Papini, Bethel, Kaiser, new Shasta Jail: Staff picks for Best of Ask the R-S in 2022
Dear Readers,
The reporting team behind the Ask the Record Searchlight is on holiday hiatus. But don't worry. More of Ask the R-S will return on Jan. 12.
Your curiosity and questions will help power what we do in 2023. Please submit any questions you'd like us to tackle. Details about how to get your queries in can be found at the very bottom of this story.
In the meantime, the newsroom couldn't resist spotlighting some of your most memorable Ask the R-S questions we've received throughout the year. To see them, read on.
Ask the R-S is a newsroom-wide initiative to connect with you, our readers. If you wondered about something happening around town or want to know more about a North State issue — well, you know what to do!
Wishing everyone a very happy New Year!
Why Sheri Papini could leave the Sacramento courthouse after being sentenced
Q. Why was Sherri Papini able to leave the courthouse after being sentenced to 18 months in prison? Why does she get to "turn herself in" starting in November?
A. Just like the rest of her sentence, what happened to Sherri Papini was at the discretion of the judge.
Papini, the Mountain Gate mom who faked her 2016 kidnapping, was sentenced to prison on Sept. 19 by Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb in Sacramento.
About 30 minutes after the sentencing hearing ended, Papini and her attorney walked out of the Robert T. Matsui U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in downtown Sacramento, through a throng of reporters and into a waiting black SUV that quickly pulled away.
Under Shubb's order, Papini can turn herself in on Nov. 8 to the federal prison where she will be held — a facility which has not yet been announced and will be designated based on security classification and space availability. Or, she can return to Sacramento to turn herself in on that date to the U.S. Marshal's Office.
“At sentencing, the judge determines all the factors of when the sentence begins,” said Lauren Horwood, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney's Office, via email.
“It’s not unusual for a defendant who has been out of custody leading up to the sentencing to be given a date for self-surrender," said Horwood.
Papini was arrested by the FBI in March 2022. She later admitted to being voluntarily in Costa Mesa, California, with an ex-boyfriend the entire time.
Under a plea agreement Papini reached with the government, she'll also be responsible for restitution totaling $309,686.33 for losses incurred by the California Victim Compensation Board, the Social Security Administration, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Shubb gave Papini a longer sentence than the government prosecutors' recommendation, which was 8 months, followed by three years of supervised release. Papini's defense lawyer had recommended a much lighter sentence.
The judge said he gave her more time than either side had requested to deter copycats. "We have to make sure that crime does not pay," Shubb said.
Papini could've faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 for making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer. For the count of mail fraud, she could have faced a maximum statutory penalty of 25 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000, federal officials said.
— Michele Chandler in October 2022
Could Kaiser be opening in the North State?
Q. Are there any plans to add a Kaiser hospital facility here in the North State? My husband and I retired here seven years ago and have yet to find and keep a doctor. It seems Kaiser would be more dependable.
A. The Oakland, CA-based managed health care provider didn't give a yes or no answer when asked if it might be planning to locate in Shasta County.
"We often hear from people outside of our existing service areas who want us to make our services available to them," said a statement from the company. "We will continue to explore expansion opportunities but have no definite timing associated with expansion."
The not-for-profit now operates in 15 regions in California. Kaiser's closest location to Shasta County is Sacramento, according to information on the company's website.
Even if Kaiser established itself in Redding, that wouldn't solve the doctor shortage that has persisted in the region for years, according to one local health care expert.
The issue can't be addressed simply by establishing new facilities, run by Kaiser or others, said Dean Germano, CEO of Shasta Community Health Center in Redding.
He said the real issue is "a national and statewide shortage of health care workers and the shortage is worse in rural areas like ours." In 2018, Shasta County needed an estimated 25 and 30 additional physicians who practice family medicine or general internal medicine.
Now, Germano said, one state health care workforce group has predicted a shortage of 4,103 full-time primary care clinicians in 2030.
And the pandemic has only exacerbated the situation, Germano said, "with some estimating that nearly one in five health care workers left the profession due to burnout and fatigue" while others retired sooner than planned.
— Michele Chandler in August 2022
Where's Bethel Church getting water to build its new campus?
Q: Where is Bethel Church getting the water for construction of its new campus in Redding?
A: The new campus at Twin Tower Drive and Collyer Drive is in the Bella Vista Water District.
David Coxey, general manager of the water district, said his agency has not yet completed an agreement with Bethel to supply water during drought years, which we are in now.
Coxey said that is not unusual.
While the opening of the campus is still years away, construction has started. Bella Vista is providing water to crews doing the work via a temporary meter construction connection.
The water being used for construction comes from purchases the Bella Vista Water District made from the city of Redding, Coxey said.
“It is an unusual water year in that we are in such a dire water supply situation, so I get the extra attention,” Coxey said. “But they are building this big project out there, they are turning dirt, so they do have construction water.”
Coxey said customers want to know if the Bethel project is taking water supply away from them.
“No, it’s not taking your water away,” he said.
“We were able to buy water from the city earlier in the year and that more than offsets any construction water that Bethel is using,” Coxey added.
— David Benda in August 2022
Pandemic relief money to pay for a new Shasta County Jail?
Q: Through the American Recovery Plan Act, Shasta County received millions of dollars to help local businesses recover from the pandemic. Instead, the Board of Supervisors is planning to spend the majority of those funds toward building a new jail. How is that legal?
A: Shasta County received $35 million in ARPA money.
It is true that the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in May voted to allocate $25 million toward a new jail.
Initially, the idea was to allocate $10 million to a new jail. But spurred by Supervisor Les Baugh, who chairs the board, the county decided to look for ways in which more could be put toward a jail.
County Counsel Rubin Cruse Jr. said conceivably money could be used to build ancillary components within the jail, like mental health services and job placement programs. That would be a way to squeeze more ARPA money for the jail.
Cruse said the county would have to make its case to the federal government but believed it could be justified.
The federal money allows governments to support their pandemic response but move forward with recovery.
By the way, much of the balance of the ARPA money is expected to be spent on:
Grants to water districts, community service districts, $2 million
Grants to fire protection districts and volunteer fire departments, $1.65 million,
Ownership housing development project (10-16 units), $1.65 million,
Workforce retention partnership program with SMART Workforce Center, $800,000
Administration of funds, projects and contracts, $3.1 million.
— David Benda in August 2022
Where does Bethel stand on campus dorms?
Q. What is Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry doing about dorms for their new campus? Why are they not required to provide their own housing?
A. "Our new campus will not have dorms," Bethel Church Administrator Charlie Harper said. "We purposely decided not to do that. We like our students to be in the community, so that's part of it. We do a lot of community service in Redding."
Bethel houses some of its students in dorms that it renovated and leased on the Simpson University campus. Property owners in the community also rent to Bethel's students, while others rent apartments locally.
There's no requirement that the schools, colleges or universities provide student housing — although some do.
Just 11 of the state's 116 community colleges offer student housing, according to nonprofit education research group EdSource, quoting statistics supplied in March by the statewide college chancellor's office.
In 2019, Bethel made an agreement with Simpson University to renovate and lease two residence hall dorms on the private university's campus that can accommodate a single student or two students per room who share a common bathroom with the adjoining room.
The arrangement brings housing options to some Bethel students while bringing cash to Simpson.
"They had a little bit of a downturn in enrollment and extra space," said Harper of the arrangement, which Bethel pursued because some of its international students found it challenging to line up housing. And, Harper added of leasing existing dorms, "it's one less thing for us to manage. It seemed like a good thing to do."
About 300 people total were scheduled to live in Simpson University's dorms, the university said in September 2020.
In Simpson's Cooper-Heath Residence Hall, 80 spots were available to Bethel students in 2021-2022, according to the church-affiliated housing website Redding Revival Community.
Harper calls the arrangement with Simpson a "win-win."
In September 2020, the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry was expecting approximately 1,600 students overall, including those in their first, second and third years. That compares to 2,300 students in 2019, a decline brought about after the school accepted fewer students due to COVID-19.
Simpson enrolls 653 undergraduate students and 132 graduate students, according to 2021 statistics from the WASC Senior College and University Commission accrediting body. The university's website says Simpson has four residence halls available for traditional undergraduate students.
Simpson officials said while its first-year students often live on campus, students frequently prefer to live in private housing, out in the community, after that.
Shasta College, which enrolled a total of 18,789 students last year, has two student dorms, one for men and one for women. Each houses 63 individuals and are typically full at the start of the year, spokesman Peter Griggs said.
"To the best of my knowledge, there are no current plans for additional student housing," Griggs said.
— Michele Chandler in September 2022
Where can I read all the past Ask the R-S chats?
Q: I like your idea about readers and the community writing in to ask questions. Where can I view all past and future Ask the Record Searchlight stories answering those questions?
A: Here's the best way to see the hundreds of stories created to answer your questions since Ask the R-S began in the spring of 2021:
You can find it online at Redding.com. Under the Record Searchlight masthead, click on News. It will open a new page. Once you are there, click on Ask the Record Searchlight.
Or you can go to Redding.com and right under the Record Searchlight masthead, there's a little magnifying glass. Click on that image and a search window will pop up where you can enter Ask the Record Searchlight or Ask the R-S to see all the content related to our effort.
How Ask the Record Searchlight works
R-S journalists encourage you to participate:
Email questions to RRSEdit@redding.com using Ask the Record Searchlight in the subject line.
On Twitter, use the hashtag #AsktheRecordSearchlight or tag the newspaper at @BreakingNews_RS.
Post a message on the Record Searchlight Facebook page.
Contact one of the journalists directly by visiting the staff directory.
Post your question in the comments section of this story.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Best of Ask the Record Searchlight in 2022: Staff-picked faves
