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WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4B RED BLUFF Reader Photos Athletes of the Week SPORTS 1B Isolated rain 64/50 Weather forecast 8B By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Tehama County Supervisors rehashed draft ordinance options Tuesday that would either ban or strictly regulate marijuana dispensaries through land use decisions. Medical marijuana dispen- sary supporters, who were 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 Ban or regulate, county rehashes pot debate absent at the previous session, voiced emotional and adamant opposition to an outright ban during Tuesday’s study session. The session, the third so far, between Supervisors, County Counsel Arthur Wylene and Planning Director John Stoufer is part of the process to create an ordinance dealing with med- ical marijuana dispensaries. ‘It’s not because we’re criminals trying to sneak something past you’ Ken Prather, former owner of THC A new ordinance would replace an existing temporary ban on the dispensaries in the county that will expire Sept. 14, 2011. Supervisors decided to keep two options open for now — ban or regulate dispensaries — High tech high until they could change some wording and get input from the public to incorporate into the documents. The group agreed to return in two weeks for a fourth study session at which they expect to decide on a resolution of inten- tion — the first phase in adopt- ing an ordinance that would See POT, page 7A Group asks to manage fairground By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer After much discussion, the Tehama District Fair- board directors voted Tuesday to support looking into forming a new group — Friends of the Fairground. A group of about 20 Tehama County residents has been meeting to discuss the idea of forming the non- profit organization, said spokesman Mike Dudley. About a dozen people were present with Dudley, Ken Robison and John Murray serving as spokesmen. “We’re not after the fair,” Dudley said. “We’re just looking to preserving the fairground as a venue for the use of the community. The fair would be a stand alone event and the (non-profit) group wouldn’t run that. They would just take care of rentals.” Board President Bob Kerstiens, Jr., said the idea was See GROUP, page 7A New school to offer outdoor classroom By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Another option is now Courtesy photo Barbara Morgan, Jill Botts, Cliff Curry, Peter Neves, Jennifer Pilgrim and Charles Ward open the new Learning Lab at Los Molinos High School. Special to the DN A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held April 13 to formally open the new Learning Lab at Los Molinos High School. In November 2010, Los Molinos High School was the recipient of a $34,400 grant from the McConnell Fund of the Shasta Regional Com- munity Foundation. Together with district funds, the grant was used to create a learning lab where students can take online courses and com- plete computer-based assignments. “This is made possible because of the grant from the McConnell Fund of the Shasta Regional Com- munity Foundation and because our Board of Trustees has a commit- ment to continuous academic improvement and sound financial management,” Superintendent Charles Ward said. Board President Jill Botts, Vice President Barbara Morgan and members Peter Neves and Jennifer Pilgrim together with Principal Cliff Curry and Ward conducted the ceremony. “It is unfortunate that a represen- tative from the McConnell Fund of the Shasta Regional Community Foundation could not attend, but they cannot come visit us until later in the fall,” Botts said. “They’ll get to see it being used.” Corning man charged with abuse of girl, 7 A Corning man is being held in lieu of $1.5 million bail at the Tehama Coun- ty Jail on three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor follow- ing his arrest Monday in Glenn County. At 3:36 p.m. known to her in the 500 block of T oomes Avenue in Corning. Upon fur- Barajas Monday, Corning Police received reports that a 7-year-old girl had allegedly been sexually touched by a man ther investi- gation, it was deter- mined that Doroteo Guitron Barajas, 57, had commit- ted lewd and lascivious acts and he was later located in Glenn County prior to being booked at Tehama County Jail. — Staff report 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power The Learning Lab combines the remodeled school library with com- puters, high-speed Internet service and new furniture. “The students are particularly excited that the new tables and chairs include purple, one of the school colors,” Curry said after the ceremony. As a small, rural high school, Los Molinos High School is fortu- nate to have small classes and the ability to provide personal attention to students. However, the small size of the school makes offering elec- tives challenging. The grant and the new Learning See HIGH, page 7A available for parents and students who want to par- ticipate in a school that is different from the tradi- tional K-8. Whittenberg Country School is now accepting applications for its inau- gural class, which starts in September. An informational meeting will be held 4:30- 5:30 p.m. today at the Tehama County Library, Red Bluff Branch. The school will be the first and only non-reli- gious private school in Tehama County, Principal and teacher Zach Whitten said. Located just west of Red Bluff on 50-plus acres of ranchland, stu- dents will be provided with opportunities to explore in an “outdoor classroom.” The first year will be spent in rented facilities, but the plan is to build a permanent place on the Whitten family ranchland, the school’s namesake. Students in grades first through sixth can attend, with plans to grow to a first through eighth grade school. Whittenberg will be a small school with a class-size limit of 20 stu- dents. “All grades will be in the same classroom, which provides a more natural and less peer-cen- tric environment,” Whit- ten said. It will be a “school of mastery,” meaning each student will progress through the curriculum as he or she masters it, rather than the class having to move through at the same pace, which would be too slow for some while leav- ing others behind, Whit- ten said. See SCHOOL, page 7A Schwarzenegger says commutation was to help friend SACRAMENTO (AP) — Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he was helping a friend when he commuted the sen- tence of the son of a polit- ical ally. Schwarzene gger reduced Esteban Nunez’s sentence from 16 years to seven years on the day before he left office in January. Nunez, who is the son of former state Assembly speaker Fabian Nunez, had pleaded guilty in the 2008 stabbing death of a San Diego college student, 22-year-old Luis Santos. The decision was criti- cized by prosecutors, fel- low Republicans and San- tos’ family, and is now the subject of a lawsuit. Schwarzenegger said in a Newsweek interview published this week that he understands the par- ents’ anger and critics’ condemnation. The slain man’s father, ‘Well, hello! I mean, of course you help a friend’ Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Frederico Santos Jr., said Schwarzenegger’s com- ments confirm that his decision was political. ‘‘This is proof that the commutation has nothing to do with legal reasons but is simply a favor to a political friend,’’ Santos told The Associated Press. ‘‘I’m not surprised because that’s what we said all along, that the actions were strictly for a political favor and noth- ing more, no matter what he was trying to claim as his justification.’’ The family’s lawyer said the comments will have little effect on their lawsuit against the gover- nor for failing to notify them. Schwarzenegger’s offi- cial reasoning was that Nunez’s 16-year sentence was ‘‘excessive,’’ in part because he had no prior criminal record and did not inflict the fatal wound on Santos. Nunez did stab two others during the fight that broke out after he and his friends were kicked out of a fraternity party at San Diego’s Mesa College. Schwarzenegger told Newsweek that he knew the younger Nunez well, that he felt good about his decision, and that he acted because of his ‘‘working relationship’’ with the elder Nunez, a Democrat who frequently cooperat- ed with the Republican governor in the Legisla- ture. ‘‘Well, hello! I mean, of course you help a friend,’’ Schwarzenegger said in the interview. Schwarzenegger later wrote a letter to Santos’ parents acknowledging that he provided no notice to the victims, a failure he also admitted in the inter- view. That omission is at the heart of the lawsuit filed by Santos’ family. The family argued that the governor’s decision violated several provi- sions of Proposition 9, a victims’ rights amend- ment approved by voters in November 2008. The measure, known as Marsy’s Law, requires that victims receive notice and have a chance to be heard before sentences are reduced, that their safety be considered in any such decisions, and See FRIEND, page 7A