Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/315771
Staffreports CORNING ATehamaCountysher- iff's deputy reportedly crashed his patrol car into a utility pole early Tuesday morning at Hoag Road west of Hall Road after attempt- ing to avoid a dog in the road. About 1:50 a.m. 32-year-old Cur- tis Knight was eastbound on Hoag Road traveling about 60 miles per hour when he saw a dark colored dog standing in the lane ahead of him, according to a news release issued by California Highway Pa- trol. Knight missed the dog after swerving to the left, but then spun out on the wet pavement. Knight, according to the release, tried to regain control of his 2011 Ford Crown Victoria but couldn't and crashed off the south road edge into a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. utility pole. The vehicle struck the pole on the driver door, and the pole broke at the ground level, according to the release. Knight suffered minor injuries in the crash and was taken to St. Elizabeth Community Hospi- CORNING Te ha ma deputy cr as he s in to ut il it y po le Deputyspinsouta er avoiding a dog in the road, suffers minor injuries By Rich Greene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter CORNING The Corning Elemen- tary School District Board of Trustees hired Rick Fitzpatrick May 14 as the district's new su- perintendent. Fitzpatrick will take over the position July 1 from Steve Kelish, who was named acting superin- tendent April 30. "I am honored to be a part of this wonderful district and both humbled and excited with the op- portunity to work with the tal- ented and dedicated profession- als and families who make up the community of Corning," Fitzpat- rick said. Fitzpatrick has been an admin- istrator for the past 15 years, the last 10 of which were as a site ad- ministrator for Enterprise Ele- mentary School District in Red- ding. He was a principal at three separate schools and lists expe- rience in all aspects of district administrator including human resources, curriculum and in- struction, strategic planning, col- lective bargaining and common core implementation. Fitzpatrick worked five years at the Shasta County Office of Ed- ucation as the technology coordi- nator, which he says he still has a strong interest in as founding member of TICAL — Technology Information Center for Adminis- trative Leadership — serving ad- ministrators in the state. Fitzpatrick has teaching expe- rience in science education, pri- marily at the middle school level. He also taught at Shasta Col- lege as an adjunct faculty mem- ber in the area of law. Before he got into education he practiced law in Tehama County both as a District Attorney's prosecutor and at a private law firm in Red Bluff. SCHOOLS Corning Elementary hires new superintendent By Rich Greene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter RED BLUFF Tehama County's un- employment dropped for the first time in four months and is just mere percentage points away from falling into single digits for the first time in more than five years. According to preliminary num- bers released Friday by the Em- ployment Development Depart- ment Tehama County's unemploy- ment rate dropped to 10.1 percent in April. That matches the rate seen in December 2013, which had been a new five-year low for the county. The unemployment had ticked up since then to 11.7 percent in March. That figure fell when Tehama County added 60 new jobs in the last month and the civilian labor force was recalculated at 24,720, a drop of 370 from the previous month. Only the wholesale trade indus- try was listed as seeing a net job loss from March to April. Although it's job figures are up 24 percent in the county within the past year. A year ago across all industries Tehama's unemployment rate was 12 percent. The occupations with the most jobs advertisements in Tehama County in April were for regis- TEHAMA ECONOMY Co un ty jobless rate drops to 10.1 percent End 3-month trend in the wrong direction By Rich Greene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter RED BLUFF The Tehama County Sheriff's Depart- ment released a composite sketch Tuesday of the man it believes killed one hiker and wounded another after robbing them at gunpoint Friday. Lt. Yvette Borden said the artist rendition depicted in the sketch is an 80 percent likeness of the suspect. The suspect has been described as a white male adult, between the ages of 35 and 40, about 6-feet tall, with a thin build and short black hair and a black mus- tache or beard. He was last seen wearing dark colored denim pants and a dark or black t-shirt with an unknown design on the front of the shirt. The composite sketch shows the man wearing a baseball cap. Borden said nothing else about the cap is described. Sheriff Dave Hencratt said Tuesday that investi- gators have been attempt- ing to get tire prints from the parking lot at the trail head, about five miles north of State Route 99E in Red Bluff. Hencratt said investiga- tors have been attempting to contact people who fre- quently use or pass the trail area to see if they saw any out-of-place vehicles dur- ing the day of or around the shooting. A $1,500 reward was of- fered by Tehama County Se- cret Witness Program Mon- day for information leading to an arrest and prosecution in the case. Secret Witness can be reached at 529-1268. The suspect reportedly approached 69-year-old Francis "Pat" Gregory, of West Tisbury, Mass. and a 76-year-old man as they were hiking around 10 a.m. on the Iron Canyon Trail of the Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Natural Area. After producing a firearm and demanding money and person items from the two men, the suspect shot both and left them in a remote HIKER HOMICIDE SKETCHOFMURDER SUSPECTRELEASED RICHGREENE—THEDAILYNEWS Above: Law enforcement block off the Iron Canyon Trail Friday a ernoon about an hour a er shooting victims were found 100yards down the trail. Below: The Tehama County Sheriff's Department released a sketch of the man believed to be involved in the shootings. Community.....A3 Business .........A4 Lifestyles........A5 Opinion............A6 Food.................B4 Weather ..........B8 Index............... ## INDEX The annual Passport Weekend Tehama County agriculture event is right around the cor- ner. PAGE B4 FOOD PassportWeekendag tour set for June 7-8 Red Bluff and Corning Cham- bers of Commerce are bringing back their farmers' markets next month . PAGE A4 BUSINESS Farmers' markets returning in June Viral video sensations, a trio of goats, are OK to surf in Pismo Beach. Grazing is another matter entirely. PAGE A7 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Pismo Beach surfing goats face grazing ban Couples headed to the court- house Monday a er a ruling made way for same-sex wed- dings to commence. PAGE B3 GAY RIGHTS Pennsylvania marriage ban struck down Investigation focuses on suspicious vehicles near trail SKETCH PAGE 8 CORNING PAGE 8 DEPUTY PAGE 8 ECONOMY PAGE 8 » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, May 21, 2014 50CENTS AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD 7 58551 69001 9 Volume129,issue129 Today's web bonus 9/11 Museum. redbluffdailynews.com SOFTBALL Red Bluff headed to title game Sports B1 CATTLEWOMEN Father's Day recipe featured Community A3 FORECAST High: 89 Low: 57 B8 Grow?Ranchorride? Readaboutlocalandnational Ag, rural, ranch and rodeo news and commentary. VISIT REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM/ RODEO DOYOU RODEO?