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PG&E currently has two power purchase agreements with Geysers totaling about 375 megawatts (MW) per year, with enough renewable energy to meet the needs of more than 450,000 average homes.
Those agreements expire between the end of 2012 and the end of 2014.
The new deal, if approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, would extend the term for Geysers energy through 2021.
Total capacity is expected to increase about 50 MW to a total of 425 MW from 2010 through 2017, dropping to a total of about 250 MW from 2018 through 2021.
Fong Wan, senior vice president for energy procurement at PG&E, said the company is committed to making geothermal energy an important part of its growing renewables portfolio for many years to come.
PG&E officials said geothermal power is a particularly valuable renewable resource because it is highly dependable. Available around the clock, it is less affected by weather, seasons or other factors that create technical challenges for managing some other kinds of renewable power.
The Geysers steamfield runs across a portion of southern Lake County and into Sonoma County.
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Deborah Ann James, 46, was arrested just after midnight Thursday at her boyfriend's home in Santa Rosa, where authorities found her hiding in a closet, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
James was identified early on as a person of interest in the case involving 49-year-old Ronald Greiner of Lakeport, who was found shot, beaten and hogtied outside of his S. Main Street home on Oct. 20, as Lake County News has reported.
On Wednesday, Lake County Sheriff's detectives were working to locate additional suspects and conduct further witness interviews in Sonoma County with the assistance of authorities there, Bauman said,
At around midnight Thursday the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department contacted an unidentified man, believed to be James’ boyfriend, at his home in Santa Rosa, and subsequently found James hiding in a closet there, Bauman said.
She's being held in the Lake County Jail on a charge of attempted murder, with bail set at $100,000.
James' arrest follows Tuesday's arrest of another suspect in the case, 35-year-old Joshua Wandry of Rohnert Park. Wandry is being held on $750,000 bail in the Sonoma County Jail, also charged with attempted murder.
The first person to be arrested for Greiner's shooting was 59-year-old Thomas Dudney of Fulton, who was taken into custody on Oct. 21.
Dudney's preliminary hearing in the case was held on Tuesday, at which time a judge ruled he would be held to answer on 10 charges – premeditated attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, simple mayhem, torture, home invasion robbery in concert with another, first degree burglary with a person at home, assault with a firearm, assault with a blunt force object, assault likely to cause great bodily injury and serious battery. He's also facing special allegations against Dudney for allegedly inflicting great bodily injury and using a firearm.
District Attorney Jon Hopkins said Wednesday he anticipated filing the same charges against Wandry.
Bauman said the Lake County Sheriff's Major Crimes Unit is continuing its investigation, and still more arrests are anticipated.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Lake County International Charter School (LCICS) will host its third annual Live & Give Celebration and Auction from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 7, at Moore Family Winery, 11990 Bottle Rock Road on Cobb Mountain.
This year's theme is “1970s Flashback” – attendees are invited to wear their funkiest 70s clothing or cocktail attire.
Tickets are $25 per person. Although most of the school's fundraisers are for families, organizers said the Live & Give event is only for those 21 and over.
“This is definitely our main event,” said Valerie Moberg, secretary of the school's charter council or board.
She said the event isn't just for parents. “We really want to share who we are with the community.”
LCICS was founded five years ago, said Moberg. Today it has about 100 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, and five teachers.
The school's goal, said Moberg, is to create lifelong learners through the International Baccalaureate methodology, which isn't book-based. Rather, it teaches children to love learning so they're productive citizens of the world.
“There's a very international aspect to it,” Moberg said.
LCICS is a public school, and the only site-based charter school in Lake County, Moberg said.
“We are completely tuition-free, just like any other public school,” she said.
This year the school marked some important milestones, including posting a 19-point Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) score improvement, raising it to 739, and a 100-point jump in its Academic Performance Index, bringing it to 839 points. That 100-point leap was second only to Konocti Unified's Blue Heron school countywide.
In addition, the Western Association of Schools has accredited the school, which also received authorization from the International Baccalaureate World School, the school reported.
Since LCICS was founded, the number of charter schools across California has nearly tripled.
Approximately 809 charter schools with 341,000 students now operate around the state, according to the California Charter Schools Association.
In the 2003-04 fiscal year, there were 382 charter schools, according to the office of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is seeking to lift a cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state as part of a legislation package that would make the state eligible for $4.35 billion in competitive federal Race to the Top funds.
This fall alone, 88 new charter schools – with 56,000 students – have opened, accounting for the largest single-year enrollment increase in history, the California Charter Schools Association reported.
One in every six charter schools across the nation operates in California. There are 4,900 charter schools educating 1.5 million children across 39 states and the District of Columbia, according to figures provided by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Moberg said LCICS gets funding from the state based on attendance and enrollment, similar to how other public schools are funded.
“We've definitely been hit by the budget cuts just like all the other schools,” she said.
What's different for charters schools, however, is that facilities present a large cost, since they can't float bonds to buy or build schools. “So we have to rely on what the state gives us and donations from the community,” shes said.
The school conducts several fundraisers already – spaghetti feeds and booths at events – and is adding more. The drawing for one of them, a raffle for a side of beef, will be held at the Live & Give event. Individual classes also hold car washes and other fundraisers, she added.
Tickets to the Live & Give fundraiser can be purchased at the LCICS Office at 15872 Armstrong St., or by contacting the school at 707-963-3063 or by emailing
Tickets also will be available at the door, Moberg said.
The ticket price a complimentary cup of micro-brewed ale donated by the Mount St. Helena Brewing Co., 1970s-themed finger foods created by Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, music by local DJ Kevi Kev of KMH Productions, dancing, and both silent and live auctions. Moore Family wines will be available for purchase by the glass or the bottle.
For more information, or to donate to the live or silent auctions, call the school at 707-987-3063 or visit its Web site at www.lcics.org .
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
THE USGS HAS DOWNGRADED THIS QUAKE FROM 3.0 TO 2.9 IN MAGNITUDE.
THE GEYSERS – The US Geological Survey reported a 3.0-magnitude earthquake near The Geysers Wednesday afternoon.
The site later was downgrade to a 2.9.
The earthquake occurred at 3:18 p.m. at a depth of 1.3 miles, the US Geological Survey reported.
It was centered two miles northeast of The Geysers, three miles west southwest of Cobb and six miles northwest of Anderson Springs, according to US Geological Survey data.
Shake reports came from Sacramento and Magalia.
A 3.6-magnitude quake occurred on Oct. 30 two miles east of The Geysers and four miles west northwest of Anderson Springs, as Lake County News has reported.
Anderson Springs residents reported that earthquake caused a leak on one of the community's main water lines.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT – Authorities have made a second arrest in connection with an Oct. 20 shooting and beating of a Lakeport man, with more arrests expected.
Joshua Wandry, 35, of Rohnert Park Park was arrested Tuesday morning as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged home invasion at the S. Main Street residence of Ronald Greiner, who was found shot, beaten and hogtied, as Lake County News has reported.
Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said Wandry was arrested at his Adrian Drive home in Rohnert Park without incident following the execution of a search warrant that occurred just after 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit executed the search and arrest warrants with assistance from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department and the Rohnert Park Police Department, Bauman said.
Already in custody in the case is 59-year-old Thomas Dudney, who was arrested on Oct. 21 at his Fulton home.
Dudney is facing numerous charges in the case, including premeditated attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, simple mayhem, torture, home invasion robbery in concert with another, first degree burglary with a person at home, assault with a firearm, assault with a blunt force object, assault likely to cause great bodily injury and serious battery, according to District Attorney Jon Hopkins.
Hopkins also filed special allegations against Dudney for allegedly inflicting great bodily injury and using a firearm. Three of the charges carry life terms.
On Tuesday Dudney was held to answer on all of the charges following a preliminary hearing, said Hopkins. Dudney returns to court for arraignment on Nov. 16.
Dudney, who has a lengthy criminal history, with several state prison terms, is being held in the Lake County Jail without bail.
Following Dudney's arrest the investigation into Greiner's assault had continued. Bauman said over the past two weeks investigators identified Wandry as another suspect and secured a $750,000 warrant for his arrest.
Hopkins said he is charging Wandry with the same 10 charges as have been filed against Dudney. He's also considering asking to have Wandry held without bail.
Wandry was booked at the Sonoma County Jail on a felony charge of attempted murder, Bauman said.
Bauman added that additional arrests are expected to be made as the investigation continues.
Hopkins said he isn't sure when Dudney's trial will take place, and whether or not Wandry will be tried jointly with him. The trial's timing will hinge partly on the completion of forensic testing.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
According to the National Weather Service in Sacramento, a low pressure system currently over the pacific will move towards the coast Wednesday, pushing in cooler temperatures and rain showers.
The main area of this weather system is predicted to head farther south, but a moist westerly flow will move inland spreading clouds and rain over much of interior Northern California including in to Lake County, the National Weather Service reported.
Wednesday's highs are expected to be 10 degrees cooler than on Tuesday, with highs in the mid- to upper-60s and increasing winds and cooler weather are on tap for Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service said, with highs only reaching in to the mid-50s.
Chances for rain on Thursday increase as the day progresses to 40 percent overnight on Thursday, with a 40 percent, chance of rain during the day on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
A slight chance of rain remains in the forecast throughout the weekend, with highs in the 50s and overnight lows in the 40s, according to the National Weather Service, with temperatures warming into early next week to the 60s.
For up to the minute weather, please see the home page at www.lakeconews.com .
E-mail Terre Logsdon at
