Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/84544
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 www.redbluffdailynews.com See 1B-3B Breaking news at: Fair Section Starts Today Schedule, Map RED BLUFF Athletes of the Week Sunny 94/59 Weather forecast 6C By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer Tehama County Unemploy- ment numbers jumped five spots in August, ranking 47th out of 58 counties despite the rate going down, according to numbers released by the Employment Development DAILYNEWS 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 Local jobless rate continues to drop Division. Fair on fast track June numbers had Tehama County at 14.4 percent and in the preliminary numbers for August, the county has a 14.1 percent unemployment rate. Unemployment rates in sur- rounding counties is separated by 2 percent or fewer, yet only Glenn County, coming in at Marin County continues to lead the way with the lowest unemployment at 6.3 percent 51st with 14.6 percent unem- ployment is higher. Butte County is the lowest at 34th with 12.3 percent unem- ployment and Shasta County is 35th with 12.5 percent unem- ployment. followed by San Mateo County at 6.8 percent and San Francis- co County at 7.4 percent. Napa County at 7.5 percent is fourth and Santa Barbara County at 7.6 percent round out the five lowest jobless rates in the state. Imperial County is the high- est with 29.9 percent unemploy- ment followed by Yuba at 17.1 percent, Merced at 15.9 percent. Sutter and Colusa are tied at 15.2 percent. State unemployment contin- ues to drop, going from 10.9 percent in July's revised num- bers to 10.4 percent in the pre- See JOBLESS, page 5A Manton ash is pollution risk By RICH GREENE remove residential ash created by the Ponderosa Fire before winter strikes. Tehama County Public Health Officer Dr. Richard DN Staff Writer Tehama County health officials are hoping to Wickenheiser and Environmental Health Director Tim Potanovic have determined the accumulations of ash from the 20 residences and 40 cabins destroyed in the fire create a potential health hazard to the public. Officials fear the ash can become airborne or trans- ported by runoff into waterways. On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors approved a $15,000 purchase order to the Tehama County Sanitary Landfill Agency to pay for the disposal of ashes. Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin told the board letters will be sent out to the affected residents listing the non- profit organizations willing to assist in cleanup efforts and See ASH, page 5A Bill eases OHV regulations By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer Courtesy photo The National Racing association announces the track preparation has begun leading up to Friday night when the world of Outlaw Karts converge upon Tehama District Fairground as the best of the best will gather for the second Share The Magic Race of Champions. ground's outside main arena will be ground zero for the three featured classes of Box Stock, 250 Int. and the prestigious Open class. This Friday night the Tehama District Fair- The 1/8 mile track with only one straightaway will boast a never run before D shape measuring 45 wide all the way around. This will be the largest and the fastest track on the West Coast. Outlaw Kart Series officials are anticipating a thrilling event in Red Bluff. Redding PD seeks identity thief Special to the DN The Redding Police Department is requesting assistance from the public in locating Georgette Yvonne Powers, 49, who has been identified as a suspect in multiple identi- ty thefts at businesses within Redding. Over the past several months, Powers has entered businesses and made purchases on credit accounts fraudulently opened in a victim's name. She has also made purchases with credit cards or checks taken from auto and residential burglaries in Redding. Powers is described as a white female adult, 5'2", 165 lbs, brown hair 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 and brown eyes. Powers has long hair and she attempts to disguise her appearance by wearing her hair in a bun or chang- ing her hair color to blonde or auburn. Powers wears large sunglasses to hide her facial features. She has a distinctive tattoo of the name "Les" on the left side of her neck and she will attempt to hide the tattoo with her hair. Powers is on Post Release Community Supervision per AB109 and there is an active felony warrant for her arrest. Anyone with informa- tion is asked to call Red- ding PD Investigator Eric Harney at (530) 225-4214 or Special Agent John Harrison at (530) 604- 7057 regarding Powers' whereabouts. "We are extremely excited to have the Outlaw Karts at the fair," said Outlaw Kart series promoter Ali Abbassi. "We have worked hard to put together a plan to run a race in this outdoor facility. The Outlaw Karts always put on a great show and I know fans from all around the area will be coming to see them run and will enjoy a first class show." The Outlaw Karts are no stranger to the Tehama District Fairground, as they will start the winter series in October and run through March 2013. Tehama District Fairground is on Antelope Boulevard about 2 miles east of interstate 5. The show is free with fair admission, which is $7. For more information, visit rboutlaws.com or call 530-567-5286. A bill jointly authored by Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, meant to reword previously passed legislation regard- ing recreational off-high- way vehicles was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown Tuesday. AB 1266 takes out a provision previously passed in AB 1595 that could have prevented chil- dren, smaller adults and people with disabilities from riding in OHVs. It also delays implementa- tion of another provision, which would prevent the modification of several types of OHVs. Nielsen authored the bill with AB 1595's author, Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Val- ley. contribute to helping off- roaders throughout Cali- fornia to continue enjoy their recreational activi- ties," Nielsen said in a press release. "I want to thank Assemblyman Cook for authoring this bill and working with our office, and the governor for signing it into law." AB 1266 takes out a "We were happy to provision in the previous legislation requiring pas- sengers be able to sit "with both feet flat on the floorboard" while restrained. The bill delays imple- mentation of another pro- vision dealing with sepa- rate seat locations until July 1, 2013. This will give legislators time to See OHV, page 5A Governor signs driverless cars bill MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown rode to Google headquarters in a self-dri- ven Toyota Prius before signing legislation Tues- day that will pave the way for driverless cars in Cali- fornia. according to Google. ''I think the self-dri- ving car can really dra- matically improve the quality of life for every- one,'' Google co-founder Sergei Brin said. The bill by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla will establish safety and per- formance regulations to test and operate autonomous vehicles on state roads and highways. ''Today we're looking at science fiction becom- ing tomorrow's reality — the self-driving car,'' Brown said. Google has been devel- oping autonomous car technology and lobbying for the regulations. The company's fleet of a dozen computer-con- trolled vehicles — mostly Priuses equipped with self-driving technology — has logged more than 300,000 miles of self-dri- ving without an accident, The Alliance of Auto- mobile Manufacturers expressed concern that California is moving too quickly to embrace self- driving cars. ''Currently, autos are designed to be operated by people who carry the responsibility to maintain control and safely operate the vehicle,'' the trade group said in a statement. ''Unfortunately this legis- lation lacks any provision protecting an automaker whose car is converted to an autonomous operation vehicle without the con- sent or even knowledge of that auto manufacturer.'' Autonomous cars, which could be sold com- mercially within the next decade, use computers, sensors and other technol- ogy to operate indepen- dently, but a human driver can override the autopilot function and take control of the vehicle at any time. With smartphone- wielding drivers more dis- tracted than ever, backers say robotic vehicles have the potential to make roads significantly safer, noting that nearly all car accidents are a result of human error. vehicles by Jan. 1, 2015. Currently, state law does- n't mention self-driving cars because the technolo- gy is so new. The regulations would The legislation requires the California Department of Motor Vehicles to draft regula- tions for autonomous allow vehicles to operate autonomously, but a licensed driver would still need to sit behind the wheel to serve as a back- up operator in case of emergency. The legislation is also aimed at keeping Califor- nia at the forefront of the autonomous car industry See BILL, page 5A PHYSICIAN REFERRAL A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE 1-888-628-1948