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WEDNESDAY MAY 11, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 8A RED BLUFF Reader Photos Athletes of the Week SPORTS 1B Mostly sunny 80/52 Weather forecast 8B 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 Duplex fire victim, cause identified By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Red Bluff Fire Department released the name Tuesday of the 56-year-old man found dead Monday morning during a fire at a duplex in the 200 block of Madison Street in Red Bluff. The man, identified in a release as Robert Henry, was the sole occupant of his unit. He was found dead on the kitchen floor. The fire was caused by the ignition of Henry’s clothing, which was most likely caused by smoking materials and accelerated by medical oxygen he had applied to his face at the time, said Division Chief Jon Bennett. Evidence at the scene showed Henry was in the living room when the fire started and spread from Henry’s clothing and oxygen tubing to the fur- nishings in the room, he said. After the initial ignition, evi- dence suggests Henry moved to the kitchen where he attempted to use water from the sink to put the fire out and possibly cool his clothing, Bennett said. The exact cause of death for Henry was not available from Special athletes shine By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Numbers were up in both attendees and ath- letes and the weather was beautiful for the 2011 Tehama County Special Olympics Tues- day at the Red Bluff Union High School track. The annual event drew about 350 special education students from Tehama, Shasta and Glenn counties, said Jody Johnson, track and field coordinator. Johnson, a Tehama County adapted physi- cal education specialist, said she was glad to see there was an increase in peer volunteers. “We had about 225 high school students volunteer to help this year,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to see all the cooperation between the participants and the high school students. It’s running more smoothly than ever, which means everyone stepped up and did their part.” The Tehama County Special Olympics Com- mittee individually noti- fied each school of what was expected of it and what to expect at the event, said Area Direc- tor Debbie Hess. “We’re fortunate that many of the teachers, staff and volunteers have done this for years Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Jordan from Vista Middle School runs against Jesus of the Tehama Adult Learning Center in the 100-meter relay race at the Tehama County Special Olympics Tuesday at Red Bluff Union High School track. so they know what to expect and every year it gets more and more streamlined,” Hess said. This year’s student Parents press tax hikes to fund schools SACRAMENTO (AP) — Parent groups joined California teachers Tuesday on the front lines of a week- long series of rallies against the possibility of deep bud- get cuts to education, demanding that state law- makers raise revenue to adequately fund public schools. At a rally outside the state Capitol, they warned that without the added rev- enue, schools could face disastrous repercussions: Class sizes could swell, the school year could lose a month, extra-curricular activities could disappear, and thousands of school employees could be out of work. “We must invest in our future, or we will be the first generation to leave our children with fewer oppor- tunities than we had,” said Debbie Look, legislation director for the California State PTA. The California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union, organized the week of demonstrations, which began Monday and will end Friday with rallies in cities throughout the state. Mon- day’s rallies ended with about 150 activists occupy- ing the rotunda area of the state Capitol, and several dozen were arrested after they refused to leave in the evening In addition to Tuesday’s events at the Capitol, teach- ers in Bakersfield, Stockton and throughout the San Francisco Bay area were holding “grade-ins” at shopping malls and other public locations to call attention to the work they do after hours. That included more than two dozen teachers who pulled up chairs at a food court inside Sherwood Mall in Stockton. Without signs or other announcements, the educators were easy to miss as they quietly graded assignments among shop- pers. One of those teachers, Kori Lauchland, 28, just received a pink slip after five years with Stockton See TAX, page 7A 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power volunteers from the high school were very responsible and consci- entious, Johnson said. Among those helping out were Tehama Coun- ty Department of Edu- cation Assistant Super- See SHINE, page 7A the Tehama County Coroner’s Office, Bennett said. Firefighters were called to the scene at 8:11 a.m. Monday, after the fire had overcome Henry and progressed to the point of breaking out windows, See FIRE, page 7A County faces further cuts By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer County staff presented a four-year budget forecast Tuesday predicting a $2.3 million deficit by 2015, despite ongoing efforts to cut spending. The forecast, a preliminary run at the numbers to help with upcoming budget planning, was built assum- ing the economy remains stable and that employee con- cession goals will be met. This year, Tehama County may have a $354,896 sur- plus in the general fund, the report says. However, that figure is only available because of property tax adjust- ments in the 2010-11 fiscal year. See CUTS, page 7A Local youth receive grants for projects Special to the DN The California 4-H Youth Development Pro- gram awarded six coun- ties with $1,000 grants to implement healthy living projects within their com- munities. The grant proposals were written by 4-H teens, and successful pro- jects may involve 4-H members as young as 5 years old, according to a press release issued Thursday by the program. The Tehama County 4- H youth camp staff received funds to increase the healthy opportunities available at Camp Tehama in Mill Creek. The camp draws about 100 nature-loving 4-H members to a week-long outdoor adventure. This year, the youth camp staff identified healthy living as an area to improve. According to www.countyhealthrank- ings.com, the adult obesi- ty rate in Tehama County is 26 percent, only few points off from the heavi- est county, Merced, at 30 percent, the release said. By teaching youth to make healthy choices at a young age, they may learn healthy habits that last a lifetime. The camp staff will offer daily 60-minute nutrition workshops, taste See YOUTH, page 7A Boutique named April Business of the Month By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Wink Fashion and Salon has been chosen as the busi- ness of the month for its fashionable and philan- thropic offerings. The fairly new business, which opened in October, has not shied away from an opportunity to give back to the community. After all, its three owners Amber Micke, Sarah Rider and Sophia Swarthout are longtime Tehama County residents, with sisters Micke and Swarthout born and raised in Red Bluff. Wink’s contributions to the community include sup- porting the Art Walk and women’s services and donating prizes to commu- nity events. An ongoing fundraiser is selling $20 benefit bags with all proceeds to be DN photo Wink owners Sophia Swarthout, center, and Amber Micke, right, pose with a certificate for being named as the April Business of the Month by the Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce. Also pictured is Kristen Gray, of Durango RV Resort. Not pictured is owner Sarah Rider. donated to cancer patient Vanessa Wilson-Rodriguez, PHYSICIAN REFERRAL A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 1-800-990-9971 CHW North State Region a local mother and former teacher who was diagnosed with two rare forms of can- See APRIL, page 7A Pathways Career Spotlight Careers in Agriculture featuring Shasta College Ag & Natural Resources Learn about local, hands-on programs to best prepare you for jobs in agriculture. Thursday, May 12 3-5pm Job Training Center 724 Main Street, Red Bluff Call 529-7000 for more information.