Tag Archives: News

March 25, 2019 · 9:30 pm

Shasta County Child Abuse Prevention Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 25, 2019
from Crystal Johnson Shasta County Child Abuse Prevention Council
530-242-2020 cjohnson@shastacapcc.org

Redding California –Shasta County joins the nation in kicking off National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month! This is a time to acknowledge the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect, and to promote the social and emotional well-being of children and families.

From Oct 1, 2017 to Sep 30, 2018 there were 675 children with one or more abuse or neglect allegations in Shasta County. This is a staggering statistic that is unfortunately rising. The Shasta County Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council (Shasta CAPCCC) has been on the front lines fighting against child abuse and neglect for several years. We believe that together, our community must work towards creating a place where no child is harmed by abuse and neglect. To keep our children safe, community-minded individuals across the state are standing up for families; let’s join that stance here in Shasta County.

Crystal Johnson, Project Manager for The Shasta County Child Abuse Prevention Council said “The buzz phrase lately is “Adverse Childhood Experiences” and that phrase is linked to the ACEs survey administered in Shasta County in 2012. That data showed that our county scored double the CA average. Aces may include abuse, neglect and a range of household dysfunctions such as witnessing domestic violence, growing up with substance abuse, mental illness, parental discord, or crime in a household. ACEs are strongly related to development and prevalence of a wide range of health problems, including substance abuse in adulthood. The ACEs survey was an eye opener for Shasta County proving what most of us suspected; families are struggling and children are not provided with tools they need to become successful adults thus feeding the generational cycle. Support and stand with CAPCC this April to unite and help make families stronger and learn about ways prevent and combat ACE’s “

Ways to stand united and show support;

Join us on March 26th at the Board of Supervisors Chambers (1450 Court Street, Redding) at 9:00 a.m. as we proclaim the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month in Shasta County. Shasta CAPCC Board member Doctor Sean Dugan will be accepting that Proclamation. There will be additional Proclamations on April 2nd at 6:00 p.m.: City of Anderson, City of Redding or City of Shasta Lake all at the specific City Hall buildings.

Attend the Pinwheel Garden of Hope Planting Ceremony on April 3rd at noon at The Shasta CAPCC office lawn: 2280 Benton Drive, Redding Ca. Plant a pinwheel in the ground and make a stand: every child deserves to grow up free of abuse and neglect. The pinwheels reflect the bright future that all children deserve. The pinwheel is a positive emblem of the effect we can have when we work together to prevent child abuse. That day, individuals can also take home a FREE pinwheel garden that they can plant in front of their home or business.

Wear blue! You can show support by wearing the color blue at any prevention related events during the month of April but there is also a National Wear Blue for Kids day and that is April 5, 2019.

We encourage that you tag Shasta County Child Abuse Prevention Council on Facebook to spread awareness of the Pinwheel gardens and for #WearBlue4Kids.

Advertisement

Leave a comment

Filed under health, youth

Tagged as ,

March 23, 2019 · 6:48 pm

Tessa Perkins and Sebastian Mitchell Penn named Students of the Month

Tessa Perkins and Sebastian Mitchell Penn were honored as Students of the Month at the Burney Lions Club on Thursday evening October 21. Ms. Perkins  was named 8th grade student of the month for February, and Penn was named 8th grade student of the month for March.

Principal Ray Guerrero, Sebastian Mitchell Penn, Tessa Perkins, and Lion George Whitfield

The students were introduced by Burney High School Principal Ray Guerrero.

Perkins has a 4.0 grade point. She is active in volleyball and plays flute in the band. She also enjoys playing piano, drawing, and writing stories. She would like to train a dog or a cat. When asked how she would train a cat, she said, “Like a dog!” After finishing high school, she plans to attend college to get a four-year degree.

Tessa’s parents Annie and Herb Perkins and her grandmother Linda Bates attended the dinner to see their daughter honored. Her mother, who noted that Tessa has had two surgeries for cerebral palsy, said they are very proud of their daughter’s achievement in academics.

Eighth-grader Sebastian also has a 4.0 grade point average. He competes in track and enjoys mowing lawns. He is looking forward to playing football. He is also good at baseball and tennis. He likes to read. In the future he would like to be a cook in the Navy.

Sebastian’s parents Jennifer Mitchell and Ellis Penn also attended. Mr. Penn said that he is very proud of the person that his son is becoming.

Each student was presented by Lion George Whitfield with a check from the Burney Lions Club for $50.

Leave a comment

Filed under Burney, Burney Lions Club, Schools, youth

Tagged as , , , ,

March 22, 2019 · 6:57 am

FRJUSD staff and community meet with consultants to provide input on selection of new Superintendent

On Wednesday evening March 20, 23 people attended a meeting with consultants from Leadership Associates to express their desires and opinions regarding the selection of a new superintendent for the Fall River Joint Unified School District (FRJUSD).

Community members meeting to provide input on search for new FRJUSD Superintendent

Leadership Associates is an executive search firm that has assisted many California school districts to select their school superintendents.  The Board plans to have a new superintendent selected and approved by the regular board meeting on June 14. The new superintendent will begin on July 1.

The purpose of the March 20 meeting was to get input from staff and community members. The meeting of parents, teachers, staff members and concerned citizens from the community was moderated by consultants Rich Fischer and Tom Changnon.

Fischer began the encounter by explaining the selection process. Leadership Associates hopes that through advertising and active recruitment they will find a pool of possibly up to 14 applicants. The deadline for applications is April 17. During April and May they will complete comprehensive reference and background checks on applicants to identify applicants who are most qualified and suitable to the district. In May the FRJUSD Board will meet with the consultants to review the applications and select the candidates to be interviewed. The Board will then interview selected candidates.  Final decision on who is to be hired will be the responsibility of the Board.

Fischer then asked three questions. First he asked what qualities people would like to see in their superintendent. People responded that they would like someone who is inclusive and cooperative; who is aware of and amenable to the Intermountain climate; who is up to speed on developing trends in technology; who has a background working in similar small rural, diverse districts; whose heart is committed to the welfare of the students; who is knowledgeable  about finances and capable of generating revenue; and who is capable of making difficult decisions if necessary in matters concerning such issues as layoffs; and who is able to deal with issues of busing in a large geographic district.

As for character, people responded that they wanted a person with good people skills, who is committed to the community, and who is aware of and dedicated to helping at-risk youth.

The second question presented to the audience was “How do you sell this place? What are the advantages of living here?” People emphasized the diverse nature of volunteerism by individuals and organizations supporting the district. They praised the commitment of teachers and students. They said that a superintendent could be proud of the results that the district could achieve and derive personal satisfaction. Some stressed the beauty of the environment and the recreational opportunities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, etc. One gentleman pointed out that there are numerous grant opportunities for rural districts available to fund specific programs from foundations.

Finally, Fischer asked what challenges the new superintendent might face. One challenging issue involved recruitment and hiring of qualified teachers, staff members and bus drivers. Another involved becoming familiar with the diverse backgrounds of students and the variable nature and needs of the nine different sites that make up the district. Another addressed balancing academics, sports, and other activities for students.

After a rich discussion on the three questions, Fischer concluded the formal meeting but many participants remained behind to carry on the conversation amongst themselves and the consultants.

Anyone who was unable to attend but would like to offer input into the selection process is encouraged to take part in an online survey at the FRJUSD website at http://www.frjusd.org/frjusdsuperintendentsearch.

Leave a comment

Filed under Burney, Fall River Mills, Schools

Tagged as , , ,

March 7, 2019 · 6:15 pm

Benefit Concert to support people affected by Camp Fire March 9

If anyone feels like going to a good concert this weekend in the valley to support a worthwhile cause, here is an opportunity.

Leave a comment

Filed under Music

Tagged as ,

March 2, 2019 · 6:31 pm

Burney-Fall River Interact Students travel to Mexico to serve

News from Bob Jehn of Burney-Fall River Rotary Club:

During President’s Day Weekend, five Interact students from Burney and Fall River High Schools traveled with five adult advisors to Agua Prieta, Mexico to perform community service alongside members of the Rotary Club and Rotaract Club of Agua Preita.


Interact students Alexus Bellino and Kaitlin Estes talk with a resident of the nursing home in Agua Prieta, Mexico.

Heather Cook and other Interact students paint an amphitheater in Agua Prieta, Mexico.

Students cooked hamburgers for 200 children in an underserved neighborhood, painted an amphitheater that had previously been a site for drug sales, handed out soccer balls to children at an after-school foster child facility, painted a mural they designed on the wall of the dining room at a nursing home, visited a local high school where they interested students in forming an Interact Club, and painted classrooms at a school for disabled children.

Intermountain Interactors were overwhelmed by some of the living conditions they saw and want to help more. The mother of one of the students who went on the trip said her daughter’s life is “forever changed”.

Interact students Maria Mercado and Jennifer Mercado talk with a boy at the foster children’s school in Agua Prieta, Mexico.

Rotarian Bob Jehn, who has organized the trip for the last two years said, “Providing these kind of experiences for the youth of our community gives me great satisfaction. It is a great pleasure for me to head up our Rotary Club’s youth programs, and seeing the Interact student’s happy, bright, smiling faces is what gives me hope for the future.”

Leave a comment

Filed under Rotary Club of Burney-Fall River, youth

Tagged as , ,

February 22, 2019 · 5:46 pm

Cade Harner wins 2019 Burney Lions Club Student Speakers Contest

Sophomore Cade Harner won the 2019 Student Speakers Contest at the Burney Lions Hall on Thursday evening February 21. Harner competed against two other Burney High School students, Senior Noah Bishop and Junior Paris Deaton-Geisler.

Judges Rodney and Sally Armstrong, Jiill Barnett, Charlene Sickler, Coach Melissa Madden, Student Speakers Noah Bishop, Cade Harner, Paris Deaton Geisler, and Lion Dr. Bill Cummings

This year’s speech topic is “Freedom of the Press: What does it mean?”  Each student was required to give a speech no longer that ten minutes and no shorter than five minutes. All three speakers emphasized the fundamental importance of freedom of press in a democratic society illustrating their talk with poignant quotes and examples. They also provided examples of dictatorial and autocratic societies in which the government denies freedom of the press. In his succinct speech, Harner addressed the current controversy about “fake news.”

Melissa Madden, activities director at Burney High School, helped to coach the students in preparation for their speeches.

Lion Dr. Bill Cummings officiated the contest. Charlene Charlene Sickler, Sally and Rodney Armstrong, and Jill Barnett served as judges. After all of the scores were tabulated, Dr. Cummings announced the winner.

Lion Dr. Bill Cummings announced that Cade Harner is the winner

All three participants were awarded certificates and presented with a check by Lion George Chapman. Harner won $100 for first place. The other speakers each received $25.

Lion George Chapman and Student Speakers Cade Harner, Parris Deaton Geisler, and Noah Bishop

The Club level contest is the first level of completion in the 82nd Annual Lions Multiple District Four Contest. Harner will now advance to the Zone level contest.

Lions Clubs throughout California and Nevada are holding club level contests during the month of February. Winners will advance through several levels to reach the District, Area, and Multiple District Four Contest.

Altogether, the Lions Fourth District Student Speakers Foundation will provide scholarships totaling $103,500.00. Fifteen District winners will each receive a $4,500 scholarship. Four Area winners will each receive an additional $6,500 scholarship, and the winner of the Multiple District Four Contest will receive an additional $10,000.00 scholarship.

Leave a comment

Filed under Burney, Burney Lions Club, youth

Tagged as , , , , ,

February 16, 2019 · 6:44 pm

NEWS ADVISORY: Child abuse/neglect hotline

From Shasta County Health and Human Services Friday 2/15/19:

Power is out at our downtown offices and some of our phone lines are not working correctly. If you need to report child abuse/neglect, please call 225-5144.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under youth

Tagged as ,

February 6, 2019 · 9:49 pm

Dr. Daniel Dahle named 2019 “Country Doctor of the Year” by Staff Care

Press release from Staff Care, and AMN Healthcare company:

DALLAS, TX – Serving an area larger than five states and a community 45 miles from the nearest traffic light, Dr. Daniel Dahle is the medical version of a hero in a Clint Eastwood western, keeping the local citizens safe not with six shooters but with over three decades of medical expertise and an unflinching commitment to personalized care.

Dr. Dahle checking a heart

For his exceptional record of compassion and service, Dr. Dahle has been named 2019 Country Doctor of the Year.

Presented by Staff Care, an AMN Healthcare company, the Country Doctor of the Year Award recognizes the spirit, skill, and dedication of America’s rural medical practitioners. The leading temporary physician staffing firm in the United States, Staff Care has presented the national award since 1992 to exemplary physicians practicing in communities of 30,000 or less.

“Dr. Dahle is more than an outstanding primary care physician,” said Jeff Decker, President of Staff Care, “he is one of the pillars on which his community stands. The people, the health system, and the economy of his region simply could not do without him.”

Raised on a potato farm near the California/Oregon border, Daniel Dahle served as a medical corpsman in Vietnam before earning a Ph.D. in radiation biology and a medical degree at the University of Rochester in New York. In 1985, he elected to return to his home region and began practicing in Bieber, California, a frontier town of 300 people located in an isolated section of northeastern California, where he has continued to practice for 33 years.

The sole primary care physician in Bieber, Dr. Dahle is on staff at Big Valley Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that sees all patients, regardless of ability to pay. He draws patients from a service area that extends over 7,500 square miles, larger than Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii and New Jersey, and to a large extent has been personally responsible for maintaining health services in the region.

Dr. Dahle visiting a patient

In addition to seeing patients at the health center, Dr. Dahle drives 25 miles one way almost every day to see inpatients at Mayers Memorial Hospital in the town of Fall River Mills, where he also covers the emergency department and cares for long-term patients at the hospital’s nursing home. Over half the hospital’s inpatients are admitted by Dr. Dahle, and his presence in the community has been vital to the hospital’s continued viability.

“As a rural hospital goes, so goes the community,” Decker said. “Few people want to stay in or move to a place where there are no healthcare facilities. By supporting the local hospital, Dr. Dahle has done more than keep patients alive – he has kept the community alive.”

Dr. Dahle has delivered over 1,000 babies in his career, often under trying circumstances. Many of the residents in the local valleys, including much of the student body at Bieber’s high school where Dr. Dahle coached track for 25 years, were delivered by Dr. Dahle. His skills as a diagnostician are legendary, as one particularly telling incident illustrates. When a long-term patient and co-worker presented with pain and mental confusion, Dr. Dahle correctly diagnosed herpes encephalitis, despite encountering this rare condition only one previous time in approximately 350,000 patient encounters. The condition is commonly fatal, but by rushing the patient to a tertiary care center hours away and insisting on proper treatment, Dr. Dahle is credited with saving her life.

Not all of the duties that fall to a frontier doctor are strictly clinical. In one instance, Dr. Dahle was present when a knife wielding assailant attacked the local sheriff. Dr. Dahle was able to subdue the man with a forearm shiver. Most of his activities, however, are much more benign. One patient describes how Dr. Dahle was able to provide her dying husband with a last wish, personally escorting him on a scuba diving trip to Hawaii, while another relates how Dr. Dahle revived her newborn when the infant was not breathing. Virtually all of the town’s residents (including Clint Eastwood himself, who has a ranch in the area) have been positively impacted by him in one way or another.

Now aged 70 and contemplating retirement, Dr. Dahle has made educating future care givers part of his mission.   Each year he provides training to medical residents from the University of California, Davis as well as students from the physician assistant program at the University of Iowa. He is well known for sharing his “zebras” with students, medical slang for patients whose maladies are masked or otherwise difficult to diagnose.   Dr. Dahle is hoping to pass the torch on to a husband and wife duo who will soon be completing their medical training and who Dr. Dahle has been recruiting since the couple was in medical school.   Though he has seen rural practice evolve during his tenure, Dr. Dahle believes the essence remains the same.

“Much has changed in 30 years,” said Dr. Dahle, “but patients still respond to someone who really knows them and to someone who really cares.”

As the 2019 Country Doctor of the Year, Dr. Dahle will be able to enjoy two weeks of time off, as Staff Care will provide a temporary physician to fill in for him at no charge, a service valued at approximately $10,000. He also will receive the award’s signature plaque featuring a country doctor making his rounds on a horse and buggy, an engraved stethoscope, and a monogrammed lab coat. Additional information about the Country Doctor of the Year Award can be found at www.countrydoctoraward.com.

About Staff Care and AMN Healthcare
Staff Care is the nation’s leading temporary physician staffing firm and is a company of AMN Healthcare (NYSE: AMN) the largest healthcare workforce solutions company in the United States . For more information, visit www.staffcare.com or www.amnhealthcare.com.

2 Comments

Filed under health, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , ,

February 2, 2019 · 7:18 pm

Estate planning clinic at Circle of Friends February 22

On Friday, February 22, 2019 at 1 p.m, Legal Services of Northern California’s Rural Senior Project Coordinator, Shah’ada Shaban, will host a presentation followed by a hands-on, one-on-one estate planning clinic for persons eligible for LSNC’s services at Circle of Friends,  36987 Main Street, Burney, CA 96013

Has your provider encouraged you to prepare a health care directive? Do you want to prepare a will but do not know where to start? Have you been worried about Medi-Cal Estate Recovery? Do you have questions about whether you need a trust?

This presentation, for all age groups, will address:

  • Choosing between a will, trust, or other estate planning methods
  • Advanced Healthcare Directives, healthcare power of attorney, and DNRs
  •  Financial Power of Attorney—the risks and benefits
  • Updating or changing estate planning documents you already have

If you would like to attend Please R.S.V.P. with Circle of Friends 530-335-4222

People can contact Legal Services of Northern California at their Shasta Regional Office: 1370 West Street, Redding, CA 96001, 530-241-3565, http://www.lsnc.net

Leave a comment

Filed under Burney, Circle of Friends

Tagged as , , ,

February 2, 2019 · 6:26 pm

Friends of Burney Falls State Park & Friends of Castle Crags State Park 2019 Annual Report

From Catherine Camp, President, McArthur Burney Falls Interpretive Association:

We are fortunate in our supporters and staff indeed. 2018 was challenging for so many of our friends and neighbors with fires and smoke for most of the summer months. Our parks remain beautiful and safe and your support has allowed us to maintain the interpretive and educational activities that are a part of many visitors experience.

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park

Visitor Center and Interpretive Activities

The Visitor Center, open April through October, continues to be an inviting stop for many visitors to the park, more than 20,000 in 2018. The Center provides displays and hands-on activities about the geology, animal and plant life and cultural history of the area. In addition, weather and daily interpretive activities are displayed and hard-working camp host volunteers help visitors plan their time in the Park. These hosts are knowledgeable about the park and, in many cases, have returned again and again. The Park’s Interpretive Association offers special thanks to Cheryl Fish, Dave and Gloria Peavy, Ed and Judy Adams, Mary Babin, Ozzie and Theda Neighbours, Randy and Kathy Van Noort, Rick and Carol Pate and Mike and Gwen Coleman. The Park experience would not be the same without these folks who love the park!

Visits to the Park begin at the entrance kiosk with the annual Visitor Guide that provides park history, a park map and information about interpretive and program activities. The Park Association, Friends of Burney Falls, funds the production of the newspaper.

26 canoe trips, funded by the Kelly’s Wishes Foundation and the Association, took nearly 300 visitors on tours of Lake Britton, with opportunities to see turtles, otters, eagles and other abundant bird species. Thanks to the Foundation, we were able to add two new canoes this year, and hope that we can expand the number of these very popular guided trips.

Bird walks are now a regular park activity, thanks to viewing telescopes and binoculars provided by The McConnell Foundation and Kelly’s Wishes Foundation. The local Wintu Audubon Society helped the Park update its bird list, and led a Society walk in the spring. They were just in time to see the arrival of the Black Swifts that nest in the falls, along with warblers, vireos, chickadees, woodpeckers, swallows and mergansers. The park was also hosting an active eagle nest and an osprey nest with two chicks during this late May walk. Organized bird walks served nearly 30 visitors; in addition, ten individuals checked out binoculars for their own exploration and additional visitors used the small bird and native plant library in the Visitor Center.

The Park offers a self-guided Discovery Challenge program, printed in the Visitor Guide. Over 1500 visitors completed the challenge and were awarded the 2018 Discovery Challenge embroidered patch of Burney Falls. In addition, the formal Junior Ranger program offers the opportunity to participate in activities and crafts.

Regular interpretive activities include hikes, crafts, singalongs, interpretingo games and Dutch oven cooking demonstrations. Campfire presentations are as much a part of camping here as marshmallows: 13 campfire evenings included four presentations by Shasta Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, giving campers a chance to see and learn about live owls, hawks and eagles. This year, Camp Host Ed Adams created a new presentation, StarWatch, giving campers a tour of the heavens through telescopes. StarWatch was held on 5 nights in the summer, but despite its popularity, it was cancelled in August due to the smoke from nearby fires.

Interpretive staff provided ten presentations to school groups who visited the Park during the year. Nearly 500 youngsters walked the trails, explored the plant and animal life, and learned some of the history of the area.

Heritage Day

Nearly 1000 Park visitors enjoyed Heritage Day in October. This community event explores life in the 1870s in the Intermountain area. Local volunteers share their history and expertise with Mountain Man exhibits of tools and implements and opportunities to participate in candle-making, beading, weaving, pine-doll making, cross-cut sawing, branding wood discs, rope-making and target knife-throwing. Attendees made fresh apple juice with a hand-cranked press and helped prepare Dutch oven apple crisp. The day was enlivened with the music of Old Time Fiddlers and wagon rides with Wagon Ponies.

In addition to the individuals who share their skills, the Burney Lions Club, Leos Youth Organization and Rotary Club of Burney-Fall River provided parking assistance, food sales and the staffing of numerous activity booths. Many community folks have been helping put this heritage-themed day on for more than 30 years.

Castle Crags State Park

Castle Crags State Park suffered extensively from nearby wildfires this year, and was closed for many days due to smoke. In addition, park staff were called upon to assist in the fire suppression tasks, and Interstate 5 was closed for an extended period of time.

Despite this shortened time, the Association provided a Visitor Guide to 8000 park visitors. The Park provided 10 evening programs and awarded more than 250 Discovery Patches to campers and day visitors who completed the nature challenge. The remodeled gift store area provided visitors with opportunities to enrich their visit, and the funds from this activity, along with the sale of firewood and recycling, supported the educational and interpretive activities.

Social Media

More than 300,000 visits were logged in to www.BurneyFallsPark.org this year. The web site has continued to add content to support visitor experience in the Park.

Castle Crags State Park now has its own website, established this past year. The site logged 4,000 visits this year. Take a look at the activities and sights at http://www.CastleCragsPark.org

We also publish a periodic e-newsletter to keep our park friends up-to-date on the latest happenings at both Burney Falls and Castle Crags State Park. If you would like to receive the newsletter, please let us know at either web site above.

Financial Report

In spite of the months of fires and smoke that reduced park visitation, we had a very good year. Gross revenues of $89,364 included generous donations from the Delong-Sweet and the Kelly’s Wishes Foundations.

54% percent of 2018 revenue supported:

  • Interpretive Program expenses (36%)
  • Administrative costs (5%)
  • Restricted and rollover funds for 2019 (13%)

46% of 2018 revenue provided purchase of Visitor Center sales merchandise and the firewood production

Distribution of Net Revenues of $47,915

Firewood and Visitor Center Sales provided over half of the net revenue at 61% of funds earned, returning profits of 44% and 38% respectively. Recycling, advertisement sales, donations and foundation grants provided the other remainder revenue.

Distribution of Interpretive Program Expenditures -$31,747

  • Printing of the Visitor Guides for both parks – 20%
    Contribution to Park Interpretive Specialist position – 47%
  • Supplies for interpretive activities: hikes & canoe excursions, bird walks, campfire talks, discovery Quest Challenge & Junior Ranger and school presentations. – 15%
  • Volunteer Support for camp hosts and recycling programs – 3%
  • Heritage Day Festival including activity supplies for candle making, saw bucking and branding, Dutch oven cooking & apple pressing; wagon rides and Old Time Fiddlers. – 10%
  •  Canoe program repair and purchase of new canoes – 5%

Leave a comment

Filed under Archaeology, Burney Falls

Tagged as , , , ,