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TUESDAY AUGUST 23, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Gristmills See Inside American Profile RED BLUFF Golf champs Sports 1B Sunny 100/64 Weather forecast 8B DAILYNEWS TEHAMACOUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Chancellors warn of midyear budget cuts SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — As the new school year begins, California's public colleges and universities are preparing for yet another round of state budget cuts that could lead to higher tuition and fewer classes, higher education leaders said Monday. The chancellors of California State University and California Community Colleges said their campuses are making plans to cope with midyear cuts that appear increasingly likely. In the state budget for the fis- cal year beginning July, the 23- campus CSU system lost $650 million, while the 112-campus community college system lost $400 million and raised fees from $26 to $36 per unit. The two systems will face more funding cuts in the middle of the academic year if state tax revenue falls below estimates, triggering automatic cuts to edu- cation and social services. Last week, State Controller John Chiang said tax revenue fell nearly $539 million below projections in July, pushing the state closer toward the so-called trigger cuts. ''The budget is the big ele- phant in the room that we all need to worry about going for- ward,'' said CSU Chancellor Charles Reed during a confer- ence call with reporters. ''I need to figure out how to manage what could be a midyear crisis.'' The Cal State system, which has 412,000 students, stands to lose an additional $100 million if the midyear cuts are triggered, which would likely result in fewer course sections, fewer instructors and larger class sizes, Reed said. Reed said he wants to avoid a midyear tuition increase because CSU students will already be paying more than 20 percent more this year than last School beat year. The community college sys- tem, which served 2.75 million students last year, would lose an additional $72 million and raise fees to $46 per unit midyear cuts are triggered. Campuses would be forced to further reduce course offerings and summer sessions, potential- ly turning away hundreds of thousands of students, Chancel- lor Jack Scott said. ''This is a tragedy for stu- dents, and this is a tragedy for the state of California that des- perately needs trained person- nel,'' Scott said. On a brighter note, the chan- cellors said Monday the two systems have made significant progress in implementing a new state law to make it easier for community college students to transfer to a CSU campus. So far the two systems have created 130 academic programs that will allow community col- lege students to transfer to a Cal State campus with junior status after earning a two-year associ- ate's degree in their major. ''Students are going to save time and money and will become workers in our work force more quickly,'' Scott said. DUI leads to fire, I-5 closure By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer A section of Interstate 5 was shut down and an 80-year- old Red Bluff woman was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Redding with major injuries after a collision about 4:35 p.m. Sunday that caused a fire. The incident started in southbound I-5 where Jennifer Marie Tirri, 27, of Red Bluff was driving south in the fast lane at an unknown speed that was more than 65 mph, said California Highway Patrol Officer Phillip Mackintosh. The other involved driver, Ethel Clay, was driving south about 65 mph in the slow lane in her 2007 Buick. As Tirri approached and began to overtake Clay north of Jellys Ferry Road, she moved into the slow lane, clipping Clay's Buick and sending it into a spin, Mackintosh said. The Buick spun into the center divider where it rolled over, coming to rest on its top, and started a grass fire in the center divider as it rolled, Mackintosh said. After realizing her car was no longer driveable, Tirri stopped her 2000 Acura on the right shoulder of southbound See DUI, page 7A Pair of stolen vehicles recovered over weekend By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Two stolen vehicles were recovered by local law enforce- Daily News photo by Tang Lor School resource officer Aaron Murray speaks with Red Bluff Union High School students dur- ing lunch time on Day 3 of his new position funded by the school district. By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Among the new faces at Red Bluff Union High School this school year is one that stands out from the others. Even if students have yet to rec- ognize the name or face, it is easy to acknowledge the uniform. School resource officer Aaron Murray started his new position the same day students returned to school Wednesday. While the Red Bluff Joint Union High School District has had a school resource officer for the last five years, this is the first year the district is paying for the position on its own. Previously the district used a School and Community Violence Prevention Grant to fund the posi- tion, Principal Patrick Gleason said. The grant expired in June and it was not refunded by the state. School board members faced a decision to eliminate the position or pull $80,000 from the district's general fund to cover the cost. The board decided the position was important enough to be funded. Murray, a Red Bluff High alum- nus, said things are different from when he was a student more than 20 years ago, but he likes the return to campus. See BEAT, page 7A ment over the weekend, including one in which the driver was arrested for DUI. Someone passing through the Corning area Sunday called in to report a possible DUI, which was passed on to California Highway Patrol, CHP Officer Phillip Mackintosh said. From there, a check was run on the license plate and it was learned that the vehicle, a silver 2000 Oldsmobile, had an active stolen report on it from Santa Clara County, Mack- intosh said. The vehicle was later spotted just after 8 p.m. Sunday by Corning Police in the Rolling Hills Casino parking lot and the driver, John Anders Sorenson, 57, was contacted. Sorenson was arrested by CHP and booked into Tehama County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle, driving under influence, having a blood alcohol content over .08 percent, See STOLEN, page 7A Red Bluff farm protected from development Special to the DN The Ohm family has been farming and ranch- ing in the Red Bluff area for more than a century. The family worked with the Northern California Regional Land Trust to create a permanent agri- cultural conservation easement on its 520 acre Home Place farm. "When we started this process, we discussed what we wanted to do as a family – not only my father and mother and wife, but also my kids, who've worked on the ranch," John Ohm said. "We wanted to protect this land for agriculture. I don't remember one member of our family objecting to this conserva- tion easement, and as we Photo courtesy of Northern California Regional Land Trust 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 continued along I found many members of our agricultural community supporting us in our endeavor. There are not enough words to show our appreciation for their sup- port. "This block we've pro- tected is a nice economic unit. A lot of the prime soil around here is being developed for non-agri- cultural use. All of our income is generated from our agricultural operation. We're on prime ground, and we're going to contin- ue to farm it." Funding to permanent- ly shield the property from development was provided by the Califor- nia Department of Con- servation's California Farmland Conservancy Program and the USDA Natural Resources Con- servation Service Farm and Ranch Lands Protec- tion Program. "Some of the best soils in the North Valley occur in central Tehama County and we couldn't be happi- er about permanently pro- tecting over 500 acres in the Proberta area where ranchette development and speculative buying of prime ag land have begun," said Jamison Watts, executive director of the Northern California Regional Land Trust. The farm is about three miles from the Red Bluff Sphere of Influence off See FARM, page 7A COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR Smog Inspection $ 2595 + cert. (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) Pass or FREE retest 195 S. Main St. Red Bluff 530 527-9841