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WEEKEND JANUARY 21-22, 2012 Breaking news at: Meet Katherine Heigl's furry friends USA Weekend www.redbluffdailynews.com See Inside RED BLUFF NFC Title Game SPORTS 1B Few showers 51/35 Weather forecast 8B By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer A Los Molinos man who killed his father will likely go to prison after failing to prove he was insane when he committed the offense. 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 Judge rules man sane at time of killing The court trial for William Holt Baymiller concluded Fri- day with Judge Richard Scheuler issuing a verbal ruling saying, based on the evidence, he found Baymiller was legally sane when he killed his father. Any mental defects Baymiller had at the time were methamphetamine induced not organically induced, Scheuler said. In September 2008, Baymiller shot his 89-year-old father, Fredrick Hamilton Baymiller, in the torso with a shotgun at their Los Molinos home. After the shooting Baymiller reportedly walked outside and told a group of neighbors to call 911 because he had just killed his father. Baymiller claimed he was going to be killed by Muslims Work farm site nixed and believed his father was in on it. Baymiller, 55, had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Attorney Grady Davis had See SANE, page 7A Deputy to fill top city post during search By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer The Red Bluff City Council has chosen Cheryl Smith as the interim city manager in preparation for the departure of City Manager Martin Nichols next month. Smith will begin her new duties on Feb. 18, even though as deputy city clerk and executive assistant to the city manager she already has a reputation — most- ly in jest — as the one who has always been in charge. Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Brown said when the city hired Nichols about five years ago. He joked with Nichols that Smith is really the one who runs the city. See CITY, page 7A Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner Residents and relatives of the Westgate Road Association argue against the county using land near their homes for a proposed inmate work farm. By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer County officials were swayed Thursday evening to back off of a 38-acre piece of landfill proper- ty and look elsewhere for land to build an inmate work farm. About 70 or more residents and family members of the West- gate Road Association filled county board chambers to voice concerns about the county proposal. The work farm sub- residential community at the end of Plymire Road. After at least two hours of dis- cussion, George Russell, supervisor for the commu- nity's district, was cer- tain the land in question was probably not a good choice. Inmate Work FARM committee of the Community Cor- rections Partnership was consider- ing using land next to the landfill and at the entrance to the Westgate "This is not the place for the facility," Rus- sell said. "You've con- vinced me." The work farm con- cept originated from the Community Cor- rections Partnership and is headed by Sher- iff Dave Hencratt, as a potential answer to growing populations in the county jail due to state realign- ment measures in Assembly Bill 109 and its trailer bills. Calif jobless rate dips to lowest level since 2009 SACRAMENTO (AP) — California's unemploy- ment rate dipped slightly in December to 11.1 percent, its lowest rate since 2009, the state reported Friday. The rate is two-tenths of a percentage point drop from November. Officials with the state Employment Development Department said the steady drop in the official jobless rate was a sign of gradual improve- ment in California's econo- my. ''It's pretty definitive if you look at the year over how far we've come,'' department spokesman Kevin Callori said. ''It's definitely quite a reversal.'' California's unemploy- ment rate last fell below 11 percent in April 2009, when it was 10.9 percent. Nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 10,700 in December, for a total gain of 240,300 jobs in 2011. December marked the fourth consecutive month in which the employment rate has dropped, a period during which it declined a full percentage point and the state gained 112,300 payroll jobs. ''That's over four times the number we gained over the previous four months. It looks like the increase was pretty broad-based across the economy,'' Callori said. December's numbers are seasonally adjusted and thus should reflect more than just a holiday season hiring bump, he said. Job gains for all of 2011 were up 1.7 percent, com- pared to 0.06 percent for all of 2010 and a 5.3 percent loss in 2009, the height of the recession. The biggest job growth in December came in con- struction, information, pro- fessional and business ser- vices, educational and health services, and gov- ernment, with those sectors 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See RATE, page 7A Hencratt and Sgt. David Hohen- stein spoke about the proposal and why Tehama County has to do something about the changing dynamic in the county justice sys- tem. The county has traditionally worked aggressively to convict criminals and send them away to prison, Hencratt said. Now, the same aggressive work is being done, but the criminals are staying here instead. As of Thursday, there were 48 inmates sentenced to the county jail that previously would have went to prison, Hencratt said. "It is a significant impact," he said. The work farm is something that can alleviate space in the jail while See NIXED, page 7A Bianchi to head fairboard By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Tehama District Fairboard voted in new officers for the 2012 year with President Bob Ker- stiens, Jr., stepping down at the Tuesday, Jan. 17 meet- ing. "It's time to pass the torch," Kerstiens said. "We're a low priority for the state because there's no money for support. A lot of our terms are expiring and it could be tomorrow or two years before we're replaced." Kerstiens served on the board as president for the past two years and served a one-year term before that as vice president. Vice President Ray Bianchi was voted in as Kerstiens' replacement and Pete Dagorret will step up to fill Bianchi's place as vice president. Fair CEO Mark Eidman reported the fairground is seeing a positive side to realignment in the commu- nity service program. Normally, the fair- ground receives between two and six people a day and lately has been seeing between 12 and 15, which has allowed them to get more work done, Eidman said. "The grounds look bet- See BIANCHI, page 7A Fight against cancer kicks off By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Brightly colored Hawai- ian shirts and pink flamin- gos filled the room at the Relay For Life kickoff Thursday at the Rolling Hills Casino. The audience was asked to close their eyes and come on a journey with Team Captain Coordinator Deb- bie O'Connor around the track at Relay For Life. "It's 2 a.m.," O'Connor said as she began to describe everything from the little girl who lost the bet to stay up all night to the friends huddled together sharing a blanket. "Why do we relay for 24 hours? Because cancer doesn't sleep and neither do we." From there, O'Connor began to tell the history of Relay For Life, which was started in 1985 by Dr. Gordy Klatt, and how it came 15 years ago to Red Bluff through Debbie Miller, who lost her mother to cancer. "She heard about Relay For Life and thought 'Why not our community?,'" O'Connor said. "She want- ed to honor the fight of can- cer patients and today we as a community join that fight Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Relay For Life Co-Chairwoman Twila Cordova gives founder Debbie Miller a certificate of appreciation at Thursday's Relay For Life Kickoff. for 24 hours." The event is more than a fundraiser, but a life-chang- ing experience for those who participate, O'Connor said. "There really is magic in our community," said Co- Chairwoman Jackie Frazier. "Relay is a chance to cele- brate lives of those who have battled cancer, remem- ber those who have lost and fight back against cancer. You are the hope for the cancer patient, cancer care- taker and the next person who has to hear the three words 'you have cancer.'" The 2011 event raised $172,325, which helped fund 187 Reach to Recov- ery visits, 140 gift certifi- cates for bra prosthesis, 490 nights' lodging for patients, See FIGHT, page 7A COMPUTER SKILLS CLASS 9:30 am – Noon Job Training Center 718 Main St., Red Bluff $49.00 per person Thurs, Jan. 26, 2012 Call 529-7000 BASIC