Dogs, fish and fun at Greenwing
With bags of free goodies, children went home tired Saturday after a day of fishing at McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery, during the Richmond County Ducks Unlimited Greenwing event.
The $20 ticket included a fishing rod, a Ducks Unlimited hat, a Greenwing T-shirt, and a duck call. The hatchery provided tackle boxes for each youth to keep that included a few lures, hooks, weights, and bobs, according to Rick Bradford, hatchery superintendent. A portion of the ticket price went to a Greenwing membership that includes a youth magazine subscription and access to online resources.
According to event organizers, 107 children attended, bringing parents and grandparents with them. The children were allowed to keep the fish they caught, and many children went home with several catfish strung together.
A BB gun trailer, set up by state wildlife officials, offered an opportunity for children to learn how to hold, aim and shoot a BB gun.
“The state was really instrumental in helping us,” said Gary Payne, Ducks Unlimited member. “The BB gun tent went over super well. The kids loved it.
Cash enters police force
Paradise Police Department's newest officer is in training now and will be hitting the streets soon with an experienced partner.Cash, a 65-pound, 1-and-a-half-year-old German shepherd is already riding with Officer John Wilkey now, and the two will complete training by mid-December. Cash will be the first shepherd to enter the PPD ranks since Rudy, another shepherd, retired roughly two years ago. Cash came to Paradise Police from Vigilant Canine Services International, a new but highly competitive kennel in Red Bluff, at a cost of $4,500.
Wilkey's K-9 training comes at the same cost; however, the entire $9,000 package was paid for by donations from bequests in past Paradise citizens' wills. The entire K-9 program is funded from donations, from dog food to vet bills and insurance. Some donations come from the officers themselves, including Sgt. Chris Dineen, who posted $200 to make special T-shirts available to donors.
