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WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4B RED BLUFF Reader Photos Athletes of the Week SPORTS 1B Mostly sunny 78/52 Weather forecast 8B By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Hoping to move closer to a new county courthouse, Tehama County supervisors Tuesday approved an updated contract with the state to pur- chase property on Walnut 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 County gives courthouse plan the nod Street. The county plans to sell 4.43 acres at 1740, 1750 and 1760 Walnut St. to the state for $1.23 million as a site for the new complex. State-operated local courts Farm to feast 'In 2011, a deputy narrowly escaped going over a balcony railing outside of Department 1 in a struggle with an inmate' — Judge Richard Scheuler have planned to build a 62,033- square-foot structure with five courtrooms. It would replace existing courtrooms in the his- toric courthouse downtown and eliminate the use of the Corning courthouse annex. The idea is to consolidate the six current facilities in use in the county into one facility. The county is now in a posi- See NOD, page 7A Red Bluff man hits the road for Charlie Sheen By GREG WELTER MediaNews group CHICO — At 79, Charles Brannan still enjoys a good walk, and an unusual approach to getting his political views across. On Monday morning, Brannan left his broken-down vehicle in Chico and began walking back home to Red Bluff. He carried a blue backpack with an unusual sign attached to it, which simply read: "Charlie Sheen for president." During a roadside interview, Brannan said he isn't See SHEEN, page 7A Parolee caught with truck, olives By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Jessica Clark and Maria Vargas of Kirkwood School enjoy petting a goat at the Tehama Coun- ty Farm Day held Tuesday at the Tehama District Fairground. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Tehama County fourth grade stu- dents swarmed the Tehama District Fairground Tuesday to learn about agriculture and all it involves during the 16th annual Farm Day. The event, sponsored by the Tehama County Farm Bureau with Northern California Farm Credit and Red Bluff Kiwanis, drew about 450 students from 13 schools, said Farm Bureau manager Kari Dodd. "It's an opportunity to teach kids about agriculture and where their food and fiber comes from," Dodd said. "We're excited to have the Dairy Princess and Dairy Council here as the newest addition to the program, which expands our ability to teach about farm life." Dairy Council of California rep- resentative Tracey Witmer, District 4/2 Dairy Princess Staci Betten- court and Dairy Princess First Alternate Laura Pedrozo were on hand to talk to students. Calif. home loan defaults jump nearly 26 percent SAN DIEGO (AP) — Banks sent nearly 26 per- cent more default notices to California homeowners in the third quarter com- pared with the previous three months, stepping up actions against those with delinquent loans in what may herald a new wave of foreclosures, a real estate information service reported Tuesday. There were 71,275 first-time notices of default issued in the nation's most populous state in July, August and September, DataQuick reported. By comparison, there were 56,633 default notices issued in the sec- ond quarter of the fiscal year — a three-year low. ''Obviously, some lenders and loan servicers have begun to plow through their backlogs of delinquent loans more aggressively,'' DataQuick President John Walsh said in a statement. Most of the mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit going into default are from 2005 to 2007, La Jolla-based DataQuick said. Foreclosures weigh down home values and create uncertainty among would-be homebuyers who fret over prospects that prices may further decline as more foreclo- sures hit the market. Default notices were filed against California homeowners who, using median figures, owed $19,198 on a primary mortgage of $331,333 and were eight months behind on payments, DataQuick said. The median amount See LOAN, page 7A 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power "We're going to be talking about what happens at a dairy farm and showing them how products get from the cow to the grocery store and about nutrition," Witmer said. Bettencourt represents 15 coun- ties, including Tehama County, cov- ering the area north of Sacramento to the Oregon border and east of the Coastal Mountain Range, she said. Pat Heitkam of Heitkam's Hon- eybees in Orland was another new See FARM, page 7A A Corning man on parole was arrested at gunpoint Monday evening after driving a stolen pick- up hooked to a trailer full of olives, police said. Officers found Tad Gene Harris, 42 inside a white 1992 Chevrolet truck just before 10 p.m. parked at the Valero gas station at Sutter and South Main streets. They had responded to a 911 call about a possible intoxicated driver travel- ing northbound on Inter- state 5, logs said. The suspected vehicle matched the description of a vehicle reported stolen to the California Highway Patrol earlier that evening from the 4000 block of Columbia Avenue in Corning, logs said. It was reported to have front end damage from crashing through a fence and was attached to an orange trailer full of olive bins. The load of olives was valued at $2,300, said Det. Kevin Hale. Officers identified Har- ris as the driver of the stolen pickup and deter- mined that he was under the influence of alcohol, Hale said. He was found to be on active parole. Upon arrest at gun- point, Harris was booked on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, two counts of vehicle theft, grand theft, possession of drug para- See TRUCK, page 7A Schools gear up for Lights On program By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Schools across Tehama County are gearing up for the 12th annual Lights On After School, which cele- brates after school pro- grams like Safe Education and Recreation for Rural Families (SERRF). The event will be held at several local schools from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20. "It started nationwide in 1999," said SERRF Recreation Specialist Beth Birk. "It's been in Tehama County since I've been here." Every year, the SERRF program chooses a differ- ent Character education aspect to focus on and a theme and this year it is I matter, she said. "This year, the kids have shirts that say I mat- ter," Birk said. "Every week of school there's a different theme. Every- thing from my mom mat- ters because she takes care of me to the firemen who saved my house and it expands to I matter so the kids realize they matter." Students were given a See LIGHTS, page 7A Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Safe Education and Recreation for Rural Families Recreation Specialist Beth Birk presents Corning Mayor Gary Strack with an "I Matter" shirt at the Oct. 11 meeting, when the council proclaimed Oct. 20 as Lights On After School Day. SKILLS CLASS Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011 COMPUTER 9:30 am – Noon Job Training Center 718 Main St., Red Bluff $49.00 per person Call 529-7000 BASIC PHYSICIAN REFERRAL A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 1-800-990-9971 CHW North State Region