One year ago from Wednesday, the Redding Fire Department lost one of their own. Wednesday morning, family, friends and co-workers got together to honor Captain Ed Andrews, or as some people used to say, "Special Ed." Andrews suffered a heart attack last May when he was doing training exercises for the department. Now, on Canyon Creek Road near the same spot where Andrews died, there sits a bench. Firefighters say that it should serve as a reminder to everyone. Captain Andrews graduated from Enterprise High School. He was with the Redding Fire Department for more than 20 years.

There is no place like home…except for thousands of US troops who get out of the military and are not sure what to do next. That is where Butte College comes in. Last week, they opened the first There is no place like home…except for thousands of US troops who get out of the military and are not sure what to do next. That is where Butte College comes in. Last week, they opened the first Veteran's Resource Center in northern California. The center helps veterans with everything from financial aid to post traumatic stress. Some say the best part is the center's employees, who are all veterans themselves. There are 180 veterans registered at the Butte College’s veteran's office. Employees tell us that number is expected to climb.

Firefighters got their first taste of fire season on Wednesday; two fires started in the afternoon. The first was on Airport Road. The second was in Happy Valley. It started when a tree fell onto some power lines. The lines sparked; the grass caught fire; and the rest was left for crews to clean up. Both fires burned little more than an acre, and no homes were threatened. But even though fire season does not officially start until June 1st, officials want people to be ready and vigilant in preventing fires.

Rumors are swirling that retaliatory violence could flare up at the Glenn County fair this week. This comes less than a month after what investigators are calling a gang-related drive-by shooting in Orland. But law enforcement agencies say they are taking all the stops to keep you and your family safe. The fairgrounds opened about Wednesday evening. Usually eight or nine officers patrol the area. Right now, 30 or 40 people from different law enforcement agencies are on site. CHP will coordinate security. Investigators say so far, they have not found any credible evidence that the rumors about revenge plans are true. But they would rather be safe than sorry. A private security company will monitor every entrance of the fair. They will use metal detectors to screen people randomly. CHP says that anyone carrying weapons or wearing gang paraphernalia will be turned away. Police departments and sheriff's departments from across the Northstate will chip in throughout the weekend.

We have been hearing about it over and over: there is no quick fix to rising gas prices. But a retired Red Bluff man begs to differ. His “brown gas” is fueling up quite a commotion. For 76-year-old Jim Bogue, retirement comes at the bargain price of 26.3 miles-per-gallon. It started back in December, when the pain at the pump was just too much, especially for his 1988 Chevy Silverado. This massage therapist of 40 years decided to dabble in mechanics. Jim hopped on the internet and “Googled” how to save on gas miles, and he found out all he needed was water and baking soda. Under his hood, Bogue filled six quart-size jars with water and baking soda. He covered them with vacuum-sealed plastic lids, installed a filter, and connected it all with tubes to the cars intake system. After 2 months of hard work, he revved up the engine and discovered that he went from 15 MPG to 26.3 MPG. He wasted no time in calling his son, who happens to be a mechanic. So what is the catch? The only downfall is the emissions. Wit hthe system installed, it would not have passed the smog check. This type of unit will work on trucks, diesel trucks, diesel tractors, and cars. Now we are not saying you should order this on-line manual. That is something you are going to have to research for yourself.

The lone strangers struck again on Tuesday. Now, $500 is being offered to anyone who identifies them. Another $500 is being offered to whoever finds the loot. Get moving and catch the dastardly lone strangers! Here is the first hint: “the robbery was real, they have left the state, one left a boot we found to late". And if you are looking for the loot, here are your clues: “it's time to find the loot. Put your mind in high gear. Rock of ages-the help is near." The loot is always hidden on public property. The prize starts at $500 on Tuesday and goes down $100 every day until the loot is found. Here are the second days clues: Loot: "If you can't find the cash...find a friend to go...mine for gold...look high then low." Strangers: "A hole in the toe of the boot, may be hairy-enough for bandits with loot they can carry. If you think you know the answer, call 223-1188.

Cocaine, ecstasy, oxycontin, marijuana-Chico Police score big on a growing drug bust and put two students behind bars. Cops served a search warrant at an apartment on Walnut Street in Chico last week, after getting reports of suspicious activity in the area. Two men who were living in the apartment were arrested. 21-year old Chico State student John Piermattei and 18-year-old Butte College student Joseph Burton are the suspects. Police say that they also found $3,000 in cash and four guns, including one that was stolen in a recent burglary. Police say drug rings like this are not much of a surprise. This raid comes on the heels of the big San Diego State raid “Operation Sudden Fall", where almost 100 people were arrested, 75 of them were CSU students.

If the thought of thousands of California inmates being released into the streets before their sentence was up bothered you, there is no need to worry. Governor Schwarzenegger is ditching his plan to release almost 22,000 low-risk inmates to save the state money. The Governor had expected to present his plan to lawmakers at the state capitol on Wednesday, but he is dropping it now from his revised budget. A panel of federal judges has been appointed to come up with a new solution to fix the State's overcrowded prison problem. The biggest difference between the Governor's plan and the federal plan is that instead of the 22,000 low-risk prisoners Schwarzenegger proposed, the panel is considering the early release of 40,000 inmates of any risk level.

A longtime Northstate politician does in fact live near Gerber in Tehama County, according to a judge's ruling on Monday. Former State Senator Jim Nielsen is now running for District 2 Assembly. Some think he does not really live where he says he does, but the judge in Monday's case ruled otherwise. Don Bird says that he is a concerned citizen. He went in front of a Tehama County Judge, quoting the constitution. He says Nielsen has mot lived in the area he is hoping to represent for a year as the constitution requires. Nielsen's attorneys say Bird was quoting a rule from 25 years ago. The new court requirements only ask for 30 days. Even though the case was thrown out, Bird says that he plans to take this issue to the Supreme Court. Nielsen's attorneys say that they might go after Bird for payment for court costs.

A tragic story out of the Northstate. A teenaged boyfriend and girlfriend were both found dead, and it gets even worse. 18-year-old Steven Furtado and 17-year-old Jennifer Carrigan were both found murdered in Chester on Sunday. Carrigan's mother was the one who made the gruesome discovery. So far, one arrest has been made. Deputies say Carrigan's ex-boyfriend from Chester, 18-year-old Reyes Carrillo, is the number one suspect. Furtado, a Willows teen, had gone to Chester to visit Carrigan. This tragedy only gets worse. Jennifer Carrigan’s brother went to school at UC Berkeley. He was driving to Chester upon hearing news of his sister's death when he veered off the road and hit a tree. He was pronounced dead on Tuesday. Autopsies were performed on Tuesday. The victims died of multilpe stab wounds.

State funding for county jails was released Thursday, and Shasta County did not make the cut. The county was looking for $25 million to build a new jail. But now, they have to wait and see if funding comes there way. Shasta County finished 23 points short of $10 million of phase one funding. Money which would have eased the jail's overcrowding problem. This decision was not completely unexpected. The county knew it was giving up 300 points by choosing not to support a possible re-entry facility near Redding.

Supporting a re-entry facility did not guarantee funding either, as Butte County found out. They expected to be passed over, being in the large county category. But their showing gives them hope for next time. Butte County Sheriff Perry Reniff said that if they got the money, then they could replace their women's facility and add some more male beds. Unfortunately for them, this first phase of funding stopped just short. They ended up just a couple counties short of the funding. Sheriff Reniff says that they have a very good chance of getting money in phase two. The total amount of funding available in that phase is $450 million.

Reservoirs across the Northstate are below normal. And with the brunt of the rainy season behind us, there is no doubt that water is going to become a scarce resource over the upcoming months. Officials from water districts are hoping that their customers will do their part to conserve water now before it becomes a problem in the future. Water-use increases by three times during the summer month as opposed to the winter. That is mostly due to watering landscaping and lawns. So it a good idea fix any leaky hoses for water sprinklers and to limit watering to the morning and evening hours.

Doctors across California are standing up for their patients by standing up to the State over proposed Medi-Cal cuts. A coalition of California doctors and hospitals are suing the State to block a major cut to Medi-Cal. Governor Schwarzenegger is looking to slash 10% from the money that the State pays out for Medi-Cal services. Ultimately, this could equal more than a $2 billion loss to the system. One local doctor predicts it could be devastating for everyone, not just Medi-Cal patients. If it begins to get more difficult to receive healthcare, then people will resort to turning to the emergency departments, which would hinder their services. More patients going to the E.R. would mean even longer wait times for already overwhelmed hospitals. He thinks the cut could lead to doctors refusing to treat Medi-Cal patients altogether.

A wildfire is still raging in Tehama County, but crews are battling more than just the blaze. Now, they are facing winds and soaring temperatures too. The weather is proving to be a key factor in the Colyear Fire. It has been burning since Saturday, when a controlled burn got away. So far, it has burned 2,000 acres, about 35 miles west of Red Bluff, east of Colyear Springs. The wind picked up Thursday afternoon, but firefighters have been able to get the fire 55% contained. Crews spent the day digging a line around the fire by hand because bulldozers could not get into the area. A total of five structures, including homes, cabins and outbuildings have been threatened. Fire officials hope to have the fire contained by Friday.

Members of the Redding and Chico Police Departments should be practicing their shooting right now: hoops, not guns. Friday night, the Redding and Chico PD's tip off a fundraising basketball game to raise money for Ryan Taylor. The 19-year old Foothill High School graduate has a brain tumor. All the money raised will help pay for his treatments. It is for a good cause, but you can bet there is going to be some friendly competition! If you would like to see the cops taking shots at each other, verbally and otherwise, the game starts Friday night at 7 pm at Foothill High. Doors open at 6. Tickets are only $5. There will be a barbecue and a half-time shoot-out between Chico's Captain and Redding's Chief of Police. Again, with basketballs.

The lack of rainfall this season is starting to force local water districts to think about limiting water to customers. That is what is happening in Bella Vista. The Bureau of Reclamation has cut normal water allocations almost in half this season, so changes are definitely going to have to be made. A meeting has been set to talk about proposed restrictions and possible rate increases. It will start at 5:30 Monday night at the Bella Vista Water District office.

Imagine this…walking around your own property and stumbling upon someone else's secret pot farm growing a couple hundred yards from your own house. It is the first big pot bust of the year, but authorities say it is nothing compared to what is to come. The property owners found the multi-million dollar operation growing on their land near Fern Road in Whitmore. They called authorities after discovering the elaborate garden just 300 yards from their home. The Shasta County Marijuana Eradication Team was there on Thursday. Agents seized 9,000 plants in the bust, but say the area was being prepared for as many as 20,000 in all. They say it is early in the marijuana season, but by the way things are going, the marijuana problem in this area is indeed on the rise. The site was complete with tents, food and hundreds of yards of irrigation hoses. Agents say that this is an elaborate garden that may be related to a drug cartel. The marijuana that was seized was only in its beginning stages. At its full potential, it would have sold for $40 million dollars on the streets. Agents have not made any arrests, but they do have several leads. This tip is just one of 50 that the Shasta County Marijuana Eradication Team has collected so far this season. Usually, agents monitor the area to find out who the suspects are, but because the garden was located so close to someone's home, they wanted to take care of the problem right away.

The family of a 20-year-old Redding man who was stabbed to death is one step closer to getting justice. Leo Rapp was ambushed and stabbed in the throat and wrapped in a tarp in 2005. Six people were charged with the murder. Four of them have admitted to being involved in the killing. 25-year-old Christopher Medina and 25-year-old Joseph Krauter pleaded guilty to second degree murder in March. That follows guilty pleas from 22-year-old Alan Edenfield and 24-year-old Breanne Eldredge. 23-year-old Aaron Atencio was in court Wednesday facing first degree murder charges. He is pleading not guilty. Investigators say that they were part of a plot to kill Rapp because they thought he sexually assaulted his on-and-off girlfriend, Victoria Sherman. They are accused of luring Rapp to a garage on Harpole Road, stabbing him with a hunting knife, then throwing his body in the back of an SUV. As they drove away, they hit a bump and rolled down an embankment. That is where officers found them with the body. On Wednesdays, prosecutors played a video tape of Atencio's graphic confession to police. When officers asked Atencio to describe what it felt like to take a life for the first time, he said, "It seemed almost like it was nothing." Prosecutors are charging Atencio with the most severe murder charge-first degree with special circumstances. If he is convicted, he could get life without parole. Atencio's lawyers say that he killed Rapp in the heat of the moment, so he should get a lesser conviction.

A rash of street crimes in the Redding area may have some feeling uneasy. We wanted to get law enforcement's take on if there is something to worry about. What we found out might make you feel better. Officials say, in many cases, the victims are not blameless or random targets. A closer look often shows they were involved in questionable activities. Captain Pete Hansen of the Redding Police Department says that if there is something to lose sleep about, you will know. To back up that claim, here are some numbers to put things in perspective: the city is growing and stands right now at about 90,000 people. In the last 20 months, there have not been any homicides in the city. In fact, the last homicide was back in 2006.

You know the saying, “one man's trash is another man's treasure”. In Butte County, one man's trash is another man's…gas. That is the case at the Neal Road Landfill, who has just been given a green light to sell methane gas created from trash. Right now, the landfill burns off the greenhouse gas to meet state regulations. That costs money. So the Board of Supervisors has given the go-ahead for the landfill to turn that expense into revenue. Organic matter produces methane gas when it is broken down. The County says the by-product can be used to power as many as 3300 homes.

An out-of-control wildfire is raging as fire crews worry that the wind could make the situation even worse. We are keeping a close eye on the Colyear Fire. It is burning about 35 miles west of Red Bluff, east of Colyear Springs, heading east toward Red Bank Creek. No structures are threatened, and crews have been working around the clock to get it under control. We just got the latest numbers in from Cal-Fire. The fire has burned 1057 acres, and is 5% contained. The multi-agency effort has 235 firefighters working the blaze, including additional support from two helicopters in the sky and six inmate crews on the ground. This fire started when a Tehama County man started a control burn on his property on Saturday. When it got out of control, he called in private contractors to try and put it out. When that did not work, he called Cal-Fire. A crewmember said that if they cannot get control of this blaze, it could be a dire situation. They will, of course, be working through the night, trying to build a 5-mile line around the fire.

Police in Red Bluff are looking into claims that a 17-year old girl was sexually assaulted by her friend's dad. The girl says that she was at her friend's house on Sunday. Then, she says, the man assaulted her at some point when he was driving her home. Police have not released any names yet because they have not arrested anyone. They say the details of the case are still unclear.

What do you get when you mix the Apprentice and Survivor? Well, in northern California, you get something called Venture Island. Sponsored by the Smart Business Resource Center, it is a competition for entrepreneurs in our area. The prize? The chance to start a new business. Venture Island is already a hit in Chico. Now it is coming to Redding. This year's Chico competition churned out some great ideas, from a web-based search for college rental properties to a tiny connector for oxygen tanks that whistles when disconnected. So, interested in making your business ideas comes true? Call 245-1509 for more information.

After being released from prison because he was not thought to be fit, a convicted sex offender is in trouble, accused of doing it all again. Last June, 18-year old Robert Jolivette was arrested for breaking into a 15-year old girl's home and assaulting her in her own bed. The Red Bluff teen spent three months in prison for that crime. He was sent home after a short stay because prison officials said he did not belong there. Therefore, a Red Bluff judge put him on probation. But on Saturday, police arrested Jolivette for another incident similar to the one that happened back in June. A 16-year old girl says that she and some friends were at Jolivette's house drinking alcohol. Later, she claims Jolivette assaulted her numerous times while she slept. Tuesday in court, he was arraigned on six charges, including rape and penetration with a foreign object. Jolivette’s mom says that the cases have been blown way out of proportion, and she intends to fight these latest charges. He is still in jail after being denied bail because he violated his probation from June's sexual assault.