Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/29041
Monday, April 11, 2011 – Daily News – 5A 99W Continued from page 1A minutes. Vehicles will need to follow a pilot car through the work zone. Public Works officials ask that motorists obey all traffic laws, warning signs DINNER Continued from page 1A The guest speaker was Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of America. The dinner was serenaded by local singer Chad Bushnell. The hot topics of the evening included stories of Ronald Reagan and guns. Nielsen, with the help of radio personality Cal Hunter, auctioned off a copy of The Reagan Diaries for $375. Then, Nielsen promised a second book to the los- ing bidder, Williams, for a contribution of $350. Paredes, introducing himself as a legal Mexican immigrant raised in east Los Angeles, said he learned to hunt in Tehama County. “I learned to kill ‘em and grill ‘em right here,” he said. The heart of his message was to encourage people to be there and understand what’s going on in the govern- ment to have an impact, namely to defend Second Amendment rights. In an earlier interview, Paredes elaborated. “I don’t need to remind you about the importance of the Second Amendment,” he said. “People in this coun- ty live that, and there are people in other parts of the state that would like to deny them that.” Both Paredes and Nielsen spoke about the promise of the state redistricting that is beginning. “We live on the wrong side of the prison wire — a prison,” Paredes said. “Thanks to the redistricting com- mittee, that’s all going to change.” The Mandolfo family played a big part in the event, with their business, Snack Box Catering, providing the dinners of prime rib and chicken. Joe Mandolfo responded quietly to being honored with his wife as Republicans of the Year. “I’m surprised, flattered and humbled,” he said in a later interview. “I have so much regard for the Califor- nia Republican Party.” The Mandolfos have lived in Red Bluff about 20 years, he said. At least a dozen family members were helping with catering at the dinner. The couple’s son, Jeff Mandolfo, sang several songs throughout the night. Suzie Mandolfo has been active and a member of the local Republican Party since 2000, she said. At the end of the night, a name was drawn for a rifle. The gun was a savage Axis XP model, bolt action rifle with a scope. The winner was able to choose from available calibers. Silent auction items included donations from many local business such as M & M Ranch Restaurant, Shas- ta Daisy Vineyard, Tuscan Outdoors, 2 Buds BBQ, House of Design and others. The Red, White and Blue dinner is one of the biggest annual local fundraisers for the Tehama Coun- ty Republicans. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailynews.com. Oh Snap! The Daily News wants your photos: Send pictures to editor@red- bluffdailynews.com or drop off at 545 Dia- mond Ave. in Red Bluff. Include a caption. and traffic control person- nel. Choose alternative routes when available. Work will continue for this project through the middle of May. Additional questions may be directed to Tim Wood at 385-1462 Ex. 3016. Utility workers rescue woman Special to the DN Two Pacific Gas and Electric Co. substation con- struction electricians employed at the Cotton- wood Substation were rec- ognized Thursday by PG&E for their involve- ment in a March 30 rescue following a crash near Min- eral. Ricky Nelson of Corn- ing and Billy Rickett of Redding were traveling east on Highway 36E in their utility truck toward Lake Almanor behind a big rig hauling a Caterpillar tractor on a flatbed trailer, when they came upon the crash about eight miles west of Mineral. A 20-year-old woman driving in the opposite direction had swerved into the path of the rig, overcor- rected while trying to get out of the way and sent her car to the road edge, where it dangled precariously over a steep, 40-foot embank- ment, a PG&E release said. Nelson and Rickett pulled over to a safe spot near the vehicle and Nelson exited the vehicle while Rickett turned on his haz- ards and set out safety cones. DODD Continued from page 1A over the years. Losing him is like los- ing another parent for me. It is a great loss to both our church and the com- munity.” During the Los Molinos Indepen- dence Day Parade in 2010, Dodd was honored as grand marshal and relished the experience. “Walter served on the Los Molinos Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors at least 20 years,” said Betty Jo Morales, president of the Los Moli- nos Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. “I get choked up just think- ing about not having him with us. He had spunk about him and I will per- sonally miss him very much.” Politically active, Dodd served as president of the local Democratic Central Committee for several years and was the sitting vice president. He was active in the party on a state and national level. He was a poll observer during elections, and participated in several state and national political campaigns. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Dodd served during World War II and the Korean War and was a member of the American Legion and VFW. He retired from the Air Force Reserve as a Chief Master Sergeant after more than 40 years service. “He will be greatly missed by both Police: Man tried to take bus at knifepoint REDDING (AP) — Police in the Northern California city of Redding say a man threatened an Amtrak bus driver with a knife and tried to take over the vehicle. It’s not clear whether any passengers were on board at the time. Police say 43-year-old Robert Fender, of San Francisco, threatened the 58- year-old driver at the Redding bus termi- nal around 7 p.m. Saturday. Redding police spokesman Bart Lan- gley says the driver was able to escape and activate a kill switch that disabled the engine. Police say Fender ran and was arrest- ed nearby. He was being held Sunday on $100,000 bail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, terrorist threats, carjacking and displaying a weapon in a threatening manner. It’s unknown if Fender has an attor- ney, and a phone listing for him is dis- connected. Fas prices jump 19 cents a gallon CAMARILLO (AP) — The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 19 cents over the past three weeks. The Lundberg Survey of fuel prices now puts the average price for a gallon of regular at $3.76. Analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that’s 91 cents higher than the price at this time last year. The national average for a gallon of mid-grade is $3.90. For premium it’s $4.01 a gallon. Lundberg says diesel prices rose 11 cents a gallon over the past three weeks, to $4.09. Tucson, Ariz., had the nation’s lowest average price for gas at $3.41. San Fran- cisco had the highest at $4.13. In California, the lowest average price was $4.02 in Bakersfield. Bill would expand smoking ban at work SACRAMENTO (AP) — California was a pioneer in prohibiting tobacco use in the workplace during the 1990s, but the ban left loopholes that a state lawmaker now wants to close. State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier said other states have since surpassed California and enacted more expansive crackdowns on smoking in the workplace. He won passage in 2007 of a bill to expand the workplace smoking ban, but it was vetoed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a cigar aficionado who had an outdoor smoking tent erected just outside his office in the Capitol. He has been replaced by a non-smoker, Democrat Jerry Brown. “We’re going to give it another try with a new governor,” said DeSaulnier, a Democ- rat from the eastern San Francisco Bay area city of Concord. California’s 1994 law banned smoking in enclosed areas of most workplaces and phased in a ban at most bars, a relatively radical approach at the time. Now, DeSaulnier said, 25 states and the District of Columbia have smoke-free workplace laws that are stronger than California’s and do a better job of protecting workers from sec- ondhand smoke. His bill, SB575, would expand the ban to cover employee break rooms, hotel lobbies, meeting and banquet rooms, warehouses, tobacco shops, private residences that are used as family day care homes, and owner- operated businesses, even if they have fewer than five employees. That last exemption category enabled some bars to avoid the smoking ban. “There’s no risk-free exposure to sec- ond-hand smoke,” said Paul Knepprath, a spokesman for the American Lung Associ- ation in Sacramento. fornia Department of Forestry and Fire protection arrived. “Who knows what could have happened if they had- n’t been there?” said Ken Hess, construction supervi- sor at the Cottonwood Sub- station. “I’m very proud of both of them.” Hess credits his employ- Courtesy photo An accident victim hung precariously over the side of a 40-foot embankment until Nelson and Rickett came to her aid. Nelson approached the passenger side of the vehi- cle and asked the woman if she was hurt. Once he real- ized she was uninjured, Nelson told her to shut off her vehicle and instructed Rickett to open the passen- ger side door to assist him in removing the woman. Nel- son tried to stabilize the car by holding on to the rear tire to keep the vehicle from tee- tering and possibly going over the embankment. After she was pulled from the car, Nelson stayed with the woman, who was emotionally shaken, while Rickett traveled down the road for better cell phone reception and called for help. Upon Rickett’s return, the men helped to direct traffic for the next 45 min- utes until the California Highway Patrol or the Cali- the American Legion Post 45 and the local AARP organization of which he was really the backbone,” said Delores May, a longtime friend and associate of Dodd. Dodd was very proud of the fact he was a regular blood donor and in 2009 was honored by BloodSource for donating 15 gallons of whole blood. “Of course it wasn't all at once,” Dodd said at the time. “I give six times a year and have been donating for years.” In 2008, Dodd was honored by the Corning Senior Center for giving countless hours of volunteer time to the elderly in the community. “I knew Walter from the time he moved here,” said Ernie White, who served with Dodd at the center. “Although it was hard to get to know him, once you did, it was great to talk with him as he was so knowledgeable about so many things, especially poli- tics. Walter was a very good guy and a very interesting fellow.” According to White, Dodd was once active in the local Independent Grange and represented the local group at state conventions. “Having worked in politics and for the government, Walter knew all the right people and whenever he had to fly somewhere for one convention or another, it seemed like he always got to fly for free because he knew the right people,” White said. Dodd subscribed to the Wall Street Journal and other major national ees’ bravery, as well as their professional training, with their ability to respond so quickly in a crisis. “It’s built into us,” Hess said. “I don’t think we think about it until it’s time to act. All of the company’s safety training paid off… If she would have opened her dri- ver’s side door or left her vehicle running, this acci- dent could have turned trag- ic.” The incident a caution- ary tale. “We talk about road safety in tailboards (pre- work safety briefings), as well as situations that our crew members observe on a daily basis. This keeps safe driving on our crews’ minds at all times,” said Hess. Nelson and Rickett were recognized by PG&E Thursday in a company- wide newsletter. newspapers and donated issues to the Corning Library. “Those were very expensive sub- scriptions and we really appreciated his donations,” said Judy Turner, a member of the Friends of the Library committee. Dodd worked for the federal gov- ernment for 30 years until he retired at the age of 55, and once worked for the National Science Foundation as a public affairs officer and liaison to Congress. During that time, his duties includ- ed several trips to Antarctica where he introduced science writers and mem- bers of Congress to Operation Deep Freeze. He was part owner of a radio sta- tion in Oregon in the 1940s. His first visit to Corning was while hitchhiking from San Francisco to Corvallis, Ore., where he was sta- tioned as a Navy hospital corpsman during World War II. Dodd received his master's degree in political science at the University of Oregon. Born May 22, 1927, in Winnetka, Ill., Dodd died at Mercy Medical Cen- ter in Redding due to heart complica- tions. Memorial services are pending. He is survived by a nephew, Mark Jacobs, who lives in China. Reprinted by permission of the Corning Observer.