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THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 Breaking news at: Find Me At The Fair Fair Section www.redbluffdailynews.com See Pages 1B-4B RED BLUFF Football Preview SPORTS 1B Sunny 102/62 Weather forecast 6C By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer A murder charge against a man who was reportedly drunk when he hit and killed a cyclist on Main Street has been dis- missed. Prosecutors from the Tehama County District Attorney's Office dropped the charge against Victor Hugo Rodriguez, 32, of Red Bluff, after failing to find sufficient evidence to sup- port it. 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 Murder charge dropped in cyclist death 'I am appalled that a DUI school, espe- cially one approved by the county, does not teach that if you drive drunk you'll be charged with murder, that there are consequences you'll have to face' —Anne-Berit Condit, MADD Under state law, murder can only be charged if the prosecu- tion can show beyond reason- able doubt the defendant had a degree of knowledge beyond the average person of the conse- quences of drunken driving. The DA's office filed the Stonewalled murder charge, as Rodriguez has a prior driving under the influence con- viction, but when the office looked further into Rodriguez's knowl- edge of the conse- quences of drunken driving they found his knowledge was limited because it was not addressed in Deputy District Attorney Randy Alvey said. "Their curriculum did not address issues that we thought would be addressed," Alvey said. The school only Rodriguez the DUI class he had attended, covered issues of drugs and alcohol but did not focus on See CHARGE, page 5A No injuries in fire at jail There were no injuries as a result of a fire at the Tehama County Jail Wednesday night, but smoke lin- gered throughout the facility at 8:40 p.m.. Firefighters said the fire started in a dryer at the jail and was put out quickly, with the fire department work- See JAIL, page 5A City eases water service outside limits By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Providing water service to those outside the city lim- its is being streamlined. The Red Bluff City Council Tuesday adopted an interim policy that would allow for a more consistent way for staff to deal with those wanting to hook up to city water. Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner Phil Baker, project manager for Caltrans, listens to questions and concerns Wednesday from the River Oak Homeowners' Association. Residents want a wall built between their mobile home park and Interstate 5. By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Battling for a barrier between their homes and Interstate 5, about 50 residents at the River Oak mobile home park off Gilmore Road met with Caltrans representa- tives Wednesday afternoon. Caltrans project manager Phil Baker asked to meet with the River Oak Homeowners' Association after it sent a petition letter to head- quarters a few months ago. The problem area, about 400 yards of freeway next to at least 15 Veto for bill requiring state park closure notices SACRAMENTO (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown said Wednesday he has vetoed a bill that would have required California offi- cials to post notices about planned state park clo- sures and respond to all inquiries from groups interested in running them, calling it a ''good idea but not one that needs a law.'' SB386 by Sen. Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach, would have required the state Depart- ment of Parks and Recre- ation to post a 30-day notice of park closures on its website and provide contact information for anyone interested in leas- ing or operating the park. The state budget Brown signed this spring cut $33 million from the Red Bluff Outdoor Power department, which will force 70 of the 278 state parks, beaches and his- toric sites to close by next July. The Democratic gover- nor noted Harman was among the GOP lawmak- ers who blocked his pro- posal to call a special election so voters could decide whether to extend a series of temporary tax hikes. If approved, that would have brought in enough revenue to keep most, if not all, the parks open. ''What the parks do need is sufficient funding to stay open — something I feel compelled to note the author and his col- leagues refused to let the people vote on,'' Brown wrote in his veto message. Harman said the veto appeared to be punish- ment for his refusal to place the tax proposal before voters. He noted his bill had bipartisan sup- port. ''I had hoped the gov- ernor was interested in 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See VETO, page 5A homes, has been the site of at least two accidents reported in the last five years. The association has been trying to get a safety wall up for at least five years after contacting Caltrans in 2006. At that time, records See WALL, page 5A There is a policy that was established in 2002, which staff has been using as a framework to approve requests, but that policy is too vague, said Planning Director Scot Timboe. He will draft a new poli- cy that should come back to the council at its next meet- ing. It will be similar to the interim policy and draw from the 2002 policy. The interim policy addresses two types of prop- erties, those that are next to the city limit and those that are not but are within the city's sphere of influence. The sphere of influence is the boundary where the city, through the General Plan, has identified it could poten- tially expand. Under the interim policy, a property next to the city can hook up to water ser- vices at the approval of city staff and possibly be annexed into the city. A property not next to city limits but within the sphere of influence can hook up to water services at the approval of the council. Annexation would be con- sidered some time in the future. In both cases, a water distribution line abutting the property must already exist. See CITY, page 5A Quilters donate to Head Start programs Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb The Sun Country Quilters Guild, represented by Kathy Miller and Georgina Tacconi, presented 17 quilts Wednesday to the Happy Trails Tehama County Head Start at the Frontier Village on Antelope Boulevard. That makes a total of 84 quilts given to four local Head Start sites this year.The group has given out a total of 354 quilts so far for 2011. Sun Country Quilters gives quilts to nursing homes for Mother's Day and Father's Day and the Meals on Wheels program at Thanksgiving and Christmas.There are 10 mem- bers of the guild who spearheaded the project, but the group has a table with project bags for others at their meetings who would like to help out. Pictured are Michelle Shortridge, Miller,Teresa Altamirano, Lori Coleman, Hilda Torres, Debbie Stevens, Carol Olsen,Tacconi, Heather Lopez and Hayley Ward. Oh Snap! The Daily News wants your photos: Cute kids, Adorable pets, Inspirational sights, Any shot you think readers would enjoy You might just see it in the Daily News Send pictures to editor@redbluffdailynews.com or drop off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff. Include a caption. SKILLS CLASS Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011 COMPUTER 9:30 am – Noon Job Training Center 718 Main St., Red Bluff $49.00 per person Call 529-7000 BASIC Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts Law Offices of Dennis Albright 38 years experience 527-2740 We Promote Ethical Behavior