Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6382
By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING — As a result of months of work to resolve a problem with contributions to his retirement fund, City Attorney Mike Fitz- patrick has a new con- tract in which he will remain a part-time city employee. Fitzpatrick had been a contract city attorney since 1988, but became a part-time employee in 2004. The issue in the con- tract was with what to do with the city's contri- bution formerly put in a retirement account, which ceased because contributions cannot be made into multiple accounts. That issue was solved with a 3-2 vote Tuesday. Councilmen John Leach and Ross Turner were the no votes, citing budget issues in light of the economy. Turner initially asked that the matter be carried forth until after the budget review at the Feb. 9 meeting. "I agree on the bud- get (being a concern), but this is already in the budget for this year," said Mayor Gary Strack. Councilwoman Toni Parkins said Fitzpatrick was doing a fantastic job, a comment second- ed by Councilwoman Becky Hill. The contract will include a $250 a month raise at the start of each fiscal year through 2011 starting with a base salary of $5,000 a month and an additional $961 in lieu of retire- ment contributions for a total of $5,961. That will increase to $5,250 a month plus $1,009 in lieu of retire- ment contributions for a total of $6,259 in July. Bucky Bowen and By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer If you're looking for seeds to start your own garden or give away some extra seeds you can do so Sunday during the second annual National Seed Swap Day. There are a number of seeds for all types of edi- bles that will be exchanged. All the seeds are heirloom seeds, which means they haven't been altered. Some of them started with plants that could be 100 years old, said Mary Jayne Eidman, owner of Discover Earth in down- town Red Bluff. Three master garden- ers will be on hand to give people tips about growing for this specific area. Those who don't have seeds to exchange are invited as well. The slow food move- ment promotes healthy local foods. The goal is to bring the two entities, the grower and the con- sumer, together, she said. A second event will occur in April at the Dairyville Nursery dur- ing which time people can bring in the starts from their seeds to exchange. The swap begins 1:30 p.m. at Discover Earth, 641 Main St. For infor- mation, call 529-3856. ——— Tang Lor can be reached at 527-2153, Ext. 110 or by e-mail at tlor@redbluffdailynews.co m. Weather forecast 10A Mostly cloudy 54/41 N EWS D AILY DAILY 50¢ FRIDAY JANUARY 29, 2010 Corning 2010 Horses Strut Their Stuff 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 See Bull Sale 4A, 5A Spartan Shakeup SPORTS 1B 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 MOULE'S TEHAMA COUNTY GLASS 515 Sycamore St. 529-0260 WE SERVICE Garage Doors Springs Cables Sectional Remotes Rollers 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 finds pipe bomb, car during arrest By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer LOS MOLINOS — The area around Tina Court in Los Moli- nos was evacuated Wednesday after law enforcement located a pipe bomb while serving a war- rant for arrest at 3:20 p.m. The California Highway Patrol determined that Anthony Ramon Delgado, 47, of Los Molinos was responsible for a vehicle that was stolen out of Red Bluff on Jan. 12, said Offi- cer Phil Mackintosh. Officers found the bomb while serving a warrant for Del- gado's arrest after discovering stolen items from the vehicle at his residence in the 7800 block of Tina Court. The Shasta County Bomb Squad was called in to handle the matter and the bomb was taken to an isolated area to be disposed of, Mackintosh said. According to logs, an explosive was taken some- where near Hall Road and safely exploded shortly after the area around Tina Court was evacuated. Delgado was booked into Tehama County Jail on the charges of vehicle theft, posses- sion of a stolen vehicle, posses- sion of stolen property and pos- session of less than one ounce of marijuana, Mackintosh said. Bail was set at $30,460. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Boxer bends Deal closer on Bend Area designation By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-San Francisco, has made a major concession in the debate over a pro- posed National Recre- ation Area in Tehama County. Proposals to create the Sacramento River National Recreation Area, in the Bend area, have been a political foot- ball between Rep. Wally Herger, R-Chico, and Boxer for years, with officials pushing for com- peting versions of a bill that would grant the area federal funding and recognition. As of Jan. 15, Herger's objections to the latest Boxer bill included the idea of putting the area in the Bureau of Land Man- agement's National Land Conservation System and the way the bill approach- es grazing rights, accord- ing to a letter received by the Board of Supervisors. On Tuesday, Boxer's office told Tehama Coun- ty Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin that Boxer would be willing to intro- duce a bill creating the recreation area without entering it into the NLCS. Asked what remains important for Boxer in a final bill, a spokesperson emphasized the need for both local and congres- sional support. A written statement from Herger issued Wednesday afternoon repeats his support for a National Recreation Area and calls Boxer's conces- sion an important step, but "more work needs to be done." In the meantime, it seems some of Herger's ideas may not have the backing of the of BLM or Tehama County officials. Terra Tourists With the county draw- ing its belt ever tighter, officials are looking at the proposal as a way to lure outsiders in. Because the area would appear on AAA and Rand McNally maps and federal brochures, the county would, in effect, be get- ting free national adver- tising. All that attention, how- ever, would bring increased traffic, and BLM officials regard the NLCS as the best way to ensure the area would be properly funded. According to BLM Natural Resource Special- ist Kelly Williams, the NLCS simply prioritizes projects for BLM spend- ing. Any restrictions on the land use would come in the bill recognizing the Bend area as a recreation area, not the NLCS. The NLCS may be the only way to ensure the Bend area gets the fund- ing it needs to replace bul- let-torn signs and washed out roads — repairs for which it takes up to a year to find funding. Williams said the features could become an embarrass- ment if the area starts get- ting national attention. Goodwin, too, said the NLCS would be prefer- able. "We're actually (argu- ing) that it's better to be in Steve Schoonover/MediaNews Group Red Bluff Dales Station Bend 36 99 Hog Lake Je l l y s F e r r y R o a d Pa yn es C r e e k In ks Cre e k Y a n a T r a il to Chico 5 B a l l s F e r r y R d Sacramento River Bend Area, Bureau of Land Managment other public lands Sacramento River Bend Area, Bureau of Land Managment other public lands 2 MILES UNPAVED ROADS TRAILS 2 MILES UNPAVED ROADS TRAILS S p r i n g B r a n c h R o ad Proposed Bend Recreation Area S a c ra m e n t o R i ve r 3 sentenced for illegal hunting Three men admitted this week to hunting illegally in the North State. Christopher Raabe, 26, Joshwell Gibson, 27, both of Chico, and Douglas Smith, 28, Sacramento, were arrested in June 2009 when Department of Fish and Game officials spotted them during a night-flight over Tehama and Shasta counties. Wardens on the ground, informed by the pilot, found the men with two does, 16 doves, and one wood duck, all of which had been taken out of season, according to a DFG press release. Raabe pleaded no contest to two counts of unlawful EPA change may mean impact fees By GEOFF JOHNSON DN Staff Writer Tehama County's air regulation problems may worsen in 2011. The county is already out of compliance for both ground-level ozone, also known as smog, and particulate matter. But the Environ- mental Protection Agency is considering knocking down its per- mitted ozone levels even further, to somewhere between 0.070 and 0.060 parts per million, instead of the existing 0.075. If the county is found in federal non-attain- ment status, as seems likely, the first step will be to draft a plan explaining to officials how it will improve its air quality, Tehama County Air Pollution Officer Alan Abbs said. What those steps might be — and how extreme they would be — depends on how strict the EPA's choice is. Until that figure is known, it is too early to speculate, Abbs said. While pollution from Interstate 5, Sacramento and the Bay Area factor into the county's poor air quality, these are not the only causes, Abbs said Tuesday while addressing the Board of Supervisors. Similar tests in Glenn and Colusa counties show both counties to have cleaner air quality, even though they must deal with the same prob- lems. Tehama County is hardly alone in its posi- Seed Swap scheduled Sunday Daily News photo by Tang Lor Mary Jayne Eidman sorts through a variety of heirloom seeds from Redwood Organic Farm in Manton that will be given away on Sunday. Corning OKs city attorney contract See BOXER, page 9A See HUNTING, page 9A See FEES, page 9A See CORNING, page 9A