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ByJulieZeeb jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com @DN_Zeeb on Twitter RED BLUFF Sprinkles came to a halt just before the parade Wednesday for the Tehama County Special Olympics, hold- ing off for the majority of the event with only an occasional brisk breeze. "Thankfully, we escaped the rain, but we would have held the event rain or shine," said Special Education Local Plan Area Director Veronica Coates. "I'm excited to be able to recog- nize all the students today. The Special Olympics is an interna- tional event so to have such a high caliber event in our county is an amazing feat. It takes a lot of people for it to run smoothly and Jody Johnson has done a fantastic job. It takes a vil- lage and that includes all the schools, staff and families of the students." Red Bluff Joint Union High School District Superintendent Todd Brose said he was pleased to host the event every year and grateful for the opportunity to recognize all Tehama County students. The event, which celebrated its 36th year at Red Bluff High School, had 250 student ath- letes and about 150 Red Bluff High School students assisting them along with 30 students from other Tehama County schools, said Jody Johnson an adapted physical education spe- cialist with the Tehama County Department of Education. Sa- cred Heart students came out EDUCATION RAINHOLDSOFFFOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS JULIEZEEB— DAILYNEWS Red Bluff High School Senior Tyler King sprints down the track Wednesday in the 400meter relay race at the Tehama County Special Olympics. "I'm excited to be able to recognize all the students today. The Special Olympics is an international event so to have such a high caliber event in our county is an amazing feat." — Special Education Local Plan Area Director Veronica Coates By Margaret Baum Daily News correspondent SACRAMENTO A Sacramento jury heard opening statements in the Quentin Ray Bealer trial Wednesday. The start of the trial comes more than three years after Bealer, 42, was charged with the murder of 14-year-old Marysa Nichols. The teen's body was found half a mile behind Red Bluff High School on Feb. 28, 2013, two days after she was re- ported missing. "At the end of this trial, I will be asking for a verdict of guilty for first degree murder," Deputy District Attorney Donna Daly told the jury. According to Daly, Bealer strangled Nichols to death with her tank top, which was taken off, turned inside out and wrapped around her neck twice before be- ing tied in a knot. Bealer was seen on high school surveillance footage walking about a minute in front of the vic- tim and looking back in her direc- tion, said Daly. "As Nichols passed through the high school's football field three girls in a PE class saw her walking three to four feet behind Bealer," Daly explained. "Her body was found about 500 feet from where she was last seen alive." Bealer has asserted his inno- cence over the past few years. "As Paul Harvey said, here's the rest of the story," said Bealer's de- fense attorney Shon Northam to the jury. According to Northam, it was Bealer's daughter's birthday Feb. 26 and he was on the campus to try to see her. Northam explained that Bealer was not supposed to see his daughter and can be seen in the video looking around for her mother. "He cut through the campus and can be seen on Tehama Su- perior Court video at 11:58 a.m. because he thought he needed to be in court that afternoon." Northam said Bealer was ac- tually due in court in the morn- ing rather than the afternoon and was held in custody for a failure to appear until Feb. 28, 2013. "He showed up in court clean with no dirt, while the area the victim was found in was very dirty." According to Daly, Bealer's DNA was found on the victim's COURT Bealermurdertrialgetsunderway Have a great day, Audrey Risberg. GOOD MORNING U DowJonesIndustrial 18,041.55 (+51.23) U Standard & Poor's 2095.15 (+3.45) D Nasdaq 4863.14 (-25.14) BUSINESS Candidate tones down bom- bast in foreign policy speech, looks ahead to general elec- tion. PAGE B8 ELECTION 2016 Trumptakesonmore presidential persona America's high school stu- dents continue to lag behind in achievement, few ready for college. PAGE B5 NATION SCORECARD Math scores slip, reading flat for students By Heather Hoelscher hhoelscher@redbluffdailynews.com @DN_Heather on Twitter RED BLUFF The gymnasium at Mercy High School was filled with students, teachers and par- ents for the musical performance of "Willy Wonka and the Choco- late Factory" Wednesday at the student matinee. The last two performances will be at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Mercy High School gym. More than 350 people came to enjoy the free performance in the 48th year of Mercy High School MERCY HIGH SCHOOL Musical Willy Wonka set for weekend performances OLYMPICS PAGE 7 WONKA PAGE 7 Community.....A3 Lifestyles........A4 A&E..................B4 Opinion............A6 Sports.............. B1 Weather ..........B8 INDEX Check out what's going on in your neighborhood and the community. PAGE A2 LOCAL CALENDAR Warmer High: Low: 81 53 PAGE B8 BEALER PAGE 7 RED BLUFF Four men were ar- rested April 19 in connection with a Red Bluff Police Department in- vestigation into a suspicious re- lationship between a 14-year-old Gerber boy and a 21-year-old Red Bluff man. School Resource Officer Heidi Thomas initiated the investiga- tion, which included the review of more than 26,000 text messages during an eight-month period, ac- cording to a press release issued Wednesday by the department. Officers obtained eight search warrants from the Tehama County Superior Court, which in- cluded four residences, three in Tehama County and one in Butte County, AT&T Cellular, Sprint Cellular, Verizon Cellular and Facebook. CRIME Four men arrested in underage sex investigation ARRESTS PAGE 7 If there's a "photo op," have someone take digital photos with their phone or camera. Folks doing something make the most interesting photos. Make note of the names of the individual people in the photo, unless it's a big crowd. Then send photos with an email describing "WHO, WHAT, WHY WHERE and WHEN" to editor@redbluffdailynews.com, and include a phone number where staff can reach you for more information, if needed! We'd like to see more of YOU in The Daily News! WANTTOGETMOREOFYOURGROUP'SNEWS IN THE NEWSPAPER? www.tehamaestatesretirement.com Tours Provided Daily EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY 750DavidAvenue,RedBluff•527-9193 TEHAMA ESTATES PROVIDES: • 3 Delicious Meals Each Day • Daily Housekeeping • 24 Hour Staffing • Most Utilities Included • Transportation • Fun Activities and Events » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, April 28, 2016 50CENTS AN EDITION OF THE CHICO ENTERPRISE-RECORD State Theatre 'Mamma Mia!' to highlight Mother's Day A & E B4 Stonyford Weekend of rodeo action kicks off Friday Lifestyles A4 LiketheDailyNews on Facebook and stay in the loop on local news, sports and more. VISITFACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS LIKEUSON FACEBOOK Volume131,issue115 7 58551 69001 9 Web bonus For more news and opinion. redbluffdailynews.com