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FRIDAY APRIL 29, 2011 Breaking news at: Getting Maternal Select TV www.redbluffdailynews.com See Inside RED BLUFF League Champs SPORTS 1B Sunny 70/43 Weather forecast 8A 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 Cops mum on gunshot victims By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Red Bluff police did not reveal any new information Thursday about the pair of gun- shot victims found dead inside a First Street home Wednesday. Responding to an 8:12 a.m. cell phone emergency call about two unresponsive people inside the house, Red Bluff Fire Department was the first on scene, officials said. Fire emergency personnel found the bodies of a male and a female with gunshot wounds inside the two-bedroom rental house in the 1100 block of First Street directly across the street from a Red Bluff Union High School entrance. The incident has been classi- fied as a murder investigation, according to police logs. The logs report that detec- tives were called immediately after the bodies were found. Memory Lane Car club soaks up Red Bluff heritage Daily News photo by Tang Lor A caravan of Studebakers make their way out of the Comfort Inn lot Thursday on their way to Red Bank Road. By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer A range of colorful vintage Studebakers will be among the Chevy trucks and Ford Focuses parked at the Comfort Inn for the next couple of days as members of the Antique Studebaker Club enjoy a four-day tour of Red Bluff. About 24 cars will be a part of the club’s southwest zone meet, organizer Ken Porteous said. The group holds meets throughout the West Coast and he has been looking at Red Bluff for awhile as the place to meet. The Victorian homes really appealed to him, and then he found several other his- Brown vows to fight for public schools funding LONG BEACH (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown on Thurs- day vowed to fight to pro- tect public education fund- ing as he worked to wrangle a deal with Republican law- makers over how to best close a yawning budget deficit of more than $15 bil- lion. The Democratic gover- nor spoke at the California State Parent Teacher Asso- ciation's 112th convention to several thousand PTA members and delegates a day after a new poll indicat- ed a majority of Californi- ans are concerned about the impact of any future budget cuts on public schools. But most of those surveyed also said they did not want to see their own taxes go up to solve the problem. Brown wants to extend for five years increases to the personal income, sales and vehicle taxes, but nego- tiations have stalled. The tax increases are scheduled to expire this year, and renew- ing them would bring the state an additional $9.2 bil- lion a year. Brown wanted to hold a special election in June to put the tax question to vot- ers, but has been unable to get the necessary Republi- can votes in the state Legis- lature to get it on the ballot. He has signed bills that cut the $26.6 billion budget deficit by $11.2 billion by reducing spending and transferring money between various government funds. Brown told cheering par- ents and teachers that he was their ally in the battle to protect education funding in the upheaval. "It's going to have to be the voice of the parents and teachers and yes, even the school students themselves to awaken the conscience of California to our true path forward, which is to invest in the future and not steal from it," he said. "That's really what's at stake here." A voter ballot measure on the tax renewals was crit- ical to the state's future, he said, and it isn't one that state lawmakers should make "in the dark of night in Sacramento." 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See BROWN, page 7A torical places of interest. The area’s rural roots, country roads without traffic and the hospitality are bonuses, he said. “When I look at Red Bluff I just think, that’s not a busy town,” Porteous said. Members are from all over, some coming from as far as Idaho and British Columbia. Some drove their vintage cars every mile while others towed the cars in trailers. Jerry Washburn, of San Pablo, drives a 1928 Studebaker roadster. It’s one that he fixed up himself, so he likes to drive See LANE, page 7A A coroner was called at 9:48 a.m. Sheriff’s Deputy Omar Farmer responded to the call, arriving at 10 a.m. Leaving the scene at 1:06 p.m., he was immediately called back in. The See COPS, page 7A Couple charged in knife robbery A Red Bluff couple was arrested Wednesday after steal- ing medication at knife point and fleeing from police. Officers approached the Crystal Motel, 333 S. Main St., just before 11 a.m. after a report of a man who refused to leave when asked to, police logs said. When they arrived, the man was gone, but an argument was taking place. Officers saw a woman push a man before she fled, police said. Her boyfriend followed her. Mandy Reane Occhipinti, 31, and her boyfriend William Lee Hawthorne Jr., 30, both of Red Bluff fled toward the Crystal Apartments nearby, ignoring commands to stop, police said. Someone near the room yelled that Hawthorne See KNIFE, page 7A Guests get State Theatre update By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Those attending Good Morning, Red Bluff Thursday got to take a look at the State Theatre and an update from the non-profit organization State Theatre For The Arts. The group, which is in the process of purchas- ing the building for $440,000, entered a 135- day escrow on March 11 with owners Ben Sale and Dr. Ron Clark. “To summarize things, the group has been working on this since February 2010 and in March of this year we negotiated with the pri- vate ownership,” said President Bill Cornelius. “We feel we’re getting a very fair deal.” The group has begun its capital campaign, seeking donations from those who have previ- ously donated, with a larger campaign to kick off in June, Cornelius said. A fundraising concert featuring Merle Haggard is taking place May 5 and 25 percent of gross ticket sales will go to the group along with all live auction proceeds, Cor- nelius said. “That will go a long way toward moving down the road of fundraising,” he said. “We’re going to See STATE, page 7A Children’s Fair offers free family fun By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The annual Tehama County Children’s Fair will be celebrating 24 years of providing its community with Family Fun. “The Children’s Fair is a project of the Tehama County Education Founda- tion and continues to be a great event for our commu- nity’s children, their fami- lies, and also for the busi- nesses, agencies, clubs and organizations,” said Jackie Douglas, event coordinator. “The event is a fun-filled day of activities and enter- tainment for children of all ages.” The fair is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Tehama District Fairground in Red Bluff. The best thing about the fair, which is sponsored by the Tehama County Educa- tion Foundation and Tehama County Depart- ment of Education, is that it is absolutely free to every- one, Douglas said. “The only cost, which is minimal, is the food booth provided by the staff and parents at Our Little House Child Care Center,” Dou- glas said. “Agencies, orga- nizations and clubs distrib- ute information to more than 1,000 families, while providing a kid-friendly craft or activity at their booth.” DN file photo Rosemary Anker-Kelly of Red Bluff plays a snail-themed board game with classroom aide Jane Shea at the Tehama County Department of Education booth at the 2010 Children’s Fair. This year’s event is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Tehama District Fairground. Entertainment will be provided on the stage and there will be about 50 booths as well as free pop- corn, juice and water pro- vided by the Red Bluff Kiwanis Club, she said. The event is sponsored by donations from local organizations and business- es. “Many agencies state that this event is one of the best ways to get information out to the parents of Tehama County,” Douglas said. “Parents are able to learn about health and safety, nutrition, dental care, etc.” The 2011 sponsors include: Copy Center, Dr. Robert Dunbar, Kiwanis Club of Red Bluff, Luigi's Pizza, First 5 Tehama Chil- dren & Families Commis- sion, Our Little House, Red Bluff Bull & Gelding Sale, Red Bluff Rotary Founda- tion, St. Elizabeth Commu- nity Hospital, Tehama County Department of Edu- cation and Tehama County Education Foundation. A variety of booth activ- ities will be available including Child Identifica- tion by Vesper Masonic See FAIR, page 7A