Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/618981
Thefollowingisalistofhouses decorated for Christmas that were submitted by readers as ex- ceptional displays. If you would like your house to be included on the list, send the full address and a photo of your display to editor@redbluffdaily- news.com or call 737-5043. Se- lected photos will be published. RedBluff 1225 Aloha Ct. 1633 Aloha St. Ashmount Avenue 1221, 1209, 1350 Britt Lane Corner of Cedar and Lincoln streets Chestnut Avenue 300 block Christina Drive Corner of Deborah Drive and Aloha Street 1300, 1340 Donita Drive Dumosa Drive Corner of El Cerrito Drive and Aloha Street Franklin and Hickory streets 1335 Franzel Road Corner of Franzel and Luther roads 1400 block Kimball Road Lassen Avenue 300 block Michael Drive 900 block Oak Grove Avenue Oriole Drive 1395 Southpointe Drive 1148 Washington St. Walton Avenue Corner of Union Street and Jef- ferson Street Corning 263 Rio Bravo Court 1631 6th Ave. 115 McLane Ave. 400 South St. 1903 Taft Ave. 1913 Taft Ave. 343 Edith Ave. 217 Carona Ave. Los Molinos 8470 Sherwood Blvd. CHRISTMAS Decorations: Best Display The Tehama County Board of Supervisors launched the Home EnergyRenovation Opportunity Property Assessed Clean Energy program earlier this month. Financing through the pro- gram enables homeowners to make energy- and water-effi- ciency improvements and pay for them over time through their property tax bill. Interest may be tax-deductible, and home- owners may see immediate sav- ings on utility bills. Residents of unincorporated areas of Tehama County may submit applications for financ- ing. "HERO financing brings re- newable energy and energy- and water-efficiencywithinreachfor a broad range of homeowners," saidBlairMcNeill,vicepresident of Community Development for Renovate America, the company that administers the program. "We are excited to help people make their home more comfort- able, all while saving money and reducing their impact on the en- vironment." As California's drought drags on, eligible retrofits give home- owners a fast, affordable way to conserve a desperately-needed resource. The program has a wide variety of products to help homeowners save water, in- cluding high-efficiency toilets, faucets and showerheads; drip irrigation systems; rainwater catchment systems; gray water systems; and artificial turf and other drought-tolerant land- scaping. A wide variety of energy- saving products are available as well, including solar power panel installations, whole-home heating and cooling (HVAC) sys- tems, energy-saving windows and doors and roofing and in- sulation. PACE has been adopted to address a problem conven- tional financing products have not solved. Each year, several million homes in the U.S. will have systems replaced that af- fect energy or water consump- tion — such as Heating Ventila- tion Air Conditioning (HVAC), windows, roofs, and water heat- ers — in most cases because ex- isting products are failing. The majority of homeowners still select the least-efficient so- lution because homeowners are not sure how long they are going to stay in their home. As a re- sult, the least-efficient solutions end up being the most expensive whentakingintoaccounttheto- tal cost of ownership when en- ergy or water costs are factored in. The program finances 100 percent of the home im- provement, requiring no upfront cash outlay; the term of the financing is based on the useful life of the product, up to 20 years, lowering the size of monthly payments; and collec- tion is conducted through regu- lar property tax payments. The products installed must meet federal and state efficiency stan- dards, enabling homeowners to lower monthly utility bills and help pay for the cost of the im- provement over time. The program enables local governments to add additional requirements to protect con- sumers not found in other pay- ment options like credit cards or home equity loans. For exam- ple, the program requires con- tractors to be licensed with the state, homeowners to obtain all required permits, products and labor to meet fair pricing stan- dards, homeowners to use prod- ucts certified as efficient by the U.S. Department of Energy or water-conserving by the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency, and that payment only be made when the homeowner signs off that the job has been success- fully completed. Taking part in the program is 100 percent voluntary for both jurisdictions and property own- ers. The program is cost neu- tral to participating local gov- ernments. For more information, visit www.HeroProgram.com. ENERGY SAVINGS Tehama County approves efficiency financing option COURTESYPHOTO Police Activities League Martial Arts program students train both on the mat and with the body bags practicing strategies for dealing with bullies. The Police Activities League Martial Arts Program focuses on students by working and having fun at the same time. Students train both on the mat and with the body bags practicing strategies for deal- ing with bullies. Endurance is a healthy side-effect of training with the proper techniques and guidance from their instructors. The program is taking the holidays off until Monday, Jan. 4. Classes are held on 3-5 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at 1005 Vista Way, Ste. C next to the Red Bluff Airport. The program is 17 years old and was the first anti-bullying program in Tehama County. It focuses on youth drug de- mand reeducation education and schoolwork along with the rigorous and fun training. Women's Wellness and Em- powerment Self Defense meets at 5 p.m. the third and fourth Thursdays of each month. This program focuses on women and girls self-defense ages 7 to 97. PAL is a youth crime preven- tion program and is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that is also sup- ported by the United Way of Northern California and sev- eral local businesses and faith based organizations with local law enforcement involvement and supervision. Visit www.tehamaso.org or call 529-7950 for more infor- mation. All PAL programs are free. PAL Martialartsprogram focuses on students No one was more surprised than I when my first granddog, Sir Boddington, nuzzled a place in my heart. I knew I was smitten the day I loaded up on toys, milk bones and other doggie delights. I blame it on "Bod- die" that I so will- ingly became a member of the U.S. population that spent $58 billion in 2014 on food, supplies, services such as grooming and boarding, and medical care for their 358 mil- lion pets. So how can you afford to care for your furry friend — in sick- ness and in health? Make pre- vention maintenance your top priority as a pet owner and you'll save later on. RESTRAIN. A fence or some other reasonable restraint is the best way to avoid big vet bills, says David T. Roen, D.V.M., board-certified veterinarian and owner of the Clarkston Veteri- nary Clinic in Clarkston, Wash- ington. "I see more dogs in my office because of injuries sus- tained while unrestrained than for any other reason. Dogs should always be leashed, fenced or supervised." CHOOSE THE RIGHT FOOD. Dr. Roen advises pet owners to skip all the fancy premium foods sold by vets. Use name-brand pet food from the supermarket la- beled "complete and balanced." Or look for the seal of approval of AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Offi- cials). Stick with the same brand. Switching abruptly can cause health issues for some animals. And less is better, as slightly un- derweight pets have fewer health problems. SPAY AND NEUTER. Repro- ductive issues aside, spayed and neutered dogs have fewer health and behavioral problems. MAKE WELLNESS ROUTINE. Some pet supply stores offer in- store clinics and special events. Humane societies and veteri- nary schools offer low-cost clinics where inoculations and wellness exams are administered by pro- fessionals. Keep good records of the inoculations and treatments your pet has. FORGET HEALTH INSUR- ANCE. Pet insurance will proba- bly cost more money than it saves, says Dr. Roen. But you should an- ticipate future medical bills. "In- stead of sending premiums to an insurance company, put the amount you'd pay in premiums into a savings account." GET SECOND OPINIONS. Even if it's an emergency, if the es- timate is for more than a few hun- dred dollars, get a second opinion. If the estimate is for $800 and you can only afford $400, speak up, says Dr. Roen. There may be less aggressive and cheaper alter- native treatments. SHOP AROUND FOR MEDICA- TIONS. Ask your vet for prescrip- tion drug samples to get started. Then call around to retailers such as Wal-Mart or Costco pharma- cies (many meds are the same for humans and animals) to compare prices. Search websites like dis- countpetmedicines.com or pet- meds.com, too. CREATE AN ACCOUNT. Seri- ously, you need to establish a sav- ings account just for your pet's care, into which you regularly de- posit money. Even $10 a week will turn into $520 in one year. Ear- mark that account for pet emer- gencies only, then congratulate yourself on being a responsible pet owner. Woof. Wouldyouliketosendatip to Mary? You can email her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE How to cut the cost of owning a pet Mary Hunt The program has a wide variety of products to help homeowners save water. Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate Shop Equipped With 4SmogMachines For Fast Service No appointment Needed Tehama District Jr. Livestock AnnualMeeting Wed., Jan 13 th 6pm held in the Tehama Room @ Tehama District Fairgrounds 736-1389 632 Main Street, Red Bluff Ragz To Riches 20% off Selected Items (Must present coupon) Unique Seasonal Gifts Handcrafted Items C O U P O N C O U P O N Open7Daysaweek:4amto10pm (530) 727-6057 •DozenDonuts (mixed) $8.99 "Thebestdonutintown!" Baked Fresh Daily SeniorDiscount BreakfastCroissantSandwich Sausage, Ham or Bacon Includes sm. coffee, or any other drink $ 4.99 218 S. 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