Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6196
By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer A presentation Tuesday by State Senate candidate Doug LaMalfa kept coming back to power. The Richvale farmer and former assemblyman, speaking before the Red Bluff Kiwanis Club, began by collecting signatures for a constitutional amendment that would bar the state from borrowing further transportation funds from county and city govern- ments. But LaMalfa reserved the crux of his speech for nuclear power, which he hails as the solution to Cali- fornia's growing energy needs. Already an accepted source of power in Europe and Japan, repealing legisla- tion that prevents the build- ing of nuclear plants in Cal- ifornia could give the state a clean, carbon-neutral source of energy, he said. If used to power desali- nation efforts, the initiative could also be tied to fighting the drought. "Why aren't we building a (desalination) plant next to four or five nuclear plants here in California?," he said. Nuclear plants are con- troversial, but even efforts to install energy efforts thought to be popular with environmental groups, like wind and solar, have been fought by competing envi- ronmental groups when those projects threaten to disrupt natural habitats, LaMalfa said. "We're talking out of all three sides of our mouth here, basically," he said. LaMalfa spent nearly as much of his time at the lectern trying to harness energy of a different kind — political energy from more than 3,000 miles away in Massachusetts, where By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer With a few colored markers, maps and some imaginative thinking sev- eral residents reconstruct- ed a new Red Bluff River Park and McGlynn Pool. The ideas gathered from Wednesday's meet- ing are just drawings for now, but they could become reality if the city gets a $5 million Proposi- tion 84 grant it is seeking to make improvements to the park and pool. Resident Wendy Gal- lacher filled her map with several ideas, including a gazebo with a nearby splash park. The splash park should be close enough to the gazebo that, when there are events such as concerts, those playing in the splash park can still enjoy the music, she said. Gallacher said she and her family do not go to the pool as often as they would like due to the lack of shade. She would like to see a lawn area off to the side of the pool that is shaded and can be used as a picnic area. Sarah Moughan's fami- ly just moved to Red Bluff from Redding a month ago and she had plenty of ideas based on Redding facili- ties. She split the pool into three separate pools, a smaller wading pool for children, a pool for regular use and lap swimming and a deeper pool for diving. Moughan suggests hav- ing floating movie nights, during which people can sit on inner tubes in the pool and enjoy a movie projected onto a wall. Moughan's son Seth wants to have a rock climbing wall, slides and a bridge that wobbles when he jumps on it at River Park. He wants a nice place where his grand- mother can take him to play, he said. Weather forecast 8A Cloudy Showers 47/34 N EWS D AILY DAILY 50¢ FRIDAY JANUARY 22, 2010 Close Seeks Fresh Damages Razor Thin Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY 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 See Inside SPORTS 1B Select TV 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 MOULE'S TEHAMA COUNTY GLASS 515 Sycamore St. 529-0260 for Fireplace Glass N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY Red Bluff Daily News Saturday delivery will be late due to the sports coverage. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you. CHP makes $1.8 million heroin bust By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Two Washington residents were arrested in Tehama Coun- ty after 40 pounds of black tar heroin were found during a traf- fic stop Thursday midday on northbound Interstate 5 at Sour- grass Road. A California Highway Patrol K-9 unit was making a stop for a speed violation at 11:50 a.m. Thursday, a CHP release said. Upon contact, the CHP offi- cer saw indicators of possible drug trafficking and deployed a narcotic detection dog. The dog raised an alert on what was later discovered to be a hidden compartment with a remote locking mechanism within the dashboard, where the drugs were later located, the release said. The black tar heroin has a rough street value of $1.8 mil- lion, the release said. The vehicle's occupants, Oscar A. Esquival-Pena, 23, of Auburn, Wash., and Juana Esquival-Pena, 35, of Fife, Wash., were arrested. Both were booked into Tehama County Jail on charges of possession and transporta- tion for sale of heroin, said CHP Officer Phil Mackintosh. They were also booked on the charge of possession of a false compartment, he said. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Jeep tears up school Truck swept up by raging creek By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer An 18-year-old man and his passenger took a wild ride downstream about 9:50 p.m. Wednesday on Paskenta Road, south of Stewart Road after failing to notice road closure signs ahead of him. Derick Avrit, 18, of Chico, was driving south about 30 mph on Paskenta Road, which is a dirt and gravel Board reviews Heritage Days Daily News photo by Geoff Johnson Police believe a drunk driver plowed a stolen Jeep through the fence at Vista Middle School on Wednesday night. By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer A suspected drunken driver drove a stolen Jeep through the fence at Vista Middle School on Wednesday night, after which he fled and tried to hide in a campus building. Gary Dunehew Jr., 24, Red Bluff, was driving a stolen Jeep Wrangler that became stuck in the mud on the school's field, according to a press statement from the RBPD. Dunehew was seen walking away from the vehicle, but when an officer approached him, he reportedly broke into a run. Dunehew was eventually found hiding in a campus building, which he had entered by breaking a window, according to the statement. Dunehew was eventually confirmed to be the driver of the stolen vehicle and was subsequently arrested on suspi- cion of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level higher than .08 percent; burglary; causing property damage with a vehicle without stopping to contact the owner; vehicle theft; driving without a seatbelt; driving an unregistered vehicle; failing to pay a vehicle code fine; and violating parole. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Tehama District Fair Board Director Tonya Redamonti, a member of the new events commit- tee, gave an update on the progress of the Heritage Days Fourth of July Cele- bration at Tuesday's meeting. Redamonti said plans are going well with sever- al new members joining a committee of chamber and community members that started and planned the event in 2009. "It's growing," Fair CEO Mark Eidman said. "It's going to be a big event." The Golden Ticket Explosion will still be exclusive, with only 300 tickets being sold, but winners will not need to be present to win this year, Redamonti said. A variety of ideas for improving or adding to the event have been brought up at meetings and the group was even approached about putting a horse shoe tournament on, she said. There had been discus- sion of having a sing-off to determine who would get to sing the National Anthem for the fireworks show. Eidman said the idea of having olive and olive oil tasting, slow food cook- ing demonstration and a market for local products to be sold was mentioned. The board discussed and approved the 2010 Fair theme, which will be Big Cheers For 90 Years! The relocation of the Miss Tehama County Pro- gram, Senior Day Lun- cheon Program and the Midway Dance Stage were discussed, but no decisions were made. Input needed for park grants Daily News photo by Tang Lor Sarah Moughan and her son Seth talk about what they would like to have at River Park and McGlynn Pool as they fill in a map of the area. LaMalfa talks power, water See TRUCK, page 7A See BOARD, page 7A See POWER, page 7A See PARK, page 7A