Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/809214
ThenextMondayMorn- ing Meeting with City Councilman Clay Parker is scheduled for 10-11 a.m. Monday, April 10 at the City Council Chambers in Red Bluff, 555 Washing- ton St. The public is invited to come to discuss issues im- pacting the city and its res- idents. The meeting is free and open to all. POLITICS ForumwithRedBluffcity councilman set for Monday The Astrobiology Stu- dent Intern Program, a partnership between Red Bluff High School, Las- sen Volcanic National Park and NASA Ames Re- search Center, will hold its annual intern recogni- tion night and public lec- ture 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 13 at the Red Bluff High School Library Me- dia Center. The astrobiology in- terns from the school will give a 45-minute oral pre- sentation on the results of their year-long research project studying Warner Valley at Lassen. The students will ad- dress the big picture im- plications of their proj- ect. By examining the hy- drothermal environments at Lassen, their research will help NASA direct the search for evidence of mi- crobial life in ancient hy- drothermal systems on Mars. The night will begin with a keynote lecture by Dr. David Des Marais, Senior Space Scientist at NASA Ames Researcher Center, titled "Mars Explo- ration, Lassen and Life." Des Marais is a mem- ber of the science teams of NASA's 2003 Spirit and Opportunity Rover mis- sion, the 2004 Mars Re- connaissance Orbiter mis- sion and the 2012 Curios- ity Rover mission. The public is invited to join in celebrating the important contributions of Red Bluff High School students to NASA research and exploration programs. RED BLUFF HIGH Event slated to recognize students' work with NASA The National Park Ser- vice invites visitors to "Find Your Waterfall" by taking the Whiskeytown Waterfall Challenge dur- ing National Park Week, which begins Saturday, April 15 and runs through Sunday, April 23. Visitors can complete the Whiskeytown Water- fall Challenge on their own by obtaining a free Waterfall Challenge Pass- port at the visitor center or on a ranger-led hike. With the passport, visi- tors can hike to Brandy Creek, Boulder Creek, Crystal Creek and Whis- keytown Falls and stop at the trail register located at the base of each waterfall. Each register has a unique plaque which visitors can use to create a colored im- pression within their pass- port. Once all four water- falls are complete, visitors can then return the pass- port to the visitor center to receive their comple- tion stamp and a special gift while supplies last. The challenge can be completed during multi- ple visits, or, finish them all in one day for bragging rights. Join a park ranger for free ranger-led hikes to the park's four major wa- terfalls, including ADA accessible Crystal Creek Falls. Hikes will be offered daily April 15-23. In addition to morning hikes to the falls, this year, Whiskeytown is offering evening hikes. For more information on ranger- led hikes, visit www.nps. gov/whis. Ranger-led hikes are limited to 20 participants. You can reserve your spot by calling the visitor cen- ter at 246-1225. Sched- uled hikes will be sub- ject to cancellation due to weather and road condi- tions. In celebration of Na- tional Park Week, the weekends of April 15-16 and April 22-23, will be fee free at Whiskeytown and all 413 National Park units. For additional infor- mation about the Whis- keytown Waterfall Chal- lenge, call Matt Switzer at 242-3454. To learn more about Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, visit www.nps.gov/whis. WHISKEYTOWN Waterfall challenge fo r Na ti on al P ar k We ek VSO NEWS CONTRIBUTED Pictured is Richard Benson, Los Molinos native and Korean War era veteran. We are excited to an- nounce the opening of our satellite office in the Los Molinos Government Center. We had our first vet- erans come on our open- ing day Monday, April 3. Our VSO satellite office will be open in Los Molinos the first and third Mon- day of the month, 9-11 a.m. The address is 7883 State Route 99E. Please help us spread the word. If we have a higher demand, we will increase our monthly visits. We also are excited to announce the move of our Red Bluff office to our new location at 444 Oak St., Room C beginning May 2. The Redding Veterans Resource Center, which as- sists qualified homeless veterans with transitional housing, will be at the VSO Red Bluff office 1:30-4 p.m. Thursday, April 13 and Thursday, April 20. Please contact the VRC di- rectly for appointments at 223-3211. Free yearly TRAX bus passes are available for qualified veterans at all VSO offices. We will is- sue the bus passes at the Red Bluff office and at our satellite offices in Corn- ing and Los Molinos. This wonderful opportunity will be available until the end of June. Please see the VSO office schedules be- low. Dependent College Fee Waivers can be sub- mitted to us or make an appointment with Beverly Holden at our office after April 15. Documentation necessary prior to the ap- pointment are the Veter- an's DD-214 and VA rating disability letter and IRS or Franchise Tax Board 2016 income verification for the dependent. The College Fee Waiver pack- ages will be reviewed by the VSO on administra- tive Fridays. Please plan ahead on these packages as the VSO will not be able to approve these packages on the same day as the ap- pointment. Thank you for your support. There are many state and federal benefits and programs available to vet- erans and their depen- dents. To find out if you are eligible for any of these benefits, call the Tehama County Veterans Service Office 529-3664. The VSO address is the Bank of America Building, 955 Main St., Ste. C, in Red Bluff. Office appointment hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thurs- day, closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. The Red Bluff office VSO is by ap- pointment only. Corning VSO walk-ins are at the Veterans Memorial Hall 9-11 a.m. the every Tuesday of the month. Los Molinos walk-ins are 9-11 a.m. the first and third Mondays of the month at 7883 State Route 99E. DMV forms for "Veteran" designated on your driver's license are available at all VSO of- fices. The Tehama County ID card is available in the Red Bluff VSO office. In- carcerated and Probation Veteran appointments are Thursday mornings. Fri- day's we are closed for ad- ministration and outreach. We are looking forward to meeting you or seeing you again on your return visit. KellyOsborne,retired U.S. Coast Guard, is the Veterans Service Officer for Tehama County. Los Molinos VSO office opens for service Kelly Osborne By Philip Marcelo The Associated Press BOSTON Hotels offer con- gee and other Chinese sta- ples for room service. Ca- sinos train staff members on Chinese etiquette. Res- taurants, tourist sights and shopping malls translate signs, menus and informa- tion booklets into Chinese. The American hospitality industry is stepping up ef- forts to make Chinese visi- torsfeelmorewelcome,since they are projected to soon surpass travelers from the United Kingdom and Japan asthesinglelargestoverseas demographic. And it's not just the typi- cal tourist hubs of New York andLosAngeles,wheresuch efforts have long been com- monplace. Smaller cities like Boston, Las Vegas, Se- attle and Washington, D.C., are increasingly getting into theact,industryofficialssay. "Americans traditionally lag behind what other inter- national designations do for different cultures," said El- liott Ferguson, CEO of Des- tination DC, the city's con- vention and tourism orga- nization, which last year launched "Welcome China," a certification program for local businesses. "We just kind of assume that one size fits all. Quite frankly, that's just not welcoming." Local tourism associa- tions in those and other cit- ies have recently launched campaigns aimed at getting their member hotels, res- taurants and tourism com- panies to better incorporate Chinese language and cus- toms into their offerings. They're also embarking on tourism-focused sales mis- sions to China and opening satellite offices in Chinese cities to strengthen ties and sell their city to trendsetters. Some companies have al- ready embraced the mes- sage. The Sheraton Boston in the Back Bay neighborhood started offering in 2013 sim- ple creature comforts many Chinese travelers expect, in- cluding slippers, robes, in- stant noodles, an electric kettle and green tea, and have since taken other steps to cater to Chinese guests, said Angela Vento, the ho- tel's general manager. The Four Seasons in D.C.'s Georgetown neigh- borhood makes similar ges- tures,aswellasofferingChi- nese-languagetelevisionand newspapers. It's also work- ing on offering more tradi- tional Chinese dishes on its room service and restaurant menus, said Liliana Baldas- sari, a hotel spokeswoman. In Las Vegas, Caesars En- tertainmentlastyearstarted offering guests at some of its affiliated resorts the option to book and pay for hotel rooms using WeChat, Chi- na's most popular social me- dia app. "It's made a really strong statement to the Chinese that these people really wel- come us and understand us," said Bruce Bommarito, the company's vice presi- dent for international mar- keting, noting the Roman- themed casino has rolled out other China-focused ini- tiatives in recent years, in- cluding training programs for staff on basic cultural et- iquette for serving Chinese guests. Those and other small touches are a step in the right direction, but more companies need to make an effort to recognize the growing importance of the Chinese market, said Justin Minggan Wei, a 27-year-old from Beijing who came to Boston in 2008 for college, an experience that inspired him to launch a consulting company helping local res- taurants and businesses bet- ter serve Chinese customers. Zeng Wen, a 24-year-old who works part-time as a tour guide for Chinese- speakers in Chicago, said she has noticed recent ef- forts to reach out to Chinese tourists, like the Hilton ho- tel chain's "Hilton Huany- ing" program, which derives its name from the Chinese words for "welcome." But Zhe Zhang, a 36-year- old from Guangzhou who visitedLosAngelesthisyear, said he didn't see any obvi- ous outreach to Chinese vis- itors, outside of Chinese-run establishments.Themostin- timidating part, he said, was ordering food with his basic grasp of English. HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY More cities aim to make Chinese travelers feel at home By Scott Smith The Associated Press FRESNO Wildlife enthusi- asts around the world can now follow the daily jour- ney of Yosemite National Park's black bears from their laptops and smart- phones, tracking the iconic animals as they lope up steep canyons and cross vast distances in search of food and mates. Park rangers unveiled a website , Keep Bears Wild, on Monday that shows where select bears fitted with GPS collars are heading. The tracking tool, which pings the bears' steps from satellites, have already revealed surprises, wildlife biologists say. "I think people are go- ing to be blown away," said Ryan Leahy, a wildlife biol- ogist at Yosemite National Park who leads the proj- ect. "It's our responsibility to keep bears wild." A bear's location is de- layed so people aren't tempted to track it down in real time, rangers said. But the tracking collars alert rangers so they can block a bear from going to a campground or parking lot in search of food. The goal of the website is to draw in the public so they know to slow down while driving and properly store food when they visit the park's towering gran- ite cliffs, charging water- falls and abundant wild- life, including up to 500 black bears. WILDLIFE Watch their steps: Track journey of Yosemite bears online TheTehamaCountyArborDay Committee would like to thank the following individuals, businesses and organizations for their support of the 2017 Arbor Day Program in Tehama County Schools: TheADman Banner Bank-Corning Calif. Dept. of Forestry & Fire Protection Corning Lumber Crane Mills The Forest Foundation Jim & Diana Froome Louisianna Pacific Corporation Rabobank-Corning Les Schwab Tires Sierra Pacific Foundation Sierra Pacific Industries Wagenfuhr Timber Falling John Wheeler Logging Thank you 734MainStreet 530-690-2477 11am-9pm Mon.-Thur. 11am - 10pm Fri. & Sat. 11am-8pm Sun. 9 CRAFT BEERS ON TAP Pizza Restaurant LaCorona Garden Center & Feed Store 7769Hwy99E,LosMolinos 530-576-3118 LaCoronaHydoponic@gmail.com Home&GardenSupplies AdvancedNutrient•RootsOrganic Humboldt Counties Own • Humboldt Nutrients General Hydroponic Supplies & Fertilizers Scratch • Wild Bird Feeds Is the place for all your Garden Supplies & Livestock Feeds Open8-6pmMonday-Sunday 744MainSt.,RedBluff (acrossfrom the clock tower) Fine Quality Gifts & Accessories FREE LIP BALM WITH PURCHASE OF $10 OR MORE! NEW ARRIVALS: • LUMINARY CANDLES • SAGE/ESSENTIAL OIL • ROCKS & MINERALS • DRAGON/ INCENSE • HIMALAYAN SALT LAMPS NOTARYPUBLICAVAILABLE COME & SHOP WITH US LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, April 8, 2017 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5