Ukiah opens RELIGION season versus Saturday Faith community news Acalanes ...................................Page 3 .............Page 6 Sept. 9, 2006 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper ..........Page 2 Sunday: Low clouds followed by sunshine 7 58551 69301 0 Monday: Mostly sunny 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 14 pages, Volume 148 Number 153 email: [email protected] Plaintiffs in Vroman suit allowed to amend complaint again By BEN BROWN file a second amended complaint, Superior Court judges declared a conclusion by filing a demurrer Vroman was not present in court The Daily Journal Sonoma County Judge Gayle conflict. against the suit. A demurrer is a Friday. Plaintiffs in a taxpayers lawsuit Guynup ruled Friday. Deputy County Counsel Douglas motion to dismiss a lawsuit on the The demurrer to the first amended filed against District Attorney Guynup was asked to hear the Losuk, representing Vroman, had grounds that no legal claim is assert- Norman Vroman will be allowed to case after all Mendocino County hoped to bring the lawsuit to a swift ed. See VROMAN, Page 14 Health care veto Businesses turn on the heat doesn’t halt effort at Eighth Annual Cookoff for local coverage CHILI to benefit Boys & Girls Club By KATIE MINTZ The Daily Journal When Gov. Arnold Schwar- zenegger announced his plan Chesbro to veto legislation for single- payer health care coverage Tuesday, many organizations bills to across the state expressed their dismay. governor According to the author of SB 840, Sen. Sheila Kuehl Schwarzenegger (D-Santa Monica), the plan has until Sept. 30 would have provided afford- to sign or veto them able coverage to 6.6 million currently uninsured people The Daily Journal living in California, including Sen. Wesley Chesbro 800,000 children. (D-Arcata) ended the Groups in Mendocino 2006 legislative session County, however, are continu- with a number of legisla- ing to work toward providing tive proposals being coverage locally. passed and sent to Gov. “We believe that access to Arnold Schwarzenegger. health care is a right, and we Many of those, if signed, are committed to working to will affect the 2nd make sure that everyone in Senate District, Chesbro our community is able to get said. the care they need to be and “For the North Coast stay healthy,” said Megan Van we made real progress Sant, director of health policy on issues, including and development for the rural health care, mental Alliance for Rural health funding, assis- Community Health. tance for veterans and According to a 2004 report addressing local govern- from the Insure the Uninsured ment problems. We have Project, 23.2 percent of Isaac Eckel/The Daily Journal Mendocino County’s resi- See CHESBRO, Page 14 As the sun sets on the annual Chili Cookoff, Ann Webb serves up another pot of chili for the Century dents are uninsured, but those 21 team. Proceeds from the event go to the Boys and Girl Club. numbers are decreasing, thanks to Healthy Kids cated.” Mendocino, which strives to Kristen Gardner, project provide health care insurance coordinator of Health to all children in the county Insurance For All - TV and movie themes prevail who don’t have it. Mendocino, said conversa- “We’ve always had this tions about increasing cover- By ZACK SAMPSEL belief that this problem is not age and access for adults have The Daily Journal being dealt with at the state or gone on for years, but On a cool Friday federal level, so there’s a need momentum is picking up. evening in Ukiah, the air to fund it locally,” Van Sant Next week, Health heated up for the Eighth said. Insurance For All - Annual Chili Cookoff at In May, Healthy Kids Mendocino will meet with Alex Thomas Plaza. With Mendocino launched representatives from other more than 30 entrants this CalKids, which offers low- areas to discuss feasible mod- year, there was plenty of cost insurance to children age els, and recently the group chili to go around. 0-19 from families with a received a $12,000 grant This year’s entrants dis- higher income level than through the Mendocino played a true sense of flair allowed by either Healthy County Tobacco Settlement and pop-culture knowledge Families or Medi-Cal. Advisory Committee to be by giving away special Healthy Kids Mendocino also used for hiring a consultant to items and naming their helps families enroll in develop feasible ideas. booths after popular TV Healthy Families and Medi- Without a model chosen, shows and movies. In fact, Cal, a task that has only a 5 Gardner said she couldn’t there were two displays percent success rate when estimate a timeframe for adult themed after the “Pirates of families try on their own, access in the county. the Caribbean.” according to Van Sant. In the meantime, Van Sant The Savings Bank of “Across the political spec- said the county’s eight com- Mendocino County took trum, there seems to be wide munity health organizations, the popularity of the Web support for providing health located in Ukiah, Willits, site www.chucknorris- insurance for kids,” Van Sant facts.com and themed its Potter Valley, Boonville, Aaron Schuette accepts a cup of chili from Warren Lewis, left, and Karren said. “Adults, however, are Gualala, Point Arena, display after the man much more tricky and much Standridge of the Ukiah Valley Lumber chili team. Many teams dressed up Laytonville and Fort Bragg, and decorated their booths to add to the flavor of the event. more costly. It’s where the offer primary care to anyone See CHILI, Page 14 greatest need is as well, but it’s also much more compli- See HEALTH, Page 14 ‘Kases 4 Kids’ effort in need of donations from adults By LAURA MCCUTCHEON there -- in 2004, according to local About 15 members, including things like color crayons and color- al care items, and they also get The Daily Journal Lions Club Secretary/Treasurer Pardini, spend approximately 10 ing books and some kind of a small deodorant, notebooks and other For some children, a “Kase” is all Marge Pardini. hours a month shopping for the back- toy, like a stuffed animal. Mike school-related items. “Whatever we they have. “This spread through word of packs and then filling them with per- Schutz of McDonalds gives us all the can come up with,” Pardini said, not- Kases 4 Kids -- a program that mouth through the whole Lion’s dis- sonal care and school-related items. out-of-date toys they give out with ing donations and club funds pay for gives packed backpacks to the trict, and my husband and I contact- This includes “always being on their Happy Meals. ... Everybody the packs and their contents. Mendocino County Child Support ed Child Support Services here and the lookout” for packs on sale and gets a comb, a toothbrush and tooth- “It’s for foster children,” Pardini Services for children in the foster asked them if they would want us to the things that go into them, Pardini paste, soaps ... a pencil or two. The said. “The kids that have been taken care system -- is in dire need of do this and they were thrilled to said. “For example, if (members) are older kids -- the preteens, they get from their homes and put into foster donations. death, because at that time the only in a hotel they save the shampoos notebooks for their schools, pencils, care, so many times they are just The Redwood Empire Lions Club thing they had to put children’s and lotions and soaps,” she said. pens ... girl’s get hair brushes, boys taken from the house and have noth- took on the project -- originally start- goods in were black plastic bags,” The Kases are age-related. get combs. ed in Fresno through the Lions Club Pardini said. “For the little kids, we put in Teens get the same type of person- See 'KASES,' Page 14 2 – SATURDAY, SEPT. 9, 2006 DAILY DIGEST Editor: Jody Martinez, 468-3517 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] POLICE REPORTS The following were com- Consumer borrowing piled from reports prepared The world briefly by the Ukiah Police Department. To anony- in July slows down mously report crime infor- Associated Press June, which had been orig- Senate report says out of Lebanon within two weeks. mation, call 463-6205. WASHINGTON— inally reported as a gain of The sea blockade’s end, which came a day ARREST -- Scott Oversen, Americans increased their $10.3 billion. The July Saddam Hussein regarded after Israel dropped its restrictions on air 21, of Sonora, was arrested on borrowing in July at the increase was slightly al-Qaida as a threat rather travel into Lebanon, lifts a barrier that has suspicion of driving under the slowest pace in four below the $6.5 billion stifled Lebanon and cost the country tens of influence and possession of a months as the gain in cred- advance economists had than a possible ally millions of dollars as it tries to rebuild from controlled substance at the inter- it card debt fell off sharply. been forecasting. WASHINGTON (AP) — Saddam Hussein the devastating 34-day war between Israel section of South State Street and The Federal Reserve The increases left con- regarded al-Qaida as a threat rather than a and Hezbollah. Clay Street at 1:25 a.m. reported Friday that con- sumer credit at a record possible ally, a Senate report says, contra- “The blockade has seriously undermined Thursday. sumer borrowing rose at an level of $2.35 trillion. The dicting assertions President Bush has used to the Lebanese economy, and it is high time for ARREST -- Justin Slagle, 33, annual rate of 2.8 percent Fed’s measure of consumer build support for the war in Iraq.