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Left to Right (Gary Jones, Cheri Budmark, David Bradshaw and Mark Gentry)

Left to Right (Gary Woolverton and Richard Cotta)

Bradshaw, Budmark, Gentry, Jones win full terms

Modoc Undersheriff Mark Gentry survived a strong challenge from retired California Highway Patrolman Mike Poindexter to win the race for Modoc County Sheriff in Tuesday's election.

While the state turnout was low, Modoc had a 61.63 percent voter turnout, which was lower than anticipated. Of the county's 5,707 voters, 3,517 cast ballots.

In unofficial results, Gentry had 1,789 votes, 51.71 percent and Poindexter had 1,664, 48.09 percent.
County Supervisor for District 5 David Bradshaw won re-election to a four-year term, defeating Tulelake's David Porter Misso. Bradshaw had 390 votes and Misso 204.

Challenger Gary Jones, of Tulelake, was elected as Modoc Superintendent of Schools, unseating appointed incumbent Dr. Vanston Shaw. Jones picked up 1,897 votes (56.53 percent) and Shaw 1,454 43.33 percent.
Cheri Budmark, an appraiser in the Assessor's Office, won election as Assessor, defeating challenger Ron Imbach. Budmark had 2,402 vote (70.42 percent) and Imbach polled 1,007 (29.52 percent).

In the race for Modoc District Attorney, Gary Woolverton and Richard Cotta will go to a run-off election in November. Woolverton led the race with 1,487 votes (44.31 percent); Cotta had 1,003 (29.89 percent) and John Lawson 848 (25.27 percent). To win in the primary, a candidate had to have 50 percent plus one vote.
The two challengers in the Alturas City Council race, Keith Jacques and Rod Gately won election unseating incumbent John Vass and incumbent Jerry Smith, who had actually withdrawn from the race. Jacques had 588 votes, Rod Gately had 535, John Vass had 415 and Jerry Smith had 246.

Surprise Valley easily passed its annual Surprise Valley Hospital District Assessment increase of $75 while voters in Alturas turned down a $1 per month increase for mosquito abatement.

The Surprise Valley Hospital assessment was approved with 368 in favor (78.13) percent and 103 against (21.87 percent). It needed at least a two-thirds majority to pass was well above that threshold.

The City mosquito issue had 630 votes in favor (60.11 percent) and 418 against 39.89 percent. It failed to get the required two-thirds majority.

In the uncontested races, Auditor/Recorder Judi Stevens received 2,897 votes, District One Supervisor Dan Macsay had 389 votes, Cheryl Knoch, County Treasurer/Tax Collector had 3,107 votes, and City Treasurer Kathie Alves had 934 votes.

In the state proposition issues, Modoc voted against Proposition 81, the library funding measure by 74.55 percent 2,487 votes, to 849 in favor, 25,45 percent. It failed statewide by 53.1 percent against and 46.9 percent in favor.

The County also voted heavily against Prop. 82, the preschool initiative with 68.74 percent against (2,311), and 31.26 percent in favor, (1051). It failed statewide by 60.9 percent to 39.1 percent.

Modoc vote liked Republican Congressman John Doolittle by a margin of 79.3 percent over challenger Mike Holmes. Districtwide, Doolittle won with 67 percent of the vote.

On the Democratic side for U.S. Congress, Charlie Brown won with 46.5 percent of the vote districtwide. In Modoc, he received 41.4 percent.

In the race for California Governor, Republicans in Modoc liked Arnold Schwarzenegger with 83.3 percent of the vote. His statewide Republican approval was 89.9 percent. For the Democrats, Modoc voted 55.9 percent in favor of Steve Westly and 26.3 percent for Phil Angelides. That's reverse of the statewide results where Angelides won with 47.9 percent to Westly's 43.3 percent.

The Record will have full election results for next week, since they were not completely available by presstime.

Building in city, county slumps

Building activity in Modoc County and City of Alturas slumped in May. The city issued nine building permits valued at $48,062 and the county issued 17 permits worth an estimated $814,100.

Those figures contrast with Modoc County's April Building totals of 21 permits valued at $1,842,921 and the city's 14 permits valued at $163,866.

In the city, five of the permits were for roofing projects. There were two new homes included in the county report as well as five manufactured home installations.

The county's Building Department issued 20 permits in March, worth an estimated $364,055.

Agencies open fire season June 12

The onset of summer weather conditions has prompted officials at the Susanville Interagency Fire Center to declare the wildfire season officially open Monday, June 12. The "official" fire season announcement informs people that high fire dangers exist and that caution with outdoor uses of fire is required.

The SIFC agencies (Lassen National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Lassen-Modoc Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) jointly announced the fire season start, and advised that wildland fire dangers are already on the rise."The weather is heating up and vegetation is starting to cure," said Jim Hedges, a co-manager at SIFC. "Desert ranges have a heavy crop of grass resulting from the wet winter and spring. Dry grass carries fire quickly, so there is potential for a very active fire season. We are asking everyone to think about fire safety anytime they are outdoors."

CDF has required permits for outdoor burning since May 1, and campfire permits are required for BLM and Forest Service-managed lands outside of developed campgrounds and recreation sites.

While conditions are right for a busy fire season, SIFC officials said the severity can depend largely on the caution people use with fire.

Property owners must always adhere to the hours and conditions on burning permits, using fire only on calm days. Fires should be constantly supervised, and tools including a water hose and shovel must be on hand. Use of mowers and other brush and grass clearing equipment should be avoided during hot and windy periods because sparks caused by blades hitting rocks can cause fires.

Campers must pay attention to seasonal fire restrictions, keep campfires small, and be sure fires are cold to the touch before leaving camp.

"Most of our wildfires in northern California are caused by lightning," Hedges said. "People can help ensure our crews are available to respond to lightning fires by using extreme caution, keeping human-caused fires to a minimum."

Officials stress that possession and use of fireworks are prohibited in national forests, on BLM-managed public lands and in many unincorporated areas in northeast California. People should check with local fire departments for specific fireworks regulations.

This year, the fire center will be ready to respond to emergencies with a total of 34 fire engines, 18 ground crews, three helicopters, an aerial tanker and an "air attack" airplane from the CDF, Lassen National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and Lassen Volcanic National Park.

SIFC crews provide fire protection and suppression in parts of Lassen, Modoc, Butte and Tehama counties, and parts of extreme northwest Nevada.

Hospital debt up to $5.5 million

Modoc Medical Center's debt to the county has increased to $5,531,096.76 at the end of May, according to Modoc County Auditor Judi Stevens. That's up from the end of April's $5,458,458.45.

The debt did drop in November to $4,585,423.21. Month by month the debt looked like this: September $4,690,812; October $4,741,129; November $4,585,423; December $4,867,652; January $4,793,393; and February $5,071,818 and March $5,366.613.

The increase in debt from April though May was $72,638 and from September 2005 it has increased by $840,284.

The Modoc Record will continue to publish the actual debt at the end of each month.

Watch out for promise of big winnings, checks arriving in mail

Checks arrive in the mail, looking very official from known banks, and carry with them a false promise of riches. To unsuspecting Modoc residents who have received them lately and tried to tap into the promise offered by the prize notification, heartache and financial burden have followed. Bank employees are aware of the scam although customers are still showing up to cash the checks.

The latest scam postmarked from Canada, is a cashier's check fraud, complete with watermark and hologram and the angle it pitches is usually a Euro Lotto, Lottery or USA Mega Millions Jackpot prize, and International Mega Lotto.

"If it's too good to be true, then it probably isn't true," described Cheryl Sakahara, a universal banker at U.S. Bank in Alturas. "We just want to get the word out in black and white to residents in Modoc County, that this is a scam. We've had a handful of customers bring these checks for us to cash, because the checks look so believable. People are being fooled by it. If we can save only one person the heartache and financial burdens that accompany these letters, it will be worth our efforts."

In tracking down the origin of one such check, Sakahara found that the phone number listed on the check, was a contact number for a commercial bank. "Sometimes, the phone number may be altered but there is someone ready to answer. One such phone number on a check connected her to a bank in Bellingham, WA, where she was told by a bank employee that someone really had purchased an official cashier's check, but the numbers on the check were later altered. Other checks and accompanying letters US Bank has had customers bring in have been issued by such "company names" as Emerging Financial Group of Tacoma, WA, Publishers, Digest Internet Games Dept. Vital Lotto Sweepstakes Prize, Inc., southern California towns such as Encino, and more promising big winnings. The letter of instruction with the check asks the "winner" to deposit the first prize check in their bank account within a limited number of days upon receiving the document. The winner is then called upon to send back a check to cover any number of items which can include "taxes, clearance fees, processing fees or legal and insurance fees" on the sum they have won, in order to have the sender release their remaining very substantial winnings into the account of the winner's choice. If acted upon, the first prize check comes up fraudulent at a later date and the "winner's" own bank account can lose thousands of dollars, based on the amount requested in order to receive the lump sum payments, of say, $250,000.

Sakahara said one such letter has been very believable to some local senior citizens because the words "Guaranteed safe and secure" at the bottom of the fraudulent Lotto letter were used. Two individuals names were set up as "Accounts Manager and Operations Manager" telephone operators to answer the phones at the "company" should someone call to inquire.

"This particular letter was presented to us more than once by different residents," notes Sakahara.
As scams change and surface quickly, over the internet, phone and through mail, the public is reminded to limit disseminating any information about account numbers and personal information. In her call to the Washington state bank, on the border of British Columbia, Sakahara was informed that the FBI has been called in to investigate, but the number of scams is overwhelming.

Obituaries:

Mary Charlotta Rojas

A funeral mass for Mary Charlotta Rojas, 74, of California Pines, was held this morning, June 8 at 9 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alturas, CA. The Rev. Patrick Henry gave the service with interment following at the Alturas Cemetery.

Mrs. Rojas passed away of natural causes on Saturday, June 3, 2006 in Alturas, CA.

Born Mary Garcia on November 17, 1931 in Huntington Park, CA., she graduated from Jordan High School there. She met Samuel Garcia Rojas at a dance while he was in his Air Force uniform at the Zenda Ballroom in Los Angeles. Sam was stationed in Sacramento at the time, but fate played its role as one year later to the date, they attended a wedding, as separate guests, not knowing the other would be there. It was nine months later that Sam and Mary were married on June 17, 1956. They reared their three daughters and Mary enjoyed being a Girl Scout, Brownie and Blue Bird leader through each of her daughter's experience in the troops. "My car was full of kids, every race, color and nationality. We called ourselves the United Nations," she told the Record for a story about the Rojas family published in the California Pines Log in Winter of 1997. She also worked as a medical assistant at Ranchos Los Amigos, a county hospital that specialized in caring for burn patients.

The Rojas purchased property at Cal Pines in 1983. They left their custom-built home of 37 years in Downey, CA. to move to Cal Pines June 1, 1993. Mary was a gracious, fun loving and family oriented person who became involved six months later with the California Pines Fire Department Auxiliary for which she served as President for two terms. The Auxiliary's Mexican and Spaghetti dinners, bingo nights and bazaars managed to earn the Auxiliary $11,000 during her tenure, which all went to purchases to aid the fire fighting unit. She found it rewarding to work as a Skill Developer at Modoc Work Activity Center, in Alturas, working beside her daughter Liz.

Mary loved playing Bingo down south every Wednesday and Friday and continued the weekly games at the Little Red Schoolhouse, working the events on Saturday nights all year through. She enjoyed outings to Burney and Reno with girlfriends and in more recent years, enjoyed playing Bingo at the Desert Rose Casino in Alturas. She was very involved with activities through her church, Sacred Heart in Alturas.

Mary had many talents and the first time she entered any category at the Modoc District Fair, she earned the first place, Blue Ribbon for a crocheted afghan with a bear design, she made without a pattern. She was chosen as the 1995 Volunteer for the Year for the Auxiliary and donated countless hours to their causes, including creating crafts to sell at their annual bazaars and cooking for the firefighters and special events. Some of her unique and amazing crafts included Model T's, ships, trains and buggies made of paper bags, but resembling burnished metal sculptures that are three-dimensional and framed for wall hangings. She loved all the seasons and always found something to do. She will be greatly missed by her family and many friends. Mary and Sam shared a wonderful, loving and mutually respectful marriage of 45 years, before he died July 10, 2001. That same year, she was also preceded in death by her grandson Frankie Madrigal of Irwindale, CA and her parents.

She is survived by her three daughters, Linda Madrigal and husband Frank of Irwindale, CA; Diana Chrisco of Horseshoebend, Arkansas and Liz Gladu and husband Lenny of Alturas, CA; grandchildren Roxsanne Papka and husband Lance of Petaluma, CA; Meagan Gladu, Petaluma; Lenny Gladu, Alturas; James Chrisco, Horseshoebend, Arkansas; great-grandson Samuel Gladu, Petaluma; great-granddaughter Taylor Papka, Petaluma. Mary's sole surviving sister, Carolina Torres of Norwalk, CA is the last of the seven siblings.
Contributions in Mary's memory may be directed to the Modoc Work Activity Center, P.O. Box 1629, Alturas, CA 96101.Obituary

Lois Aleen Emery

Lois "Aleen" Emery died of natural causes at her home in Lakeview, OR. on May 29, 2006. Mrs. Emery was 86. Funeral services were held Saturday, June 3 at 2 p.m. at the Davis Creek Community Church, followed by interment at the Harmony Hill Cemetery in Davis Creek. The church and cemetery were gifts to the community from her great-grandfather, Martin Henderson.

Mrs. Emery was born February 20, 1920, at Davis Creek to Ralph Theodore and Ida Jane (Henderson) Renner, who were members of two Goose Lake Valley pioneer families. She attended grammar school at Davis Creek and graduated from Modoc Union High School in Alturas. She next graduated from Cosmetology School in Oakland, CA.

She married Stanley Ylinen in 1942. Their daughter Arthada Jane was born in Oakland. That marriage ended in divorce and she returned to Modoc in 1946. She married Richard "Dick" Emery in Reno, Nevada on May 29, 1948. Their daughter Sherry Lynn was born in Alturas. The family moved to Lakeview in 1952.
Mrs. Emery was a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and was a founding member of the Alturas and Lakeview chapters. She loved the Goose Lake Valley and the Oregon coast. She was an avid gardener, fisherwoman, rock hound and antique collector. Her entire life was devoted to her family. She will be deeply missed by her daughters and their husbands: Arthada "Punkie" and Jerry Sawyer of Bend, OR and Sherry and Russell LaSota of Lakeview, OR; grandchildren, Tara Sawyer, Jerry Sawyer, Jr. and Tye Grisel; great-grandchildren, Taylor Lee, Olivia Perry, Timberlyn Ortega, Frank Perry and Travis Long; step-daughter, Joan Kiley and step-granddaughter Jennifer Vallejo.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and sister, Arthada Weber.
Donation in the memory of Mrs. Emery may be made to Lakeview Home Health and Hospice, 700 South J Street, Lakeview, OR 97630 or to a charity of the donor's choice. Desert Rose Funeral Chapel of Lakeview was in charge of arrangements.

Service for 'Criss' Clark

Friends and family members of Cristal "Criss" Clark will gather in his memory at the Alturas Cemetery on Saturday, June 17 at 2 p.m. for a graveside service. Mr. Clark, a resident of Modoc County for 76 years, passed away December 21, 2005 in Alturas, CA. He was 83. He was born in New Pine Creek, OR.
His wife Phyllis, of almost 60 years, resides in Alturas, CA.

Donations in his memory may be directed to the American Heart Association, 1372 Longfellow Ave., Chico, CA 95926 or the Alzheimer's Society of Northern California, P.O. Box 1824, Sacramento, CA 95812.

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