c-2012-09-13

COMMUNITY COLLEGE POLICY OVERHAUL California’s community colleges have adopted a system-wide policy of putting students with a graduation plan on the fast track that will go into effect in 2014.

The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges voted unanimously to overhaul the enrollment system in reaction to reduced budgets and long student waitlists, according to a Campaign for College Opportunity press release. The new system places emphasis on career education and basic skills development, encourages students to set an “educational objective,” and gives students incentive to progress toward their academic goals.

A handful of colleges across the state— including Long Beach City College, Riverside Community College, San Bernardino Community College and Victor Valley College—are already allowing transfer students with a defined plan to move to the front of registration lines.

A community’s response

Chico State students take part in a moment of silence at Bidwell Park’s One Mile in remembrance of Brett Olson. A memorial board created by the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity will be placed outside the frat’s house on Fourth and Chestnut streets.

ANOTHER MORTGAGE FRAUDSTER SENTENCED

A former business partner of convicted and sentenced local mortgage scammer Garrett Gilliland III was sentenced himself Sept. 11 after pleading guilty in January to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Christopher J. Warren, 30, was sentenced to 14 years, seven months.

Warren admitted to causing mortgage lenders losses of $12.4 million while he worked for Loomis Wealth Solutions in Roseville with Gilliland, whom he called his best friend and business partner. In February 2009 Warren fled the country, flying to Ireland, then to Lebanon and finally back to North America, where he was arrested carrying a fake passport while crossing the Canadian border with $70,000 stuffed into his cowboy boots.

Before he left the country Warren posted a “résumé” online: “… my managers and handlers taught me the ins and outs of mortgage fraud, drugs, sex, and money, money and more money.”

Last month Gilliland was sentenced to seven years, 10 months.

GOP TOO CLOSE TO THE HIGHWAY

Chico Republican headquarters sit off Manzanita Court, less than a hundred feet from Highway 99. That section of 99 is classified as a “landscaped freeway.” State law says temporary political signs can’t be placed within the right-of-way or be visible within 660 feet from the edge of the right-of-way of landscaped freeways.

Not surprisingly, there were a couple of such signs hung on the cyclone fence that runs between 99 and the headquarters.

Chico City Council candidate Dave Donnan had one there, heard the news and removed his sign.

Council candidate Toby Schindelbeck’s sign, however, was still hanging on the fence at CN&R press time.

Tom Austen, a state field inspector, wrote in an email to the CN&R: “If the signs in question are hanging on our Right of Way fence, it’s illegal and the local highway maintenance yard should remove them.”

8 CN&R September 13, 2012

PHOTO BY KYLE EMERY

Cal Poly student’s disappearance brings friends, family and strangers together

MSafeway parking lot Sunday morning (Sept. 9), surrounded by 100 people who had ichael Olson stood in the Nord

come out to look for his missing son, Brett, who vanished exactly a week earlier during a Labor Day weekend by Stephanie float on the Sacramento River.

Geske Olson went up to everyone in attendance, introduced himself sgeske@ yahoo.com and thanked them for helping with the search.

Olson remained optimistic.

As the volunteers gathered around him, he said they were going to be the ones to find his son. When a woman asked to lead the group in a prayer, everyone, including the police who were present, bowed their heads and closed their eyes.

Before the volunteers set out, Olson addressed the crowd, which included familiar faces from the Bay Area as well as many strangers.

“I cannot say [thank you] enough. We’re here as long as it takes,” he said. “If there’s anyone who will find him, it’ll be you. Go find him.”

A few hours later, Olson and Saying goodbye: his wife, Elizabeth, were called A memorial service for Brett out to Scotty’s Landing to identiOlson is scheduled fy their son’s remains. The body for 10 a.m. of the 20-year-old Cal Poly–San Saturday, Luis Obispo junior had been Sept. 15, at Lafayette Orinda spotted by a group of people Presbyterian fishing downstream of Scotty’s Church. near the Washout and was recov-

ered by Butte County Search and Rescue. The tragic news ended a weeklong investigation and massive volunteer effort, including searches in town based on multiple tips that the young man had been spotted at various locations.

So many sightings are normal, especially because of how the media publicized Olson’s disappearance, said Glenn County Undersheriff Rich Warren.

“People want to be helpful,” he said.

“It’s better to report things that are possible than to not say anything.”

Warren confirmed that the body was found two miles past Beer Can Beach.

While it’s “hard to say” if the reason he wasn’t found initially was because he was caught on a snag, Warren explained that, because the river is so cold, it takes longer for the body to decompose and float to the surface.

An autopsy was performed Tuesday (Sept. 11), but the preliminary results won’t be available for several weeks.

Olson’s disappearance prompted

national attention.

One of his friends, Juliana Del Beccaro, started a “Let’s Bring Brett home” Facebook group two days after the float, and the group quickly gained momentum, reaching more than 93,000 members in a few days. Friends posted photos and shared memories there, while strangers expressed words of encouragement.

Fliers describing the Bay Area native papered Chico State classrooms, homes and cars. His missing-person information was displayed on the Jumbotron at a

San Francisco Giants game as well as at other sporting events. The tag “findbrettolson” appeared on the Twitter feeds of celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Sophia Bush, Howie Mandel and the band Korn.

On the Facebook page, the friends he went tubing with explained how they’d lost track of him shortly after arriving at Beer Can Beach and later assumed he had made it back into town. Because they were sleeping at different houses that night, it wasn’t clear until the next day that Olson was missing.

Just prior to heading out Sunday to search, Michael Olson described his son as “outgoing and goofy.” He recalled what Brett was like as a kid. He always loved dressing up, said a tearful Olson, recalling how he and Elizabeth had fashioned homemade costumes and swords so Brett and his friends could dress up as the Knights of the Round Table.

“Everybody would like him,” he told this reporter. “Whether you’re sitting down with him for a coffee, soda or beer, you’ll leave feeling like you know him.”

Shane Wright, who organized Sunday’s search, was one of Olson’s closest friends and spoke about him more like a proud parent than a best friend.

“He spreads passion,” said Wright Sunday morning before Olson’s body was discovered. “He’s trusting, benevolent; he’s never initiated negative confrontation.”

Close to Olson since sixth grade, Wright recalled spending summer nights with him and other friends in a tree fort in