Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/365950
TheAssociatedPress NEW YORK Thenation'stopdol- lar store chains are betting big that their once-thriving business will make a comeback if they band together. Dollar General, the nation's largest dollar-store chain, started a bidding war on Monday when it offered approximately $8.95 bil- lion for rival Family Dollar. It was an attempt to trump Dollar Tree, which agreed to acquire Family Dollar for $8.5 billion last month. There are Dollar Tree stores in Red Bluff and Corning and three Dollar General stores have opened since 2013 — two in Red Bluff and one in Los Molinos. There are no Family Dollar stores in Tehama County. The bidding war comes as the chains look for ways to grow sales and market share at a time when their core low-income customers remain financially stretched dur- RETAIL Do ll ar G en er al enters bidding fo r Fa mi ly D ol la r TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO State and federal water agencies are seeking an in- vestigation into whether some California farmers are taking wa- ter released from upstream dams intended for consumers in other regions of the state. The California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are calling on the state board that oversees water rights to investigate possible wa- ter diversion by farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, The Sacramento Bee reported Monday. The water contention comes amid the state's drought. Nancy Vogel, a DWR spokes- woman, said a shortage may in- dicate that water is being taken unlawfully. "We recognize that we're suf- fering losses of storage," she said. "But we don't have the data to de- termine precisely where." In a July 23 letter, the two pow- erful water agencies asked the State Water Resources Control DROUGHT Probe sought into possible diversion investigation By Rich Greene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter RED BLUFF The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice announced a settlement with the owners of a Tehama County ranch, who have agreed to paid more than $1 mil- lion for the destruction of 80 acres of protected wetlands. The EPA said in a press release that between 2008-2010 Anchordoguy ranch illegally deep- ripped 872 acres of the ranch to make room for more orchards, destroying 80 acres of vernal pool wetlands and damaging two acres of Coy- ote Creek. The activities were carried out with- out a Clean Water Act 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The owners have agreed to pay $300,000 in civil penalties and provide another $795,000 to off-set the ecological losses caused by the destruc- tion. California is one of the few places in the world where vernal pool ecosystems are found. "California's vernal pools are home to native WETLANDS Ranch,EPAagreeto$1Mdeal By Andre Byik abyik@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter RED BLUFF Thomas Almond, the project coordinator for the annual Tap into Tehama mi- crobrew festival here, said he was legitimately surprised the event has become so success- ful. On Saturday, as hundreds descended upon River Park to enjoy an assortment of craft beers, wines and food, Almond said the Tap into Tehama team didn't set out to create an event with the thought that people had to show up. The goal, he said, was to put on a good fes- tival, a festival that his team would want to attend. And that meant creating an experience based on qual- ity rather than quantity. Dur- ing the event's second edition on Saturday, when $35 bought four hours of bottomless beer from such brewing compa- nies as Sierra Nevada, Laguni- tas, Rubicon and Lost Coast, among many other through- out Northern California, it ap- peared that the Tap into Te- hama team of 20-somethings has been able to marry qual- ity and quantity. Festival-goers could pair their pale ale with a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich served by the Mayhem food truck out of Chico, or a pizza from Bru- ciante Wood Fried Pizza out of Redding, all while taking in the alternative blues tunes of BandMaster Ruckus, which calls Red Bluff home. RED BLUFF Tap into Tehama marries quality with quantity ANDREBYIK—DAILYNEWS Proceeds from the microbrew festival, which attracted such companies as Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas Brewing Company and Mount Shasta Brewing Company, benefit the Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce. Online: For more information on Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce events visit REDBLUFFCHAMBER.COM Community.....A3 Opinion............A4 Health..............A4 Lifestyles........A5 Sports.............. B1 Weather ..........B8 INDEX The monthly Sun Country Quilters Guild monthly meeting Aug. 25will feature a "scrappy" theme. PAGE A3 QUILTING SunCountryQuilters plan scrap happy night Simpson University for Seniors has opened registration for its non-credit courses beginning Sept. 8. PAGE A5 SENIOR EDUCATION Simpson offering non-credit classes Pathologist indicates uncer- tainly despite witness claims victim was shot repeatedly with hands in air. PAGE B4 FERGUSON 'Don't know' if Missouri teen shot with hands up Federal wildlife investigators urge halt to planned expansion of Mojave Desert plant amid high bird fatalities. PAGE A8 TECHNOLOGY Emerging solar plants scorch birds in mid-air Online: The settlement can be viewed at USDOG.GOV/ENRD/CONSENT_DECREES.HTML 80 The number of acres the EPA said that the Anchordo- guy ranch illegally deep- ripped. $795K The amount the ranch needs to pay to off-set the eco- logical losses, in addition to $300,000civil penalty. SETTLEMENTSPOTLIGHT RANCH PAGE 7 BEER PAGE 7 DOLLAR PAGE 7 DROUGHT PAGE 7 Staff report A fire burned through a wooded area on the southwest corner of Countryside Village in north Red Bluff late Monday afternoon. The vegetation fire reportedly spread to a structure and at least 3-5 acres were burned on both the south and west sides of the sub- division. Scanner reports said that a struc- ture fire spread into the grassy area next to the property. It's unclear where the fire started. A witness reported one structure was se- riously damaged in the fire, but it was not known whether it was a home or an out- building. A firefighter on the scene said he didn't know how the fire started, but pointed out that it was the third fire in the vicinity in the last 24 hours. The fire burned right up to the garage of the home on the southwest corner of Mead- owview and Cimarron drives. Some fenc- ing was destroyed and landscaping burned. Crews responded from throughout Te- hama County, including water drops from a Cal Fire helicopter. Crews continued to re- port to the scene around 5:45 p.m. Monday. There was no further information avail- able Monday evening. COUNTRYSIDE VILLAGE Firethreatens homes CHIP THOMPSON — DAILY NEWS A firefighter tries to keep flames away from a home on Meadowview Drive late Monday a ernoon. » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, August 19, 2014 50CENTS AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD 7 58551 69001 9 Volume129,issue193 Today's web bonus Oakland A's photos. redbluffdailynews.com OUTDOORS Feral pig hunting to open on refuge Community A3 NCAA FOOTBALL Grasu helps to anchor Oregon's offense Sports B1 FORECAST High: 97 Low: 63 B8 Grow?Ranchorride? Readaboutlocalandnational Ag, rural, ranch and rodeo news and commentary. VISIT REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM/ RODEO DOYOU RODEO?