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WEDNESDAY JUNE 13, 2012 www.redbluffdailynews.com See Inside Breaking news at: Family Tree Houses American Profile RED BLUFF CalFire Relay SPORTS 1B Sunny 96/61 Weather forecast 8B DAILYNEWS TEHAMACOUNTY DAILY 50ยข 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 Bridge battle Bird tries a new angle By RICH GREENE his efforts on getting a jury trial for a speeding ticket, recalling a Superior Court judge and battling Assem- blyman Jim Nielsen over his residency is turning his attention toward fishing. Bird is making an issue over whether required fish- ing licenses are constitutional. He plans to fish without a license at 11 a.m. today at DN Staff Writer Don Bird is fishing for another controversy. The community activist who in the past has focused Woodson Bridge Tehama County Park and have a Fish & Game warden issue him a citation. California's Fish & Game Code requires a license be purchased for anyone over the age of 15 to remove fish, reptiles or amphibians for a purpose other than profit. The cost of an annual license for a resident is $44.85. Bird says the code is trumped by the Constitution of California, specifically Article I, Section 25, which was adopted in 1910: "The people shall have the right to fish upon and See ANGLE, page 7A Daily News photo by Andrea Wagner A bridge made from rail cars in the 1980s is stirring up factions in the Rancho Tehama Reserve about whether or not the bridge should be replaced. By ANDREA WAGNER DN Staff Writer vert in the Rancho Tehama Reserve, has been a sore spot in the property association's side, splitting resi- dents and board members into factions. One side says the bridge is unstable, unsafe and absolutely needs replacing. The Humboldt Bridge, a road area that leaps a cul- The other side says the bridge replacement proposal is a sham and unnecessary, the product of political scheming and personal agendas. "The Ranch," as residents call it, is a privately- owned set of properties west of Corning, whose associ- ation is responsible for creating and maintaining the roads, among other things. When storm debris washed out the existing pipe cul- ty wouldn't condemn the bridge. White, who retired as a truck owner-operator in the Sacramento area, admits he doesn't have an engineer- ing degree, but he has street smarts and logic, he said. Since he bought his property in the reserve eight years ago, this is the most divisive board he has seen managing the estates, White said. They are using the bridge as a way to assert power and promote personal agendas. "They have no common sense," he said. They want the bridge to be the showcase of the ranch on the other side, he said. "There's so much more the bridge money could be spent on," White said. vert bridge in Dec. 1983, the association purchased two railroad flat cars and had them installed as a replace- ment bridge. The same bridge remains today. Now, as seats on the Rancho Tehama Association board are up for election among members this summer, the bridge controversy continues. Rancho Tehama property owner Anders White is one of the people who brought attention to the Hum- boldt Road bridge in 2006, as then-chairman of the maintenance advisory committee, he said. Now, he is displeased with where the project is going. said. The bridge doesn't need replacing, he said. "It's ugly and that's all that is wrong with it," White The association board tried to get the bridge con- demned in order to get an emergency assessment on Rancho Tehama properties, he said. But Tehama Coun- I-5 work to cause crossover of lanes Travelers on Interstate 5 between Bowman Road and Hooker Creek Road starting today will use a median crossover detour not typically seen during construction projects. Northbound traffic lanes have been shifted to the right and the two south- bound lanes will be sepa- rated at Bowman Road, with the fast lane crossing the median to run opposite of the northbound traffic, separated by a temporary concrete barrier rail. The slow lane will remain on the southbound side. All traffic that remains in the fast lane will be unable to change lanes or exit. Nightly, the slow lane will be closed and all exiting traffic will be detoured. The detours are part of the $34.4 million North Red Bluff Rehabilitation project, which will replace 15 miles of Inter- state 5 with a long-life, 30-year pavement. Work on this project is being completed by Tullis, Inc. of Redding. The crossover detour will be used throughout the duration of the pro- ject, switching directions of travel and locations as work progresses. the traveling public check the District 2 Roadwork Bulletin link at http://www.dot.ca.gov/dis t2/roadinfo.htm, and review the Road Informa- tion Bulletin for the loca- tions of ramp closures and dates and times. Caltrans recommends County endorses discount cards By RICH GREENE The board also has been secretive and won't let peo- ple willing to volunteer do the work, he said. White's views coincide with the Rancho Tehama Association Concerned Members Group, which is questioning the association's attempts to get funding for the bridge from the U.S. Department of Agriculture On the other side of the bridge are people like Tom Gano, the association treasurer and board director, and Roy Johnson, former association president, who have been working to get support for the bridge replacement among representatives from Tehama County. Messages left with the Rancho Tehama Association office Thursday were not answered as of late Friday. Johnson resigned suddenly in March, citing health problems, and appointed his replacement, Don Walker, to carry out the rest of his term. The county Board of Supervisors approved a letter of support April 17 for replacing the Humboldt Road bridge and upgrading it to county standards. The Rancho Tehama Association is trying to get See BRIDGE, page 7A DN Staff Writer Tehama County resi- dents could soon be receiv- ing discounts on their pre- scriptions, as well as dental and lab tests and possibly even veterinary services. The Board of Supervi- sors approved an agreement with Financial Marketing Concepts, Inc. (FMC) Tues- day that allows all residents to receive a discount pre- scription drug card. Card provides discounts on prescription drugs to indi- viduals and families. There are no restrictions on who can apply for a card and there are no limits on its usage. The Coast2Coast Rx name and official seal in connection with the cards. FMC has similar agree- ments with counties across the country, including 23 in California. Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin said the compa- ny's name came up at a recent California State Association of Counties meeting. obtained coast2coastrx.com and eventually will be available at various county buildings. Cardholders would then take the card to a participat- ing pharmacy to be regis- tered. The cards can be at Cardholders can save up to 75 percent on individual prescriptions with annual savings generally ranging around 55 percent, accord- ing to the company's web- site. be true, but it works," Super- visor George Russell said. For its end of the agree- ment, the county will allow FMC to use the county's "It seemed too good to FMC's website says its card is not intended to replace insurance and often a cardholder's insurance plan will offer a better price. However the card could come in handy for discount- ing non-covered prescrip- tions. More than 60,000 med- ications are included in the discount plan. The company also pro- vides discounts for vision, See CARDS, page 7A MADD honors two local officers Special to the DN 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 The project is antici- pated to be complete by the fall of 2013. For more information, call the Public Informa- tion Office at (530) 225- 3260 or (530) 229-0511 or visit caltrans2.info. Individuals, agencies and organizations from across the state were hon- ored Saturday by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for their work and dedication to eliminate drunk driving, including two from Tehama County. Red Bluff Police Offi- cer Michael Brown and California Highway Patrol Officer James Kef- fer were both awarded with the MADD Califor- nia Hero Award for their contribution to help the group achieve its mission to stop drunk driving, support the victims and prevent underage drink- ing. Brown "The officers recog- nized at this event have made huge sacrifices in their lives to become the top in the field of traffic safety and enforcement," said Program Specialist Silas Miers. "These are the top offi- cers in the state for DUI Enforcement and many have haps victims themselves. They have seen first-hand the tragedies and devasta- tion that drunk driving crashes have caused and they have set out to help protect the community from that devastation. For that, we honor them today." tional duties within the department. Some of them have personal stories; per- addi- The 14th Anniversary of the MADD California Statewide Law Enforce- ment and Community Recognition Dinner was held on June 2, at the Hyatt Regency Sacramen- to. More than 600 people were in attendance from 53 of California's 58 counties. Awards are given to indi- vidual offi- cers, depart- ments, state park agencies, media and community partners whose actions and policies are aligned with MADD's mission. The event is not just an awards cer- emony; it is acknowledg- ing the courage and strength of the members of the community who stand up every day to make us safer. Funding Keffer for this program was pro- vided by a grant from the California Office of Traf- fic Safety, through the National Highway Traf- fic Safety Administra- tion. with about 2 million members and supporters and 600 affiliates nation- wide. To learn more, con- tact your local MADD affiliate or visit www.madd.org. PHYSICIAN REFERRAL A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 1-800-990-9971 MADD is a non-prof it organization