Sacramento River Bridge on Antelope Boulevard is hoisted out by the California Highway Patrol helicopter. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Three people were rescued Sunday afternoon after becoming stranded by rising waters in homeless encamp- ments near Antelope Boulevard in Red Bluff. Red Bluff Fire and CalFire were called out to rescue the first victim, a 47-year-old man, at 11:33 a.m. in an encampment in the East Sand Slough, north of Antelope Boulevard and East of Interstate 5, said Red Bluff Fire Division Chief Jon Bennett. The Tehama County Sheriff’s Department responded with a boat and diver, but were unable to safely launch in the area due to difficult access and heavy debris in the rapidly moving water, he said. A California Highway Patrol heli- copter was requested and H-16 out of the Redding area responded to assist. The helicopter was unable to land on the island due to heavy brush and high winds. Red Bluff Fire Engineer Jimmy Heinle, who is also a certified Water See WATER, page 7A About 1.34 inches of rain fell in Red Bluff over the past 72 hours according to the National Weather Service with fierce wind gusts. Emergency response personnel responded to several calls over the weekend of downed trees and commercial security alarms going off because of the wind and flooding, according to the police logs. Flooding was a concern as water from the Sacramento River rose above flood levels. The Red Bluff Recreation Area, at the end of Sale Lane, was closed to visitors, Sunday after water rose about 2 feet above flood levels. The boat ramp was below water, and the river had overflowed into Ben’s Pond, said area Man- ager Ron Gregory. As a precaution, the campsite host and about three families were evacuated from the area Sunday. See RAIN, page 7A High Hoops tournament continues success By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The annual High Hoops basketball tournament for special education students, held Friday at Berrendos Middle School, saw an increase in numbers for its fourth year. “We have 70 participat- ing and another 25 that are too old or too young to par- ticipate who are in the stands watching,” said event orga- nizer Jody Johnson. “We added a few more from Glenn County this year so its the biggest number of participants we’ve had.” Johnson, a Tehama County adapted physical education specialist, has put the event on with Berrendos Middle School playing the host and providing its gener- al education students to assist for the last four years. This year saw an increase in volunteers with several participants from Expect More Tehama, a group seek- ing to raise awareness of options for higher education whether it is colleges or trade schools. “Expect More (Tehama) is about expecting more of all our kids and about them all having opportunities in their own unique way,” said Kate Grissom of Expect More Tehama, who coached one of the teams. “This is just a lot of fun to see all the kids with smiles on their faces.” Antelope Elementary School District Superinten- dent Todd Brose attended the tournament for the first time Friday and said he was glad to see all the schools participating. “Being here and hosting it is special,” Brose said. “We’re very proud to host this and give these kids a chance to play and have fun. It takes a lot of organizing and Jody Johnson has done a great job. I’d also like to thank all the teachers and administrators who are here for their kids and the time they put into it.” Teacher Karen Bird of Evergreen Middle School in Cottonwood said she enjoys coming to the event to watch her students. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 “The support from all the peers (from Berrendos) is awesome,” Bird said. That impressed Layne McLean, too, who came to watch his daughter Morgan, who attends Evergreen Mid- dle School, play for her fourth and final time. “In 20 years as an educa- tor that’s impressive,” McLean, said. “It’s so cool to see all the kids out there together.” McLean, who teaches at Foothill, said Morgan looks forward to coming to the event every year and became interested in basket- ball because of it, even ask- ing for a hoop for Christmas last year. “It’s not just a neat, great day of fun,” McLean said. “It’s something that’s helped overall. It’s really helped with her coordination skills.” County Superintendent of Schools Larry Champion said he enjoyed seeing the full stands and all the extra volunteers this year. “Look at all this commu- nity support,” Champion said. “It’s terrific.” County Assistant Super- intendent of Special Schools and Programs Heidi Schuel- er said she was thankful for Brose’s support of the event and for the greater number of participants. Diane Bailey, assistant Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) director, attended for the first time Friday. “It’s really phenomenal,” Bailey said. “The combina- tion of high hoops and march madness — it’s per- fect timing. Also, the kids and their smiles were amaz- ing.” See HOOPS, page 7A Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Javon score a basket Friday at the annual High Hoops tournament held at Berrendos Middle School.The event pairs special education students with peers from general education. 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