Downstroke

Schools need workout: Chico High students have great abs, seventh graders need to build trunk strength and Butte County kids as a whole just aren’t cutting it in the fitness department.

The results of the state-required FITNESSGRAM were released Nov. 21, and nearly 75 percent of the state’s schoolchildren failed to pass all six areas of the test.

In Butte County, 23 percent of fifth-graders, 20.7 percent of seventh graders and 28.6 percent of ninth graders tested in 2004-05 failed to pass all six areas of the test. Last year, the percentages were 25.2, 34.6 and 30.6, respectively.

In the Chico Unified School District, 25 percent of fifth-graders passed all six areas, 6.1 percent of seventh graders did so as did 31.5 percent of ninth graders. Not a single student at Bidwell Junior High School nor Chico Junior passed all six areas, bombing on “trunk extension strength.”

State Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell is a lanky, lean guy, but he wants to pump up all of them. He stated in a press release that he’s pleased with the 3- to 4-percent increase in overall performance, “But there are still far too many students failing to reach even minimal levels of physical fitness. A silent epidemic of obesity and poor nutrition is endangering our children’s health and their ability to learn.”

Stabbing at the station: A 16-year-old suspected gang-banger from Chico has been arrested and will be tried as an adult in the fatal stabbing of Oroville High Homecoming King Brian Semor. The stabbing occurred in the early morning hours of Oct. 2, when Semor and two companions stopped at the Union 76 gas station on E. Eighth Street, apparently to buy sodas.

According to D.A. Mike Ramsey, Semor and his friends were confronted by a group of Chico youths with ties to the Norteño street gang. Ramsey said the two groups “mad-dogged” each other then started “bumping chests” and eventually ended up in a full-on brawl.

During the fight, Ramsey said, 16-year-old Freddy Siordia stabbed Semore more than five times from behind, piercing a rib and delivering a fatal wound to his heart. Siordia’s 17-year-old brother, whose name has not been released, was also arrested and will soon appear at a hearing to determine whether he can also be tried as an adult for being an accessory to murder.

The dog’s OK: The California Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that occurred on the Skyway Monday Afternoon between a Butte County Sheriff’s deputy and a Magalia woman.

The woman, Sandra Burdick reportedly told investigators the deputy, Mark Muhlbaier, caused the collision when he attempted to turn right onto a bike path, causing her to T-bone his patrol vehicle with her Chevy Tahoe.

Both Muhlbaier and Burdick received minor injuries. A Sheriff’s K-9, D’Jango, who was riding with Muhlbaier, was shook up but unharmed. The CHP has not determined who was at fault.

Conferring on meth: An array of county agencies will present a conference next week on how to identify and treat methamphetamine addiction. The one-day conference is supposed be chance for workers in law enforcement, courts and public health to educate each other on how to identify and treat meth addicts.

Speaking at the conference will be Dr. Alex Stalcup, who became an expert on treating addiction while working at the Haight-Ashbury Free clinic in San Francisco.