Ron Largent

David Benda at the Record Searchlight kind of wrote it all....you can see the full article at the following site:

http://www.redding.com/news/2008/nov/26/area-housing-market-slips-prices-drop-14-over-past/

Redding’s housing market sizzled five years ago when it topped a government index as the fastest-appreciating area in the nation. It was the dawn of an unprecedented real estate run-up that exhausted itself in early 2006. Today, Redding is one of the 40 fastest-declining markets in the same government index. Plenty of other California cities share the same fate. Home values in Redding slid 14.07 percent in the third quarter of 2008 compared with the same three months a year ago, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) all-transaction House Price Index. Prices in Redding — which includes Anderson, Shasta Lake and unincorporated Shasta County — in the third quarter declined 6.63 percent from the second quarter of this year. Over a five-year period, values in Redding have increased 31.14 percent. Redding ranked 256 in the index, which surveyed 292 metropolitan areas.

SAN MATEO - The Shasta Knights football team won a thrilling Bulldog Bowl today with a final score of 33-31 over the Monterey Peninsula Lobos. As time was running out, Shasta's Zack Gibbins intercepted a Hail Mary pass to end the game. Shasta's Blake Arrowsmith caught an 8-yard TD pass from Will Camy with 33.9 seconds left to put the Knights up 33-31. Brandon Boyd missed the PAT. Shasta had the ball at 2nd-and-goal from Monterey's 8-yard line with 40.1 seconds left in the game. Monterey Peninsula came back 31-27 with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter of the bowl game at the College of San Mateo campus. Lobos quarterback Brian Reader scored on a 1-yard QB sneak. Shasta's Ryan Krueger scored on a 46-yard TD run with 5:45 left to play. Blake Arrowsmith missed the extra-point. With 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Shasta safety Casey Robertson snuffed out a Monterey Peninsula drive by making a diving interception. With :07 left in the third quarter, Shasta's Brandon Baldwin scored on a 29-yard TD run. Blake Arrowsmith's extra-point was good. The Knights scored a touchdown with 4:41 left in the third quarter when Arrowsmith caught a 50-yard TD pass from Will Camy. The Knights went for two points and Camy hit Brandon Baldwin in the flat for the 2-point conversion. The Lobos had gone up 24-6 with 5:23 left in the third quarter after a 31-yard field goal by Monterey's Chris Pinto. Shasta got on the board after taking the opening drive of the second half in for a score. Ryan Krueger scored on a 2-yard TD run on a toss sweep left. Arrowsmith missed the extra-point attempt. But the Lobos came back and scored on the kick return. Zachkary Heager scored on the 87-yard kickoff return for with 11:52 left in the third quarter Monterey Peninsula scored its second touchdown with 29 seconds left in the second quarter. Lobos quarterback Brian Reader threw an 85-yard TD pass to Heager on a great out-and-up play. Reader pump-faked an out route and Shasta corner Robert Lee bit. Heager then got behind the Knights secondary, got it at the 40 and ran it in. Halftime statistics for Shasta: Brandon Baldwin has run 11 times for 60 yards. Will Camy is 8-of-10 passing for 50 yards. Blake Arrowsmith has six catches for 28 yards. For Monterey Peninsula: Ian Hesse has 12 rushes for 66 yards and a score. Quarterback Reader is 10-of-19 for 160 yards and a touchdown pass. Shasta wasn't able to do much offensively in the first half. Although midway through the second quarter, Shasta's Baldwin reeled off runs of 16 and 25 yards on back-to-back plays, putting the Knights on Monterey's 40-yard line. The Lobos called a timeout with 7:30 left in the second quarter. Earlier, Monterey running back Hesse ran 31 yards off left tackle for a touchdown with 8 minutes left in the first quarter. Chris Pinto made the PAT kick. The Knights will return home this evening, probably sometime after 9 p.m.

History is for books. The 2008 Shasta High School football is bent on writing its own chapter and leaving its own legacy. The second-seeded Wolves reached their first Northern Section title game in 20 years with a 41-19 win over No. 2 Lassen on Friday at Thompson Field. "We've all heard the history about Shasta not being able to come up big in the big game," said Richard Stevenson, who had a monster game with a fumble-recovery touchdown. "We know the history. We want to write our future." The Wolves penned another chapter in the 2008 annals with a 35-point second-half outburst that put away the Grizzlies and earned Shasta a trip to The Ridge at 7 p.m. Wednesday to take on top-seeded Paradise in the Division I section title game. Shasta's offense sputtered in the first half as four starters sat and starting safety Stephen Somers watched in street clothes. Somers was injured in an after-practice auto accident that led to stitches in his head and 24 minutes on the sidelines for his cohorts. "It served as a wake-up call," coach Aaron Gingery said of Somers' injuries and the punishments. The Wolves gave up a 66-yard touchdown burst to Darren Lee midway through the second quarter that put the Grizzlies up 7-6 at intermission. But the Wolves, with their cadre of starters back, came out of the locker room and made up for lost time. "These are an experienced bunch of guys," Gingery said. "I didn't need to yell at them. I drew up a couple of plays, but they did most of the talking." Shasta held Lassen to a three-and-out before ripping off a three-play, 44-yard touchdown drive. The Grizzlies would score on their next possession — an 11-play, 70-yard drive that chewed up nearly five minutes — to go up 13-12. It would be the last time Lassen would see the lead. The Wolves blitzed the Grizzlies for 21 points in roughly the same time as the final Lassen scoring drive. Shasta used trickery with a Brooks Beaudette to Matt McCartin to Nick Preston double pass for a 44-yard strike to go up 20-13. The Wolves then got a huge play from Jordan Tucker, who pounced on an 8-iron lob kickoff at the 20-yard line. Evan Taylor carried the ball twice, scoring on a 4-yard run to lengthen Shasta's lead to 27-13. After another Lassen three-and-out, the Wolves got the ball on their 33 and marched 67 yards in seven plays, capped by Taylor's untouched, 48-yard off-tackle scamper. It gave Shasta a 34-13 lead just into the fourth quarter. Taylor had 276 yards on 22 carries to move within 30 yards of Jim Tomasin's all-time Shasta rushing mark of 3,115. With Lassen in a hurry-up offense, the Grizzlies were able to march down the field and looked primed to at least make it a game. Lassen drove from its 28 to the Shasta 12 in six plays and were about to punch it in when quarterback Quinton Perry fumbled the snap. Linebacker Richard Stevenson pounced on it for his second fumble recovery of the game and iced the Lassen threat. Stevenson, a junior who said he wanted step up and take the leadership mantle in Somers' absence, also found the end zone for the Wolves' first touchdown. "Stephen is our leader," Stevenson said. "Someone had to step into that role. "I wanted to be that person." In the first quarter, Taylor ran off-tackle from the 5, but fumbled at the 3. Stevenson, also an offensive lineman, picked up the ball before twisting and turning into the end zone. "You can just say 55 was at the right place at the right time," Stevenson said. "I knew once I picked up the ball, I was going to carry two or three people across the line if I had to." The Wolves now must head to Paradise to exorcise the past — both distant and recent. This season, Paradise handed Shasta one of its two losses — a 27-19 Oct. 31 loss in Paradise. The Bobcats haven't lost to Shasta this century. Compound that with Shasta's title berth drought and the Wolves have a chance to vanquish quite a few ghosts Wednesday. "I've been here seven years," Gingery said. "We all know the history, but these guys are trying to leave their own mark. "We expect them to rise to the occasion."

When John Nogle was laid off three months ago from his position at the Shasta County Opportunity Center, he knew it would be difficult to find another job. In that respect, the Shasta Lake resident hasn't been disappointed. "I'd tell people looking for a job to take whatever's out there - it's slim pickings," Nogle said one recent weekday morning at the Smart Business Resource Center in downtown Redding. "Even if it's a minimum-wage job, it's better than nothing." Nogle's hardly alone. Unemployment in Shasta County in October jumped to a 15-year high as continued declines in the construction sector helped spark the increase. Construction jobs in the county last month totaled 3,700, a 21 percent drop from the 4,700 who were employed in the trade in October 2007, the state reported Friday. Shasta's jobless rate in October was 10 percent, up from 9.5 percent in September and 7 percent from a year ago. Last month's unemployment rate tied October 1994 and was the highest since October 1993, when it reached 10.7 percent. In Shasta County, there were 8,900 unemployed in October, up from 8,300 in September, and nearly 3,000 more people without jobs in October 2007. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits in Shasta County last month was 2,469, up from 2,039 a year ago. California's unemployment rate jumped to 8.2 percent in October, the highest rate in 14 years, just as a state fund that pays unemployment benefits was about to run out of money. State officials are preparing to ask the federal government to step in with a loan on Dec. 1 so they can continue paying jobless benefits to California's now more than 1.5 million unemployed, nearly a third of whom have lost their jobs in the last year. Shasta County saw year-over-year job gains in farming, manufacturing, local government, and educational and health services. For Nogle, who's divorced with three school-aged children, job hunting has been mentally exhausting. But he doesn't have time to dwell on his bad luck. Nogle's rent is $510 a month and he lives on $800 a month in unemployment benefits. He makes about two trips a week to the Smart Center, which has a database of job openings across the state and also helps job-seekers with resumes, cover letters and interview tips. "It's been pretty hard. I will go to the Salvation Army to get canned goods and make sure we have food on the table," said Nogle, who made $9 an hour at the county before state budget cuts eliminated his job. "I want welfare to be the last resort." Nogle's 13-year-old son helps out when he can by doing odd jobs like mowing neighbors' lawns. "I won't let anything get me down - with kids you can't," Nogle said. "I told my oldest that just because you're down right now, doesn't mean it's the end of the world." Nogle has applied for a temporary position at Sierra Pacific Industries in Anderson. He might find out Tuesday whether he gets the job. For Sylvia Partridge, who quit her medical assistant job in Medford, Ore., and moved here to be closer to her family, finding job listings aren't difficult. But it's tough landing an interview when as many as 30 people apply for one job. "It's very competitive," Partridge said while searching for work at the Smart Center. Partridge applies for about two jobs a week. She's discovered that hourly wages in Shasta County are below what she made in Medford, Ore. "I left making $13.41 (an hour) and most of the jobs I've applied for are 10 to 12 dollars an hour," said Partridge, who rents a home in Anderson. Partridge's husband, who works in retail loss prevention, still lives in Medford. The couple's house is for sale but Partridge's husband won't move until she finds a job. Meantime, she lives with her two children. "I haven't applied for unemployment. I'm getting by, so it's OK," Partridge said. "I watch what I spend. There's no eating out; we do what we need to do."

The Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce honored the best in customer service with its annual Hall of Excellence awards. Two businesses and an individual walked away with top honors Wednesday night at the Holiday Inn. Redding Veterinary Clinic on Westside Road won first place for service. The business is owned and operated by Dr. Gerald Bond, who has five full-time employees. Bond's dedication to animals is illustrated by the time he donates to the Shasta Wildlife Refuge. The veterinarian business was established in 1942 by Dr. C.J. Ferreira and his wife, Dorothy. Penguin Paddlers won first place for retail business. Penguin Paddlers, which sells kayaks and accessories, is owned by Garth Schmeck and is at 3330 Railroad Ave. in Redding. Schmeck's customers are a dedicated band of paddlers who meet weekly for paddle excursions and travel monthly on outdoor adventures. Recently, Penguin Paddlers staged the great penguin migration, meeting at the old store and walking 200 yards north to the new location, each customer carrying a piece of equipment. Individually, handyman Erin Johnson of Erin Johnson Handyman Service won top honors. Johnson has made a habit of fixing just about anything since his arrival in Redding. This year, 24 shoppers visited 156 nominees - 96 in the individual category and 61 businesses - over a four-week period.