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THURSDAY MARCH 1, 2012 Breaking news at: Stand-Up Comedy Show Pastimes www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 6A RED BLUFF Hoops Semis SPORTS 1B Showers likely 52/33 Weather forecast 8B By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Early Wednesday morning's severe weather didn't have an affect on local crops, said Tehama County Agricultural 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 Early morning high winds, hail spare area crops Commissioner Rick Gurrola. "There's been no reported measurable damage to agricul- tural commodities," Gurrola said Wednesday afternoon. "The almond blossoms have been unaffected, but we are still way behind on water fall. We've been very lucky." The National Weather Ser- vice issued a hazardous weather outlook for the interior of Northern California with show- ers expected at least through today. The last 72 hours has seen 0.34 inches of rain fall in Red Bluff with 0.27 inches in the last 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall has been behind Corning names new chief with the total rainfall for Red Bluff's water year through Jan- uary at 9.21 inches compared to 10.17 inches in the same period a year ago. See CROPS, page 5A Firefighter killed in I-5 crash By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer A member of the Cottonwood Fire Protection Dis- trict was killed and two people, including a California Highway Patrol Officer, were injured when a vehicle slid off southbound Interstate 5 early Wednesday morn- ing. Capt. Mark G. Ratledge, 35, of Cottonwood, was a nine-year veteran with the district, Public Information Officer Linda Galvan said in a release. Ratledge, who started with the department in 2003 and was promoted to captain in 2008, served as a train- ing officer for the department, she said. He leaves behind his fiance Jennifer Hobbs, 38, his daughter Sophia, 1, stepdaughter Hannah Jasperse, 17, and stepson, Conner Hobbs, 10. Ratledge is survived by his sister Susana Ratledge of Stockton and parents Jack Ratledge and Maria Closa, both of Redding. "The members of Cottonwood Fire have been over- whelmed and are appreciative of the support coming See CRASH, page 5A County converts to on- line job applications By ANDREA WAGNER Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb The Corning City Council approved the replacement of Corning Police Chief Tony Cardenas with Sgt. Don Atkins, effective March 1. Several members of the Corning Police Department posed for a picture following the meeting. Pictured from left: James Dodge, Sgt. Ralph Schmidt,Tom Watson, Cardenas, Atkins, Officer Justin Jourdan and Sgt. Jeremiah Fears. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING — The City Council approved the appointment of Police Sgt. Don Atkins, effective today, to replace Chief Tony Cardenas. Cardenas, who has been with the department since Jan. 8, 1990, stepped down due to the possibility that his retire- ment might be affected by Assembly Bill 1028. The law, which limits former City Manger Steve Kimbrough to a one-year term as part-time employ- ee by contract before it affected his retirement, was originally thought to only affect Kimbrough due to the fact that Carde- nas was directly appoint- ed by the council. Kimbrough is replaced today by Public Works Director John Brewer, who will fill both roles. Cardenas has been in Controversial Calif. water bill passes US House FRESNO (AP) — The U.S. House of Represen- tatives on Wednesday approved a controversial water bill that would block the restoration of the San Joaquin River and give California farmers and urban residents more water. The bill was approved by a 246 to 175 margin on a largely partisan vote in the Republican-controlled House. The measure is expected to die in the Democrat-controlled Sen- ate. President Barack Obama also has vowed to veto it. Sponsored by Visalia Republican Devin Nunes, the legislation would repeal plans to restore the San Joaquin River and remove the $300 million already authorized for the project. The bill overrides a settlement that ended nearly two decades of lawsuits to restore the river. It would also pre-empt state water law and reduce the amount of water avail- able for fish, wildlife and restoration efforts. It would redirect a greater supply from the Sacra- mento-San Joaquin Delta to farmers, lengthen irri- gation contracts to 40 years and ease water transfers. The bill reinstates a 1994 agreement known as the Bay-Delta Accord that was seen at the time as a compromise among envi- ronmentalists, farmers and local, state and national governments. But opponents say that com- promise was reached before new science came to light and before delta fisheries collapsed. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Republicans lauded the See BILL, page 5A contact with Public Employees Retirement System and is stepping down until he can ensure that continuing part-time would not affect his retirement or put the city in jeopardy, he said. The council approved a four-month contract for Cardenas to come back as a Public Safety Consul- tant, however, that con- tract will not be signed until PERS gets back to Cardenas or 60 days pass- es, said Mayor Gary Strack. "PERS has a maximum of 60 days to get back to me or it is assumed approved," Cardenas said. Atkins, the senior police sergeant and a 25- year veteran with the department, was the per- son the city had already internally been looking at to replace Cardenas when Cardenas retired, Kim- See CHIEF, page 5A DN Staff Writer Paper job applications for county jobs will give way to a Web-based version after a decision by the Tehama County Board of Supervisors Feb. 7. Met with opposition by Supervisor Dennis Garton, the proposed agreement will cost the county $18,450 to start and about $10,000 a year to maintain. The agreement would partner county administra- tion with an online compa- ny, GovernmentJobs.com, Inc., or NEOGOV, that will allow job seekers to file one centralized application for any county department. Although the new process won't eliminate paper applications altogeth- er, it will reduce the number of them, said personnel director Reanette Fillmer. The new access will save time staff uses for job recruitment. The program will allow departments to add ques- tions on the application for each specific position, Fillmer said. Job seekers will only have to update the application each time they apply for a job, instead of filing a completely new application. Garton raised concerns about interaction between departments and potential employees, having to regis- ter to use the web-based system and the cost. At least one administra- tor contacted him who was See COUNTY, page 5A Early childhood group narrows its focus By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer Encouraging parents to read, sing and play with their children to promote school readiness, the First 5 Tehama Children and Fam- ilies Commission wants to keep things simple and focused. In a five-year strategic plan, the commission has identified programs and funding for getting children to age 5 to be physically and emotionally healthy and ready for school. The goals are to help children be optimally developed by age 5, when they enter kindergarten, said Denise Snider, the executive director of First 5 Tehama. Funding for the state- linked program has been cut 30 percent overall, Snider said. Because of reduced funding, First 5 Tehama has focused on specifically investing more than $2 mil- lion in grants within the next five years in school readiness programs. The investments include supporting the Family Resource Centers, the Tehama County Health program Parents as Teach- ers, preschool KinderCamp and parenting programs. They will be working with community partner- ships to promote good health, strong families and positive learning experi- ences for children to age 5, Snider said. The target schools, for now, will be in Los Moli- nos, Gerber and Corning, which were identified early in the process as the areas with the most need. The commission hosted a public hearing Tuesday afternoon to discuss the plan. During the hearing, commissioners heard from a kindergarten teacher, a licensed care provider and a parent participant who were supportive of the direction the plan gives. "It is good to know here is a stable plan," said Violet Espinoza, an early care and education provider. MCT file photo Partnership, the annual Children's Faire and Child Abuse Prevention Month activities, the home visiting Espinoza, quoting a song made popular by the late Whitney Houston, emphasized the children are our future and the commu- nity needs to build up and invest in them from the See FOCUS, page 5A