Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/387874
TheAssociatedPress CARPINTERIA A Califor- nia woman is recovering from scratches, a bite and a broken rib after being at- tacked by a black bear that chased her dogs through an avocado grove. Emily Miles wa s clawed on the back and bitten in the upper thigh around noon Monday in a rural area about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Miles displayed long, red scratches on her back to KEYT-TV this week. "Looking at him, I knew he could kill me in an in- stant. He was probably 300 pounds and 6 feet tall, standing," she said. "He spared me, and I thank God he did." Wildlife experts have set traps in an attempt to catch the bear. Any an- imal captured will have its DNA compared to sam- ples left after the attack to determine whether it is the same bear. If it is the same bear, the animal will be killed and tested for ra- bies, said Janice Mickey, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. There had not been any previous reports of an ag- gressive bear in the area, which has a hiking trail, avocado orchards and for- est, Mickey said. There was "nothing to indicate that she was walk- ing into a dangerous area," Mickey said. Miles said she was tak- ing her daily walk through an orchard in Rincon Can- yon near her home, when her two dogs bolted out of the trees followed by the bear. Then the bear stood on its hind legs and began swinging its paws at her as she tried to defend her- self, she told KEYT-TV. Miles said she then tried to escape and ran toward a gate. "He took me down," she said. "He grabbed me, sunk his teeth into my thigh and knocked me down," causing her to break a rib. Miles went to a friend's home nearby and was treated at a hospital. The bear probably weighed 200 to 300 pounds and possibly was male but that detail won't be con- firmed until it is captured, Mickey said. WILDLIFE Californiawomanhurt in black bear attack By Nedra Pickler The Associated Press WASHINGTON Eric Holder, the nation's first black at- torney general and an un- flinching champion of civil rights in enforcing the na- tion's laws, is resigning af- ter leading the Justice De- partment for six years under President Barack Obama. The White House said Holder, the administra- tion's point man on the civil rights investigation into the police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, won't leave until a replacement is confirmed, which means he will remain in office for months. In a speech earlier this week, Holder described his dual personal per- spective on the Ferguson shooting, saying he had the utmost respect for po- lice as a former prosecu- tor and brother of an of- ficer. But, he added, "As an African-American man who has been stopped and searched by police in situ- ations where such actions were not warranted, I also carry with me an under- standing of the mistrust that some citizens harbor." Holder aggressively en- forced the Voting Rights Act, addressed drug-sen- tencing guidelines that led to disparities between white and black convicts, extended legal benefits to same-sex couples and re- fused to defend a law that allowed states to disregard gay marriages. His over- saw the determination to prosecute terror suspects in the U.S. civilian courts instead of at Guantanamo Bay and helped establish a legal rationale for lethal drone strikes on suspects overseas. He was a lightning rod for conservative critics and endured a succession of con- troversies over, among other things, an ultimately aban- doned plan to try terrorism suspects in New York City, a botched gun-running probe along the Southwest border that prompted Republican calls for his resignation, and what was seen as fail- ure to hold banks account- able for the economic near- meltdown. Holder and his wife are close personally to the Obamas, having recently vacationed together on Martha's Vineyard, and a Holder adviser said the at- torney general has been dis- cussing his departure with Obama for several months. A Justice Department offi- cial said Holder finalized his plans in a meeting with the president over the Labor Day weekend. White House officials said Obama had not made a final decision on a re- placement for Holder, who was one of the most liberal voices in his Cabinet. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said naming a new attorney general would be a high priority for the pres- ident. Some possible candidates that have been mentioned among administration of- ficials include Solicitor General Don Verrilli; Dep- uty U.S. Attorney General James Cole; White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler; Preet Bharara, the U.S. at- torney for the Southern Dis- trict of New York; Jenny Durkan, a former U.S. at- torney in Washington state, and Sen. Sheldon White- house, a former Rhode Is- land attorney general. Only three other attor- ney generals in U.S. history have served longer than the 63-year-old Holder. JUSTICE Ho ld er r es ig ni ng : AG b ro ug ht c ha ng e CHARLESDHARAPAK/THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE President Barack Obama meets with Attorney General Eric Holder regarding the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. The Associated Press PLACERVILLE Wet weather was helping firefighters gain control of a massive wildfire threatening thou- sands of homes in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Califor- nia, authorities said Thurs- day. The King Fire, burning east of Sacramento, grew slightly overnight to nearly 150 square miles. But con- tainment also increased and now tops 40 percent, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention. The rain will "will bring up the humidity, bring the flames down a little, and give the firefighters more opportunity to do more direct fire lines," CalFire spokesman Jerry Rohnert said. The rainy weather, which is much needed in drought- stricken California, was ex- pected to continue through Saturday. It should help contain the fire but could also lead to mudslides that could make firefighting more dangerous, Rohnert said. More than 8,000 fire- fighters, some coming from as far away as Alaska and Florida, were battling the blaze, which has destroyed 12 homes and threatens an- other 12,000 near the town of Pollock Pines. Wayne Allen Huntsman, 37, has been charged with starting the King Fire. He has pleaded not guilty to ar- son and remains in jail on $10 million bail The King Fire has be- come the second prici- est blaze in California this year, costing more than $50 million to fight since it be- gan nearly two weeks ago. The state spent more than $85 million fighting a fire in Klamath National Forest along the California-Oregon border. The blaze is one of nearly 5,000 wildfires in California this year, a 26 percent in- crease compared to an av- erage year of about 3,900. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Rain helps efforts to control huge fire MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Firefighters hold the line along a containment area while fighting the King Fire on Tuesday. In addition to 10,000 copies in print: Digital, interactive online edition, resident on www.redbluffdailynews.com. 80,000 visits per month. Visitors click through from ads, directly to advertisers' websites. Advertising Deadline: Friday, Oct. 3 Regular Haircut $ 2 00 off KWIK KUTS FamilyHairSalon 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT 20 % off withanychemicalserviceof $50 ormore Notgoodwithotheroffers Expires 9/30/14 With coupon Reg. $13.95 | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 6 A