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THURSDAY MAY 24, 2012 www.redbluffdailynews.com Breaking news at: Lunch & hats Mostly sunny 75/50 Weather forecast 8B MediaNews Group GRASS VALLEY — Congressional can- didate Sam Aanestad said Tuesday he was not going to comment further on a meeting in Paradise where he reportedly said Presi- dent Obama was a Muslim. DAILYNEWS See Page 4A Pastimes RED BLUFF Sports 1B 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 Aanestad now mum on Muslim comment Valley. According to Karen Duncan- wood of Paradise, Aanestad was a guest at a tea party meeting at a Par- adise pizza restau- rant about a month ago. He said, in a tele- phone interview, that the matter, involving a "disruptive woman who was escorted out," wasn't worth dis- cussing further. Aanestad Aanestad is a former Repub- lican state senator from Grass also attended. Making 99 safer cratic congressional candidate Jim Reed, said she went to the meeting to hear what Aanestad had to say. Jim Stellar of Con- cow, another Reed supporter, Duncanwood, a supporter of one of Aanestad's opponents, Demo- canwood said a woman at the meeting told Aanestad she was concerned about "Muslim extremists" getting into the higher echelons of American government. Duncanwood said Aanestad indicated he agreed with her and suggested the inroads extended to "the Oval Office." Then, Duncanwood said, Stellar asked Aanestad if he was calling Obama a Muslim. Duncanwood said Aanestad replied that he did. "At that point," Duncanwood said, "I stood up and said, 'He's In a phone interview, Dun- By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Caltrans and the Califor- nia Highway Patrol kicked off the "Safety Never Takes a Holiday" campaign that began Wednesday and also introduced the Highway 99 Safety Task Force. "In 2010, we had seven fatalities," Caltrans District 2 Deputy District Director Ed Lamkin said. "Three of them were within a two- week period. That really caught our attention." There were 89 collisions in 2010 with 37 resulting in injury, said CHP Chico Area Commander Capt. Scott Gillingwater. The seven deaths included Ashlee Hol- land, Joel Magana and fam- ily, Gary Smith, James Mor- ris and Taiom Zawacki, he said. "As a result of their death, a task force was creat- ed to come up with solutions to reduce future collisions," Gillingwater said. The safety task force includes two representatives from the Red Bluff and Chico CHP offices, repre- sentatives of Senator Doug LaMalfa and Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, Tehama and Butte County Supervisors and other members of the community. every six months and will continue to meet, has worked toward improve- ments to make things safer in three areas: engineering, enforcement and education, Lamkin said. The group, which meets Caltrans has added safety features through change orders to existing projects Daily News photo by Julie Zeeb California Highway Patrol Red Bluff Area Commander Lt. Todd Garr talks with Karl Holland who lost his daughter Ashlee in an accident on Highway 99E in 2010 during the kickoff press conference for the Safety Never Takes a Holiday Campaign on Wednesday. and filled in gaps with new projects such as installing signs while out doing main- tenance, he said. One improvement was the more than 60 miles of rumble strips added between Chico and Red Bluff down the center line to help alert sleepy and distracted drivers that they are crossing the line. Rumble strips, which are grooves or bumps in the road used also to alert dri- vers they are leaving the road, are proven to cut fatal accidents by 42 percent on two-lane rural roads and head on collisions by 42 per- cent, he said. improvements to guardrails including protective end treatments designed to absorb the impact or deflect Updates included California MMA fighter faces trial in grim slaying mixed-martial artist accused of ripping out his friend's still-beating heart and removing the man's tongue and skin while he was alive is competent to stand trial on murder, mayhem and torture charges, a Northern Califor- nia judge has ruled. EUREKA (AP) — A William Follett reinstated criminal proceedings against Jarrod Wyatt, 27, of Klamath, in the death of his friend and sparring partner, Taylor Powell, 21. The judge's decision Tuesday came after a pair of psychia- trists determined Wyatt was mentally competent to stand Del Norte County Judge the organs had been removed while Powell was still alive. His heart was found charred in a wood- burning stove at the home. According to witnesses, the two had ingested hallu- 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 trial, the Eureka Times- Standard reported (http://bit.ly/KehC2C). The trial was set for Sept. 10. Authorities who went to a home near the mouth of the Klamath River on March 21, 2010, found Powell dead on the couch with his chest cut open and his heart, tongue and the skin of his face removed, according to court records. Wyatt — naked and covered in blood — acknowledged that he had killed Powell and cut out his heart and tongue, authorities said. An autopsy revealed that cinogenic mushrooms and believed they were part of a struggle between God and the devil. Follett suspended crimi- nal proceedings in January after a doctor who evaluated Wyatt for the defense said he was not competent because he did not understand court proceedings, according to the Times-Standard. The initial idea for the daylight headlight section from Chico to the junction of Highway 36E in Red Bluff came from two of his patrol officers, Officer Zimm Udovich and Officer Troy Somavia, CHP Red Bluff Area Commander Lt. Todd Garr. "The level of collabora- oncoming traffic. See 99, page 7A a Christian. He baptized his children, and he goes to a Chris- tian church." She said some other people at the meeting insisted Obama was a Muslim, and after that she was escorted out of the meeting. Jessica Allen, Chico cam- paign coordinator for Reed, heard about the incident. She said Stellar told her he wrote a letter about it and sent it to a local newspaper but it wasn't published. So, she said, she sent information about the incident to several newspapers, includ- ing the Enterprise-Record. Allen said she wasn't acting on behalf of Reed's campaign. Rather, she simply felt the pub- lic ought to know what Aanes- tad had said, she said. On Monday, when Aanestad was in Chico holding a press conference, two reporters asked him about the Obama comment. Aanestad said he did think Obama was a Muslim. He said Obama's father was a Muslim, and that he was raised in a Mus- lim culture. Now, Obama says he is a Christian, and Aanestad said he has no choice other than to believe that he is a Christian today. Last week, Aanestad was See MUM, page 7A Corning council mulls personnel Tuesday's regular city council meeting will be moved to open session at the June 12 meeting. Council met to discuss the approaching retire- ment of Planning Director John Stoufer, which would end a part-time contract with Tehama Coun- ty that allowed the city to keep a full-time position. Stoufer's date of retirement is June 30, City Manager and Public Works Director John Brewer said. By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer CORNING — A closed session item prior to Discussion included a second position with talk of hiring a budget consultant versus using an inde- pendent contractor. Former City Councilman Ross Turner had three concerns regarding items on the agenda, he said. The first involved former City Manager Steve Kimbrough, who had been hired on as a financial consultant. If the state were to adopt a budget by the goal date of June 15 there would be no need for Kim- brough, however, his contract does not end until July 1, Turner said. Turner said he was concerned over the require- ment of a 30-day notice to end a contract. However, Mayor Gary Strack said that 30 days All Leaguers was only if there was no agreement. If both parties agreed, the contract could end immediately, he said. Turner was concerned about who would replace Stoufer and if that were to be Brewer because he is already city manager and public works director. "The city manager/public works director is capa- ble of planning, but that would give him a great deal of power," Turner said. "My biggest fear is that you would retain the financial consultant to be a plan- ning consultant. I'd hate to see a position created for a specific person." The ending of furloughs, which brought a $300,000-$500,000 in savings by December was another concern Turner had with the council, espe- cially in light of the minimal increases in finances, he said. Corning resident Susan Price said that had the council left the agenda item at a public employee appointment for the planning director she would have been fine with it being a closed session. However, because the city listed it as discussion, she felt is should be an open session item and requested it be placed on the agenda. See MULLS, page 7A The judge ordered the additional evaluations that cleared Wyatt for trial. Wyatt's attorney, James Fallman said. Wyatt has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by rea- son of insanity. Fallman, said he agreed with Follett's determination and doesn't see the need to seek a jury trial to determine Wyatt's competency. ''He's been better lately,'' Courtesy photo The Nor Cal Antique Tractor & Engine Club had its annual tractor drive on Saturday May 19, lead by Loyd Spencer.The group had 17 vintage tractors and one trailer for members to enjoy the ride.The drive started in Los Moli- nos, through the back roads of Dairyville on through Red Bluff. The group took a break at Cone Grove Park and continued on to Dave's Tractor in Red Bluff, where members ate a barbecued lunch hosted by Dave and Carla Siemen, club members and owners of Dave's Tractor. The club returned to the home of Loyd and Gwen Spencer of Los Molinos for homemade ice cream.