Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/399187
O'Keefe said, noting that last month, Anthony Foxx, United States Secretary of Transportation, issued a pe- destrian and bicycle safety initiative. Safety issues with Solano Street's current four-lane configurationincludeprecar- ious curb side parking and pedestrians not being seen by motorists as they walk in crosswalks, city staff said. City Manager John Brewer said the proposed lane configuration could po- tentially eliminate what was called "double jeopardy" ac- cidents, which can occur when a motorist closest to the curb waits for a pedes- trian to cross in a crosswalk, but other motorists fail to yield because they can't see the pedestrian. "This is a design that im- proves safety for pedestri- ans, bicyclists and also driv- ers, because it takes away that double jeopardy situa- tion," O'Keefe said. Additionally, proposed curb side parking lanes and adjacent bicycle lanes could make it safer to exit and en- ter parked vehicles on Solano Street and encourage bicy- cling in downtown Corning. Brewer told council mem- bers that maintaining access todowntownbusinessesdur- ing construction will be a priority. "I think the critical thing we've touched on several times tonight is, What are we trying to do here? We're trying to improve conditions in our downtown," Brewer said. He added, "When we're working construction, let's not put anybody out of busi- ness while we're construct this better downtown." TheCityCouncilapproved the plans in a 4-0 vote. Coun- cilman Dave Linnet was ab- sent. Approved FROMPAGE1 eral million dollars for help with water supplies. The Yurok Tribe, located on a far Northern California reservation along the Klam- athRiver,andtheCoyoteVal- ley Rancheria in Mendocino County will receive $175,000 fordroughtcontingencyplans and to review whether utility rates should be increased to dissuade excess water use. Otherprojectstouchonthe consequences of the drought, suchastherestorationofwet- landsthataredryingupwith- out runoff and monitoring water for pollutants that can build up as flows reduce. Arizona is the biggest re- cipient of the grant money, at $19.5 million. Most of that is dedicated to water-related projects such as restoring watersheds, improving wa- ter and energy efficiency, and training plant operators. Nevada tribes will re- ceive $4.8 million, split be- tween water quality projects and broader environmen- tal programs. For example, the Shoshone Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley, with an esti- mated 2,300 members near the Idaho border, plans to install troughs to keep their livestockawayfromtribalwa- ter sources. Funding FROM PAGE 1 TheCorningCityCouncilonTuesdayapprovedengineeringplansforSolanoStreetimprovementsandbeautification.The project, which could begin construction next summer, would change a stretch of Solano Street from four lanes to three, including a median turn lane and bicycle lanes. TheAssociatedPress MODESTO A Central Cal- ifornia man has died af- ter he and his 77-year-old mother were mauled by a pack of pit bulls owned by his neighbors, sheriff's offi- cials said Wednesday. The 59-year-old man died of multiple traumatic inju- ries suffered in Tuesday's attack at his home in the city of Modesto, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Chris- tianson said. His mother re- mained hospitalized in crit- ical condition. Investigators determined that the dogs were owned by the victims' neighbors and got into the victims' yard through a common fence, Christianson said. He did not identify the own- ers. They have not been ar- rested, though Christianson said the investigation into the attack was continuing. "There is still a lot of work to do," he said. "We have to be able to finish the investigation to determine what happened that led up to this tragedy." To charge the dog own- ers criminally, Christianson said authorities would have to show they were negligent. Investigators will be looking to see whether the animals had any contact with animal control officers prior to the attack concerning bites or vicious behavior. A jury found a man guilty in August of second-degree murder after his pit bulls mauled a woman to death in the high desert town of Littlerock in Southern Cal- ifornia. Prosecutors argued that Alex Donald Jackson, 31, was not just negligent but also knew that his animals could endanger someone's life. Theypresentedevidencethat the dogs were involved in at least seven other altercations in the 18 months before the fatal attack on 63-year-old Pamela Devitt. Also in Southern Califor- nia, a pit bull mix was cut with a knife and hit with a shovel in South Los Ange- les by a person most likely acting in self-defense, police said this week. In Tuesday's mauling in Modesto, deputies respond- ing to several 911 calls found the59-year-oldmanbeingat- tacked by three pit bulls in thebackyardofhishomeand a fourth pit bull circling him. Deputies shot and killed two of the dogs. The other two ran off to an adjacent yard but were later shot to death when they charged deputies trying to capture them, sheriff's officials said. The mother was found in- side the home suffering from bite wounds and told depu- ties she, too, had been at- tacked by the dogs. Both victims, who were not identified, were taken to a hospital. MOTHER IN HOSPITAL Man attacked by pit bulls dies By Juliet Williams The Associated Press SACRAMENTO The Cali- fornia Supreme Court de- cided Wednesday not to consider an appeal of a case brought by opponents of the state's $68 billion bullet train project, clear- ing the way for construc- tion to proceed. The justices rejected a request for a hearing on a lower court ruling that allowed the nation's first high-speed rail project to proceed despite questions about whether it complies with promises made to voters when they approved it in 2008. Plaintiffs from the Cen- tral Valley argued in a pe- tition to the court last month that the 3rd District Court of Appeal's July rul- ing undercuts a century of legal precedent requiring the state to strictly comply with the intent of voters. Proposition 1A prom- ised voters that the state would identify funding for the first useable seg- ment of the rail line and that it would have neces- sary environmental clear- ances done before starting construction. The plaintiffs, Kings County and landowners in the Central Valley, success- fully argued in Sacramento County Superior Court that the state failed on both counts, identifying only $6 billion of the estimated $26 billion needed for the first 130-mile segment, and fail- ing to secure sufficient en- vironmental approvals. The court's decision not to hear the appeal "bodes poorly for all kinds of tax measures that go on the ballot because voters are going to say 'How do I know they're going to do this, how can I trust what they say?'" plaintiffs' attor- ney Stuart Flashman said Wednesday. Dan Richard, chairman of the board that oversees the high-speed rail project, said in a written statement that the state will move ag- gressively to build the sys- tem. $68 BILLION PROJECT California high court declines appeal of rail case The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Emer- gency room visits among the state's newly insured poor are high, but decline quickly after a year, accord- ing to a new study by the University of California. The research could offer hope to those who worry that the expansion of health coverage under the Afford- able Care Act will not ease emergency room crowding as President Barack Obama and others have predicted, the Los Angeles Times re- ported Wednesday (http:// lat.ms/1sfmPO0 ). Study author and UCLA professor Dr. Gerald Komin- ski told the newspaper the results are good news. Pa- tients' long-neglected health problems are being addressed during the first year, he said, and because of that there's a drop-off. Researchers at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Re- searchtrackedabout182,000 Californians who entered county-run programs for low-income residents be- tween 2011 and 2013. The programs were free or low- cost, and structured similar to Medi-Cal, California's ver- sion of Medicaid. The study showed that patients who hadn't had medical care or any kind of health coverage before enrolling visited the emer- gency room at a rate of 600 visits per 1,000 enrollees in the first three months after becoming insured. By con- trast, those who were al- ready receiving care or had coverage — and therefore presumably had fewer un- addressed health concerns before enrolling — visited the emergency room at a rate in the low hundreds, the Times said. The high usage dropped to 424 by the second quar- ter and 254 by the end of the first year, and then lev- eled off to a rate of 183 per 1,000 enrollees by the end of the second year, ac- cording to the research. Kominski said these find- ings should be encourag- ing for states seeking to ex- pand their Medicaid pro- grams because they prove that fears that the programs will bankrupt the state are unfounded. California expanded Medi-Cal in 2014 and en- rolled about 1.5 million newly eligible people. A Los Angeles Times analysis found that the proportion of emergency room patients in Los Angeles County covered by Medi-Cal grew from 32 percent in the first quarter of 2013 to 38 percent this year, and that emergency room visits in the county overall increased by about 1 percent in those first three months of expanded Obam- acare coverage. It's unclear whether ex- panding coverage alone will permanently reduce crowd- ing in emergency rooms, said Dr. Renee Hsia, an as- sociate professor of emer- gency medicine at Univer- sity of California, San Fran- cisco. UCLA RESEARCH Study offers hope on emergency room crowding PLEASERECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Thankyou! HARVELLA"ANNE"WHITEMAN November22,1937-October5,2014 Beloved wife and mother Harvella "Anne" Whiteman met her Lord in Glory on October 5, 2014 at the age of 76 after a lengthy illness. She was born in Little Rock, Arkan- sas on November 22, 1937 to Harvey and Anna Mae Elrod. As a child, Anne lived in Little Rock Arkansas, Ward Arkansas, Bell California, again in Little Rock Arkan- sas, and her family settled in Sepulveda when she was 12. She attended and graduated from San Fernando High School in 1955 and married the love of her life, Marvin Whiteman on June 25, 1955. The couple was blessed to have 59 wonderful years of marriage and had 3 children, Dave, Tom and Jamie. Anne and Marvin lived in the fol- lowing cities in Los Angeles County: Pacoima, San Fer- nando, Sylmar and Northridge, and retired to Tehama County in 1994 where they built their dream home in Red Bluff. Anne was Marvin's special angel from the time they began dating and they shared a deep spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. A woman of many talents, Anne worked in several fields including bookkeeping, and selling Tupperware. She attended LA Mission College where she was on the dean's honor roll and became a Real Estate Broker even- tually opening her own office in the San Fernando Valley, Genesis II. She went on to teach classes in real estate and additionally, she taught Oil Painting in both Southern Cal- ifornia and in Red Bluff, California. Anne had many ac- complishments and received many awards. She served as President of the Mission Hills Chamber of Commerce from 1990-1991 and was named "Outstanding Woman of the Community" in April of 1991. She was also named "Woman of the Year" for the San Fernando Valley. She served as a member of both the State Association of Real- tors of California and the National Association of Realtors for several years, and was a Director of the California Board of Realtors. She was active in the errors and omis- sions disclosure law for real estate. Her biggest passion in life was her husband, Marvin, but Anne was also a truly gifted artist. Her paintings have graced the walls of many homes, churches and business- es. She participated in many art shows, and was a cher- ished member of the Red Bluff Art Association. In addi- tion to all of these accomplishments, Anne enjoyed cro- cheting, writing, reading, photography, many other crafts and was an amazing designer of dresses. Her research in- to the genealogy of both her and Marvin's family was very extensive, and she even traveled to Salt Lake City to pursue information. Anne was known as a champion of the underdog who had a very loving, generous, Christian spirit. As a young woman she enjoyed camping, family vacations, traveling and discovering landmarks making friends wherever she went. With an infectious laugh and a wonderful sense of humor, Anne was a joy to be around. Parties for every occasion were a hallmark of who she was; Anne loved holidays and birthdays, bridal and baby showers. She was playful and occasionally played fun pranks on her friends and family. Anne will be missed by her loving husband, Marvin; their three children, Dave Whiteman, Thomas (former wife Donna) Whiteman, and Jamie (Evan) Brand; her 6 grandchildren, Phillip (Sherry) Whiteman, Nathaniel (Jessilyn) Whiteman, Keith Whiteman, Matthew (Deana) Brand, Aislinn Brand, and Miranda Brand; and her 3 great grandchildren, Ethan Whiteman, Aiden Brand, and Chris- topher Whiteman. She is preceded in death by her father, Harvey Elrod, her mother, Anna Mae Elrod, and her brother, Jimmy Elrod. Visitation will be Friday October 17, 2014 from 5 to 8 pm at Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers. Services will be held Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 11:00 am at North Val- ley Baptist Church in Red Bluff, the number is 530-527- 0543. Pastor Scott Camp will be delivering the Eulogy and Pastor Dave Lamberson will be ministering. A light lunch celebration of life at North Valley Baptist Church will fol- low the service, then a graveside service at Oak Hill Cem- etery in Red Bluff, in the "Garden" section. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers Mortuary is handling the arrangements. Obituaries THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 7 A