Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/278161
By Rich Greene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter Red Bluff » A high-risk sex offender who removed his ankle monitor in late Feb- ruary was arrested by law enforcement Thursday af- ternoon at a Red Bluff motel. Robert Anthony Jolivette Jr. was arrested at the America's Best Value Inn for a parole violation. Jolivette removed his pa - role-issued ankle monitor GPS unit Feb. 24. He had been on parole for breaking into a Red Bluff apartment and sexually as - saulting a 15-year-old girl in 2007. Follow ing the assault he was sentenced to Te - hama County Jail with time served and five years of pro- bation. Jolivette was convicted of another sexual assault in 2008. He was sentenced to seven years, four months in state prison and one year in Tehmaa County Jail as a re - sult of that case and violat- ing his previous parole. PuBlIC SAfeTY High-risk sex offender caught Jolivette removed ankle monitor in late February; arrested at Red Bluff motel Schmidt: Lenora Schmidt, 85, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., formerly of Red Bluff died Tuesday, March 11 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.. Arrangements are under the direction of Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Published Saturday, March 15 in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Death notices must be pro- vided by mortuaries to the news department, are pub- lished at no charge, and fea- ture only specific basic infor- mation about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Classified ad- vertising department. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by families of the deceased and include on - line publication linked to the newspaper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multi- ple days and offer wide lat- itude of content, including photos. death notices By Gene Johnson The Associated Press SeATTle » The FBI is refus- ing to run nationwide back- ground checks on people ap- plying to run legal marijuana businesses in Washington state, even though it has con- ducted similar checks in Col- orado — a discrepancy that illustrates the quandary the Justice Department faces as it allows the states to experi - ment with regulating a drug that's long been illegal under federal law. Washington state has been asking for nearly a year if the FBI would conduct background checks on its applicants, to no avail. The bureau's refusal raises the possibility that people with troublesome criminal histo - ries could wind up with pot licenses in the state — un- dermining the department's own priorities in ensuring that states keep a tight rein on the nascent industry. It's a strange jam for the feds, who announced last summer that they wouldn't sue to prevent Washington and Colorado from regulat - ing marijuana after 75 years of prohibition. The Obama administra- tion has said it wants the states to make sure pot rev- enue doesn't go to organized crime and that state mar- ijuana industries don't be- come a cover for the traffick- ing of other illegal drugs. At the same time, it might be tough for the FBI to stomach conducting such background checks — essentially helping the states violate federal law. The Justice Department declined to explain why it isn't conducting the checks in Washington when it has in Colorado. Stephen Fischer, a spokesman for the FBI's Criminal Justice Informa - tion Services Division, re- ferred an Associated Press inquiry to DOJ headquar- ters, which would only issue a written statement. "To ensure a consistent na- tional approach, the depart- ment has been reviewing its background check policies, and we hope to have guidance for states in the near term," it said in its entirety. In Washington, three peo - ple so far have received li- censes to grow marijuana — without going through a national background check, even though the state Li - quor Control Board's rules require that that they do so before a license is issued. "The federal government has not stated why it has not yet agreed to conduct national background checks on our behalf," Washington state Liquor Control Board spokesman Brian Smith said in an email. "However, the Liquor Control Board is ready to deliver fingerprints as soon as DOJ is ready." In the meantime, officials are relying on background checks by the Washington State Patrol to catch any in- state arrests or convictions. Applicants must have lived in Washington state for three months before applying, and many are longtime Washing - ton residents whose criminal history would likely turn up on a State Patrol check. But others specifically moved to the state in hopes of joining the new industry. "Both Washington state and Washington, D.C., have been unequivocal that they want organized crime out of the marijuana business," said Alison Holcomb, the Seattle lawyer who authored the pot law. "Requiring, and ensur - ing, nationwide background checks on Washington state licensees is a no-brainer." The FBI has run nation - wide background checks since 2010 on applicants who sought to be involved in med- ical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado, Daria Serna, a spokeswoman for that state's Department of Reve - nue, said in an email. The ap- plicants provide fingerprints to Revenue's Marijuana En- forcement Division, which turns them over to the Col- orado Bureau of Investiga- tion. The agency conducts a statewide background check and supplies the prints to the FBI for a national check. B e c a u s e C o l o r a d o launched its marijuana in - dustry by converting med- ical dispensaries to recre- ational pot shops, it's likely that no additional back- ground checks were re- quired for the key employees of those shops, Serna said. " D o i n g b a c k g r o u n d checks and making sure the criminal element has been locked out of the program has been enormously impor - tant in Colorado," said Mi- chael Elliott, director of the Medical Marijuana Indus- try Group. "The integrity of Washington's program may be put into jeopardy because the FBI is not willing to en - sure that drug cartels and criminals are being locked out, and that is absurd." mARIJuAnA FB I ba lk s at W as hi ng to n pot background checks ELAiNE THoMPSoN — THE ASSoCiATED PRESS Sean Green displays his newly-issued Washington state legal marijuana license in olympia, Wash., on March 5. By david espo The Associated Press WASHInGTOn » Despite a disastrous start and relent- less Republican opposition, President Barack Obama said Friday that enrollment in his signature health care program is high enough to make it stable for the mil - lions who have signed up. "We look forward to see- ing more and more people take advantage as some of the politics of the thing get drained away, as people start feeling more confident about the website," the pres - ident told WebMD in his lat- est, less-than-conventional attempt to spread the gos- pel about the law known by his name. The president's remarks were made public as House Republicans held the 51st vote in 26 months to repeal or undermine the law, and the first since they won a fiercely contested election for a House seat in Florida this week in a race that fea - tured health care as an issue. The measure calls for a de- lay in imposing penalties on individuals who fail to pur- chase health care under the law. The vote was 238-181, with all Republicans in favor and all but a dozen Democrats opposed. The bill faces cer - tain death in the Demo- cratic-controlled Senate. In addition to attacking the president's health care law, the legislation would overhaul the system for pay - ing doctors and others who treat Medicare patients. By itself, the makeover in the payment system enjoys widespread support among lawmakers in both parties as well as from medical organi - zations. It is designed to end a cycle of uncertainty that has periodically threatened providers with abrupt cuts in their reimbursements. Without action by Con - gress, for example, the fees paid to health profession- als who treat Medicare pa- tients is scheduled to drop by 24 percent on March 31. Yet the decision by Republi- cans to combine the change in the payment system with a de- lay in the penalty for failing to purchase health care meant that even the American Med- ical Association backed away from the bill. In a statement after the vote, the organiza- tion that lobbies on behalf of doctors said it intends to con- tinue working toward legisla- tion that both Congress and Obama could accept. The political backdrop was unmistakable as Re - publicans pressed ahead on an issue they hope to ride to a takeover of the Senate and continued control of the House in November. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of Cal - ifornia, the Democratic leader, said opposition to the legislation came from "doc- tors, insurors and seniors," yet she added that Repub- licans decided to "proceed with their reckless partisan antics." Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich - igan and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the legis- lation "breaks the cycle of uncertainty for doctors and their patients, providing per- manent relief and improving how Medicare pays doctors." Moments after the vote, the House campaign com - mittee attacked Democrats who opposed the measure, saying they chose "to pro- tect Obamacare rather than seniors." For his par t, Obama played pitchman in a 30-min - ute interview with WebMD, a self-described leading source of trustworthy and timely information about health care issues. He reeled off the toll-free telephone number for the program and repeatedly urged his listen - ers to check out its website, now repaired after its woe- ful debut last fall. Enrollment for the cur- rent year expires on March 31, and administration of- ficials are hoping for a late rush of applications be- yond the 4.2 million they claim have already signed up. That is particularly true for younger people, whose health is often good and whose participation there - fore helps bring down the cost of coverage for sicker people. AffORdABle CARe ACT Obama: Health care program is stable By matthew Pennington The Associated Press WASHInGTOn » Lawmak- ers pushed the Obama ad- ministration Friday to strengthen relations with Taiwan and voiced con- cern that U.S. defense bud- get cuts will affect planned upgrades to the self-gov- erning island's fleet of F-16s. Both Republicans and Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee accused the administration of prioritizing U.S. relations with China over those with Taiwan, particularly when it comes to defense sales. Deputy Assistant Sec - retary of State Kin Moy responded: "I don't think that our Taiwan policy is founded on the principle of 'let's not make China mad'." He said the administration has approved $12 billion in defense sales to Taiwan since 2009. Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the panel's senior Democrat, said he is very concerned about plans to defund an U.S. Air Force program next year to up - grade F-16s. He said it could impact Taiwan's ability to proceed with improve- ments to its fleet of about 150 F-16s at "reasonable cost." Moy told lawmakers the upgrades of Taiwan's jets the U.S. authorized in 2011 would not be affected signif - icantly. The committee held its hearing to mark the up- coming 35th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act that guides U.S. pol- icy toward the democrati- cally governed island that mainland China claims as its own. Under the act, the U.S. is required to provide Taiwan with the weapons it needs for its defense. Major weapon sales invariably dis - turb U.S.-China relations. WASHInGTOn St ro ng er t ie s fo r U.S., Taiwan sought By Josh lederman The Associated Press WASHInGTOn » With pros- pects for real immigration reform fading, President Barack Obama is yielding to pressure from some of his staunchest allies and looking for ways to act without Congress to ease the suffering caused by de - portation. An Oval Office meet- ing with Latino lawmakers brought about a late-night announcement from the White House on Thursday: Obama is directing his home - land security chief, Jeh John- son, to review America's de- portation program, with an eye toward finding more hu- mane ways to enforce the law without contravening it. "It is clear that the pleas from the community got through to the president," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D- Ill., adding that the White House had been "dormant for too long." What is not clear is how far Obama will go — or what options are even avail - able without consent from Congress. White House officials declined to answer ques - tions Thursday about what the government could do to make deportation more humane or whether there's a timeline for Homeland Se - curity to finish an inventory and report back to Obama. But immigration activists will likely renew their call for Obama to halt deporta - tions of parents of children brought to the U.S. illegally, among other steps. ImmIGRATIOn Un de r pr es su re , Ob am a re-examines deportations Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K Members Welcome RUNNINGS ROOFING Sheet Metal Roofing Residential Commercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane Owner is on site on every job Serving Tehama County 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 No Money Down! "No Job Too Steep" " No Job Too Flat" FREE ESTIMATES CA. LIC#829089 JOHN EDWIN HICKEY Feb.23, 1936 ~ December 20, 2013 A Memorial Service to celebrate the life of John E. Hick- ey will be held April 12, 2014, at 1 pm at the Church of God, 2191 Birch St., Reedsport, OR. John was remembered for his red hair and big laugh. He was the owner of A C Electric in Shasta County for many years before retiring and moving to Reedsport, OR, in 2005. In addition, he was a rancher in Cottonwood, the Pastor of a Church in Wildwood, the electrician for the Shasta Co. District Fair for several years, and the former owner of Sunshine Lighting in Redding; he taught electri- cal classes to Meeks Lumber Corp. employees all over California and Nevada. Three weeks after being diagnosed, he succumbed to cancer of the liver bile ducts, with his wife, Sharon, by his side. He is also survived by his daughter, Robin Dollar, of Scottsburg, OR; his sons, Brian Hickey, of Redding, CA, and Scott Hickey, of Bend, OR; his step-daughters, Kathy Green, of Salem, OR and Becky Stein, of Etna, CA; a brother, Bruce Hickey, of Colorado Springs, CO; 8 grand- children; 2 great-grandchildren; 10 step-grandchildren; and 4 step-great-grandchildren. For information call Shar- on Hickey, 541-271-2026. Obituaries SATuRDAy, MARCH 15, 2014 REDBLuFFDAiLyNEWS.CoM | NEWS | 9 A