Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/373084
ByRichGreene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter RED BLUFF A Red Bluff Union High School cheerleader has earned an opportunity to per- form in London, England on New Year's Day 2015, but she's hoping for some community support to make the adventure happen. Kaylee Houchins, a 16-year-old junior, was invited to perform in the London parade after being se- lected at a cheerleader camp in Anaheim earlier this year. The cheerleaders are chosen based on their superior cheering skills at Varsity Brands camps across the country. Each year Varsity Brands trains around 325,000 cheerleaders at 5,000 camp sessions, but only the top 12 percent of cheerlead- FUNDRAISER Cheerleader earns spot in London parade By Andre Byik abyik@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter RED BLUFF Growth in auto and transportation sales contributed to a 4.7 percent increase in the city of Red Bluff's sales tax reve- nue from January through March compared to the same period last year, according to a report pre- sented to the City Council earlier this month. Sandy Ryan, the city's finance director, presented the report from HdL Companies to council members Aug. 19, and said actual sales activity for the period also increased 2.6 percent compared to last year. "A strong sales quarter from autos and transportation was largely responsible for the over- all gain," according to the re- port. "Growth from restaurants, including quick service eater- RED BLUFF Sales tax revenue up 4.7 percent Strongautoand transportation sales contribute to gains By Rich Greene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter RED BLUFF Five Redding men were cited during a recent Cali- fornia Contractors State License Board sting operation that took place at a Red Bluff commercial building Tuesday. The sting operation was done with the assistance of the Tehama County District Attorney's Office. Posing as property owners the State License Board's Statewide Investigative Fraud Team called a list of potential suspects to find out whether they were interested in bidding on projects that in- cluded painting, drywall, con- crete, landscaping and tile work. Most of the contacts were found through ads posted on craigslist.org. "Our SWIFT teams conduct stings throughout the state each week to catch unlicensed, unin- sured operators (to keep them) from taking advantage of prop- erty owners," Registrar Steve Sands said. "Homeowners should never use unlicensed people for their projects — these individuals have not passed trade or business examinations, nor undergone a criminal background check." A state contractor's license is required for work that totals more than $500. Bids at the sting ranged from $2,000 to $6,500, violating the project limit of $500 in combined labor and material costs. Steven Cole Pine, Devin Patrick Morrissey, Clifford Jay Markhart, Andrew James Frasure and Jose Pedro Pascual were each cited with a misdemeanor charge of contracting without a license. Pine, Markhart, Frasure and Pascual received additional cita- tions for illegal advertising. State law requires contrac- tors to place their license num- ber in all print, broadcast and on- line advertisements. Contractors without a license can advertise for jobs valued at less than $500, but their advertisement must state that they are not a licensed con- tractor. The suspects are scheduled to appear in Tehama County Supe- rior Court Oct. 7. CONSUMER WATCH Fivecontractorscitedinsting By Andre Byik abyik@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter RED BLUFF The city of Red Bluff on Thursday reeled in a nearly $1 million grant from the state for a new boat launch facility. The state Wildlife Conserva- tion Board at its quarterly meet- ing in Sacramento approved a $970,000 grant for the boat launch facility at River Park here. The grant complements a pre- viously approved $1.77 million grant from the California Boat- ing and Waterways Commission for the boat launch project, which will include two new 15-foot wide lanes, additional parking, new re- strooms, picnic areas and pedes- trian paths closer to the Sacra- mento River's edge, according to the city. The boat launch facility proj- ect, which was approved by the City Council on Aug. 19 along with an environmental study for the project, will provide access to the river by a two-lane, 200-foot long access road "through the grass area of the park, replacing the existing boat ramp that for- merly provided boating access to Lake Red Bluff." The existing boat launch at River Park has been unusable since 2011, when the gates of the RedBluffDiversionDamwereper- manently raised by court order. "With the ramp now out of the water, the only way to get a boat into the water is to drive onto the exposed gravel bar," according to the Wildlife Conservation Board. "As such, boat launching at the ex- istingsiteislimitedtoboaterswho are wiling and able to launch in loosegravelusingfour-wheel-drive vehicles and light weight boats." According to the Wildlife Con- servation Board, funding for the project is estimated to total about $2.87 million, of which about $134,00wouldcomefromthecity. City officials have previously saidthat,optimistically,construc- tion on the new boat launch facil- ity could begin next summer. The portion of the Sacramento River near River Park "supports some of the best fishing on the river and the Red Bluff River Park facility was the primary angler access" to the river for the region, according to the Wildlife Conser- vation Board. It added: "Histor- ically, boating access at the Red Bluff River Park exceeded 10,000 launches annually, and the num- ber of launches is expected to more than double once the new facility is constructed because it will be open all year long." The new boat launch facil- ity is known as "Phase 2" of boat launch projects pursued by the city at River Park. The first phase, a temporary boat launch at the existing facility for porta- ble watercraft such as kayaks, still must be given the go-ahead by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Funding for the first phase of the project has been avail- able, and city officials have said construction could start shortly after a potential ap- proval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. RED BLUFF $1M GRANT RECEIVED FOR BOAT LAUNCH FACILITY Facility to include new 2-lane boat ramp at River Park PHOTOSBYANDREBYIK—REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS The state Wildlife Conservation Board on Thursday approved a $970,000grant to the city of Red Bluff for a new boat launch facility at River Park. Larry Osborn of Red Bluff hauls his 14-foot Valco boat from the Sacramento River at River Park in Red Bluff on Friday. Community.....A3 Opinion............A4 Lifestyles........A5 Farm ................A8 Sports.............. B1 Faith ................B4 Index............... ## INDEX The Toughest Crawl in Town takes place Wednesday night hosted by the Red Bluff Derby Girls. PAGEA5 LIFESTYLES RollerDerbygirlsto host downtown crawl The Lady Cardinals started the season with a win by defeating neighboring Los Molinos Thursday. PAGE B1 SPORTS Corning beats LosMo in volleyball match Drought pushes California leaders to overhaul "pump-as- you-please" policy with new restrictions. PAGE A10 SACRAMENTO Groundwater rules headed to governor With executive action possibly not forthcoming, both parties reassess strategies ahead of midterm elections. PAGE B8 POLITICS Obama throws curveball with immigration delay STING PAGE 9 TAX PAGE 9 LONDON PAGE 9 » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, August 30, 2014 $1.00 AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD 7 98304 20753 8 Volume129,issue201 Today's web bonus Spartan football. redbluffdailynews.com JEAN BARTON 64 cra beers set for Beef 'n Brew Farm A8 SRDC End of summer report issued Lifestyles A5 FORECAST High: 96 Low: 64 A10 Grow?Ranchorride? Readaboutlocalandnational Ag, rural, ranch and rodeo news and commentary. 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