Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/467032
ByDonThompson TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO Firefighters drank on duty at the state's fire academy, displayed sexually ex- plicit photographs on state cell- phones, and an employee who is now charged with murder was accused of slapping a female ca- det on the buttocks, public re- cords released Friday show. The allegations are contained in two complaints released to The Associated Press in response to a Public Records Act request. Assistant Chief Mike Ramirez was fired last month for drink- ing alcohol and allowing others to drink on duty. He also is ac- SACRAMENTO Alcohol,sex photos led to firefighter discipline By Rich Greene rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com @richgreenenews on Twitter PLATINA Residents in north- west Tehama County lost a be- loved landmark Tuesday when Caltrans removed a shoe tree that stood alongside State Route 36 West. For decades people would toss their shoes into the tree's can- opy and stop to have their pic- ture taken. Over time it became a land- mark, which proved to be a problem Thursday when a cow got loose in the road. Residents were trying to de- scribe the location of the cow, but kept having to say where the shoe tree used to be, joked Char- lie Hand, one of the owners of R Wild Horse Ranch just up the road from where the tree used to stand. Caltrans said in a statement that it removed the tree because it was "determined to be un- healthy and was being signifi- cantly weighted down by all the shoes, making it a potential haz- ard for those tossing shoes on it, as well as those using the turn- out area." Hand calls that "baloney." "We've got other things to worry about on that road, we had a big old cow out there — wait until the elephants start to get out," she joked. Hand said the local commu- nity only found out about the tree's removal at the last min- ute when an anonymous person came forward with information the tree was going to be taken down. Hand said she understands trees have posed problems in the area, but she questions whether Caltrans understood the signifi- cance of the tree, which she said PLATINA REMOVED SHOE TREE MISSED Allthatwasle oftheshoetreewasasingleflipflop,residentsdubbedthe"solesurvivor." ByAndreByik abyik@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter CORNING A27-year-oldGerberman was killed in a single-vehicle crash west of Corning Friday morning. The man, who was driving alone in a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser at an unknownspeed,wassouthboundon Paskenta Road, south of Gyle Road about 6:30 a.m. when he failed to negotiate a left curve in the road- way, said Sgt. Jeff Ross of the Cali- fornia Highway Patrol. The vehicle then traveled off the right side of the road, down an embankment and overturned several times. The man, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered fatal injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene. The man's name was not re- leased by the CHP, which referred media to the Tehama County Coroner's Office. Calls made to the Tehama County Sheriff's Of- fice and Coroner's Office were not returned by 5:30 p.m. Friday. CHP officers and medical per- sonnel responded to the scene about 7:15 a.m. after a passerby found the vehicle and called in a report, Ross said. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash. CORNING Mandiesinsingle-vehiclecrash Community.....A3 Opinion............A5 Sports.............. B1 Farm ................A8 Puzzles............B5 Weather ....... A10 Index............... ## INDEX A visit to a Brazilian steak house during the Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio. PAGEA8 JEAN BARTON TheBraziliansteak house experience The Red Bluff Lady Spartans basketball team closed the regular season with a win over visiting Chico. PAGE B1 SPORTS Red Bluff girls beat Chico on Senior Night Clues to answering humanity's most basic questions locked deep under Antarctic ice, say researchers. PAGE B8 ANTARCTICA Mystery continent holds key to mankind's future Hospital, maker of medical instrument believed to have spread deadly germs, hesitant to start blame game. PAGE A6 DISEASE Lawsuits likely to follow 'superbug' scare By Andre Byik abyik@redbluffdailynews.com @andrebyik on Twitter RED BLUFF On your marks, get set, read. As many as 80 students at the Tehama eLearning Academy are scheduled to participate in a na- tionwide effort to "Read the Most Coast to Coast" on Feb. 27. The fourth annual event in- volves thousands of students who will celebrate reading dur- ing a one-day event, according to ELEARNING ACADEMY Students prepare for reading celebration Nationwideeventwill track books read A shoe tree on State Route 36was removed by Caltrans earlier this week. The tree was a popular photo opportunity for motorists. Rollover occurred on Paskenta Road, south of Gyle Road The man, who was driving alone in a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser at an unknown speed, was southbound on Paskenta Road, south of Gyle Road about 6:30 a.m. when he failed to negotiate a left curve in the roadway, said Sgt. Jeff Ross of the California Highway Patrol. The vehicle then traveled off the right side of the road, down an embankment and overturned several times. TREE PAGE 9 CHIEF PAGE 9 READING PAGE 9 If there's a "photo op," have someone take digital photos with their phone or camera. Folks doing something make the most interesting photos. Make note of the names of the individual people in the photo, unless it's a big crowd. Then send photos with an email describing "WHO, WHAT, WHY WHERE and WHEN" to editor@redbluffdailynews.com, and include a phone number where staff can reach you for more information, if needed! We'd like to see more of YOU in The Daily News! WANT TO GET MORE OF YOUR GROUP'S NEWS IN THE NEWSPAPER? www.tehamaestatesretirement.com WINTER COUPON SPECIAL ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, February 21, 2015 $1.00 AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD 7 98304 20753 8 Volume130,issue66 Good morning, thanks for subscribing Virginia Watson BOYS SOCCER Spartans advance to semifinals Sports B1 RED BLUFF HIGH Students to perform Miller's 'The Crucible' Community A4 FORECAST High: 71 Low: 46 A10 FollowtheDailyNews on Twitter to keep pace with breaking news and events @REDBLUFFNEWS FOLLOWUS ONTWITTER