Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/32684
MONDAY MAY 30, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Mostly sunny 72/48 Weather forecast 6B DAILYNEWS RED BLUFF 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 Summer business Traffic stop leads to arrest of three By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Three people from out of the area were arrested during a traffic stop in north Red Bluff Thursday. Dorrell LaSean Wesson, 32, of Eureka was the driver of a Hyundai SUV when sheriff’s deputies pulled him over for a traffic violation, a sheriff’s press release said. Wesson had a small amount of marijuana and was on active parole out of Humboldt County, the release said. Parole contacts ordered his arrest on a parole violation for being out of the county without a pass. Deputies then searched the vehicle and the occupants, Michael Vernon Carter Sr., 50, of Stockton and Raymona Elise Williams, 42, of Las Vegas, Nev. Inside the vehicle, deputies found four large baggies con- taining around two and a 1/2 pounds of marijuana, the release said. Carter claimed to own the marijuana and presented a medical recommendation for it. However, deputies deter- mined that he intended to give the marijuana to the others and it was not a reasonable amount for the duration of his trip, the release said. Deputies also found $1,850 in cash. Based on evidence and interviews with the suspects, Carter was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana for sale and transportation of marijuana. Williams was arrested after deputies found Vicodin pills, Soma pills and a suspected Ecstasy pill in her purse, the release said. She denied having a prescription for the pills. Williams was charged with possession of a controlled substance and transportation of a controlled substance. Wesson is being held without bail for his parole violation. Carter and Williams are being held on $50,000 bail each. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailynews.com. Daily News Photo by Andrea Wagner Customers look through produce during opening day Saturday at Julia’s Fruit Stand in Dairyville. Jane Brandt, 9, on the right, helps out at her family’s business that opens around Memorial Day every year. By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer The thick aroma of freshly picked strawberries and cherries mixed with onion and fresh air makes the produce at a roadside fruit stand sell itself. It was just so Saturday as Julia’s Fruit Stand in Dairyville opened for the season. Always giving away free bottled water with every purchase and offering produce guaranteed to have been picked the same day, the fruit stand stands out. “Our goal is not only to have the best produce, but to offer people a great experience,” said owner Kathy Brandt. In their 11th year in business, the stand grows a little bit every year. James and Kathy Brandt operate the stand with the help of their three daughters, Julia, 11, Jane, 9, and Jor- dan, 5. They opened the stand when their oldest daughter was a year-old, and named it after her. “One reason we have our own stand is to give our kids an opportunity to work,” Kathy said. The whole family chips in. Julia works directly with customers, check- ing them out and helping them carry things to their cars. “It’s fun,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard, especially when it’s hot. I like meeting new people and just helping customers.” Jane, a third grader at Lassen View Elementary School, just started work- ing in the stand last year. She is in charge of the garden, while little sister Jordan is in charge of peaches. The stand itself was initially made from the walls that used to surround a family Jacuzzi. Its wooden frame sits alongside Highway 99E, with red and white signs for miles either way announcing the location. At the west end of the stand, the family has put up a world map under the words, “Where are you from?” Customers can put a pin in their home- town. The stand has had guests from 30 countries and all 50 states, Kathy said. On Saturday, they already had two peo- ple from Jamaica and a Canadian come by. “People don’t realize how many visitors we get driving through here,” she said. Although they get visitors from all over the world, most business is from a local, loyal customer base, she said. Aside from what the family grows in their 12 acres of garden and 10 acres of peach trees, Julia’s Fruit Stand offers olive oils, jams, nuts and honey from other local farms. The stand opens on most Memorial Day weekends, although sometimes earlier depending on the weather. They also go to nine farmer’s markets and continue to expand the business. “Each year we try to get a little big- ger and a little better," Kathy said. Five years ago the Brandts added a pumpkin patch. This year, they added a high-tech element — accepting credit cards through an iPad. They currently employ 10 high school and college stu- dents. However, their specialty is heirloom tomatoes. Julia’s Fruit Stand has 20 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, Kathy said. The first ones should be ready in about three weeks, she said. In the off season, Kathy coaches basketball at Red Bluff Union High School. James farms walnuts and prunes. They continue to expand the family business and to produce high quality fruits and vegetables. “We pride ourselves on having a really good product that we grow,” Kathy said. To contact Julia’s Fruit Stand, call 528-8754 or visit www.juliasfruit- stand.com. The stand is located at 11475 Hwy 99E, in Dairyville. Corning council moves to address trees, flags By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING— The City Council Tuesday approved handing the matter of pruning trees potentially causing prob- lems with flags displayed on Solano Street over to staff. The issue of flags being caught in the trees was brought to council at the May 10 meeting by resident Dave Demo, who purchased the flags as a tribute to veterans. According to pictures accompanying the staff report, there were two trees in the 1400 block, one in the 1500 block, one in the 1100 block, one on the 1200 block outside of Bank of America and one at the corner of Fig and Solano streets potentially needing to be trimmed. The staff had two major concerns regarding the pruning of the trees at the May 10 meeting and it was decided to have staff consult the certified arborist who trims the city’s trees. Mayor Gary Strack said at the May 10 meeting that the city pays about $39,400 every two years to have its trees shaped. Pruning the trees, even minor trimming, risks disease such as fire blight and there was the issue of the shaping of the tree, said City Manager Steve Kimbrough. Councilman Dave Linnet and his wife recently spent time turning some of the flags and there was only one he thought might still be a problem, he said. Linnet suggested that if the trees were still a problem donations could be sought to cover the cost of trimming them. Councilwoman Toni Parkins asked for the matter to be directed to staff rather than brought back to the council if the trees were still an issue. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. BLM asked to keep domestic horses from mustangs RENO, Nev. (AP) — Concerned about the threat of a catastrophic outbreak of a herpes virus among wild horse herds in the West, national animal advocates on Thursday called on the federal gov- ernment to keep potentially infected domestic horses away from mustangs and burros on public lands. The Humane Society of the United States urged the Bureau of Land Manage- ment to ‘‘discourage and, if possible and appropriate, prohibit’’ owners of private horses from bringing ani- mals at risk of Equine Her- pes Virus-1 onto federal lands where they could have contact with wild horses. ‘‘The potential for a cat- astrophic outbreak of EHV- 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 1 among wild horse herds needs to be addressed by the BLM on an emergency basis,’’ Holly Hazard, the society’s chief innovations officer, wrote in a letter to BLM Director Bob Abbey. The federal agency should launch a public edu- cation campaign immedi- ately about the highly con- tagious disease, which has infected dozens of horses and killed at least nine, as officials plan horse-related activities for the upcoming holiday weekend, she said. EHV-1 poses no risk to humans, but can be fatal to horses. It can be airborne and transmitted by touch or by sharing feed, brushes, bits and other equipment. The virus ‘‘is a highly transmittable disease, and the symptoms don’t show up immediately,’’ Hazard told The Associated Press. ‘‘You can have a horse that may have been exposed and you are not ‘‘You can have a horse that may have been exposed and you are not even aware they are carrying the virus. The most vigilant thing for everybody to do is enjoy their horses on their own property until the health officials have it sorted all out.’’ — Human Society Chief Innovation Officer Holly Hazard even aware they are carry- ing the virus. The most vig- ilant thing for everybody to do is enjoy their horses on their own property until the health officials have it sort- ed all out,’’ she said. Traced back to a cutting horse competition earlier this month in Ogden, Utah, the virus has been exposed to more than 1,000 animals through direct or indirect contact with infected hors- es. Symptoms include fever, decreased coordina- tion, nasal discharge, loss of tail tone, hind limb weakness and inability to rise. So far, no animals man- aged by the BLM are known to have been infect- ed, BLM spokesman Tom Gorey said Thursday. He said the agency is consider- ing limiting horse move- ment on a case-by-case basis and may cancel some scheduled adoption events. The federal agency ‘‘has been working with state and federal animal health officials to help protect the health and well-being of wild horses and burros on the range, along with those in BLM holding facilities,’’ Gorey said. Horse owners should contact local BLM offices to see if there are any restrictions before bringing domestic horses onto feder- ally managed public lands. Tom Collins, a Clark County commissioner who owns horses and runs a cat- tle ranch outside of Las Vegas, said he felt the fed- eral agency generally was taking the proper precau- tions but that prohibiting domestic horses on public lands in some areas was going too far. ‘‘To tell people not to ride in areas that are public lands because of this horse virus, in my opinion, is a probably a little over cau- tious,’’ Collins told AP. ‘‘It’s probably more of a reaction to a request by the horse lovers than common sense. But at the same time, I can see their point, because it is airborne.’’ Since the virus was dis- covered, organizers of horse sales, rodeos and other competitions involv- ing the animals have can- celed or postponed events in Colorado, Kansas, Okla- homa, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wash- ington. But some other major events are continu- ing as scheduled, including the College National Finals Rodeo June 11-18 in Casper, Wyo., and the See BLM, page 3A