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TUESDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2012 Breaking news at: Daily Writing Enhances Life American Profile www.redbluffdailynews.com See Inside RED BLUFF Pink Out! SPORTS 1B Rain Likely 55/39 Weather forecast 10B 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 Chase ends in flames Arrests made in vehicle theft By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Two arrests were made Friday in the 23200 block of Westover Road, including one connected with a stolen 1997 Ford Expedition. The Tehama County Sheriff's Department was at the address on Westover serving a warrant when deputies found a stolen vehicle and called California Highway Patrol for assistance, said CHP Officer Phillip Mackin- tosh. said. The 1997 Expedition was stolen out of Redding, he CHP arrested Scott Trevor Heninger 34, of Red Bluff. He was booked into Tehama County Jail on the charges of being in possession of stolen property, pos- session of illegal substance, VIN tampering and being a felon in possession of ammunition and a firearm. Bail was set at $71,000. Sheriff's booking sheets show an arrest shortly See THEFT, page 9A Ballot could be crowded with tax-hike plans DN photo by Ross Palubeski The Red Bluff Fire Department and CalFire were dispatched around 3:50 p.m. Sunday to a vehicle fire on Interstate 5 near the former Ford dealership in Red Bluff. The first unit on scene reported a fully involved vehicle. The fire was contained in 5 minutes. One person was detained by California High- way Patrol.The Tehama County Sheriff's Department assisted. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer A two-county chase of a black Monte Carlo ended with the vehi- cle breaking down and bursting into flames about 3:50 p.m. Sun- day on south- bound Inter- state 5, just north of Adobe Road. The pursuit began in Shasta County when a Redding area Cal- ifornia Highway Patrol unit tried to make a traffic stop for a violation. The Howley driver, later identified as Aaron Bruce Howley failed to yield, said CHP Officer Phillip Mackintosh. The officer did not pursue the Monte Carlo because the officer had a civilian ride along in progress, how- ever, another unit at the Cot- tonw ood Inspection Facility locat- ed the vehicle on south- bound I-5 near Bowman Road and initiated pur- suit, Mackintosh said. Obama rejects Medi-Cal copayments SACRAMENTO (AP) — Federal health officials on Monday said Califor- nia cannot force Medi-Cal recipients to make a co- pay for doctor visits and prescription drugs, a deci- sion that brings relief to low-income patients but complicates the state's effort to close a $9.2 bil- lion budget deficit. A letter from the Cen- ters for Medicare & Med- icaid Services said agency officials were ''unable to identify the legal and pol- icy support'' for the state's request. The decision is the lat- est in a string of legal and regulatory challenges that have made it difficult for the state to reduce spend- ing and balance its bud- get. Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers were planning to save $511 million a year in the health insur- ance program by requir- ing low-income patients to pay a share of their medical costs. Under the state budget passed last year, Medi-Cal would require recipients to pay $5 for doctor and dental visits, $3 for pre- ferred prescription drugs, $50 for emergency room visits and a maximum of $200 for a hospital stay. The co-pays were to start Oct. 1. State officials said they intend to appeal to U.S. Health and Human Ser- vices Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and others in President Barack Obama's administration. ''We will be seeking a reversal of the ruling,'' said Brown's finance spokesman, H.D. Palmer. ''If this ruling were to stand, it's another instance where the state would be precluded from achieving savings the Legislature has approved.'' Advocates for the poor called it the right deci- sion, saying the co-pays would have deterred peo- ple from seeking preven- tive treatments. Doctors and health providers argued they would have a hard time collecting co- pays and say it would dis- courage low-income fam- ilies from filling prescrip- tions for themselves or their children. ''For a lot of folks, hearing $5 for a doctor 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See OBAMA, page 9A Tehama County Sher- iff's logs show an agency assist for CHP starting at 3:39 p.m. on I-5 at Sunset Hills where it was report- ed that the driver appeared agitated and kept looking at the pas- senger side of the vehicle. A K-9 was requested and a spike strip was put in at Riverside. Howley was using both lanes and shoulders to pass vehicles, Mackintosh said. Sheriff's logs show Howley pushed other vehicles off the road, got off at Wilcox and got back on and passed the North Main exit at 80 mph. As the pursuit contin- ued, the vehicle began to have problems and broke down north of Adobe Road near the former Red Bluff Ford building, where it caught fire. Howley, 29, of Evrett, Wash. was taken into cus- tody without further inci- dent. The Monte Carlo was fully engulfed upon arrival of fire personnel, Mackintosh said. Red Bluff Fire was dis- patched at 3:50 p.m. and cleared the scene at 4:26 p.m. The vehicle was reported as having started smoking and then caught fire in the engine com- partment, a Red Bluff Fire See CHASE, page 9A SACRAMENTO (AP) — It appears increasingly likely that Gov. Jerry Brown will have competi- tion in November when he asks California voters to raise taxes as a way to stabilize the state's per- petually out-of-balance budget. On Monday, propo- nents of two other pro- posed tax initiatives pledged that they will have enough money to get their initiatives on the bal- lot and declined to back down despite entreaties from the Democratic gov- ernor. Each of the three tax campaigns has influential backers that have been politically aligned in the past, a dynamic that could complicate the campaigns by splitting the donor base, dividing grass-roots support and confusing voters. Each also would dedicate at least some of the extra revenue to public education. Molly Munger, a wealthy attorney and civil rights advocate from Los Angeles, outlined her pro- posal in Sacramento to a supportive crowd at a statewide meeting of the California Parent Teacher Association. The PTA helped draft the initiative, which would increase income taxes on a sliding scale and raise $10 billion annually for 12 years. ''We are going to get this on the ballot and we are going to win, because we're prepared to not only get it on the ballot, but be sure that it has a very See BALLOT, page 9A Smiles abound at dental gathering By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Volunteer dentists and hygienists opened their hearts while more than 150 children opened their mouths to free dental care Saturday at the 7th Annu- al Give Kids a Smile Day. The biggest change this year was the location. With Northern Valley Indian Health Care's new facilities recently relocat- ed to north Main Street, patients got to experience brand new equipment and facilities. Opened in October, the new clinic offers 16 exam rooms and a larger facility than before. At past events, patients would wait their turns inside the State Theatre, where Social Service agencies would set up booths in the lobby and children could watch shows on the big screen. This year, since the new facilities aren't next to a venue such as the the- ater, organizers set up a large white tent outside with room for games and activities. Volunteers, from WIC, Social Services, ROP stu- dent programs and the Shasta College dental hygiene program, enter- tained and educated Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner More than 150 children, ages 0 to 19, lined up for free dental care Saturday for the 7th annual Give Kids a Smile Day. through crafts and chil- dren's game booths. Seeing roughly 150 children, ages 0 to 19, area dentists, dental assis- tants and hygienists spent the day giving exams, teeth cleanings and other treatments free. Some patients were being seen inside the mobile dental clinic, a See SMILES, page 9A COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR Smog Inspection $ 2595 + cert. (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) Pass or FREE retest 195 S. 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