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THURSDAY AUGUST 25, 2011 Breaking news at: Perfecting the Art of Peaches Jadda Miller www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 5B RED BLUFF Bulldog Camp SPORTS 1B Sunny 97/66 Weather forecast 8B Process eased for property taxes Streamlining the process of paying property taxes, Tehama County Supervisors unani- mously approved a resolution Tuesday that will allow refunds to be counted against what is owed. Property values must be reassessed when there is a change of ownership or sale, said Treasurer and Tax Collec- tor Dana Hollmer. When a new assessment shows a decrease in the value of a property, the law states that the home owner must be reimbursed for the difference, See TAXES, page 7A National Guard head removed from service SACRAMENTO (AP) — The California National Guard has removed its former head from active service following allegations that he collected tens of thousands of dollars in improper double-dip earnings. The Sacramento Bee reports that General William Wade II was transferred to the Guard's retired list on Wednesday. In a statement, current Guard Adjutant Gen- eral David Baldwin said the Guard's soldiers and airmen were ''best served'' by the decision although he did not elaborate. State officials are demand- ing Wade pay back more than $80,000 in alleged improper pay he earned during part of his tenure as California National Guard adjutant gen- eral. The demand came after an investigation by the Sacra- mento Bee found Wade col- lected two days of pay for one day of service in excess of state limits. Wade has said as adjutant general, the state rules did not apply to him. Daily News file photo Lake Red Bluff drained for the final time By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer The final days to enjoy Lake Red Bluff are getting closer with the last full day of the lake being Wednesday. In June, the gates of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam were lowered for the last time allowing for two and half months of recreation on the lake this summer. Come Thursday morning the gates will be raised for the last time. Once up, the gates will be pinned in place per- manently, said Pete Lucero, spokesman for the Bureau of Reclamation. While the dam will no longer be in use, there are no plans to remove the structure. "All 11 gates will be retired in the up position and will not come down again," Lucero said. Losing the lake is a huge disappointment for kayakers Richard and Toni Winter. The Manton couple make the drive to Red Bluff two or three times a week specifically for kayaking on the lake. When the lake was year-round they were here all the time, as they kayak at all times of the year, they said. Now they are just trying to spend as much time on the lake as they can before it is Crews slowed by heat in attacking Calif. rail fire LINCOLN (AP) — Firefighters began mak- ing a bold attempt Wednesday to drain a burning propane rail tanker but the process to head off a catastrophic explosion was slowed by the fire's intense heat. The rail blaze kept thousands of people away from their homes for a second day. Lincoln Fire Chief Dave Whitt said crews had hoped to start draining the propane from the tanker into a newly dug retain- ing hole at around 5 p.m., but he said the process was slowed by the fire. ''They can only work half an hour at a time,'' he said. Red Bluff Outdoor Power Whitt said the city decided to attempt drain- ing the tanker after con- sulting with members of a national response team from Houston, who were flown in overnight to offer advice to authori- ties in the Sacramento suburb of Lincoln. Fire officials said the maneu- ver could get the blaze under control in 24 to 48 hours, rather than let the blaze burn for up to 21 days. Officials were trying to head off the potential failure of the 29,000-gal- lon tank. A buildup of heat could lead to an explosion that Whitt compared to a ''small thermal nuclear bomb'' that produces a fireball several hundred yards wide. An explosion also could throw metal shards up to a mile away. Offi- cials on Tuesday ordered mandatory evacuations within a one-mile radius. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See FIRE, page 7A gone for good. "Taking the lake away is like giving kayakers a kick in the ass," Toni Winter said. Without the lake they will have to go to Whiskeytown Lake, a much longer drive. Plus they lament the lost of financial support for the local economy. When they are here, they buy gas and gro- ceries. They especially enjoy the Wednesday night Farmers Market. While Toni is all for saving the fish, she said more could have been done to save the lake. "If the fish aren't getting through, fix the prob- lem not build this mess that's going on down there," she said, referring to the construction site of a pumping plant that will take over dam oper- ation. Bureau officials are treating this as the last time the dam gates will be operated even though final retirement of the gates is contingent on the completion of the pumping plant. The deadline for completion and to get the plant running is May 2012. "For all intents and purposes, this is the last hurrah for Lake Red Bluff," said Paul Freeman, the division chief and facility manager of the Bureau of Reclamation's Red Bluff Field Office. While the gates are being raised, those on the lake and Sacramento River are advised to stay clear of the gates and abide by all posted rules regarding keeping a safe distance from the gates. See LAKE, page 7A DAILYNEWS Liquid dated 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 Corning gets new dispatch system By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING —The City Coun- cil Tuesday approved purchasing a new computer aided dispatch (CAD) system and network server for the Corning Police Depart- ment. The item, which comes from money already set aside for the department, will be less than the budgeted amount. The city budgeted about $41,700 for both and the quote submitted by Sun Ridge Systems, Inc., which includes a one time cost of $13,300 for the server, is for $39,700. The lease for the equipment will be a seven-year agreement for the price of about $26,400 a year, said Police Chief Tony Cardenas. "We looked at the same system several years ago, as have several other agencies," Cardenas said. "We just had to find the funding. As it is, we're crashing." The new system will do every- thing the former system is sup- posed to do with the exception of the in-car mobile data system, which did not work effectively with the Law Enforcement Agency Database System the department uses, Cardenas said. The LEADS system was pur- chased 16 years ago, he said. "Red Bluff Police and the Tehama County Sheriff's Depart- ment are exploring possible fund- ing for the purchase and lease of RIMS," Cardenas said. "The bene- fits will be that we have a system that performs as it is intended and is compatible with new technolo- gy." The system will include a prop- erty and evidence room software package and a media and resident access software package, some- thing that was included in the LEADS system, he said. Another advantage of the RIMS system is that it has software avail- able for purchase that would allow See CORNING, page 7A Sprucing up the sheriff's office By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Sheriff Dave Hencratt put to work inmate crews to repaint the Tehama County Sheriff's Office, sticking to his campaign promises to save the coun- ty money. The project was com- pleted Tuesday and cost the county less than $4,000. A crew of six inmates worked with the sheriff's maintenance technician, Brent Forward, over the past two weeks transform- ing the building's appear- ance. The faded blue stripes wrapping around the build- ing were replaced with vivid green. Signs were cleaned and polished and the word "SHERIFF" was added in bright white, tall letters on each end of the building. Hencratt said he wanted the building to be clearly marked. Some people still didn't know where the offices are even though they have been at the corner of Highway 36E and Antelope Boule- vard for several years, Hen- cratt said. He also wanted to pro- ject civic pride, he said. Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner Making the name clear to see, Sheriff Dave Hencratt used inmate work crews to repaint the Tehama County Sheriff's Office on Ante- lope Boulevard. Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said he is pleased with the outcome. "We have had nothing but compliments from citi- zens and staff about our new look," Johnston said. "It was very refreshing to see inmate workers taking pride in their accomplish- ment, as well." The painting project, including the cost of mate- rials and sign work, totaled $3,585.83, Johnston said. The next step is working with the road department to fix-up the sheriff's parking lot, he said. The sheriff's office is at 22840 Antelope Blvd. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Fri- day. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailyne ws.com.