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THURSDAY JANUARY 12, 2012 Breaking news at: Fiddle, Piano Concert Set Pastimes www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4A RED BLUFF Wolves Spartans SPORTS 1B Sunny 66/35 Weather forecast 8B 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 Nielsen puts all his chips on Senate seat Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, will not be seeking re-election and instead focus his efforts on helping Sen. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, get a seat in Congress. Nielsen would then pursue LaMalfa's vacated seat, said David Reade, Nielsen's chief of staff. Nielsen previously served three terms in the Senate in the late '70s to mid '80s. But that was before term limits were put in place, so those years won't count against him, Reade said. Nielsen's return to the Sen- ate depends on LaMalfa win- ning the Congressional seat that will be left open by U.S. Rep. Wally Herger, R-Chico. Herger announced Tuesday he would retire at the end of the year. 'Who knows what he's going to do then. All we know is the current state of affairs' — Chief of Staff David Reade on the possibility of a losing Senate bid Nielsen could be left without a seat if LaMalfa's bid for Con- gress falls short. That is something Nielsen will think about, if it happens, Reade said. "Who knows what he's going to do then," Reade said. "All we know is the current state of affairs." Nielsen decided not to seek re-election to the Assembly, because two special elections would have to be held, which is See SEAT, page 7A Water plan input sought 18 years to life for molestation Staff report A 62-year-old Red Bluff man was sentenced to 18 years to life in state prison for molesting chil- dren. Kenneth Dale Divine pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd act upon a child with a special alle- gation of sex crimes with aggra- vated circumstances in Novem- ber, according to court records. He was initially charged with 15 counts, but the other charges Devine See MOLESTATION, page 7A Balancing budget with public safety Originally published on redbluffdai- lynews.com Daily News file photo River Park floods in March 2011. By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Water use, from drinking water to recreation on waterways, will be considered in a six-county water- shed management plan to be up for approval in 2013. Now at the beginning of the public input phase of the project, the Northern Sacramento Valley Inte- grated Regional Water Management Plan will be the topic of three public outreach workshops this month. The first meetings will be in Red Bluff and Oroville on Jan. 18, and in Colusa on Jan. 19. The public is invited to attend, with the Red Bluff workshop beginning at 2 p.m. at the Red Bluff Com- Two arrested in stolen car with drugs after theft By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING — Two Shasta County resi- dents were arrested by Corning Police early T uesday morning in connection with a stolen vehicle in the area of Toomes and Donno v a n avenues. Of f icers were sent at 4:08 a.m. Tuesday to Travel Centers of America, 3524 Highway 99W, Foster after employ- ees reported the theft of two jackets. The sus- pects, later identified as Adam Dou- glas Foster, 27, of Shasta Lake City and Elizabeth Louise Strahle, 22, of Redding, left the area in a white Ford Taurus prior to offi- cer arrival. Off icers Strahle checked the area and were able to locate the vehicle in the area of Donno v a n and Toomes avenues, See TWO, page 7A 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Red Bluff Outdoor Power munity Center, 1500 S. Jackson St. The purpose is to create a plan for the Sacramento Valley watershed area that takes into account econom- ic issues, water supply reliability, stormwater and flood management, water quality and protecting the ecosys- tem. Three representatives from each of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Shasta, Sutter and Tehama counties make up the 18-member board that has been steering the plan process since Jan. 2011. For more information and to complete a survey about water usage, go to www.nsvwaterplan.org. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailynews.com. Saturday By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer Balancing the budget without fur- ther damag- ing employ- ee morale, especially in BUDGET the public safety depart- ments, became one of the focuses of a budget work- shop Saturday after an announcement by the Red Bluff Police Officers' Balancing the Association that shocked some members of the City Council and a few in attendance. The asso- ciation asked the council to consider reducing the police chief position to half-time and opening the position to outside applicants. The restructuring would save money and bring stability to the department by reducing See BUDGET, page 7A Corning proclaims Mentoring Month By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING — The City Council approved a proclamation making Jan- uary National Mentoring Month in Corning. "We're still here and we're still thriving through our volunteers," said Tehama County Depart- ment of Education Mentor- ing Program Coordinator Melissa Mendonca, who accepted the proclamation. "We still have an active program in Corning." Accepting with Men- donca were Corning resi- dent Wayne Peterson, who has been with the program for four years, and his mentee, Griffin Dalske, a sixth-grader. "Wayne Peterson is a fantastic mentor," Men- donca said. "Part of this month is to proclaim it. We're always looking for more mentors. We have a variety of opportunities to meet the needs of the mentors and mentees." The mentoring pro- gram was able to take a camping trip for a few days thanks to a grant from Lassen Volcanic National Park, she said. "Thanks very much for Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb The Corning City Council approved a proclamation making January National Mentoring Month in Corning. Pictured, from left, are mentee Griffin Dalske, 11, his mentor Wayne Peterson, Department of Education Mentoring Program Coordinator Melissa Mendonca and Mayor Gary Strack. your acknowledgement," Mendonca said. "Griffin is really what it's all about." For more information on the program or to become a mentor, visit http://tehamamentoring.o rg or call 528-7358. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews .com.