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MONDAY DECEMBER 5, 2011 Breaking news at: High-Tech Food App Vitality www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 6A RED BLUFF Block LM Tourney SPORTS 1B Sunny 60/31 Weather forecast 6B Staff report A 54-year-old Red Bluff man taunted police officers Sat- urday afternoon, displaying several weapons before charg- 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 Man arrested after standoff, attack on cops ing officers with a Bowie knife and a hatchet. Officers responded by firing less lethal bean bags at the man and eventually wrestling him into custody, according to a release issued by Red Bluff Police Department. A woman called police shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday reporting that her husband had been acting strangely and had Hometown gala threatened to kill her at their residence in the 1100 block of Union Street, the release said. She also reported that he had access to knives and a shotgun. While officers talked to the woman in front of the resi- dence, Wilmer Charles McKin- ney, the woman's husband, began to open the front door See COPS, page 5A RB to pick new mayor Tuesday A new mayor and mayor pro tem will be chosen Tuesday during the Red Bluff City Council's annual reorganizing meeting that takes place every first meet- ing in December. The reorganized council will in turn make appoint- ments to various commissions and committees. Five applicants have applied for two open seats on the Planning Commission. Commissioners Doug Dale and Kevin Fitzpatrick have asked to serve again. Resi- dents Loretta Heisler, Suren Patel and Don Williams also want to be on the commission. See MAYOR, page 5A IRS to return $153M Daily News photos by Andrea Wagner Santa Claus arrived on a fire engine Saturday during the events of the Corning Hometown Christmas. By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer CORNING — The Corning Hometown Christmas event drew guests from many sur- rounding towns to spark the holiday spirit in Tehama County. Beginning with a pan- cake breakfast, craft and food booths, children's games and free horse- drawn carriage rides and ending with an evening lighted parade, people came to Corning for many reasons Saturday. Friends Becky Elliott and Crystol Dupre of Los Molinos brought their children, Aireona Schef- fler, 8, and Sammy, Kolby and Gracie Elliott out for the day. Dupre comes every year, she said. They visit shops in the morning, have dinner in town and then put out chairs to watch the parade. "I just think its good family fun, getting them in the Christmas spirit," she said. in undelivered checks The Internal Revenue Service announced today that it is looking to return $153.3 million in undeliv- ered tax refund checks as quickly as possible. In all, 99,123 taxpayers are due refund checks this year that could not be delivered because of mailing address errors. The agency wants to return $18.1 million in refunds to 13,235 taxpay- ers in California. The average undeliv- ered refund check nation- ally is $1,547. The Cali- fornia average undelivered refund is $1,370. Taxpayers who believe their refund check may have been returned to the IRS as undeliverable should use the "Where's My Refund?" tool on IRS.gov. The tool will provide the status of their refund and, in some cases, instructions on how to resolve delivery problems. Refund status can also Tehama County Youth Focus royalty waved and shined during the Corning Hometown Christmas Parade Saturday. Riding atop horses and floats, par- ticipants were Miss Corning Kyli Delgado, Miss Tehama County Megan Man- dolfo, Teen Miss Tehama County Morgan James, Ambassador of Tehama County Kendric Brewer, Little Miss Tehama County Chrissy Stevens, Tehama County Young Woman of Merit Lacie James, Miss Hometown Christ- mas Jennifer Devers and Little Miss Christmas Emma Ferguson. The first stop was the line for horse-drawn car- riage rides, the group's favorite part of the event. The children agreed the carriage ride was the best part, but Scheffler See GALA, page 5A be checked by using the telephone version of "Where's My Refund?" by calling 1-800-829-1954. Taxpayers checking on a refund by phone will receive instructions on how to update their addresses. While only a small per- centage of checks mailed out by the IRS are returned as undelivered, taxpayers can put an end to lost, stolen or undeliv- ered checks by choosing direct deposit when they file either paper or elec- tronic returns. Last year, more than 78.4 million taxpayers chose to receive their refund through direct deposit. Taxpayers can receive refunds directly into their bank account, split a tax refund into two or three financial accounts or even buy a savings bond. The IRS also recom- mends that taxpayers file their tax returns electroni- cally, because e-file elimi- nates the risk of lost paper returns. E-file also reduces errors on tax returns and speeds up refunds. Nearly 8 out of 10 taxpayers chose e-file last year. E- file combined with direct deposit is the best option for taxpayers to avoid refund problems; it's easy, fast and safe. The public should be aware that the IRS does not contact taxpayers by e-mail to alert them of pending refunds and does not ask for personal or financial information through email. Such mes- sages are common phish- ing scams. The agency urges taxpayers receiving such messages not to release any personal infor- mation, reply, open any attachments or click on any links to avoid mali- cious code that can infect their computers. The best way for an individual to verify if she or he has a pending refund is going directly to IRS.gov and using the "Where's My Refund?" tool. Children of welfare incur debts of parents SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In 2008, when Jamie Hartley was 16 years old, her family was overpaid a total of $766 in welfare benefits. But now Riverside County is demanding that Hartley repay the debt and it intends to ''intercept'' her next state income tax refund to get the money. California welfare reg- ulations for years have allowed, and even required, counties to go after minors for the debts of their parents, state offi- cials told the Associated Press. Attorneys for a Hartley and a Fresno man who filed suit Nov. 23 to try to stop the practice say they believe thousands of young people throughout the state are being unfair- ly required to repay mil- lions of dollars in welfare money that mistakenly or fraudulently was obtained by caregivers or guardians. Officials at the Califor- nia Department of Social Services, which adminis- ters the welfare program called CalWORKS, said they do not track the num- ber of children required to make such payments. The state's 58 counties 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power recouped $61.5 million for the fiscal year ending June 30. The counties reported $133 million in overpayments for the same time period. ''The department is sensitive to this overpay- ment collection issue. However, state law does not allow for latitude when it comes to the recoupment of overpay- ments of public assistance benefits,'' said spokesman Michael Weston. ''Coun- ties first seek recovery from the adults associated with the case. When those efforts are fully exhausted, the county is required to seek recoup- ment of overpayments from any individual that was an aided member of a family...'' 'I have no idea how I can get through school while paying my mother's debts. I never knew this problem existed until the state started coming after me' — Jamie Hartley, student In Hartley's case, the debt arose because her family continued to receive its full benefits for three months during the summer her brother turned 18 and graduated from high school. Riverside County was unable to collect from Hartley's mother, who subsists on untouchable aid for the disabled. So it has made Hartley, now 19, liable for the debt even though she was a minor when her mother signed up for welfare. Hartley contends the overpayment was the county's fault. But admin- istrative law judge Gilford Eastham in April denied her appeal, ruling she was indeed on the hook for the overpayments regardless of fault. Eastham also said Hartley's age at the time of the overpayment has no bearing on the debt now because she ''is no longer a minor.'' Riverside officials could not be reached for comment Friday, with county offices closed. But state welfare authorities say counties are empowered to turn to the children once they See DEBTS, page 5A