Warming agreementWest Coast lawmakers meet with Canadian counterparts to combat climate change 7High Desert

OBITUARIES B2 NEwS 3, 5-7 OPINION 4 wEAThER 8

FriDAY, April 6,

2007

B1

Page edited by Justin D. Beckett

Light bulb giveaway and other programs save over $100,000 at one school

By HillArY BOrrUDStaff Writer

HESPERIA — An energ y-saving Green Schools program has given students more than 8,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs this school year, a move that will help students cut en-ergy usage at home.

In Hesperia, Sultana High School began the bulb exchange last spring. Chemistry teach-er Mark Ziesmer said about 1,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFL’s, were given to students.

Desert Trails High School and Mojave High School also participated in the CFL pro-

gram, according to the Alliance to Save Energy, which oversees the Green Schools program.

“We had no trouble giving them away,” said Zeismer, who leads the Green Schools club at Sultana.

The fluorescent bulbs use about one-third the energy of conventional bulbs and last up to 10 times longer, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

The Green Schools program has also enabled Hesperia Uni-fied School District to save mon-ey on energy bills.

Fi f ty percent of the sav-ings go to the district offices, said George Landon, the dis-trict’s assistant superinten-dent of business services, and 50 percent goes back to the school site.

This has enabled Sultana High School to generate more

than $100,000 for discretionary spending over the last few years the club has been in place, Zeismer said.

Now, the school is pursuing two new energy-saving mea-sures: A vending miser and window film in the cafeteria.

The vending miser, which costs about $100, will power down a large vending ma-chine that sits in the sun at the school, lowering the light on the front panel and the thermostat.

Installing film on the cafete-ria windows will help keep em-ployees cool and could also cut down on air conditioning costs, Zeismer said.

The vending miser will be purchased with money that re-mains from the energy savings fund.

Hillary Borrud may be reached at 951-6234 or hborrud@vvdailypress.com.

Hesperia schools lighten energy useThey’re ready to play ball!

CRA is calling all dads for joint meeting on Saturday morning

APPLE VALLEY — John Farace of Dad’s Club Inc. will be the guest speaker at Satur-day’s joint meeting of the Apple Valley and Hesperia chapters of the California Repub-lican Assembly.

Dad’s Club is a community-based effort to encourage dads and single moms to be more in-volved in their school-aged children’s activities.

The meeting will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce, 16010 Apple Valley Road.

Coffee and rolls are provided. There is no charge for the meeting and everyone is invited.

Drug suspect arrested near Little League field in Barstow

BARSTOW — Brian Beason, 29, of Barstow was arrested near a Little League field Wednesday for suspicion of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell and pos-session of methamphetamine.

Sgt. Keith Libby, who is a Little League coach, said he often patrols Barstow’s Little League fields to make sure the children are safe and to check out the baseball action.

Libby saw two men sitting on the bleachers near the baseball field. He said when he drove by, the suspects took extra interest in his car.

Libby followed the men and conducted a pat search of both men to check for weapons and found several plastic bags of suspected marijuana and a small quantity of suspect-ed methamphetamine on Beason.

The individual bags of suspected marijuana convinced Libby that Beason intended to sell it. The other man was interviewed and released.

Las Vegas man ejected from car, killed in early morning hours

BARSTOW — Samuel Diaz, 24, of Las Vegas was killed on Tuesday morning when the car he was driving struck the center divider.

According to a coroner’s report, Diaz drifted into the left lane on the southbound Interstate 15 one mile north of Wild Wash Road near Barstow. His car struck a tractor-trailer, lost control and hit the center divider at 5:39 a.m.

Diaz, who was not wearing his seatbelt, was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. Two female passengers were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

San Bernardino County Republicans announce new web sites

SAN BERNARDINO — San Bernardino County Republican Party leaders Wednes-day announced the launch of Red County San Bernardino, a new Web site that aims to deliver analysis, thought and breaking news from the political center-right.

The Web site is www.redcountysb.com.

A call for community writersDo you like to write?Do you live in Phelan, Pinon Hills, Helen-

dale, Wrightwood, Oro Grande, Oak Hills or El Mirage?

Can you write about what goes on in your community? Do you have a computer?

If so, contact Keith Jones, managing editor of the Daily Press, at kjones@vv dailypress.com or 955-5368.

— Compiled from staff reports

I n B r I e f

By rYAN OrrStaff Writer

Brenda Smith celebrated her 56th birthday on Tuesday. On Wednesday she met the presi-dent who greeted her with not one, but two kisses on the cheek.

“I leaned in to greet him and he just grabbed me and gave me a little kiss on my cheek. It was so exciting,” said Smith, pro-gram chairwoman and newsletter editor for the High Desert Republican Women.

It was Smith’s first time ever meet-ing a president.

Assemblyman Anthony Adams, R-Hesperia, gave Smith the chance to greet Bush as he stepped off Air Force One at Los Angeles International Air-port where he landed after leaving

Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville on Wednesday.

“When he got off Air Force One, he was bigger than life,” Smith said of the 5-foot-11-inch commander in chief.

After the first kiss, Smith told Bush that it was a lovely birthday gift. When Bush realized it was her birthday he moved in for a second kiss.

“My granddaughters are asking me if I’m ever going to wash my face again,” said Smith, who lives in Apple Valley.

“I may not, but I kind of have to,” she said.

Bush spent the day visiting soldiers in Fort Irwin and flew to Los Angeles for a late fundraiser. He ended the day at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Ryan Orr can be reached at 951-6277 or at rorr@vvdailypress.com.

Presidential kissB r e n d a S m i t h , a n A p p l e Va l l e y r e p u b l i c a n , g e t s b e l a t e d

b i r t h d a y p r e s e n t f r o m P r e s i d e n t B u s h

“I leaned in to greet him and he just grabbed me and gave me a little kiss on my cheek. It was so exciting.”Apple Valley Republican Brenda Smith

By KATHEriNE rOSENBErGand rYAN Orr

Staff Writers

VICTORVILLE — Visibly upset at a preliminary hearing this week, a 20-year-old wom-an told the story of a man who raped and sexually abused her for most of her life.

The accused, Roberto Conde, 38, initially pleaded innocent to a handful of charges including rape by force, lewd or lascivi-ous acts with a child under the age of 14 and continuous sexual abuse of a child, stemming from reports that he abused this wom-an, and later, two others, said Detective James Wiebeld of the

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Victorville station.

Shortly after the unnamed victim took the stand, court recessed for lunch. When the proceedings resumed, Conde changed his plea and requested to be sentenced immediately.

“When the victim was testify-ing it was apparent that Conde

was moved by her testimony, it was a turning point for him,” said Deputy District Attorney Kathy Didonato. “This is the first time that I’ve ever had someone plead 15 to life in the middle of a preliminary hearing.”

Wiebeld said that Conde was first arrested in June 2006 when the 20-year-old victim reported the ongoing abuse.

“I think she’d had enough of the abuse and she decided to report it.

I’m sure she was afraid that there were other victims,” Wiebeld said.

“We determined that they too had been victims of sexual mis-conduct for several years. If they refused, he would hit them or slap them or hold them down,” Wiebeld said. “He is a sexually violent pred-ator and he is a danger to society,”

Didonato said Conde will have to serve 85 percent of the 15 years before he will be eligible for re-lease for good behavior. He will

also be subject to mental evalua-tions and even upon his release he can be required to stay in a men-tal health facility where he will be re-evaluated every two years.

It is possible that he will spend the rest of his life in prison or in the care of a state hospital, officials said.

“The victim that was testifying was present for plea and the sentence. It was good for her to see it come full circle in one day,” Didonato said. “It was a good day yesterday.”

Child molester sentenced at prelimMan changes plea after witness takes stand

Main photo by James Quigg, Staff Photographer / Above by the Associated PressAT TOP: Brenda Smith shows her grandchildren a photo of her getting a kiss from President George Bush. Smith, of Apple Valley, was part of a group meeting the president at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday evening, as seen above. Smith’s grandchildren, from left; Hannah Cutlip, left, Madison Cutlip, center, and Kaitlin Cutlip.

Michael Stenerson / Staff PhotographerNathan Heflin, center, runs with a group kids across the outfield of Stater Bros. Stadium during the Sprite Sprint on Thursday night. The Mavericks hosted their season opener against the Inland Empire 66ers with an attendance of 2,779 fans. For a full recap of the game, see page C1.

KAi MArTiN This is written in memory of

Kai Martin who was a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, husband and Marine. He was born in 1918 in Long Beach and went to be with the Lord on March 3, 2007.

Kai is survived by his for-mer spouse Joan; son Glen and daughter-in-law Kimberli; daughter Tricia and son-in-law Vaughn; five grandchildren, Kimberly, Kristen, Troy, Brooke and Logan; three great-grand-children, Alexa, Sebastien and Jadeyn; and many good friends.

Kai attended school in Long Beach. Upon completion of high school, he went into the Armed Forces and served in the South Pacific Theater. Captured by the Japanese, he endured the Bataan March and three and a half years as a prisoner of war until freed at the surrender of the Japanese in 1945. He re-ceived three Purple Hearts, was awarded a Silver Star and three Bronze Stars.

After discharge from the ser-vices, Kai returned to school and went on to dedicate 25 years to his career in life insurance, followed by a second career vol-unteering in crisis counseling for at-risk individuals. After retirement, he volunteered in the citizens on patrol program in Victorville for a number of years. His favorite quotation when asked about war was from Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord ... ” Now, after Kai’s passing, he can truthfully quote 2 Timo-thy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

K a i w a s a re s i d e n t o f Victorville for 20 years and will be missed by all his friends and neighbors. His family en-courages contributions in his memory to the American Vet-erans Disabled for Life Memo-rial (www.avdlm.com) or to Dis-abled American Veterans (DAV) (www.dav.org).

DAN JACKMAN Retired U.S. Marine Corps 1st

Sgt. Dan L. Jackman, 77, died Fri-day, March 30, 2007, in Victorville.

Dan was a loving husband, fa-ther, grandfather and friend, as well as a proud Marine. He was loved and respected by all who knew him and his presence in our lives will be greatly missed. He will be remembered as a man of great honor, integrity and tremen-dous strength of character who profoundly influenced our lives.

He was born into a loving family in 1929 in Joseph, Utah. The sixth of eight children, he was a high-spirited boy who en-joyed a happy childhood full of many adventures in “his moun-tains” of southern Utah.

He entered the U.S. Marine Corps in 1946 on his 17th birth-day. Following the end of World War II, Dan served aboard the USS Manchester in the Mediter-ranean Sea. During the Korean War, he served with Able Com-pany, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division in the infantry as unit leader under Capt. Robert H. Barrow, taking part in battle at Chosin Reservoir, Hill 1081, and Horseshoe Ridge Campaigns. He received three Purple Hearts for combat wounds in Korea. He served in the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1966 and received his fourth and fifth Purple Hearts for combat wounds during Bloody Utah Operation as Mike Company gunnery sergeant. He was select-ed Marine Corps Drill Instructor of the Year in 1958. He retired as a first sergeant and received a combined total of 24 medals and commendations.

He married Patricia Ann Her-rick of Nampa, Idaho in May 1953. Dan and Pat Jackman shared 29 happy years of marriage and raised two children, Mike and Vicki, in Oceanside before Pat’s unexpected death in 1982. While living in Oceanside, Dan entered civil service with the U.S. Postal Service, a second career that suit-ed his outgoing personality and uncanny ability to make friends wherever he went.

Dan was fortunate to find love a second time and married Joanna Bartels from Des Moines, Iowa, in 1983. He welcomed her two adult children Keith Bartels and Mead-ow Goodrich into the family and loved them as his own.

D a n r e t i r e d f r o m t h e

U.S. Postal Service in 1990 and enjoyed his retirement years with his wife of 24 years, Jo-anna. They traveled together and welcomed countless young people into their home, building up a large, extended family of adoptees who came to call them “Mom and Dad” or “Grandpa and Grandma.”

Dan and Joanna are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were called to serve two senior mis-sions, the first in Carlsbad and the second in Ontario, Canada. Dan served in three different bishoprics among his many oth-er church callings.

Throughout his retirement, Dan frequently lectured at Camp Pendleton and to other Marine Corps units. He took part in the Veterans Day program at King High School in Riverside for sev-en years. One of the interviews from that program is now ar-chived in the Veterans History Project of the Library of Con-gress. He was also a guest speak-er for many civic organizations. In 2003, he was named honorary grand marshal of the Veterans Day parade in Long Beach.

He was a proud member of the A-1-1 Association of Marine Corps Korean War Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the First Marine Division Association, the Marine House Association-USA, and a charter member of the Spring Valley Lake VFW Post No. 12039.

He is survived by his wife Jo-anna Jackman of Victorville; son Michael Jackman of San Di-ego; daughter Vicki Hendricks, son-in-law Craig Hendricks and grandchildren Nicole and Ryan Hendricks of Carlsbad; step-son Keith Bartels of San Francis-co; step-daughter Meadow Go-odrich and son-in-law David Go-odrich of Victorville; siblings Dale Jackman of Taylorsville, Utah; Harvy Jackman of Sugar City, Idaho; Oma Patterson of St. George, Utah; Enid Norton of Spanish Fork, Utah and Re-nee Johnson of Rexburg, Idaho.

Services will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Spring Valley Lake Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 12100 Ridgecrest Road in Victorville. A viewing will pre-cede the service at 2 p.m. Dan will be buried in his hometown of Joseph, Utah, on Monday.

Desert View Funeral Home in Victorville is handling arrangements.

A “Wounded Warrior of the Corps” memorial fund is be-ing established by the family in memory of retired 1st Sgt. Dan L. Jackman, U.S. Marine Corps. For information, please contact Joanna Jackman at The1stSgt-nMe@netzero.net.

EVErETT FErGUSONEverett Harry Ferguson,

73, passed away March 22,

2007 , from cancer-related complications.

Everett was born Jan. 15, 1934, in Niobrara, Neb. He was a resident of Bellflower for more than 40 years before moving to Hesperia in 2005. Everett served four years in the Navy during the Korean War. He worked as a truck driver and enjoyed work-ing with computers in his re-tirement years.

Everett is survived by his wife Sherlene of Hesperia; daughter Maureen El Gabry, her husband Khalid, and children Omar and Yasmine of Garden Grove; daughter Dianna Boyer, her husband Tim, and children Hol-lie, Ellen and Jonathon of On-tario; and son Everett Ferguson Jr., his wife Luisa, and daughter Alexandria of Lakewood.

Inurnment will take place at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside.

JACK SHUEY Sr.Jack Lane Shuey Sr. was born

Feb. 1, 1926, in Topeka, Kan. and died April 1, 2007.

A resident of Phelan for the past 16 years, Jack enjoyed the desert. He previously lived and went to high school in Needles. Jack was interested in restor-ing model A’s with his fam-ily and friends. He also worked on his yard by planting about 200 trees and building rock walls and planters.

Jack worked as a timekeeper, accountant and computer programmer for more than 38 years and was a veteran of World War II.

Jack is survived by his wife, Ann; three sons and two daugh-ters-in-law, Dan and Lori of Ha-cienda Heights, Don and Kelly of Pinon Hills and Tim of Eti-wanda; nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

At his wishes, Jack will be laid to rest at Montecito Memo-rial Park in Colton. There will be a short service Saturday at 1 p.m. at Blessed Junipero Sier-ra Catholic Church, 8820 Sheep

Creek Road in Phelan. A recep-tion will be held at his home in Phelan at 2 p.m. following the service.

MArGArET OWENSMargaret Elizabeth Owens,

84, died April 2, 2007, at St. Mary Medical Center. She resided in Victorville for 33 years. She was born December 29, 1922, in Erie, Pa.

Margaret is survived by her daughter Colleen Foltz of Keller, Texas; son David Owens of Tul-sa, Okla.; son John Owens of Victorville; daughter Gale Simon of Apple Valley; eight grandchil-dren and eight great-grandchil-dren. She was preceded in death by her grandson Eric Simon.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at First Baptist Church of Hesperia, 9280 Maple Ave., with Pastor Wayne Stockstill officiating.

Burial will be at Desert View Memorial Park, 11500 Amargosa Road in Victorville.

Desert View Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

pAGE B2 Daily Press, Victorville, Calif. OBiTUAriES Friday, April 6, 2007 Page edited by Justin D. Beckett

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Community Easter Sunrise ServiceApril 8, 2007 at 6:00 a.m.

Come join the celebration of the RisenChrist in Victor Valley Memorial Park at11th & C Street. Victorville, thru gate D.

No one would be happier to see youcelebrate the miracle of the resurrection

than Jesus. After all, it’s a miracleHe wants everyone to share.

PARTICIPANTSHospice Chaplain, Community Hospice Victor Valley.

Hospice Chaplain, Visiting Nurse Associationof the Inland Counties.

Primera Iglesia Bautista De Church, Hesperia.Trinity Lutheran Church, Victorville.

United Methodist Church of Victorville.

Dress Warm and bring a flashlight!

O B I t u A r I e S

JACkMANMARTIN