County's Public Attorneys Threaten Strike
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Community Historical ON THE MARKET sports digest Archive Project Guide to local real estate .............Page 6 ..............Page 3 ...................................Inside INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper ..........Page 2 Tomorrow: Clouds followed by sunshine 7 58551 69301 0 FRIDAY Feb. 2, 2007 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 44 pages, Volume 148 Number 299 email: [email protected] County’s public attorneys threaten strike By BEN BROWN that would shut down all courts in formed in April 2006 to represent voted 28-0, with three members wants to strike,” said Deputy District The Daily Journal the county, according to Deputy attorneys from the Mendocino absent, to go on strike Feb. 28 if the Attorney Brian Newman, who has Mendocino County’s public attor- District Attorney and Union County District Attorney’s Office, county does not approve a reason- been negotiating with the county for neys voted unanimously Thursday to President Matthew Finnegan. the Public Defenders Office, the able contract that includes a raise, the MCPAA. “It’s a difficult decision strike if they do not receive what The Mendocino County Public Alternate Defenders Office and the Finnegan said. they call a fair contract -- an action Attorney’s Association, which Child Support Attorney’s Office, “Nobody in our organization See ATTORNEYS, Page 16 HEAD-ON CRASH FEB. 12, 1916-FEB. 1, 2007 ‘CELEBRATION OF LEADERS’ Community Double remembers fatality remarkable on coast The Daily Journal Ukiahan Two Fort Bragg residents were killed in a head-on colli- By CAROLE HESTER sion Thursday morning on for The Daily Journal Highway 1. One of our great About 11:15 a.m., Tenicia and gifted countrymen Rose Reding, 16, and Alexis is no more. Ellen Nilson, 26, were travel- The death of ing in opposite directions on William Lincoln Highway 1 near Simpson Bittenbender, though Lane, just south of Fort an event not unexpect- Bragg, when their vehicles ed, has produced a collided head-on and over- sensation in the public turned. mind corresponding It was unknown at press with the distinguished Bittenbender time if the victims were wear- talents and character ing seat belts at the time of the of “Mr. Ukiah.” accident, the speed they were Known as “Bill,” this man so admired traveling, or the reason one of by so many was born Feb. 12, 1916, in a little unnamed mill town in Northwestern the vehicles -- a pickup truck Isaac Eckel/The Daily Journal and a sedan -- crossed over Kumar Plocher, owner of Yokayo Biofuels, was honored with the Business Person of the California that no longer exists. A great the center line. Year Award during the “Celebration of Leaders” awards dinner Thursday evening. Plocher storyteller, Bittenbender, 90, died in A rescue worker said air started Yokayo Biofuels in 2001 out of the desire to provide ecologically sustainable local Ukiah on Thursday. He is survived by his bags did not deploy in either alternatives to fossil fuels. wife, Christine, and predeceased by his of the vehicles, although the parents, Lloyd and Martha Bittenbender. worker was not sure whether Viewing at Eversole Mortuary is the vehicles were equipped Monday, from noon to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 with air bags. There was no Chamber p.m. A memorial service is scheduled at more information available at Eversole’s at 11 a.m. Tuesday. press time. The word of his death spread like wildfire through town as people who presents knew this genuine, caring man stopped whatever they were doing to begin their IN COURT grief process. By his death, his memories awards are hallowed. The Daily Journal A graduate of Oakland Polytechnic Innocent College of Engineering, Bittenbender he Greater Ukiah was an engineer for a private contractor Chamber of Com- on the “big island” of Hawaii when Pearl merce honored Harbor was bombed, and that island plea in businesses and experienced bombings as well. He individuals Thurs- enjoyed sharing his stories of that experi- day night in its first ence. homicide “Celebration of Leaders” awards Bittenbender was a member of many T local organizations: Masonic Abell By BEN BROWN dinner at the Ukiah Valley Con- ference Center. The Mendocino Book Com- Lodge 146, Royal Arch, Redwood The Daily Journal Empire Council, Ukiah Rotary, Pomo Leonard Campbell pleaded The award winners were cho- pany and owner Anne Kil- sen from community nomina- kenny, above, received the Shrine, Commonwealth Club of San not guilty Thursday to homi- Francisco, Aahems Shrine and Ukiah cide charges in the shooting tions, and the honorees are being Business of the Year Award recognized for their contribu- for a company with under Commandry. He was also a member of death of Corey Gray, 44, of First Presbyterian Church of Ukiah. He Redwood Valley. tions, services and commitment 50 employees. Redwood to the Ukiah Valley community. Children’s Services Execu- owned Bittenbender Lumber for 43 Campbell did not enter a years. plea during his Jan. 26 hear- tive Director and founder ing for entrance of plea The awards Camille Schraeder, right, because he was attempting to received the Community See BITTENBENDER, Page 8 Kumar Plocher, owner of Service Award for her work hire other counsel. Yokayo Biofuels, was named At Thursday’s hearing, and care toward the com- Business Person of the Year. He munity’s youth. Deputy Public Defender is a young entrepreneur who Ferris Purviance said he turned a personal passion into a would be representing environmentalist, educator and School bus business for the community at businessman. The Yokayo Biofu- Campbell at trial. large. Plocher started Yokayo Campbell is scheduled to els mission statement reflects the Biofuels in October, 2001 out of company’s commitment to biomass grown on the valley rear-ended appear for a pretrial hearing at the desire to provide ecologically 1:30 p.m. March 22. ‘Yokayo,’ the Deep Valley, the soil, rather than being pumped The Daily Journal sustainable local alternatives to place that all of us call home. from below as petroleum is. In A Ukiah Unified School District Campbell was arrested Jan. fossil fuels. 14 after Mendocino County Beyond this, ‘Yokayo’ is an this sense, he regards biofuels as bus transporting 22 children home Chamber CEO Bert Mosier important word to Kumar was rear-ended by a white pickup sheriff’s deputies were dis- from the See CHAMBER, Page 15 patched to his home on the recognized him as “a pioneer, because biofuels come truck at around 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Cahto Indian Reservation on North State Street at Agnes Lane. near Laytonville, on reports No one was injured, but both the of an accidental shooting. pickup and the bus sustained minor Deputies found Gray in the to moderate damage, according to driveway of Campbell’s Legislation aims to de-escalate war Ukiah Valley Fire District Capt. Jeff home; Gray was pronounced Adair. The Daily Journal duced earlier this week in the involvement is coming to a dead at the scene by para- Senate by Sen. Barack Obama close.” The students were transferred to medics. North Coast Congressman (D-Ill.) The Iraq War De-escalation another school bus and taken home, According to sheriff’s Lt. Mike Thompson introduced “A realistic plan for ending Act of 2007, HR 787, sets he said. D.J. Miller, Campbell and legislation on Thursday that this war is long overdue,” forth a plan for both ending The Ukiah Valley Fire District, Gray were friends and Gray would restrict escalation of the Thompson said. “This bill the U.S.’s involvement in Ukiah Ambulance and Calfire (for- was visiting Campbell’s Iraq War and set firm dead- draws a hard line with the Iraq’s growing civil war and merly known as CDF-Fire) home. lines for a redeployment of Iraqi government by giving helping the Iraqi government responded to the incident. The two men appeared to American troops. them firm benchmarks for rebuild and secure their coun- There was no more information Thompson’s bill is compan- securing their country and available at press time Thursday. See PLEA, Page 16 Thompson ion legislation to a bill intro- making it clear that the U.S.’s See WAR, Page 8 2 – FRIDAY, FEB. 2, 2007 DAILY DIGEST Editor: Jody Martinez, 468-3517 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] risk of failing, homeowners in the area could be speak publicly about the case. DEATH NOTICES required to purchase flood insurance, though excep- Shawn, then 11 years old, was so traumatized after The world briefly tions can be made. that first month that he began to see Michael Devlin, Communities near the levees have been notified that accused of kidnapping both boys, as his protector and • Larry Monroe they have received an “unacceptable maintenance surrogate parent, the official said, adding that such a Hamilton, 74, died Tues- inspection rating.” That means a levee has one or more reaction is common among abuse victims. day, Jan. 23, 2007. Ar- Casey says Baghdad could be problems, which can include movement of floodwalls, “He’s a victim. He was kidnapped. He was taken rangements are under the secured with smaller troop faulty culverts, animal burrows, erosion or tree growth, from his parents. He was forced to live with this guy. direction of Eversole according to a statement released by the Corps. He was forced to accommodate,” the official said. Mortuary. buildup than proposed by Bush The official would not elaborate on what happened WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. commander to Shawn when he was first kidnapped, but said details Death notices are free for Senate votes to raise minimum Mendocino County resi- in Iraq told a Senate panel Thursday that improving wage to $7.25; lawmakers of the abuse and captivity would emerge soon in the dents.