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ByTerryCollins TheAssociatedPress SAN FRANCISCO Asearch team continued to scour through rugged terrain Monday for a mountain lion that attacked a 6-year- old Northern California boy, officials said. Hiking trails remained closed as the team includ- ing two game wardens, a federal tracker and at least four dogs searched for the lion in humid conditions, said California Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife Lt. Patrick Foy. After calling off Sun- day's search at dusk, the team spent overnight at the site of the attack hop- ing the lion would return. Authorities opted for a smaller search crew to in- crease its probability of tracking down the animal though fresh scents and prints, Foy said. "We'veintentionallymin- imized the team to elim- inate any scent and track contamination in order to find this animal who we believe is a threat to public safety," Foy said. "We will be here for as long as it takes." The injured boy spent overnight at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and was released to his parents Monday morning, hospital spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said. The boy's name has not been released. The boy suffered bite wounds and scratches on his head and neck while hiking with his family and others Sunday at the Pic- chetti Ranch Open Space Preserve near the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Searchresumesfor cougar that attacked boy By Paul Elias The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO A federal court hearing over gay mar- riage bans in Idaho, Nevada and Hawaii began Monday with a lawyer defending the state of Idaho's ban fac- ing tough questions from a judge on the panel. Attorney Monte Neil Stewart told the three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in San Francisco that same-sex marriage would undermine children's right to be raised by a father and mother. Same-sex marriage would undercut the mes- sage that a man who fathers a child should get in a re- lationship with the female mother, Stewart said. "This is a contest between two different messages," he said. "The message of man- woman marriage is: 'Men, you are important in the upbringing of the children you bring into this world. Women, you are important in the upbringing of chil- dren you bring into this world.' Genderless marriage does not send that message." Judge Marsha Berzon questioned how gay mar- riage differed from the current model of marriage, which she called "gender- less." Berzon said that with gay marriages occurring, "the train has already left the station." Deborah Ferguson, an attorney representing gay marriage supporters op- posed to Idaho's ban, said children of same-sex cou- ples don't have the same protections as children of heterosexual couples. "(They) don't have two legal parents to protect them," she said. "That is sending a powerful mes- sage. That tells those chil- dren that their parents' marriages aren't worthy of respect. That's a very harsh message." The court was next ex- pected to hear arguments next over Nevada and Ha- waii's bans. The panel has allotted a combined two hours for three sets of ar- guments Monday. The hearing is the first time since it declared Cal- ifornia's gay marriage ban unconstitutional that the 9th Circuit is hearing argu- ments over same-sex wed- dings in a political and legal climate that's vastly differ- ent than when it overturned Proposition 8 in 2012. State and federal court judges have been striking down bans in more than a dozen states at a rapid rate since a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year. "It seemed like such an uphill battle when I started," said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. "I really couldn't imagine then that we would be where we are now." Minter has been fight- ing for gay marriage for 21 years, was instrumental in challenging bans in Califor- nia and Utah and is repre- senting gay couples seeking to overturn Idaho's prohibi- tion. The 9th Circuit in 2012 invalidated Proposition 8 because it singled out a mi- nority group for disparate treatment for no compel- ling reason. The U.S. Su- preme Court dismissed the case last year without rul- ing on the legal merits of gay marriage. The numerous gay mar- riage rulings in recent months, including one by the federal appeals court in Chicago rejecting bans in Wisconsin and Indi- ana and another by a fed- eral judge affirming Louisi- ana's law, have raised pres- sure on the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the issue. Last week, 15 states that allow gay marriage and 17 that don't asked the high court to weigh in. "Until all 50 states get on board, it's a legal battle from state to state," said Tara Newberry, one of the plaintiffs in the Nevada case, who wants to marry her longtime partner. The pro-gay marriage rulings have used the ratio- nale the Supreme Court em- ployed in June 2013 when it invalidated the core of the Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as only between a man and a woman for determining federal benefits. That rul- ing led to an explosion of litigation. Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., now al- low gay marriages. Supporters of the bans in the three states before the 9th Circuit argue that state governments have an interest in promoting mar- riage between a man and a woman, which they say is optimal for childrearing. Opponents say there is no data supporting the chil- drearing contention, and they argue that the mar- riage prohibitions are un- constitutional violations of equal-protection rights. COURT Hearing over gay marriage laws underway MARCIOJOSESANCHEZ—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Gay rights advocates Stuart Gaffney, at le , and John Lewis, with the group Marriage Equality USA, wait to enter a hearing on the issue of gay marriage outside of the U.S. Ninth District Court of Appeals on Monday in San Francisco. The Associated Press YOSEMITENATIONALPARK Crews battling a wild- fire in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park that forced the he- licopter evacuation of 85 park visitors were expecting to get some help from the weather on Monday. The forecast called for calm winds and rel- atively high humidity, park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said. The fire had burned through about 4 square miles as of Mon- day morning, up from about a square mile the previous night. Park of- ficials attributed some of the increase to better mapping. The fire burning in steep and rugged terrain was not threatening any structures, and the park remained open. It did, however, force the closure of trails near Yosemite's iconic Half Dome peak, where the park allows 300 hikers each day, as well as a nearby campsite. The visitors who were evacuated on Sunday in- cluded hikers who had climbed Half Dome, which rises nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Val- ley. Cobb said officials were confident they had pulled out everyone in danger out, but they would continue to look for anyone left behind. The 4-square-mile blaze may have started as a spot fire sparked by embers from a lightning- caused blaze that started several weeks ago be- tween Little Yosemite Valley and Half Dome, officials said. Firefight- ers had monitored and controlled that fire be- fore winds and temper- atures increased on Sun- day. About 15 miles south- west of the park, mean- while, firefighters were slowly gaining the upper hand on a wildfire near the town of Mariposa. BLAZE Yosemite wildfire gets bigger By Juliet Williams The Associated Press SACRAMENTO Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneg- ger made a rare political appearance on Monday in Sacramento to promote California's fight against cli- mate change and to attend a ceremony to unveil his of- ficial portrait as governor. Nearly four years after the Republican left office, his USC Schwarzenegger Institute was hosting the climate symposium that also featured Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat. The seminar, titled "Les- sons from California," high- lighted the state's aggres- sive efforts to tackle issues such as reducing carbon emissions. "While the politicians in Washington can't get any- thing done because of be- ing stuck in these ideologi- cal foxholes, we here in Cal- ifornia have two governors from two different parties, together in the same room fighting for the same green energy future," Schwar- zenegger said at the summit. Organizers are using the state's policies to prompt further action ahead of United Nations climate- change conferences in Peru and Paris. "Countries and regions need to learn from the many successful initiatives pioneered in California and elsewhere," Secretary-Gen- eral Ban Ki-moon wrote in a welcome message to those meeting in Sacramento. During his tenure, Schwarzenegger signed California's landmark 2006 global-warming law, called AB32, which paved the way for the state's cap-and- trade system for control- ling greenhouse-gas emis- sions by the worst polluters. Monday's gathering, at a 250-seat auditorium at the headquarters of the Cali- fornia Environmental Pro- tection Agency, featured re- search experts, businesses executives from Apple Inc. and UPS Inc., as well as ac- tor-activist Ed Begley Jr. "In California we don't have to choose between the economy and the envi- ronment," Schwarzenegger said. "We know the opposite is true. Protecting the en- vironment builds a strong, sustainable economy for the future. We also know that doing nothing will cost us a fortune down the line." He cited costs that in- cluded state infrastructure that could allow flooding because of higher temper- atures, increased heat- and pollution-related deaths, and a never-ending wild- fire season that stretches state budgets. Later in the day, Schwar- zenegger headed to the Cap- itol rotunda for the unveil- ing of his portrait. It will eventually hang on the third floor of the building next to the portrait of his recalled predecessor, Gray Davis. SACRAMENTO Schwarzenegger back at the capital RICH PEDRONCELLI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses global warming while speaking at a symposium on California's landmark 2006global warming law in Sacramento on Monday. The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Moisture from former Hurricane Norbert streamed through Southern California on Monday, flooding roads and highways and leaving doz- ens of cars stranded — some in knee-high water — in in- land and desert areas. Rescue crews answered more than 40 flood-related calls about stranded cars during the morning com- mute in the La Quinta and Indian Wells areas near Palm Springs, Riverside County fire spokeswoman Jody Hagemann said. No injuries were reported. "We're trying to get the message across to turn around and don't drown," Hagemann said. Numerous cars got stuck in high water on roads north and south of Inter- state 10 in Coachella Valley, said Mike Radford, public information officer for the Indio CHP office. Varner Road, paralleling the interstate, was among the most serious problems. "It was a river in some spots," Radford said. Thousand Palms was an- other trouble spot. "That whole place was under water with mud and debris everywhere," he said. Roadway flooding was also reported in the Mojave Desert near Barstow. Raindrops — rare amid a historic statewide drought — made a brief appearance and dampened dried-out Los Angeles. STORM Fl ooding, stuck cars in Southern California BenjaminArthurLaMontagne November 5, 1937 - September 4, 2014 Benjamin Arthur LaMontagne passed away September 4, 2014. He was born to Arthur and Elizabeth LaMontagne in Marysville, California, November 5, 1937. As a boy, he loved hunting, fishing and observing wildlife. As a high school student, he won several state and local awards in F.F.A. organized contests. As a junior, he went to New Orleans, Louisiana, placed 27th out of several hundred students in vegetable crops judging. As a senior, he received the Bank of America Award in art. He gradu- ated from Sutter High School in Sutter City, California in 1956. After high school, Ben entered Yuba Junior College in Marysville, majoring in art. He graduated in 1958 and went to work for California Fish and Game doing Pheas- ant research. In 1959, Ben joined the United States Navy and was trained as an electrician. He spent three of four years in the Navy in the Far East, serving in the Philip- pines, Japan and Hong Kong. After the Navy, Ben re- turned to college and majored in art and industrial art at the University of California at Chico, graduating in 1970. During this time he met Carole Jean Lasley and they were married in 1968. After college he went to work for San Jaun Unified School District teaching Crafts and Electronics at Encina High School. IN 1980, he was transferred to Mira Loma High School, where he taught until retirement in 1998. Ben's greatest pride was his wife, Carole, their two chil- dren, Jason and daughter-in-law April, Kristie and son-in- law Sunil and the six grandchildren Kelly, Alison, Karly, Aliza, Autum and Austin. A private gathering will be held at a later date. Joseph Francis Dominick August 18, 1923 - September 3, 2014 Long-time Red Bluff resident Joseph Francis Dominick died September 3, 2014 at his home with his loving wife of 68 years at his bedside. Joe was born on August 18, 1923 and raised in a close- knit family of 4 sisters and 1 brother in Cicero, IL. After high school, he enlisted in the US Army and subsequently served in World War II under General George Patton. He was a member of the Army's 3rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Division in Germany and was awarded the Purple Heart. His time in the War gave birth to his role as a skillful storyteller, a role he relished, even as his health waned. Upon discharge from the service, Joe married his sister's best friend, Lorraine Gaspar in 1946. They relocated to Southern California where they built their family eventual- ly heading north where they lived the past 51 years in Red Bluff. Joe's work history was as diverse and varied as his stories, working all sorts of different jobs from gas sta- tion attendant to traveling salesman to running a roadside fruit stand. Family was everything to Joe and he and Lor- raine loved raising their 2 sons and 1 daughter. He was genuinely interested in, and proud of, his children, grand- children, and great grandchildren and often bragged about them to all that would listen. Joe was blessed with ô ama zing ô jujitsu moves, which both delighted and frustrated his grandchildren to no end. He spent a lot of his retirement playing pinochle with friends at home and the Senior Center, where he ate his daily lunch. Joe loved a good debate, especially about politics. He was quick to challenge others to see a different point of view and to understand it even if you didn't agree. Aside from his tendency to tease and chide, Joe was a gentle soul who would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. He was a churchgoer, strong in his faith, but ac- cepting of those outside of it. He was progressive before his time, and valued human equality, regardless of age, gender, race or sexual orientation. Joseph is survived by his adoring and grateful children Mary and Bill Treat, Joseph Francis III and Missy Domi- nick, and Michael and Mary Dominick; his 13 grandchil- dren: Tammy, Scott, Tosha, Nick & G ary Treat, Joseph (JD) Dominick IV, Coby Lyons, Shaun Slaughenhaupt, Tessa O'Connor, Maddy Dominick, Bo Birdsong, Michael Dominick II, and Casey Dominick, his 14 great- grandchildren; and cousins, nieces, nephews too numer- ous to count. He is also survived by his sisters Edna Cadena, Dorothy Russell, Mary Lou Sauvé, and brother Robert Dominick. Preceded in death by sister Florence Downey. Funeral Services will be held Tuesday September 9 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 1pm with a reception im- mediately following at the Parish Hall (2355 Monroe St.). In lieu of flowers donations can be made to: St. Eliza- beth's Hospice, 1425 Vista Way, Red Bluff CA 96080. Obituaries TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 7 A