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Red Bluff FFA, which has donated more than five tons of hay to victims of the fire, many of whom own horses, said Lauren Stroud, an FFA advisor. They have collected and sent over clothing, toys, food, shampoo and more to Lower Lake, south of Clear Lake. The next two trailers filled with dona- tions will be heading to Kelseyville and Lakeport. "The community mem- bers have really stepped up," Stroud said. The FFA has raised more than $500 and bought more family ne- cessities. The value of all the hay donated is into the thousands, Stroud said. Michelle Sousa, of Sousa Dynasty Herbs, has do- nated toys, clothes and other household items. Out of her company's funds she has shopped for soaps and bathroom essentials to send. "We believe in giv- ing back to the commu- nity," she said. Cheryl Bush, treasurer and board member of De- serving Pet Rescue, and Melanie Baumgartner, the president, along with Val- ley Veterinary Clinic have collected leashes, dog crates and food from the facility and bought puppy pads, more dog crates and leashes. Money donated to them has gone to buy 30 toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste. Donation FROMPAGE1 ported 0.06 inches of rain. The map showed areas as far north of Red Bluff as Cottonwood and as far south of Red Bluff as Los Molinos received some- where between 0.01 and 0.1 inches of rain. Corn- ing showed up as being between 0 and 0.01 inches of rain. The sun was expected to return Thursday with north winds of about 7 mph, partly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures of about 77 degrees. The north winds will create dry conditions that in- crease fire concern over the upcoming weekend, the National Weather Ser- vice said in a special advi- sory statement issued late Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures are ex- pected to jump another 11 degrees to 88 degrees on Friday with a return to higher temperatures in the low to mid 90s through at least Tuesday. To view current weather information visit http:// www.wrh.noaa.gov/sto. Storm FROM PAGE 1 JULIEZEEB—DAILYNEWS RedBluffPoliceSgt.QuintanOrtegawaspromotedto Captain on Tuesday at the Red Bluff City Council meeting where he was sworn in and a badge-pinning ceremony was held. Police Chief Kyle Sanders was asked to pin on the new badge. Ortega is a 1990 Red Bluff High School graduate and started his career with Red Bluff Police in 1997 as a Community Service Officer. He was the first person to be sponsored by the department for attend- ing the police academy and moved from reserve police officer, which he started in 1998, to full-time in 1999. He has served as SWAT leader for eight years. Michael Brown was promoted to sergeant in a separate ceremony Monday, filling Ortega's position. Three new personnel were sworn in: Officer Tyler Cote, Officer Steve Harper and Community Service Officer Riley Garcia. PROMOTION POLICE PROMOTE QUINTAN ORTEGA By Christopher Weber TheAssociatedPress LOS ANGELES Califor- nia elementary school tru- ancy rates are up slightly despite efforts by nearly all the state's school districts to implement improved practices to reduce absen- teeism, according to new research. Attorney General Ka- mala Harris on Wednesday released an annual report on absenteeism, which finds a small increase from 21.3 percent in 2012- 13 to 23.2 percent in 2013- 14. Data suggest another slight rise to 23.8 percent for the 2014-15 school year. However, the report said, the three-year increase may be an indication of improved monitoring and tracking statewide. Some 95 percent of sur- veyed districts reported they have made changes to truancy policies, including improved communication with local administrators and parents. More than 20 percent of districts began to collect and analyze data on the number of students who are chronically absent in the 2014-15 school year. It may be too soon to see the effects of the new ef- forts, Harris said. Harris framed the re- port in economic terms during a speech to the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. "California is facing a shortage of skilled, edu- cated workers," she said, adding that keeping kids in school is critical to the state's future competitive- ness," she said. Harris suggested look- ing ahead 10 years. "We need to ask what is going on with the 8 year old today, who will be 18 in 2025, and ask whether they will participate in our economy or be a threat to our public safety?" the at- torney general said. Some 230,000 California elementary school students are chronically absent — missing more than 10 per- cent of the school year — and more than 1 in 5 are truant, having three or more unexcused absences. Research has found stu- dents who are truant start- ing at a young age are more likely to drop out. The study confirmed previous data that showed racial and income divides when it comes to truancy. The rate of chronic tru- ancy among black elemen- tary students was more than 10 percent higher than that of white students during the last school year, the report showed. Nearly 20 percent of Af- rican-American and Na- tive American students are chronically absent, and over 75 percent of the stu- dents who are chronically absent are low-income. School discipline policies also disproportionately af- fect students of color, the report found. Black ele- mentary school students are four times more likely to be suspended than white students. NEW RESEARCH St at e el eme nt ar y school truancy rates up slightly The Associated Press INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV. A Lake Tahoe high school was placed on a precau- tionary lockdown for about two hours Wednes- day when a black bear wandered onto the cam- pus three days after she and her cub were cap- tured in Carson City and released in the mountains 30 miles away. The lockdown at Incline High School was lifted shortly after 11 a.m. when state wildlife officials shot the mother bear with a tranquilizer dart after she climbed a tree outside the school on the lake's north shore. Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris Healy said they intended to place the bear in a two- chamber trap baited with food on the high school's football field after school was let out for the day in hopes of luring the cub back to its mother. Washoe County school district spokeswoman Victoria Campbell said In- cline High's football prac- tice would be moved to the soccer field Wednesday af- ternoon. Healy said the bears won't be killed because they've not posed a dan- ger to anyone. He said wildlife biolo- gists hope to release both of them to the wild again in the next day or so. NEVADA Bear that prompted school lockdown was caught earlier By Sue Manning The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Michael Jernigan lost his eyesight and part of his brain in Iraq in 2004. But he insists, thanks to a couple of dogs, he found more than he lost. His confidence, hopes, dreams, independence — they were shattered on a roadway. He couldn't even go to games for his favorite team, the Tampa Bay Rays. Then Brittani, a Labrador and golden retriever mix, became his "battle buddy." She boosted his confi- dence and independence and taught him to forget his disabilities and concen- trate on his capabilities, he said. They got a history de- gree together and even went to the ballpark. Jernigan was a Marine corporal on patrol with four others on Aug. 22, 2004, on the outskirts of Mahmudi- yah, between Baghdad and Kuwait. A roadside bomb ripped into their Humvee, killing one and injuring most of the rest. Jernigan was thrown 60 feet from the gun turret. Surgeons removed both eyes, the front of his brain and his forehead — leav- ing the rest of his brain to be supported by titanium mesh. His left kneecap was fractured and his right hand had to be rebuilt. He has un- dergone more than 30 sur- geries, and he can only see black. Through it all, Jerni- gan said, the hardest part of all was being alone. But before the surger- ies were done, Southeast- ern Guide Dogs, Inc., in Pal- metto, Florida, contacted Jernigan's mom and told her theywouldhaveadogforher son when he needed one. Jernigan is still learning to handle large crowds, but Brittani helped him control anxiety attacks caused by post-traumatic stress dis- order. One day when they got caught in a crowd and Jernigan became "frazzled," Brittani went to work. She "started hitting my hand with her cold, wet nose," Jernigan recalled. "I started petting her neck. She was wagging her tail and kissing my face. She re- alized I was at my breaking point and stopped me and helped me release all that tension to get me to a better place." It felt, he added, like "I had a Marine to the right and a Marine to the left of me at all times." Earlier this year, Brit- tani retired and is living with a friend. It took several months to find a replace- ment, a Labrador named Treasure, who could match Brittani's speed, gait and size. But Treasure has taken over where Brittani left off. "Brittani was the longest and most successful female relationshipIhaveeverhad," Jerniganjoked.Headdsthat he "will never be able to re- place Brittani. It doesn't mean Treasure won't have a tremendous impact on my life — just different." After training with Trea- sure for 26 days on South- eastern's campus, Jernigan graduated in August and began a new phase of his life. He turns 37 in October. Only in the last two or three years has he started to understand how great his recovery was. "What I have been able to accomplish post-recovery is amazing, unbelievable. It wasn't too many years ago I thought I might have to live in a nurs- ing home having somebody take care of me." In some ways, he thinks "getting blown up was the best thing that ever hap- pened to me because it changed the trajectory of my life. Before, I was a failed student. Wounded, I made a comeback and am a better son now than before." IRAQ PATROL What roadside bomb takes away, guide dogs return Trump on immigration. Trump, who has called for deporting all 11 million peo- ple living in the U.S. ille- gally before allowing some back in, called Bush "weak on immigration" and re- fused to apologize for com- ments he made about Bush's Mexican-born wife. The contrast between Trump, a political nov- ice, and Bush, the son and brother of presidents, has come to typify the broader battle within the Republi- can Party. Trump's unex- pected rise and surprising durability is seen as a re- flection of voters' frustra- tion with Washington and career politicians. Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard executive, is also seeking to capitalize on her outsider status. She was making her first ap- pearance on the main de- bate stage after a standout performance in an under- card event last months. Fiorina emphasized how their business backgrounds would help them negotiate with difficult world lead- ers, including Russia's pres- ident. "Vladimir Putin would get the message," she said. A third outsider — soft- spoken retired neurosur- geon Ben Carson — entered the debate with high expec- tations after a recent rise in the polls that determine de- bate participation. But he largely faded to the back- ground on the crowded de- bate stage. Even in a lengthy debate, the 11-candidate field lim- itedthe amount oftime each participant had to make his case totheAmerican people. Florida Sen. Marco Ru- bio sought to take advan- tage of his moments, re- minding voters about his compelling personal story, including his parents' move to the U.S. from Cuba. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also tried to capi- talize on his limited time, saying that while he was entertained by Trump and Fiorina trying to one-up each other's business re- cords, "for the 55-year-old construction worker out in that audience tonight who doesn't have a job, who can't fund his child's education — I gotta tell you the truth — they could care less about your careers." On Iran, the candidates were split on whether they would tear up President Barack Obama's nuclear ac- cord if elected. Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich took ameasuredapproach,saying ripping up a deal agreed to not only by the U.S. but also several allies was not a strat- egy for stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. In an exchange on gay marriage and religious lib- erty, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee argued forcefully for the right of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis to defy the Supreme Court's decision legalizing gaymarriage."Ithoughtthat everyone here passed ninth gradecivics.Thecourtscan't legislate," he said. "I thought we had three branches of government." Still, Huckabee declined to criticize Bush for say- ing Davis did not have the right to deny gays marriage licenses. Bush said he sup- ports defending the rights of religious people to re- fuse to endorse gay mar- riage, but he said someone else in Davis' office should sign the certificates since the Supreme Court ruling is the law of the land. Debate FROM PAGE 1 MARKRAYMONDVERDUN December 24, 1960 ~ September 14, 2015 Mark Raymond Verdun, 54 passed away in Corning, CA Sep- tember 14, 2015. He was born to Raymond and Donna Verdun, December 24, 1960, in Corning, CA. He graduated from Lassen High School, Susanville, CA. Mark was employeed at California Almond Packers in Corning, CA. Mark's latest hobby was playing horseshoes where he won numerous tournaments. He was accomplished at golf and loved playing drums. Mark was a good hearted person, and loved by all. Mark is survived by his parents, Raymond and Donna Verdun, Corning, CA, son, Tyler Ray Verdun, Chico, CA, daughter Rylee Annette Verdun, Seattle, WA, sisters, Rayna Lynn Wegener, Corning, CA and Joni Lynn Quan, Susanville, CA, brother Matthew Scott Verdun, Corning, CA. Services will be held at Woodson Bridge River Park, (northside) Corning, CA at 11:00 am. Simple Cremation is handling arrangements. NOVELLA JANE ARNOLD McGARVA On Nov. 18, 1931, Novella Jane Arnold McGarva began her life in Albuquerque, NM. She was raised by her aunt & uncle, Lorine & Leonard Perdew, living in Modoc County for most of her childhood. In 1949 she married her high school sweetheart, George McGarva. They were married for 59 years until his death in 2008. Novella worked for Evergreen School in Cottonwood for 43 years. The center of her life were her 4 children, Carolyn (Chuy) Lucero of Santa Maria, CA, Jeanette McGarva of Cotton- wood, CA, John (Delia) McGarva of Santa Rosa, CA, and Patty (John) Povey of Manton, CA. She also adored her 16 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren. Novella loved her church family & the time she spent at Com- munity Baptist Church, Red Bluff. She finished her life confident that she would enter into the presence of Jesus Christ. Celebration of Life for Novella will be Sat, Sept 26, 10 am at Community Baptist Church, Red Bluff. Obituaries Combining Quality and Low Cost is what we do. www.affordablemortuary.net•529-3655 FD1538 LocatedinChico,CA R ed Bluff Simple Cremations and Burial Service FD1931 527-1732 Burials - Monuments - Preneed 722 Oak Street, Red Bluff THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM |NEWS | 7 A