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Courtesy photo — hubbell photography steer wrestler billy bugenig, Ferndale, competes at last year's rodeo. he is slated to appear again this year for competition tonight through sunday. File photo — Daily News red bluff's biggest professional rodeo will be this weekend. More than 509 contestants are expected to compete. By Ruth Nicolaus Special to the Daily News The Red Bluff Round-Up is on the minds and the GPS units of cowboys and cow- girls across the nation this week. It's the biggest pro ro- deo taking place this week- end, and, with $15,000 in the purse for each event, a major stop for rodeo contestants. Five hundred-nine con - testants will pull trucks and trailers into town, prepar- ing to race, ride, rope and wrestle their way to the gold buckle. Out of those 500-plus contestants, current and for mer world ch a mps abound. The reigning bare - back champ, Kaycee Feild, will ride, as will the cur- rent team roping heeler, Jade Corkill. Former world title holders coming to Red Bluff include Tuf Cooper and Fred Whitfield for tie- down roping; Jesse Kruse, Cody Wright and Jesse Wright in saddle bronc rid - ing; Chad Masters and Pat- rick Smith for team rop- ing; Bobby Mote in bare- back riding; and the "king" of the cowboys, Trevor Bra- zile, who has won 19 world titles in the tie-down, team roping, and all-around. For Ferndale cowboy Billy Bugenig, competing in Red Bluff is special. "It's a fun place to be," Bugenig said. "Usually the weather is good, the grass is still green, and it's a good time of the year to be in Red Bluff." Bugenig figures he's steer wrestled in Red Bluff about 10 times; he's never won the rodeo, but has placed. For the 2013 Red Bluff RouNd-up RODEO LEAVES THE GATE TONIGHT "It's a fun place to be. usually the weather is good, the grass is still green and it's a good time of the year to be in Red Bluff." — Billy Bugenig, Ferndale cowboy and Round-Up competitor By Andre Byik sports@redbluffdailynews.com @TehamaSports on Twitter Red Bluff » Thousands of rodeo fans here will pay close attention to the action in the Frank Moore Arena when the Red Bluff Round-Up jumps out the chutes tonight and through the weekend at the Tehama District Fairground. But a few men who will be running alongside the bulls in the arena say if they're not noticed, it means a job well done. Bullfighters, the guys who run to protect a bucked bull rider, must have split-second reac - tion times to ensure riders don't get run over or charged. Bullfighters Dusty Tuckness of Meetee- tse, Wyo., and Eric Layton of Red Bluff will put their bodies on the line over the weekend for those bull riders. The two on Thursday were at Corner- stone Community Bank signing autographs and taking pictures along with rodeo entertainer JJ Harrison. For Layton, who grew up in Lakeport and has lived in Red Bluff for the last decade, rerouting a bull is all about timing and angles. "It's like getting around a car hauling (exple - tive) at you," said Layton, who slipped on the bull- fighting cleats at 19 years old. "And if you can get an angle on him, he can't turn and hit you." Of course, the 190-pound Layton has suffered more than a few injuries over the years fighting 1,500-pound bulls. Broken fingers, ribs, and a blown out knee come with the territory, he said. Layton, now 30, has worked the Round-Up for about the last seven years. A Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Professional Bull Rid - ers bullfighter, Layton also has worked the big ro- deos in Sacramento, Reno, Salinas among others. He said he got into bullfighting after riding bulls for a few years. When he realized he per- haps wouldn't reach the upper tiers of bull riding, he started helping out his friends who rode bulls. In 2005, he said he got a call from John Growney of Growney Brothers Rodeo Co., after receiving a good recommendation from his past boss. "Mr. John Growney said, Better come to Red Bluff in March," Layton said. Since then he's worked with Growney, who said Thursday that Layton was picked to replace Hall of Fame bullfighter Joe RouNd-up Bullfighter puts body on the line By Rich Greene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter Red Bluff » The Tehama County Board of Supervisors took formal action Tuesday to oppose the listing of the northern spotted owl under the California Endangered Species Act. The board authorized Chairman Steve Chamblin to send a letter to the Cali - fornia Department of Fish and Wildlife, which initiated a status review of the owl in late January. " The Tehama County Board of Supervisors firmly opposes the listing of this species as endangered be - cause of the potential irrep- arable damage to our and neighboring counties' local economy," the letter reads. "Critical habitat designa - tions will restrict land ac- cess and can limit or even for- bid activities such as grazing, trout stocking, logging, min- ing, and recreational use re- sulting in a devastating im- pact on our economy and other northern rural coun- ties that will be affected." The letter process to urge alternative methods for preserving the owl and recommending that all pri- vate, state, county and con- gressionally reserved natu- ral areas be excluded from designated critical habitat areas. The northern spotted owl was listed as threatened un - der the federal Endangered Species Act in 1990. California Fish and Wild- life will be reviewing the owl's potential placement on the state list until January 2015. Public responses must be submitted by May 1 for possi- ble incorporation into the de- partment's final report to the Fish and Game Commission. Comments can be sent to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Nongame Wildlife Program, Attention: Neil Clipperton, 1812 9th St., Sacramento, Calif., 95811. If submitting by standard mail two hard copies and a digital copy is requested. Comments can be made via email with the subject heading "Northern spotted owl" at wildlifemgt@wild - life.ca.gov. eNdANGeRed specIes Act Opposition to listing northern spotted owl By Almendra carpizo acarpizo@chicoer.com @AlmendraCarpizo on Twitter oRlANd » The California Highway Patrol utilized a tour bus and a FedEx tractor-trailer on Inter- state 5 Thursday in an attempt to re-create the moments leading up to last week's fiery wreck that killed 10 people. The investigative team — which includes repre - sentatives from the CHP, Caltrans and other agen- cies — was trying to learn about visibility, brak- ing and other vehicle characteristics as part of its investigation. The CHP wanted to determine lines of sight as the bus and truck passed in opposite di- rections and said there was sophisticated moni- toring equipment on board each vehicle as part of the simulation. The tests included hard braking at high speed as CHP escorts slowed traffic on the freeway, and tests with both vehicles passing at regular speeds Bus cRAsh In ve st ig at or s re-enact moments be fo re a cc id en t Ch ao ti c s ce ne r ev ea le d a s 9 11 emergency calls are released opinion ............a4 education........a8 sports.............. b1 weather ........ a10 Classifieds ...... b7 life................... a5 INdeX red bluff Kiwanis will hold its pancake breakfast 7-10 a.m. saturday at the elks lodge; the parade starts at 10 a.m. to do Round-Up Parade set for downtown Saturday simpson university in redding inducted 16 students into its new honor society for Nursing april 14. PAGE A8 NuRsING University honors nursing students health plan enrollment num- bers reported by California and the white house exceed expectations. PAGE A6 oBAmAcARe Health law enrollment figures released Nobel laureate known to millions as 'gabo' was leading practitioner of magical real- ism. PAGE B8 GABRIel GARcIA mARquez Latin America came alive in author's works Tehama County supervisors compose letter to Department of Fish and Wildlife claiming owls' status continues to damage local economy Rodeo » pAGe 9 cRAsh » pAGe 9 BullfIGht » pAGe 9 » redbluffdailynews.com friday, April 18, 2014 50 CeNts aN eDitioN oF the ChiCo eNterprise-reCorD 7 58551 69001 9 Volume 129, issue 106 today's web bonus » Woman spares son's killer. redbluffdailynews.com RouNd-up Performer creates one-of- a-kind photo lifestyles » A5 AccomplIshmeNt Vina school's 90th Jubilee celebration education » A8 foRecAst High: 81 Low: 46 » A10 See a calendar of local events ranging from music and art galleries to sporting events. ADD OR VIEW EVENTS AT EVENTS.REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM DON'TMISSOUT: PLANYOURFUN