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THURSDAY JULY 21, 2011 Breaking news at: Artist Leaves a Legacy Pastimes www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 6A RED BLUFF Pair of Aces SPORTS 1B Sunny 96/64 Weather forecast 8B By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Whether Durango RV Resort will pay transient occupancy tax to Red Bluff is still undecided after the City Council Tuesday voted to table a decision to amend the TOT ordinance to explicitly include recreational vehicle parks and 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 City balks on TOT for RV parks campgrounds. The council voted 3-1-1 to table the decision as recommend- ed by Councilman Rob Schmid. Councilwoman Daniele Jackson voted no, and councilman Wayne Brown was absent. Durango owner Gary Breen questioned the council’s legal abil- ity to approve the amendment, ‘It’s sad that the city would go after the best thing that’s happen to Red Bluff in a long time’ — Irene Fuller which would change and expand the existing tax base. Proposition 218, passed by Man stabbed California voters in 1996, requires local governments to allow those who would be affected to vote on proposed taxes. The law does not apply in this case, as this is not a new tax, City Attorney Richard Crabtree said. The city has never wavered on its position that the ordinance already includes RV parks and camp- grounds. See TOT, page 3A Ice rink proposed at fairgrounds By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Local businessman Don Williams approached the Tehama District Fairboard Tuesday, seeking input on the potential of putting up a temporary ice rink on the fairground. At William’s request, the topic was added to the fair- board agenda to allow dis- cussion. Williams, who is seek- ing to bring a permanent ice rink with at least two sheets of ice to Red Bluff, is in the process of acquiring a per- manent location. The hockey season starts in September with rosters and games being set up in August and even if he had an escrow that closed with- in 30 days, it would take about two and a half months to build a perma- nent rink. A temporary one could Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Red Bluff Police talk to witnesses Wednesday afternoon while Red Bluff Fire personnel and St. Elizabeth Community Hospital Paramedics attend to a stabbing victim in the McDonald’s parking lot on Antelope Boulevard. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Red Bluff Police were seeking between four and six people wanted in connection with the stabbing of a Red Bluff man about 2:15 p.m. near the McDonald’s parking lot on Antelope Boulevard. The victim was treated by Red Bluff Fire personnel and para- medics at the scene before being taken by ambulance to the hospital. The man, who was identified as 21-year-old Anthony Dyer, was ini- tially taken to St. Elizabeth Com- munity Hospital having received at least two stab wounds, Red Bluff Police Sgt. Michael Graham said. Dyer had encountered the sus- pects who reportedly stabbed him, the day before while with a friend who was called derogatory names because the friend was wearing a blue T-shirt, Graham said. The incident is potentially gang- related, but that had not been con- firmed yet, Graham said. Law enforcement conducted an area check for the suspect vehicle, which was described as a faded gold-colored sedan, possibly a Dodge, Graham said. According to scanner reports, the vehicle was spotted on Hunt Avenue and a few minutes later it was reported that the vehicle was borrowed from someone living at the Brickyard Creek Apartments. David Harris, also known as No arrests in Corning fight A 19-year-old man reportedly struck another in the face with a shovel handle sometime before 6 p.m. Sunday near Thomas Creek and High- way 99E in Corning. Cody Conley, 19, of Corning told Tehama County Sheriff’s deputies that he had grabbed the shovel han- dle and struck Dylan Lubben, 18, said a sher- iff’s press release. Conley told deputies he had gotten a tele- phone call that Lubben and his friends were going to beat him up, the release said. He was get- ting ready to leave the area when he saw Lubben and his friends coming toward his vehi- cle. Concerned for his safety, Conley told deputies he got out of his vehicle and grabbed the shovel handle, the release said. Lubben fell to the ground after Con- ley hit him once. Then, three unknown suspects reportedly began punch- ing Conley. Conley reported the altercation at about 6 p.m. and asked deputies to meet him at his grand- mother’s house in Corn- See FIGHT, page 3A 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 POWER PRODUCTS DOLMAR Red Bluff Outdoor Power Chucky, who has a tattoo on his face and a Norteno tattoo elsewhere on his body, was listed as the pri- mary suspect, according to reports. An officer safety be-on-the-look- out for was issued for Harris short- ly after the incident. There was another area check in the area of Chestnut and Mul- berry avenues at Antelope Boule- vard for four to six boys between the ages of 16 and 19 who may have been involved, according to reports. No further information was available Wednesday evening. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. be built faster as the main thing that is needed is an area where a concrete slab for the rink, which would be 200 feet long and 85 feet wide, could be put in with a structure around it, Williams said. “I’m asking the board and rodeo to partner with me,” Williams said. “This would bring 1,200 players from September to April. A temporary ice rink at the fairground could help start pulling people in now.” There are no rinks in Northern California yet and Red Bluff is nicely located, Williams said. Because of its proximity to the border, it could bring players from Oregon who only need a California P.O. box to be able to play in California leagues and a two-hour drive to Red Bluff is something many of them would be willing to do, he said. The cost for a temporary rink would be about $600,000, but some of that would be offset by the hockey leagues that Williams has connected with who would pay for the hours they use the ice, he said. “The economics are hard now and we could give (the fairground) a jump- start,” Williams said. “It’s all about bringing the peo- ple here and the rink is a way to bring tourism with- out growing the town. It’s something different. A new place to cool down.” It’s also a way to make up for the loss of Lake Red Bluff and the boat drags, he said. Asked if he had a build- ing or an area of the grounds in mind to be used, Williams said he had initial- ly considered the Pauline Davis Pavilion, but was open to whatever was con- ducive for the fairboard. Several fairboard direc- tors and Los Molinos resi- dent Joyce Bundy, who was in the audience, said the building is heavily used and it is already difficult to jug- gle renters without adding the 5-6 hour time-frame Williams gave for transi- tioning between the tempo- rary rink and preparing it to be used for other events. Director Cindy Brown mentioned the Tyler Jelly building had been used as an ice rink when she was in high school, but directors were unsure if it would meet the need for a 200- by 85-foot rink and seating for 150-200 people. Director Tonya Reda- monti said she would like to see more information. “We need to see some financials and a business plan, including who will See RINK, page 3A Audit: Calif. corrections dept. overpaid workers SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s corrections department overpaid some employees for salaries and travel advances and was slow to collect those funds, according to an audit the state controller’s office released Wednesday. The Department of Cor- rections and Rehabilitation gave one former employee a lump sum check for $14,950 to meet a deadline for leaving the state’s employment, but the department did not deduct that from the employee’s final paycheck, meaning that person received both a salary advance and a final paycheck. Another employee received a salary advance of more than $8,000 in Janu- ary 2008, plus a regular paycheck, the audit found. Three years later, the advance had not been col- lected. The controller also warned that the department ‘This is the latest in a series of agency audits conducted by my staff that point to the waste and abuse of state funds due to the lack of attention to collecting overpayment’ — Controller John Chiang — the state’s largest with 66,000 employees — is putting itself at risk of fraud and abuse because it hasn’t done a good job of reconcil- ing bank accounts. As of June 30, 2010, the depart- ment’s major accounts showed $27 million in unresolved funds in its bank balance but more than $31 million in unresolved funds on its book balance. ‘‘This is the latest in a series of agency audits con- ducted by my staff that point to the waste and abuse of state funds due to the lack of attention to collect- ing overpayments,’’ state Controller John Chiang said in a statement. Past audits by the state controller’s office have found the state has not done a good job of getting the money back or making sure it was spent properly. Gov. Jerry Brown took a cue from Chiang in April and ordered all state agen- cies to recover millions of dollars in salary and travel advances that were given to state workers but never repaid. The Democratic governor issued an execu- tive order directing agen- cies to investigate a backlog of uncollected debt. California gives salary and travel advances to state employees under special circumstances, such as when an employee is leav- ing state service and needs a final check, when an employee makes a hardship request, or when an employee travels. The latest audit focused on the corrections depart- ment’s use of its revolving fund. The controller’s office reviewed the department’s revolving fund from July 1, 2009, through July 31, 2010, and found the state has been slow to collect millions of dollars in over- payments to employees for travel and salary advances. Of more than $6 million in advances, $4 million took longer than 60 days to collect. And $465,000 had been outstanding for more than three years. Martin Hoshino, under- secretary for the corrections See AUDIT, page 3A