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FRIDAY MARCH 30, 2012 Breaking news at: Ag Leaders Honored Education www.redbluffdailynews.com See Page 6A RED BLUFF Spartan Sweep SPORTS 1B likely Weather forecast 10A Rain 67/50 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 Horse meet opens Rodriguez trial date uncertain By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer The man charged with driving into and ultimately killing a Red Bluff woman a year ago is still awaiting trial. The case against Victor Hugo Rodriguez is tenta- tively scheduled to begin May 9, but his attorney, Eric Alan Berg, told the court he may need more time to pre- pare. Berg asserted in court Monday that Rodriguez can- not get a fair trial under Tehama County Superior Court Judge John Garaventa. Judge Jonathan Skillman approved Berg's motion and Garaventa will not be the presiding judge for the trial. The court assigned the case to Judge Todd Bottke to oversee motions of discovery, or to decide whether either party has given over enough of the reports and See TRIAL, page 9A Free tax assistance expands to college By JULIE ZEEB Daily News file photo The 2011 Backcountry Horseman of California (BCHC) Rendezvous, pictured here, drew about 2,000 people to the Tehama District Fairground and organizers hope to see more at the event, which runs today through Sunday. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Backcountry Horseman of California (BCHC) Rendezvous, a three-day educational outreach event, will run today through Sun- day at the Tehama District Fair- ground in Red Bluff. The group is a non-profit organi- zation that provides services to those building and maintaining trails, Rendezvous Chairman and past State President Larry Shuman said. The Rendezvous is a chance to educate the public on what the orga- nization does, he said. "We're expanding this year," Shuman said. "UC Davis is putting on some workshops for us and there will be the first demonstra- tions involving large animal rescue including how to prepare them for use with a helicopter." The UC Davis Veterinary Emer- gency Response Team will be pre- sented at 3 p.m. today and 1 p.m. Saturday in the Don Smith Pavilion by Dr. Cheryl Ellis. The UC Davis Animal Science Department Horse Barn will be pre- senting a workshop on breeding for horses and mules and artificial insemination, which includes live demonstrations, Shuman said. Lawmakers don hoodies for slain Florida teen SACRAMENTO (AP) — More than a dozen California lawmakers wore hooded sweat shirts Thursday on the floor of the Legislature in a sym- bolic gesture to protest the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. ''A young man had his life taken in what amounts to vigilante justice,'' said Sen. Rod Wright, D- Inglewood, who helped organize a demonstration that involved lawmakers in both houses. He later added, ''God help us if in the United States, wearing a hoodie warrants capital punish- ment.'' Lawmakers later adjourned the day's ses- sion in memory of the 17- year-old. Martin was shot to death while unarmed Feb. 26 by a neighbor- hood watch volunteer in a gated community in San- ford, Fla. It was raining, and the teen had the hood of his sweat shirt pulled over his head. The shooter, 28- year-old George Zimmer- man, told police dispatch- ers he thought Martin looked suspicious. Zimmerman said he acted in self-defense and has not been arrested, which has led many black leaders to describe it as a case of racial injustice. Martin is black, while Zimmerman's parents are white and Hispanic. In the Assembly, Speaker John Perez and Assemblyman Steven Bradford, D-Gardenia, spoke against racial pro- filing and called for an investigation into Zim- merman's actions. Nearly all Democratic lawmakers stood in a semi-circle behind them, with some wearing the black, gray and blue sweat shirts that have become a symbol of the debate over the shoot- ing. Perez, D-Los Angeles, did not wear a sweat shirt on the floor but later donned one for a news conference. Many lawmakers wore gray sweat shirts distrib- uted by the Legislative Black Caucus embla- zoned on the back with the words ''In memory of Trayvon Martin.'' Among them was Sen- ate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, who said lawmakers have a 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 See DON, page 9A "We're offering more classes with veterinarians," Shuman said. "We'll be covering just about every- thing you can cover on equine health. We've added classes on pas- ture management and paddock management as we've gotten more environmentally sensitive on how we handle large animal waste." There will be an obstacle chal- lenge clinic 9 a.m. to noon today in the Bull Sale Arena and an FFA presentation at the same time on Packing 101 for Red Bluff, Ander- son and Shasta high schools prior to the start of the event. See HORSE, page 9A DN Staff Writer The Volunteer Tax Income Assistance (VITA) Program is back, ready to help low-income Tehama County residents with their taxes for its third year, and it is adding a new site. The group had 14 returns prepared the first year and had done more than 200 between Feb. 1 and the third week of March, said Mike Bald- win, community service supervisor for the Tehama County Community Action Agency. "It's such a great ser- vice to Tehama County," Baldwin said. "People are coming back so we see a lot of old participants and build some new ones as well." From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, volunteers will be at Shasta College, 770 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff. "This year, it's a new venue," Baldwin said. "We've been working with Shasta College for the last few years, using their computer lab for training. This year we have classroom space for the full day, specifically for students. It's some- thing that will touch a whole different popula- tion in Tehama County." The program is well ahead of 2011 refunds and has seen about $350,000 come back to the county between Feb. 1 and the third week of March. "It's a tremendous increase," Baldwin said. "At the end of last year, refunds totaled $262,000. It's a huge benefit in that the money comes to Tehama County and the majority of it is spent in Tehama County." While appointments are encouraged, walk-ins are welcome, Baldwin said. See TAX, page 9A Children raise money for ill peers By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Red Bluff Center Head Start had 13 children taking laps on tricycles and scooters for a good cause Thursday, at its first-ever Trike-a-thon to raise money for St. Jude Children's Hos- pital. Between the morning and afternoon classes, the children raised about $1,500, lead teacher Jacque Thomas said. "We are teaching the children the importance of giving and the magic in hope, as well as bike safety," Thomas said. For about an hour, the children, ages 3-5, raced around a track made in a taped off area next to the center, earning necklaces for each lap they completed. "We're raising money for the hospital to fix the children who are sick," said Janiya Todich, 4. The children have been really excited about raising the money, Thomas said. "They know they're doing it for a good cause," she said. The center got the idea from the Happy Trails Head Start Center across town, which did a similar fundraiser for St. Jude last year, she said. In addition to helping people, there is a week-long curriculum on bicycle safe- Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb Children from the Red Bluff Center Head Start participate in the first ever Trike-a-thon Thursday to raise about $1,500 for the St. Jude Children's Hospital. ty. "We learned rules," said Jordis Gritman, 5. "Remember to always wear your helmet was the first, never ride in the streets was the second, always watch out for driveways was the third and be safe was the fourth." Several parents and a few grandparents came to help the children out and cheer them on, including Rose and Doyle Castor of Red Bluff who came to watch their grandson, David. Watching the children learn to help others at such a young age and the fact they were aware they were help- ing others was neat, Rose said. "It's pretty cool," she said. "It just shows how advanced they can be at that age." 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