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Monday, December 5, 2011 – Daily News 5A GALA Continued from page 1A said she also liked "petting the ponies" and seeing all the people around, she said. Blustery winds perhaps blew away large crowds during the day but they returned in full force for the evening lighted Christ- mas parade that spanned more than six blocks of Solano Street. Among the people lined up on either side as far as anyone could see was John Williams, 52, of Cottonwood. He came down with his wife and mother-in-law, and his dog Boyd just for the parade for the second time. "We went to the Red Bluff one and we thought we'd see this one," he said. Boyd, who'd snatched a piece of candy thrown out during the parade, enjoyed it too, he said. "We enjoy getting out and seeing people you know, enjoying it in a small town," Williams said. The day's festivities were put on by the Corn- ing Chamber of Com- merce for the 16th annual event, which this year honored deceased former board member, high school superintendent and community supporter E.L. "Bud" Gott. Chamber staff manager Valanne Cardenas was pleased with how the day went. "The parade was awe- some," she said. "During the day, the wind kept people away, but we had a great time." For next year, she hopes for less wind, she said. She also hopes peo- ple get used to the idea that the event is the first Saturday of December, instead of before Thanks- giving as it had been in the past. Cardenas will be announcing the parade float winners at a later time. Meanwhile, the public is invited to continue cele- brating the holidays at the annual Corning Chamber Hometown Christmas mixer, Dec. 8. The event will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Premier West Bank, at 1201 Solano St. For more information about Corning events and activities, call the chamber at 824-5550. Tiger Woods ends 2- year victory drought THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Two years after his life and career came crashing down, Tiger Woods is a winner again. One shot behind with two holes to play, Woods final- ly looked like the player who dominated golf for so much of his career. He birdied his last two holes Sun- day, making a 6-foot putt on the 18th, to win the Chevron World Challenge by one shot over former Masters champion Zach Johnson. Woods closed with a 3-under 69, sweeping his arm when the final putt dropped, then slamming down his first in a celebration that was a long time coming. It had been 749 days and 26 official tournaments since he last won on Nov. 15, 2009 at the Australian Masters, back when he looked as though he would rule golf as long as he played. But he crashed his car into a fire hydrant outside his Florida home on Thanksgiving night, and shocking rev- elations of extramarital affairs began to emerge, which eventually led to a divorce. Since then, he has changed swing coaches and endured more injuries, missing two majors this summer and missing the cut in another. Now, however, it looks clear that Woods is on an upward path. This was his 83rd win worldwide, and the fifth time he has captured the Chevron World Challenge, which he hosts for his foundation. Woods finished at 10-under 278 and donated the $1.2 million to his foundation. The win moved him from No. 52 to No. 21 in the world ranking, and likely will send expectations soar- ing for 2012. Woods will not play again until starting his year in Abu Dhabi at the end of January. Asked if the emotion was joyous, satisfying or sim- ply relief, Woods smiled and said, ''It just feels awe- some whatever it is.'' He had a worthy adversary in Johnson, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round and trailed for only three holes. Johnson tied Woods with a birdie on the par-5 13th, made an unlikely par on the 14th by chipping from the bottom of the green, and appeared to seize control by holing a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. Johnson thought his birdie putt on the 17th was good all the way until it burned the edge of the cup. Woods, running out of time, drained his birdie putt to force a tie and send the tournament to the 18th. Woods also was tied on the 18th at Sherwood a year ago and stuffed his approach into 3 feet. Graeme McDowell holed a 20-foot putt to force a playoff, and beat Woods on the first extra hole. Johnson, however, missed his birdie putt from 15 feet, leaving the stage to Woods. He hasn't been in these situations much over the last two years, but this one, finally, had a familiar ending. Johnson closed with a 71 and still took home $650,000 for the holidays. Paul Casey, who opened with a 79, had his third straight round in the 60s to fin- ish alone in third at 5 under. ''Tiger can have a long career,'' Casey said when he finished. ''We might look back in another 10 years and actually forget about the last couple of years.'' Woods had a four-shot lead over McDowell a year ago, a margin that evaporated quickly when Woods showed early signs of a struggle, particularly with a pair of three-putts. There was no such evidence this time. Despite nearly driving into trouble to the right of the par-5 second, Woods escaped and hit wedge to 3 1/2 feet for birdie. His lone bogey on the front nine came at the par-3 eighth, with a back right pin that requires a fade. Woods tugged it well left of the green, and his pitch at a 45-degree angle was too strong and rolled into the fringe about 15 feet away. Johnson's chip on the third was too strong, he three- putted from about 35 feet for bogey on the fifth and he played a poor chip from below the eighth green for another bogey. They were tied at the turn when Woods began to pull away. From the right rough, Woods hit a soft sand wedge that landed in the first cut short of the green and fed down the slope to about 4 feet. He two-putted from long range for birdie on the par-5 11th to stretch his lead to two shots when Johnson caught a buried lie in the bunker. Woods bogeyed the 12th from a bunker, though, and Johnson's birdie on the 13th set up a final hour that was up for grabs until Woods came through in the clutch on the last two holes. COPS Continued from page 1A and taunted the officers, challenging them to enter the residence, the release said. McKinney opened the door several times, bran- dishing various knives and continuing to yell taunts at MAYOR Continued from page 1A Heisler is a retiree who wants to be on the commission to work with others to create plans that will ensure the city remains the great place it already is. Patel, a hotel manager, is apply- ing because he has a vision to make the city better, especially for chil- DEBTS Continued from page 1A become adults if the care- givers fail to take care of an overpayment and can't be found or otherwise forced to make good. For Hartley and many other children of welfare families, advocates say the debt unknowingly hangs over their heads until they become adults and coun- ties notify them they plan to attach their wages, seize their income tax returns and otherwise make them pay for the mistakes of their parents or bureau- crats. ''I have no idea how I can get through school while paying my mother's debts,'' said Hartley, who is attending community college in Riverside Coun- ty. ''I never knew this problem existed until the state started coming after me.'' The CalWORKS pro- gram, which distributes about $267 million a month, was launched in 1997 as part of the Clinton Administration's vow to the officers, the release said. At one point, he opened the door and held out a shotgun. Police established a perimeter around the apartment complex, aided by the California Highway Patrol and Tehama County Sheriff's Office. McKinney continued to taunt officers, at one point imploring them to enter dren. Williams, who lists his occupa- tion as consultant and business development, represents a business development point of view and favors minimal growth, more rev- enue, less traffic congestion and overall city beautification. Other appointments to be made Tuesday will include seats on the Parks and Recreation Commission, Airport Commission, Audit Com- ''end welfare as we know it.'' It limits payments to 60 months and requires adult recipients to work. According to reports published by the Social Services Department, about $60 million in over- payments is recoupled each year, mostly through reduced welfare payments. Roughly a quarter is paid back through cash pay- ments and interceptions of income tax refunds. The lawyers represent- ing Hartley and other wel- fare advocates believe that thousands of children are on the hook. That's because in California, 1.1 million out of the 1.4 mil- lion welfare recipients are children. ''This has been an issue for a while,'' said Kevin Aslanian, director of the Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organiza- tion. ''It's widespread.'' For Clarence Ayers of Fresno, the issue is partic- ularly frustrating. Ayers collects $344 in monthly welfare payments to care for his 14-year-old great- grand daughter Irene Lara. On July 19, Fresno Coun- PG&E says most outages to be repaired Sunday SANTA CRUZ (AP) — Officials with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. say electrical service is expected to be restored Sunday to most of the homes and businesses that have been without power since strong winds whipped through the region last week. Spokesman J.D. Guidi says about 1,000 PG&E cus- tomers in the Santa Cruz Mountains still had no electric- ity early Sunday afternoon, but that the work in getting the power turned on was expected to be finished later Sunday. In the Sierra Nevada, crews were also working on restor- ing service to about 1,700 people in Tuolumne (Too-all-o- me) County. Guidi says at the height of the windstorms last week, ser- vice had been knocked out to about 545,000 homes and businesses in PG&E's service area. Dozens homeless in San Francisco apartment fire SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A discarded cigarette was being blamed for sparking a fire in a San Francisco apart- ment building that forced dozens of people from their homes, officials said Sunday. The fire, reported around 8 a.m. Sunday in a six-story building in San Francisco's Tenderloin district, started on the second floor in a lightwell, or air shaft, where debris had been discarded, said San Francisco Fire Department Assis- tant Chief Bob Postel. The fire burned up the shaft to the fourth floor, where firefighters were able to temporarily stop it, but the blaze flared up again and burned its way up to the sixth floor, Pos- tel said. ''It was a tough fire, and a lot of work,'' said Postel. ''That's why we were there for four hours,'' he said. It was not known who threw the cigarette into the light- well. Though most of the 40 units in the building were not damaged by fire, none of the residents were being allowed to return to their apartments because of damage to the build- ing and the power had been shut off, Postel said. The American Red Cross was working on finding shel- ter for the residents of the complex, but because the build- ing was nearly 100 percent occupied, officials were still working on determining exactly how many people they would have to assist, Red Cross spokesman Woody Baker- Cohn said Sunday afternoon. One resident was hospitalized for treatment of smoke inhalation and a firefighter was taken to hospital for an eval- uation after the blaze, officials said. The name of the resident, a man believed to be about 40, was not released. National gas prices down 9 cents in past 2 weeks CAMARILLO (AP) — The average U.S. price of a gal- lon of gasoline has dropped 9 cents over the past two weeks. That's according to the Lundberg Survey of fuel prices, released Sunday, which puts the price of a gallon of regular at $3.29. Over 50 years of serving Tehama County the apartment to "play" with him, the release said. Eventually, McKinney came out of the apartment with a Bowie knife in one hand and a hatchet in the other. He charged officers, who responded by firing less lethal rounds of bean bags rather than using lethal force. McKinney was struck several times but contin- ued to resist, the release said. After being taken into custody, he was trans- ported to St. Elizabeth Community Hospital for medical clearance before being booked into Tehama County Jail with bail set at $75,000. Two of the involved officers sustained minor injuries. mittee and Loan Committee. Other agenda items • Finance Director Sandy Ryan will give an update on property tax revenue. • The council is expected to approve contracting with Vigilant Canine Services International, LLC for the police K-9. The agreement will allow the Police Department to buy the dog and receive the neces- sary handler training. ty notified Ayers that it intended to reduce the payment by 10 percent monthly until a $2,846 debt Irene is now responsi- ble for is cleared up. ''Irene A. Lara was overpaid in another case,'' reads the notice Ayers received. ''Because that person is now a member of your family, the amount owed must be taken out of your cash aid amount.'' Authorities say the overpayments occurred between March 1996 and March 1998. Irene was born in 1997. To make matters worse, Ayers says Fresno County officials have lost the case file and are not sure what — or who — caused the overpayment that Irene must pay back. Irene's mother was a juvenile her- self during that time and ineligible to apply for wel- fare on her own. Ayers believes his deceased son — Irene's grandfather — is ultimately responsible, but is still at loss as to why Irene is now responsible. ''I cannot figure what in the world is going on,'' Ayers said. ''They are going after a young child.'' Fresno County welfare officials did not respond to calls seeking comment. The lawsuit that Ayers and Hartley have filed in Alameda County Superior Court with the help of two legal aid organizations seeks to stop the collection practice. Patti Prunhuber, a lawyer with the Public Interest Law Project that represents the pair, says welfare authorities are barred from filing lawsuits or seeking criminal charges for overpayments that are more than four years old. However, Prun- huber said that the Depart- ment of Social Services permits counties to recoup ''extremely old'' overpay- ments outside court through ''administrative procedures'' such as inter- cepting tax returns, attach- ing wages and reducing future welfare payments. ''We'd all like our kids to inherit something,'' Prunhuber said. ''But I don't think indentured servitude is one of those.'' STATE BRIEFING Midgrade costs an average of $3.46 a gallon, and premi- um is at $3.57. Diesel is down a nickel, to $3.96 a gallon. Of the cities surveyed, Albuquerque, N.M., has the nation's lowest average price for gas at $2.84. San Francis- co has the highest at $3.67. In California, the lowest average price was $3.54 in Fres- no. The average statewide was $3.62, down 13 cents. 2 killed in separate incidents on Caltrain tracks SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities said two people were struck and killed Saturday in separate inci- dents on Caltrain tracks in Palo Alto and Menlo Park. A man that Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn described as ''trespassing'' on tracks was struck by a northbound express train in the late morning. About an hour later, a southbound Caltrain struck a person on the tracks just north of the Menlo Park station, Dunn said. Each side of the tracks was shut down for about three hours while the deaths were investigated, Dunn said, and trains were back on schedule by 4 p.m. Since 1992, when Caltrain took over operation of the railroad, there has been only one time — Nov. 6, 2009 — when there were two fatalities on Caltrain tracks on the same day, according to Dunn. The deaths come after a man was killed on the tracks in Palo Alto a week ago, bringing the total number of such fatalities this year to 16, Dunn said. In 2009, there were 19 fatalities, Dunn added. Independently owned Telephone: (530) 824-3792