Teachers March in Protest of Cutbacks
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Raiders Students of UKIAH CITY COUNCIL sign Hall the Month Sandwich sign talks stall ..........Page A-7 ............Page B-1 ................................Page A-2 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper .......Page A-2 Tomorrow: Sunny High 74º Low 37º 7 58551 69301 0 FRIDAY March 21, 2008 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 40 pages, Volume 149 Number 347 email: [email protected] Teachers march in protest of cutbacks By ROB BURGESS Carrying slogans like “California School District employees a half- The Daily Journal lawmakers have the courage to block in length then made the mile- Before they rejoined the rest of lead!” and “Layoffs impact stu- the assembled crowd, a modest bevy dents,” the line of Ukiah Unified See TEACHERS, Page A-12 of previously crouched teachers capped their markers and raised MacLeod Pappidas/The Daily Journal their newly-marked posterboards Ukiah Unified School District teachers and administrators just before 4 p.m. Thursday in the march south on Bush Street Thursday on their way to the UUSD front parking lot of Frank Zeek building, to publicize the teachers’ plan to appeal recently Elementary. received layoff notices. Boonville REDWOOD REGION LOGGING CONFERENCE OPENS man awarded Purple Heart The Daily Journal Boonville native Sgt. Jessie Slotte was awarded the Purple Heart Feb. 26 in cere- monies at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Brigadier General Francis G. Mahon made the presentation to Slotte and 13 other soldiers injured during Slotte combat in Iraq. Sgt. Slotte was severely wounded in action on Nov. 13, 2007. His commendation reads: “Sergeant Slotte See SLOTTE, Page A-12 UKIAH CITY COUNCIL Council picks new city mgr. By ZACK SAMPSEL The Daily Journal Following a brief MacLeod Pappidas/The Daily Journal closed session Wed- Wes Brubacher shows off an old steam drum loader Thursday at the fairgrounds to a group of fourth-graders from nesday night, the Ukiah Round Valley Elementary in Covelo. The machine was used to drag logs from the forest to the landing before the tim- City Council an- ber was loaded into trucks. nounced the appoint- ment of Jane Cham- bers, of San Bruno, as the new city manager. Students learn of Chambers will begin her duties in Ukiah on May 12. She is the per- Chambers manent replacement early era logging for Candace Horsley, who retired in By BEN BROWN See CHAMBERS, Page A-12 The Daily Journal he smell of sawdust and the sound of steam whistles filled the air Thursday as more than 900 Mendocino County stu- $990,935 in new dents gathered at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds to learn T about the past and future of the logging industry. expenses OK’d Thursday was education day at the 70th annual Redwood Region Logging Conference. ‘This isn’t typical,’ city finance Logging trucks from the early part of the century shared space director tells City Council with more modern equipment designed to turn out arrow straight boards with minimal fuss. By ZACK SAMPSEL Though the yard was full of buzzing blades and flying sawdust, it The Daily Journal was the products of an earlier era that drew the most attention. The Ukiah City Council approved At one end of the grounds, children gathered around a coal-black almost $1 million worth of budget amend- contraption venting steam into the air and water onto the ground. ments Wednesday, but taxpayers shouldn’t The machine, lovingly referred to as a “steam donkey,” was reach for their pocketbooks just yet. presided over by Wes Brubacher and other members of Roots of Elementary school students feel steam exhaust from an With expenditures up and revenues Motive Power. old rail engine at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds. down, the council approved the mid-year “It’s not too much different than a wood fire at home with a pot Children were taken for short trips on the old logging budget amendment of approximately of water,” Brubacher said, explaining the workings of the machine train. $990,935, which brings total appropriations to a group of inquisitive Round Valley Elementary School fourth- “It was a lot easier to keep this supplied with water than to keep for the fiscal year to almost $78 million. graders. them supplied with oats,” Brubacher said, pointing at a log skid Throughout the year, budget amend- The machine replaced animals that were used for all the heavy ments can be requested and approved by the lifting on logging sites previous to its invention. See LOGGING, Page A-12 council. Typically, at the midpoint of the fis- See BUDGET, Page A-12 The Now At 1252 Airrport Park Plaza also Ukiah - Behind Les Schwab Tire Famous The Fund Raiser Across From Friedman Bros. A-2 – FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2008 DAILY DIGEST Editor: Jody Martinez, 468-3517 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] POLICE REPORTS The following were Sign ordinance sent back to city staff for revisions compiled from reports By ZACK SAMPSEL prepared by the Ukiah The Daily Journal UKIAH CITY COUNCIL ‘This has sort of morphed into something else. I thought our intent was to deal Police Department. To Sandwich sign discussions could anonymously report specifically with items of encroachment, leave the rest of the ordinance alone and begin to go stale as the City Council we want to take.” crime information, call delayed its decision another two weeks protect the city when it comes to encroachment. Somehow the scope of that task 463-6205. The previous public hearing, con- at Wednesday night’s public hearing. ducted in January, failed to yield an ARREST -- Jack Allen The hearing continued discussions expanded to include other items. We need to protect the city’s liability.’ Audiss, 41, hometown not ordinance amendment because of a regarding the creation of an ordinance lack of information and feedback from listed, was arrested on sus- amendment that would allow A-frame picion of inflicting corporal local businesses, which forced the cre- MAYOR DOUG CRANE signs and other objects in the public ation of a committee involving injury on a spouse in the right of way -- including tables, chairs, 1200 block of South State Councilmember Benj Thomas and rep- mittee met with local businesses three cil and staff of its original intention. planters and clothes racks. Placement resentatives from local groups intend- Street at 10:28 p.m. of these items in the public right of times during February and March -- in “This has sort of morphed into Wednesday. ed to gather research and public senti- meetings that lasted as long as three something else,” he said. “I thought way is currently prohibited, but has ment. not been consistently enforced. hours -- she said local businesses’ con- our intent was to deal specifically with But it was the inclusion of language Judy Pruden, chairwoman of the cerns primarily focused on the need to items of encroachment, leave the rest SHERIFF’S REPORTS allowing gas-filled objects and other city Planning Commission, also served decorate for all commercial holidays. of the ordinance alone and protect the on the committee that gathered city when it comes to encroachment. The following were large displays that sidetracked discus- In addition to holiday decorating, sions. research, and spoke to the council Pruden said businesses were con- Somehow the scope of that task compiled from reports about her findings. She said local busi- expanded to include other items. We prepared by the “I’m not sure we want to give cerned that downtown shouldn’t have approval to all these twirling and nesses were concerned with the ordi- exclusive rules. need to protect the city’s liability.” Mendocino County nance hampering the chance to deco- Following Crane’s comments, the Sheriff’s Office: whirling gas-filled objects,” said “Going in and suddenly interfering Councilmember John McCowen. “I rate for the holidays, because its lan- with people’s perception can create council sent the ordinance back to staff BOOKED -- David guage would only allow for banners, for revisions. The hearing will be con- Gabriel Morago, 29, of think we need to look at the purpose of strong feelings,” Pruden said. “I don’t the ordinance, which was hopefully to pennants, balloons and other advertis- envy you with this. Good luck.” tinued at the council’s next meeting, Willits, was booked into jail ing for a maximum of 30 consecutive April 2. on suspicion of driving create a classy or more stylish appear- Recognizing the scope of the ordi- ance to all of the downtown. I think we days. nance continuing to expand, Mayor Zack Sampsel can be reached at under the influence, being After she and the rest of the com- [email protected]. under the influence of a need to look at what overall approach Doug Crane tried to remind the coun- controlled substance and driving with a suspended license by the California situation in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where their homes multiple times in the past few years, Highway Patrol at 11:01 the Israeli military has been fighting with militants making the routine of filling sandbags and rescuing p.m. Wednesday. The world briefly who fire rockets into southern Israel. furniture into a familiar drill. Those arrested by law enforce- Bin Laden added that Palestinians who are unable “We’ve been through this before,” said Michelle ment officers are innocent until to fight in the “land of Al-Quds” — a Muslim refer- Buhlinger, who works for the school district in proven guilty. People reported as ence to Jerusalem — should join the al-Qaida fight Valley Park in suburban St. Louis. “We’re expecting having been arrested may contact Obama, Clinton dispute fate of the Daily Journal once their case has in Iraq.