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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2012 Breaking news at: Rumors Opens at RBUHS Pastimes www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 4A RED BLUFF RB vs. PV hoops SPORTS 1B Mostly sunny 65/39 Weather forecast 8B DAILYNEWS Fast times 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 Millions in drugs sniffed out on I-5 By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Four separate traffic stops on Interstate 5 south of Corning this weekend and Tuesday netted several arrests and millions of dollars worth of cash and drugs within a few days. California Highway Patrol K-9 units called in Tehama Interagency Drug Enforcement agents when their dogs pointed them to large amounts of metham- phetamine and cocaine in vehicles Friday, Saturday and Tuesday near Sour Grass Road. "It's extremely odd that this occurred," said TIDE Commander Dave Kain. See DRUGS, page 7A Brewer named Corning manager By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner Red Bluff Outlaw Karts heats up competition for racers, ages 5 to 55, Saturdays at the Tehama District Fairground. By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Originally published Feb. 12 on redbluffdailynews.com. For a couple hundred people, Saturday nights mean the roar of engines and the splatters of mud on metal bleachers at the Red Bluff Outlaw Karts at the Tehama District Fairground. Up to 135 racers, ages 5 to 55, can be seen on any given Saturday night chasing in loops through the Pauline Davis Pavilion arena. The five classes of racing, separated by age and skill levels, compete in the National Racing Association, Inc. circuit that operates from October through March in Red Bluff. Many spend the summer months competing in simi- lar events in Chico but are loyal to the local races, said Robert Carrel, owner of QRC Factory Karts on Ante- lope Boulevard. "There's something about the Red Bluff arena that draws a lot of competition," Carrel said. Carrel, who has been involved with Outlaw Karts since it began about 30 years ago, sells kart parts from Man found dead after bicycle crash By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer A 81-year-old Red Bluff man was found dead early Wednesday on the side of the road on Highway 36W, east of Vestal Road. The man was found at 5:10 a.m. by a Caltrans employee who saw the man's bicycle on the side of the road and stopped to pick it up, said California Highway Patrol Officer Phillip Mackintosh. While picking up the bicycle, the employee saw the man on the side of the road. Officers saw blood drops and back tracked to a site where they believe the man had an accident, Mackintosh said. According to a CHP release, the man was riding a Huffy Thunder Ridge bicycle west on Highway 36W when for unknown reasons, possibly a deflated tire, the man was unable to maintain his balance on the bicycle and the bicycle fell. The man hit his fore- head on the road or shoul- der of the road in the fall, which resulted in swelling on the right side of his head and a laceration on his right hand. He was not wearing a helmet while riding, Mack- intosh said. The man tried to contin- ue west on 36W for a short distance before dropping his bicycle on the north shoulder, crawling beneath a barb wire fence, possibly in an attempt to access Dib- ble Creek to flush his wounds before he laid down and died, Mackin- tosh said. The Tehama County Coroner's Office has released a preliminary esti- mate for time of death as 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, but cause of death was undeter- mined as of Wednesday afternoon, Mackintosh said. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.c om. Follow her on Twitter @DN_Zeeb. An autopsy was sched- uled for today. The man's name was being withheld pending notification of next of kin. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 POWER PRODUCTS DOLMAR Red Bluff Outdoor Power a trailer in the racing pits outside the pavilion during the races. QRC Factory Karts ships parts all over the world, he said. An average kart can run between $4,000 and $7,500, depending on the type, Carrel said. Also a sponsor, Carrel supports one customer who flies down from Canada every weekend for his 6-year- old son to race. The small racing machines can reach up to 55 miles per hour. Participants who finance their own karts, and who often get their own sponsors, pay a licensing fee of $25 to $30 to race. The Outlaw Karts season is leading up to a big event, March 9 and 10, at the fairground. The West Coast Outlaw Kart Nationals, Winter Series, will draw racers from all over the Western states. For more information about the Red Bluff Outlaw Karts, visit www.rboutlaws.com. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailynews.com. —A packed house watched T uesday evening as the City Council chose Public Works Direc- tor John Brew- er to take on Brewer additional duties as city manager. "Congratulations, John," Mayor Gary Strack said. "We do appreciate that both of you have stepped forward to help out." Brewer, who begins his new position March 1, starts at $6,689 per month, according to the staff report. In one year, Brewer would be eligible for a raise to $7,041 per month followed by eligibility for another raise the follow- ing year to $7,412 per month. Brewer will filling the shoes of City Manager Steve Kimbrough, who went to part time while tak- ing retirement in 2011. Kim- brough is unable to keep the position due to Assem- bly Bill 1028. Effective Jan. 1, a retiree under PERS cannot work for more than a year without his retire- ment being affected. The change does not affect Police Chief Tony Carde- nas, who also moved to part time in 2011. Councilman John Leach, the lone no vote, said the contract for Kim- brough has an indemnity clause and automatic renewal. Kimbrough's duties under contract would be limited to assisting with the budget and training Brewer and other staff to prepare the budget. He would remain covered under the city's indemni- ty, which protects him in See BREWER, page 7A Health treatment can be beat By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Drummers gather with colorful hand drums, beaded gourds and home- made percussion instru- ments made of plastic or wood. The reverberating boom of a hand to a drum, energy channeled into fin- gertips and repetition, and the bouncing rhythm - the vibrations begin. Boom. Boom. Boom. Gathering with staff from the Youth Empower- ment Center, Courtney Fulk, 18, of Red Bluff picked up a musical shak- er. She and the others had made the trip to Redding recently to check out a drum session. It was Fulk's first time at a drum circle. She looked around and didn't know anyone. They didn't look very friendly to her. Boom. Boom. Boom. For 45 minutes or so, the drumming progressed. They played to heart rhythms and to each other, she said. She joined in. When it was over, she looked again at all the people around her. Everyone was smiling, she said. "I just realized right then that drumming was helpful," Fulk said. Tapping, pounding and Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner Abbie Ehorn, Michael Pena, DaLene Forester and Edie Burnett prepare for Drumming for Health, an innovative therapy being introduced this year to mental health clients in Tehama County. thumping into a new wave of treatment for mental health patients, Tehama County Health Services is working toward Drum- ming for Health. The program is part of a long process of updating the county's mental health division and was chosen as a proven technique to relieve stress and treat a variety of mental disor- ders and symptoms. In the works for the last few years, the new program is scheduled to possibly start with clients this spring, said Michael Pena, the new Tehama County mental health director. It actually started with Ann Houghtby, the former mental health director, and Steve Cham- blin, former license clini- cal supervisor and Mental Health Services Act coor- dinator. Tehama County super- visors approved the launch of a Drumming for Health Jan. 24, when they authorized the purchase See BEAT, page 7A