Community RELIGION sports digest Saturday Faith community news ...................................Page 3 .............Page 6 Dec. 9, 2006 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper ..........Page 2 Sunday: Periods of rain 7 58551 69301 0 Monday: Mostly cloudy 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 16 pages, Volume 148 Number 244 email: [email protected] Marijuana COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION defendant Laws condos OK’d seeks return of vehicles By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal Memo Parker, the Ukiah man whose Gardens Avenue home was raided by police in October, is asking police to return two vehicles seized during the service of the search warrant, saying they had no right to take them. The vehicles, a BMW sedan and a GMC pickup, were seized Oct. 16, along with 400 growing marijuana plants and 170 pounds of See VEHICLES, Page 16 Deal may be in works in DeNoyer case Pretrial conference rescheduled By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal It appears that Fort Bragg resident James Photos Courtesy The Digital Real DeNoyer may be preparing to make a deal with The Mendocino County Planning Commission on Friday approved the conversion of 47 apartment units to con- the Mendocino County District Attorney’s dominiums at 175 Laws Avenue by the development company Ukiah Laws, LLC. This rendering shows how the Office to avoid trial, after his pretrial confer- converted condominiums will possibly look. ence was rescheduled Friday. Acting Assistant District Attorney Katherine Huston said in court Friday that the pretrial conference would have to be rescheduled for Jan. 5 because it would take at least that long to 47 apartments to be converted review any prospective deal that might be By KATIE MINTZ made. DeNoyer is charged with 36 counts of ani- The Daily Journal ‘When people tend to own ... they don’t let mal abuse in connection with 35 horses that The Mendocino County Planning Com- people come on their property and destroy it, were seized from property in Fort Bragg and mis-sion approved a condominium conver- graffiti it.’ Brooktrails in December of 2005. An addition- sion at 175 Laws Ave. Friday that its back- al animal was found dead on the Fort Bragg ers say is the first step toward cleaning up the street known for gang-related activity. property. The seven-building, 47-unit apartment RICK DERINGER The horses were seized by Mendocino complex owned by Ukiah Laws, LLC -- a development consultant County Animal Control and later auctioned off joint venture of Odyssey Development as part of a deal with DeNoyer, which included Company’s Rhonda Deringer and Deborah according to affordable housing advocates. a stipulation that four of the horses would be Emery -- now sits half empty with plywood The Planning Commission’s decision, held pending the outcome of the trial. covering some windows. however, came after Ukiah Laws, LLC Some of the auctioned horses were pur- But by April, Rick Deringer, develop- reached an agreement with affordable hous- chased by DeNoyer’s brother-in-law, Mark ment consultant for Ukiah Laws, LLC, said ing advocates that might keep some tenants Scripter of Ventura County. he hopes to begin the phased renovation of from being displaced. In October, DeNoyer and Scripter filed a all units, which will include new kitchens, The agreement will give current 175 claim against the county that maintained the bathrooms and laundry rooms, to make Laws Ave. residents first priority to buy a county owed them each $500,000. them attractive to buyers. condominium with a 5 percent to 10 percent DeNoyer claimed the county failed to auc- “When people tend to own...they don’t discount. Twenty percent of the for-sale tion the horses for the highest possible price, let people come on their property and units will be set aside for moderate-income thus depriving him of a reasonable return for destroy it, graffiti it,” Deringer said, explain- households. their sale. ing the benefits of homeownership to the In addition, the county approved a deed Scripter claimed the District Attorney’s Planning Commission. “When it is a rental, restriction that will require nine of the 47 Office and Animal Control failed to protect his the problem is, they rely on the owner to units, which will be isolated in one building, privacy during a silent auction and defamed his deal with it.” to remain as rental units for low- and very Daily Journal file photo character, which he said damaged his business Deringer said the units will cost approxi- low-income households for the next 30 Boarded up apartments at 175 of breeding and selling foals. mately 25 percent less than the average sin- years. Laws Ave. will soon be renovated. Scripter also claimed the county promoted gle-family home in Ukiah, a price that is still Most will be sold, although some unaffordable for many current tenants, threats of personal injury, loss of privacy and See LAWS, Page 15 will be maintained as rental units. property loss. The county denied the claims of both men. Ben Brown can be reached at [email protected]. County superintendent to begin 4th term UKIAH DAILY JOURNAL HOLIDAY By LAURA MCCUTCHEON this amounts to thousands But it’s not always ‘all work and no play.’ The Daily Journal of checks -- and more than “Earlier today I dressed up as Santa Claus Paul Tichinin on Friday will begin his $150 million -- a year. and went to the state preschool we have here FOOD BANK FUND DRIVE fourth consecutive term as county superinten- Lastly, the superinten- on campus, and our Court Community dent of schools, a job he said he loves, even if dent visits schools, makes School, our middle school Community Day The Daily Journal it does come with a few challenges. observations and makes School, the ROP business lab and the nursing The latest donations to the UDJ Holiday “The county superintendent shall superin- recommendations for programs. ... When I get a chance to interact Food Bank Fund Drive include: $500, tend” the schools in his or her county, states improvements. with the students in the county, whether Randy & Sandy Dorn; $300, AC Delco Auto Education Code, which means he or she must By 10 a.m. on Friday, he preschool or adults in ROP, and I see learning Parts; $250, Randall E. & Jan M. Woesner; provide oversight, fiscal solvency, and, more had gotten phone calls opportunities, that is what motivates me,” $250, Kurt & Sally Kieckhefer; $150, Larry than ever before, the county superintendent is from three different super- Tichinin said. & Pat Hartley; $150, Joanne G. Lanz; $100, required to oversee academic student perfor- Tichinin intendents concerning Asked what got him interested in education In Memory of Todd Gallegos; $100, Arthur mance. “major issues, or problems in the first place, Tichinin said: “I am the son Church; $100, Don & Merydel Peterson; Part of Tichinin’s job is to seek out we are trying to solve of an immigrant, one of six children, and for $75, John D. & Ruby J. Suneson; $50, Janis statewide financial resources to bring to together,” he said. him being able to come to the United States A. Cox; $50, Sweet Light Photo Tours; $50, Mendocino County, he said. For example, this “Later today I am conducting a video con- (from Russia), California in particular, and be Paul & Betty Orsi; $50, Gerald C. & Kay L. year he said he secured $8 million to be used ference with two other county superinten- able to get a free and public education from 7 Beeson; $50, Borges Transfer Service; $50, for special projects. The superintendent also dents managing the statewide high speed years of age through the university was some- Leota MacMillan; $30, Thelma L. Strong; issues all of the checks to all personnel in edu- Internet connection for all school districts and thing. He instilled a respect and passion for $25, Ansley J. Coale, Jr.; $25, Donald L. & cation in the county. His signature is also on county offices in the state. ... My job is not every check issued to vendors. Combined, boring,” Tichinin said. See TICHININ, Page 15 See FOOD BANK, Page 15 2 – SATURDAY, DEC. 9, 2006 DAILY DIGEST Editor: Jody Martinez, 468-3517 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] on suspicion of assault with POLICE REPORTS a deadly weapon or with The following were force to produce bodily Market ends week with gains compiled from reports injury at 4:20 a.m. Thursday. Holdings Inc., said of the jobs figure. Bonds fell, with the yield on the prepared by the Ukiah BOOKED -- Michael Stocks rise as jobs report Wall Street has pored over economic benchmark 10-year Treasury note rising Police Department. To James Johnson, 41, of eases economy concerns data in recent months as it tries to deter- to 4.55 percent from 4.49 percent late anonymously report Branscomb, was booked mine whether the health of the economy Thursday. The dollar was mixed against crime information, call into jail on suspicion of By TIM PARADIS warrants the run-up seen in stocks since other major currencies, while gold prices 463-6205. assault with a deadly AP Business Writer September. Shin contends the jobs figure rose. ARREST -- Johnathan weapon, making terrorist NEW YORK — Wall Street ended an raises Wall Street’s hopes about a slew of Investors were eyeing the jobs report Robinette, 28, hometown threats and possession or erratic week with a moderate advance economic data expected next week, all week as they tried to square their con- not listed, was arrested on sale of a switchblade at 9:31 Friday as investors welcomed a govern- including retail sales figures.