Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/399187
ByFenitNirappil TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO » The U.S. Envi- ronmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced $43 mil- lion for Native American environ- mental projects in Arizona, Cal- ifornia and Nevada, including ones that respond to drought as extremely dry conditions persist across large swaths of the South- west. Tribes stand to receive money for a variety of needs, including cleaning open dumps, establish- ing waste-water systems, and improving community outreach and educational programs. The annual funding is distributed among 148 tribes with territories that make up half the land in In- dian Country. "In many cases, they're poor, rural communities, and those communities don't have a lot of capacity for infrastructure," EPA regional administrator Jared Blumenfeld told The Associated Press. "In some cases, you go to the tribes and the only paid peo- ple are the environmental folks." The funding announcement ac- companied the start of a three- day tribal EPA conference in Sac- ramento. Native American com- munities must abide by certain federal environmental regula- tions, but local leaders say they of- ten lack money and technical ex- pertise to meet their obligations. The problems have been aggra- vated by a three-year drought in California, where 44 tribes are in danger of running out of water in the next six months, Blumen- feld said. He said California Native American communities have been scrambling to adapt to dry con- ditions compared with tribes in other Western states. The $18.8 million in California grants an- nounced Wednesday includes sev- ENVIRONMENTAL GRANT EPAannounces$43millionforNativeAmericantribesinSouthwest WILLOWS » Mendocino National Forest Supervisor Sherry Tune, whose job includes overseeing the Red Bluff Recreation Area, has ac- cepted a new position in Pennsyl- vania. Tune has accepted the job of forest supervisor of the Allegheny National Forest, according to a US Department of Agriculture press release issued Wednesday. Tune had served as Mendocino Forest Supervisor since February 2012. She was the first woman to hold the position. "I have truly enjoyed my time on the Mendocino National For- est, working with the exceptional employees here and meeting so many of the partners, local offi- cials and neighbors with an in- terest in their National Forest," Tune said. "I will miss California and the unique experiences that made every day here rewarding." During her tenure on the Men- docino, Tune initiated FireScape Mendocino, a collaborative en- deavor in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. The project is intended to guide ecological restoration, includ- ing hazardous fuels reduction, at a landscape scale and across boundaries. Recently FireScape Mendocino completed its fourth public work- shop and the fifth is anticipated to be held in January. The Red Bluff Recreation Area is managed by the Mendocino Na- tional Forest. MENDOCINO FOREST Supervisor moving to new job By Andre Byik abyik@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter CORNING » The City Council on Tuesday approved engineering plans for the Solano Street im- provement and beautification project, which city officials say would improve traffic and pe- destrian safety and attract visi- tors and merchants to downtown Corning. The Solano Streetscape Traffic Enhancement Project would re- configure traffic lanes from four lanes to three with a median turn lane, add two bicycle lanes, curb side parking lanes, new side- walks, crosswalks, trees, street lights and other decorative im- provements. Improvements on Solano Street are planned from Third Street through the West Street intersec- tion, according to city plans, and the project could begin construc- tion in the summer of 2015. The project has been in the works for years, and project's roughly $2.2 million price tag has been included in Tehama Coun- ty's State Transportation Im- provement Program (STIP) and would be allocated through the California Transportation Com- mission, according to city staff. Tuesday's City Council approval paves the way for the state Trans- portation Commission to allocate construction money for the proj- ect after Jan. 1, 2015, according to city staff. Barbara O'Keefe, Tehama County's deputy director of trans- portation for the transportation commission and transit agency, told the City Council on Tuesday that its timing "couldn't be bet- ter" to tap into funding for the project, which city staff said has remained in the county's long range STIP. "Corning is ahead of the pack as far as all of Tehama County," CORNING SolanoStreetplansapproved Constructioncouldbegininsummer2015,citystaffsays The Dairyville Orchard Fes- tival promises to be filled with great food, music, children's ac- tivities, exhibits and local pro- duce. Set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat- urday at Lassen View Elemen- tary School, the festival is a fun- draiser for scholarships in the community. In 16 years, the fes- tival has raised and awarded $157,700 in scholarships. The event is a celebration of the local harvest season, allow- ing Dairyville residents an op- portunity to share the area and produce with all who attend. A highlight of the festival is the Dairyville Orchard Fes- tival Marketplace — the huge tent in the middle of the event — where festival attendees can taste and buy local walnuts, al- monds, dried plums, pecans and pistachios. Visitors can also sample sea- soned nuts, Walnettos, Jordan almonds, Sunbursts, local olive oils and Dairyville Chocolate Dipped Prunes. Plan to shop early as the ven- dors always run out of the thou- sands of pounds of product they prepare for the day. Nuts and candies are available in bulk and in packaging for gift. Other festival activities in- clude live entertainment, lil' farmers' corner, annual T-shirts, unique arts and crafts with more than 60 vendors, a huge display of antique tractors and orchard equipment, food, raffles and silent auction and local pro- duce. The Tehama County Farm Bu- reau will hold the weigh-off at 12:30 p.m. for its 4th Annual Gi- ant Pumpkin Contest. There is no entry or parking fee. Pets and smoking are not al- lowed on school grounds. DAIRYVILLE ORCHARD FESTIVAL SET FOR SATURDAY COURTESYPHOTO Join the Tehama County Farm Bureau at 12:30p.m. Saturday for the 4th Annual Giant Pumpkin Contest weigh-off during the Dairyville Orchard Festival. Community.....A3 Sports.............. B1 Life...................A4 Opinion............A6 Comics ............B6 A + E ................A5 Weather ..........A8 INDEX The Red Bluff High School homecoming festivities begin with Friday's 2p.m. rally followed by parade. PAGEA3 RED BLUFF HOMECOMING Homecomingrally, parade and game Friday The NAL title and a home field playoff game could be on the line as Corning hosts visiting Lassen Friday. PAGE B1 WEEK 7 PREVIEWS Corning hosts Lassen in Game of the Week Gay marriage arrived in Idaho on Wednesday as more than 100couples gathered at the Boise courthouse. PAGE B4 COURT FILINGS Gay marriage hits conservative Idaho The Ebola crisis in the U.S. took another alarming turn with word that a second nurse caught the disease PAGE B3 FLEW ON PLANE Second health worker tests positive for Ebola "I will miss California and the unique experiences that made every day here rewarding." — Sherry Tune, supervisor of the Mendocino National Forest. APPROVED » PAGE 7 FUNDING » PAGE 7 » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, October 16, 2014 50CENTS AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD 7 58551 69001 9 Volume129,issue235 Good morning, thanks for subscribing » Ralph Spangle ART Display set for Orchard Festival A+E » A5 QUILTERS Opportunity quilt raffle tickets to be for sale Lifestyles » A4 FORECAST High: 74 Low: 52 » A8 FollowtheDailyNews on Twitter to keep pace with breaking news and events @REDBLUFFNEWS FOLLOWUS ONTWITTER