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Hosted by the Lake County Winery Association at Six Sigma Ranch and Winery, the competition will determine the winners in the first ever, comprehensive judging of Lake County wines.
The competition will culminate in a tasting that will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Six Sigma Ranch and Winery, 13372 Spruce Grove Rd., Lower Lake.
Kaj Ahlmann, chairman of the Lake County Winery Association, said the competition is a great way to spread the word about Lake County's outstanding wines.
The contest is in two parts, the first of which took place in August when a panel of professional wine judges narrowed down the field of 168 wines down to 38 of the best that Lake County has to offer.
The prestigious panel of judges, made up of wine experts from around the country, included Steve Heimoff of The Wine Enthusiast Magazine; Deborah Parker Wong of The Tasting Panel Magazine; Traci Dutton of Culinary Institute of America; Doug Frost, master sommelier and master of wine; Chris Sawyer, “sommelier to the stars”; Tom DiNardo, sommelier and wine appraiser; Bob Foster, California Grapevine Newsletter; Alan Goldfarb, AppellationAmerica.com; Mike Dunne, Sacramento Bee; and Martha Dunne, Winegigs.com.
The second part of the competition is where the “people’s choice” aspect is engaged, and that is what is taking place this Saturday.
The public is invited to come and judge for themselves the best of what Lake County's wines. Attendees of the inaugural event will have the opportunity to blind taste all 38 of the judges’ nominations.
In addition to the finalists there will be 20 other wines to sample which earned from the judges awards of distinction.
Food will also be available, provided by Teo’s Lakeside Bistro, Nice; Main Street Pizza, Lakeport; Bigg's 155 Diner, Lakeport; and Twin Pine Casino's Manzanita Restaurant, Middletown.
Tickets are $25. You must be 21 years of age or older to purchase.
For more information, call 707-994-4068 or 707-355-2762 or visit www.lakecountywineries.org .
Ross A. Christensen is Lake County News' food and wine writer. Follow him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Foodiefreak .
Billed as America's largest day of doing good, Make A Difference Day is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The Lake County Office of Education’s AmeriCorps program is holding its 10th annual “Make A Difference Day” food drive on that date from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event is a collaboration between the Lake County Office of Education’s AmeriCorps Program, the Lake County Hunger Task Force, Catholic Charities and the Lake County Community Action Agency.
During the years the food drive has collected and distributed more than 25,000 pounds of nonperishable foods within Lake County.
All donations are distributed to local families though the Lake County Community Action Agency in Clearlake and Lakeport, Catholic Charities based in Middletown, and all Lake County senior centers.
Volunteers will be collecting food at Hardester's Market in Middletown, Cobb and Coyote Valley; Safeway in Clearlake and Lakeport; Ray's Food Place in Clearlake; Red & White Market in Clearlake Oaks; Sentry Market in Nice; and Bruno’s Shop Smart and Grocery Outlet in Lakeport.
If you are interested in volunteering for this or one of the many other opportunities available here in Lake County, call your local AmeriCorps office at 707-263-6291 for more information.
The shooting occurred Wednesday morning, according to District Attorney Jon Hopkins.
A man at a residence on 33rd Avenue was injured in the shooting, Hopkins said. The officer was not hurt.
The names of the officer and the victim haven't been released.
Clearlake Police Chief Allan McClain and Lt. Craig Clausen didn't return calls for comment on Wednesday.
However, Hopkins said his office is now in charge of the incident, including releasing information about it.
“We've actually taken over the investigation because it's an officer-involved incident,” said Hopkins, which is part of a protocol that's invoked when such situations occur.
“It was Chief McClain's request that we come in and investigate the case,” he said.
Four of Hopkins' investigators were on scene since Wednesday morning, along with two state Department of Justice criminalists assisting with processing the scene under a search warrant, Hopkins said. He joined them in the afternoon and stayed until the evening.
Hopkins said he anticipated scene processing continuing into the night, with interviews also taking place Wednesday and into Thursday, although interviews could possibly take longer.
He was not prepared to release specifics about the incident or what led to the shooting, explaining that he is still verifying information and didn't want to comment preliminarily.
“That will be part of our investigation, getting all that information so it's accurate,” hes aid.
He said Clearlake Police officials have been present during the investigation, and some evidence may be stored with that agency.
Hopkins said he couldn't estimate when the investigation would be concluded or the results released.
The last officer-involved shooting the District Attorney's Office was called in to investigate took place at York's Mobile Home Park on Old Highway 53 in June 2008, as Lake County News has reported.
In that case, 63-year-old David Vestal was shot after allegedly pointing a shotgun at officers.
That investigation – which wasn't released until this past February, seven months after the incident – found no wrongdoing on the part of the officer.
Vestal's daughter, who was present at the incident along with her young son and boyfriend, later filed a lawsuit against the city which was paid by the city's insurance carrier.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT – A great way to enjoy Lake County is from a bicycle, and this weekend it's once again time to saddle up for the annual Konocti Challenge.
The 19th annual event will take off from Lakeport on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 3, with rides for all ages and fitness levels.
“It's a great way to see the county,” said Rotarian and Ride Director Jennifer Strong.
Strong said the Konocti Challenge is the only event that showcases nearly all of Lake County. The only area the ride doesn't extend to is Middletown.
The Konocti Challenge is one of the biggest annual fundraisers for the Lakeport Rotary, which took the event over from the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce about 12 years ago, said Strong.
She and a dedicated committee of five work on the event year round, with all of the Lakeport Rotarians working the event itself.
Strong said the event usually nets between $8,000 and $10,000 for the club, although last year was particularly good, with the challenge bringing in $12,000 that was used for the Rotary's local efforts.
“All of the funds raised go to an extremely good cause,” she said.
Last year's ride also drew 450 participants from all over California and a total of eight states, Strong said.
They have high hopes for another great event this year, with beautiful fall weather in the 70s expected Saturday, according to Strong.
The ride has four courses, all of which start and end at the Lakeport Yacht Club at 15 Fifth St., said Strong.
“There's something for everybody,” she said.
The courses include a 19-miler for families which leads down to the Gnarly Dude Ranch on Steelhead Drive, and which includes Rotary escorts for children riding without their families; a 30-mile course that winds through the resort and vineyard sections in Big Valley and Lakeport; a 65-mile adventure course along the lakeshore; and the endurance-testing 100-mile course around the lake, then up Cobb Mountain.
Riders in the 30-mile course leave between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., while 65- and 100-mile riders leave between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
The 100-miler is a serious ride for avid cyclists that includes 6,200 feet of climbing. “It's rated as extremely difficult in the cycling world,” said Strong.
Helping keep riders on track will be six rest stops along the way, run by local nonprofit groups including Hospice Services of Lake County, Clearlake Rotary, Early Lake Lions, Operation Tango Mike and People Services, Strong said.
The rest stop groups compete for votes from riders, with whoever wins getting a $500 donation from Rotary. Strong said Operation Tango Mike won last year.
Along with rest stops, there will be about 12 to 15 vehicles on the road to pick up riders and assist with flat tires, Strong said. “There is a lot of support for the ride.”
After the ride, Kenny Parlet of Lakeview Market will host a barbecue back at the Lakeport Yacht Club, Strong said.
She explained that riders can sign up online at the event's Web site, www.konoctichallenge.com , until Thursday at 8 p.m. They also can sign up at the Lakeport Yacht Club from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and on the morning of the event.
For more information visit the Web site or call Strong at 707-349-0815.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Santa Rosa Police arrested 17-year-old Marco Antonio Meza April 8, two days after the alleged driveby shooting of 18-year-old Luis Suarez, as Lake County News has reported.
Arrested with Meza, a suspected Sureno gang member, was Fernando Mendoza of Santa Rosa, who police said at the time was arrested for a parole violation.
But on Tuesday the Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua reported that a “continuing and cooperative investigation” between his office and the Santa Rosa Police Department had led to a first-degree murder charge being filed against the 21-year-old Mendoza, and the murder charge against Meza being dropped.
“Our office and the Santa Rosa Police Department consider not only incriminating evidence, but exonerating evidence, as well,” Passalacqua said. “When new evidence surfaced, we jointly investigated it thoroughly, resulting in not only the dismissal of a murder charge against one person but the issuance of an arrest warrant on the person we believe is responsible.”
Passalacqua said Mendoza also faces special allegations related to benefiting a criminal street gang and personal use of a firearm. Mendoza is due to be arraigned on the charges Oct. 15, with Deputy District Attorney Troye Shaffer assigned to prosecute the case.
Meza, whose name was previously released by police in connection with the case, was not named specifically in Passalacqua's Tuesday statement.
The initial investigation – led by Santa Rosa Police Det. Brad Connors and Sgt Steve Fraga of the Violent Crimes Investigation Team – focused on the teenager, who Passalacqua said sent incriminating text messages to a third party claiming that he committed Suarez's murder.
However, based on the new evidence, an arrest warrant was issued for Mendoza and the murder charges were dismissed on Sept. 23 against Meza, who faced being tried as an adult, Passalacqua said.
While Meza no longer faces the murder charge, he's facing charges related to the case that are now pending in juvenile court, Passalacqua reported.
Passalacqua's office said the juvenile proceedings are confidential under California law and cannot be disclosed to the public.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Albert Gene Brandon, 47, of Lower Lake was the victim of the crash, which occurred early on the morning of Sept. 25, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Brandon died when his vehicle went off of Butts Canyon Road, a mile and a half east of Highway 29, then overturned and hit a utility pole, as Lake County News has reported.
The California Highway Patrol investigation found that Brandon was wearing his seat belt and his car's airbag had deployed.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
