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ByStevenDubois TheAssociatedPress PORTLAND, ORE. A South- ern Oregon wildfire de- stroyed six homes and 14 other buildings, and dozens of additional blazes ignited after thousands of lightning strikes lashed the state. The destructive Mocca- sin Hill fire — named for a longstanding subdivision — began Sunday near the ranching town of Sprague River, about 25 miles north- east of Klamath Falls, fire spokeswoman Erica Hupp said Monday. Many resi- dents keep horses and cat- tle on plots of 3 to 5 acres, and neighbors have been stepping in to shelter both stock and pets, she said. The blaze encompasses 4 ½ square miles, Hupp said, and it caused about 100 people to evacuate, though some have returned. Walter "Butch" Brown- ing, who operates a gen- eral store in Sprague River, said the flames reached his driveway Sunday afternoon, forcing his wife to "get out of there" with a computer, a change of clothes, medi- cations and the dogs. The wind changed direction, he said, sparing his place. He slept in his own bed, confi- dent there were enough fire- fighters between his house and the blaze that has left burning stumps. Wildfires are an annual concern for the commu- nity, Browning said. He has been evacuated at least four times in his 22 years on the property, and once lost a home, he said. "I had two houses at one time; I have one now. I'm down to my last house," he quipped. "It's the price you pay for living in paradise, I guess." A shelter for displaced residents has been set up at the Sprague River Com- munity Center. Only one person spent the night, but more people filtered in Monday to take advantage of food and other services, said Julie Miller, spokes- woman for the American Red Cross Cascades Region. Lightning struck Ore- gon more than 6,000 times Sunday and Monday, touch- ing off small fires by the dozens on both sides of the Cascades. Such a bar- rage can be expected to cause numerous "sleeper" or holdover fires in com- ing days, said Robin De- Mario, spokeswoman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Meanwhile, authorities in Northern California say a fire that was sparked by exhaust from a truck deliv- ering supplies to an illegal marijuana plot has grown to nearly 7 square miles. A 27-year-old Sacramento man, Freddie Alexander Smoke, was arrested on sus- picion of causing the blaze. The Bully Fire in forested land in Shasta County had burned through 4,400 acres as of Monday morning, fire officials said. It remained 15 percent contained. The fire has destroyed eight homes and is threatening 15 oth- ers. All evacuations have been lifted. In Central California, containment of a fire that charred 2.5 square miles in the Sequoia National Forest increased to 60 percent. Meanwhile, the Mills Canyon Fire burning in cen- tral Washington has grown to 35 square miles. Firefighters strength- ened containment lines around the blaze near En- tiat (EHN'-tee-aht) on Sun- day, but they're still worried about the potential for dry lightning and wind to kick up the flames on Monday. Three dozen homes have been evacuated, and resi- dents of another 500 houses have been told to be pre- pared to leave if the fire gets closer. WEST Hot,dryweather encouraging wildfires SOUTHCENTRALOREGONFIREMANAGEMENTPARTNERSHIP—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Smoke from a fire is seen on Sunday near Moccasin Hill, Ore. USDA, GREG BARTMAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS One of the snails from an air cargo shipment of 67live snails that arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on July 1is shown in this undated photo. By Krysta Fauria The Associated Press LOS ANGELES U.S. Cus- toms and Border protec- tion inspectors at Los An- geles International Airport seized 67 live giant Afri- can snails that are a pop- ular delicacy across West Africa. The snails — which are prohibited in the U.S. — arrived from Nigeria and were being sent to a per- son in San Dimas, said Lee Harty, a spokeswoman for the customs agency. Officials said the cus- toms officials received no- tification of the snails on July 7. They were confis- cated on July 1 and a sam- ple was sent the next day to a federal mollusk spe- cialist in Washington, D.C., who identified them as a prohibited species, Harty said. Officials said the mol- lusks are among the larg- est land snails in the world and can grow to be up to 8 inches long. They are native to Africa and can live for up to 10 years. The pricey snails can cost $50 to feed a dinner party of six in Lagos, Nigeria. The USDA incinerated the snails after they were inspected, Harty said. Of- ficials said the snails are prohibited in the U.S. be- cause they can carry par- asites that are harmful to humans, including one that can lead to meningi- tis. The snails are also ag- ricultural pests, said Mav- eeda Mirza, the CBP pro- gram manager for agricul- ture. "These snails are se- riously harmful to local plants because they will eat any kind of crop they can get to," Mirza said. The person who the snails were destined for is not expected to face any penalties, Mirza said. She said authorities are inves- tigating why a single per- son would want so many snails. "We're investigating what happened but it doesn't seem like there was smuggling involved. When someone doesn't know a commodity is pro- hibited under USDA regu- lations there is usually no punishment," she said. Giant African snails seized at LA airport WILDLIFE The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Nobody was hurt when a federal officer fired a single shot while attempting to break up an altercation during a pro-Israel demonstration in Los Angeles, sheriff's officials said. The officer of the Fed- eral Protective Service fired a weapon during the rally at the Federal Build- ing in Westwood on Sun- day, according to a sheriff's statement. The FPS is the security police division of the Department of Home- land Security. The demonstration, which drew several hun- dred people, was break- ing up when pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian supporters began to clash. Witnesses said the con- frontation included a scuf- fle between the pro-Israel protesters and men who drove past the protest in a truck displaying a Palestin- ianflag,KNBC-TVreported. A man in the truck said the Palestinian flag was ripped away. When the truck's occupants at- tempted to retrieve the flag, there was a struggle, witnesses said. The officer sought to in- tervene and fired once, the sheriff's statement said. There were no injuries. Four people were ar- rested, officials said. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA US officer fires gun in clash at pro-Israel rally The Associated Press MODESTO A Central Cal- ifornia county is going af- ter walnut thieves. Stanislaus County su- pervisors are set to con- sider an ordinance on Tuesday that would re- quire anyone buying, sell- ing or possessing walnuts for commercial purposes to show proof of owner- ship. The proof of owner- ship would require more information than what state officials currently mandate. The ordinance would also establish a buying pe- riod for nuts. It comes as farmers have reported an uptick in wal- nut thefts. The nuts' price of six cents each along with the ease with which they can be gathered have made them a target. Five other California counties have similar reg- ulations. AGRICULTURE Community cracking down on walnut the s By Judy Lin The Associated Press SACRAMENTO A half- dozen states with backlogs for Medicaid enrollees were facing a federal deadline Monday to create plans for getting those low-income residents enrolled in health coverage. The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Ser- vices sent letters dated June 27 to Alaska, Califor- nia, Kansas, Michigan, Mis- souri and Tennessee asking those states to address gaps in their eligibility and enroll- ment systems that have de- layed access to coverage for poor and disabled people. The letter was sent months after the first na- tional sign-up drive under President Barack Obama's health reform law. The letters stated that those states had 10 days to come up with a response plan, but health advocates say there is no clear dead- line for actually clearing the backlog. The federal government "will remain in close con- tact with states to monitor their progress to ensure that they are facilitating Medic- aid enrollment for those in- dividuals eligible," agency spokeswoman Marilyn Jackson said in a statement. The states facing the fed- eral deadline are a mix of those that opted to expand Medicaid under the Afford- able Care Act and those that did not. Obama's health re- form law led to the signup of about 8 million people in private health care cov- erage through the insur- ance exchanges, while an additional 3 million people enrolled in Medicaid, the state-federal program for the poor and low-income. The federal government initially picks up the full tab for the Medicaid expan- sion, which was accepted by about half the states. A spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Cathy Stadem, said she was checking with the commis- sioner on the status of the state's response. Angela Minicuci, a spokeswoman at the Mich- igan Department of Com- munity Health, said the state is working with the federal government to ad- dress technology issues. She said Michigan has enrolled 323,000 residents into the Healthy Michigan Plan, ex- ceeding its 322,000 target for the year. "We will continue to work to ensure Michigan- ders have access to health care coverage needed to lead healthy, productive lives," Minicuci said. California had a back- log of 900,000 people in its Medicaid program as of May, out of 1.9 million peo- ple who enrolled. The state Department of Health Care Services re- ported that the backlog has been reduced to 600,000 as of Monday. "We've been proud of much of what California has done to implement health reform, but we're funda- mentally concerned about people who need care and can't access it — people who are going without care, peo- ple who are getting medical bills even though they're el- igible for Medi-Cal — that's all happening today," said Elizabeth Landsberg, an advocate with the Western Center on Law and Poverty. California's informa- tion technology problems stem from communica- tion gaps between the state and county welfare sys- tems. Many counties have reported trouble accessing state information necessary to process applications for Medi-Cal, the state's version of the Medicaid safety net program. Norman Williams, a spokesman for the Califor- nia Department of Health Care Services, said the vol- ume of applications also contributed to the backlog. A group called the Health Consumer Alliance sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this month with a list of recommendations, such as granting presump- tive eligibility to all ap- plicants who have waited more than 45 days, the fed- eral timeline for determin- ing eligibility. The letter included stories from peo- ple whose applications are stalled even though they need medical care. One 28-year-old Los An- geles County woman with a monthly income of $850 has been waiting more than six months for a decision on her Medi-Cal applica- tion. While waiting for cov- erage, she found a lump in her chin and needs care for a possible tumor. HEALTH CARE States told to find way to clear Medicaid backlog 327WalnutSt.,RedBluff (530) 529-4004 Voted Best Carpet / Floor Covering Store in Tehama County. 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