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Lakeport Police and the Lake County Sheriff's Office will take part on the DUI enforcement saturation patrols beginning on New Year's Eve, according to a statement from sheriff's Lt. Cecil Brown.
The operations are sponsored by a grant from California AVOID, an anti-DUI program founded in 1973. The grants are administered by the California Office of Traffic Safety for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
AVOID funds are used to fund duty time and equipment for DUI enforcement.
Officials warn that drivers who choose to drink and drive this holiday season should expect to spend the night behind bars.
AVOID activities that took place over Memorial Day weekend this year, from May 23 through May 26, netted nine DUI arrests, according to California AVOID statistics.
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LAKE COUNTY – On a recent cold, blustery December evening, several dozen volunteers gathered at Umpqua Bank in Lakeport for the monthly packing party to assemble care packages for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
No one seemed to mind the fact that they had to drive in blowing rain and sleet to make the event, held Dec. 18.
Conversations turned to the harsh and bitter winter weather endured by our troops, including a recent e-mail from Afghanistan where the temperature had been a steady 21 degrees, which prompted everyone to include black beanies and gloves in the boxes they were packing.
Eighty-four boxes were packed with food, snacks, treats and hygiene items. Of course, loads of holiday goodies, greeting cards and love were packed into every one.
Every month, after the boxes are packed and tightly sealed with packing tape, they are shuttled into a hallway for special finishing touches. There, children ranging from toddlers to teens add stickers, decorations and notes of love and support to the outside of the care packages. No doubt, these messages truly finalize the “care” part of each care package.
It is a costly proposition to pack and ship 80 to 100 monthly care packages, with shipping fees alone reaching nearly $1,000. Somehow, it always gets done with the love, support and donations of caring Lake County citizens.
An example is a generous donation made by a local Pearl Harbor survivor, Henry Anderson.
Many months ago Anderson donated $5,000 to a cause he believes in because of his experience in life. Anderson served in the US Navy from 1937 to 1945, being aboard the battleship USS Tennessee on the day of the Pearl Harbor attack.
He was recently able to attend an Operation Tango Mike packing party, where he was thanked for his generous gift by parents and grandparents of deployed troops, veterans and troop supporters.
His simple reply was, “I’m just repaying some of the kindness that was shown to me while I was in the service.”
The gratitude expressed for the support often comes directly from the troops receiving the care packages.
A recent message was, “Merry Christmas, My name is Senior Airman Davielle Rodgers and I just wanted to take a few minutes and thank you for the packages that you sent over here. I was so pleased to have something for the holiday season and I was able to send some of the things to soldiers who haven’t received anything from home. I just want to tell you that it is organizations such as yours that keep us going. You have no ideas what an amazing feeling it is when you know people from back home are behind us. Keep up the wonderful work and I wanted to say again thank you for the support.”
Another recent message came from a military mom who wrote, “Dear Tango Mike, You don’t know me but my sister and her husband live in Lakeport and he just retired from the school district there and was privy to your tango mike operations for the troops. Our son has been stationed in Iraq for 15 months and has received your boxes both last year and already this year. Communications are limited, so on his behalf, I am telling you thanks for remembering our guys. This time of year is tough on them, especially my son and their unit as this is the second year in a row that they won’t be home for the holidays. Once again, thanks.” Elizabeth Conner, Lodi.
These messages serve to reinforce the resolve to continue sending care packages and support to our troops.
In that regard, 2009 Operation Tango Mike events are already being planned. Tips for Troops will take place on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009 beginning at 5 p.m. at Saw Shop Gallery Bistro in Kelseyville. Thanks to Marie and Jeremy, diners will enjoy pork chop, Chicken Toscana or four cheese tortellini entrees, with tips benefitting Operation Tango Mike. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 278-0129.
The wrestlers of Middletown High School are taking to the mat on Jan. 9 and 10 at the Middletown Mustang Invitational. The Mustang wrestlers have pledged to support our troops by raising money in a “take-down-a-thon” at their tournament. During the Christmas vacation, wrestlers are working to fill their pledge sheets with donations for every take down they score on the mat. Coach Troy Brierly is facilitating and organizing the fundraising to benefit Operation Tango Mike.
Anyone wishing to support Operation Tango Mike is welcome. Packing parties are usually held the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at Umpqua Bank, 805 11th St., Lakeport. Donations may be sent to 5216 Piner Court, Kelseyville, CA 95451.
For more information, contact Ginny Craven at (707) 349-2838 or
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The crash took place on Highway 29 just south of Bradford Road near Middletown, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At about 5:46 p.m. a vehicle was reported to have gone off the roadway, the CHP reported.
A male subject was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital where he underwent a cat scan and was admitted. At about the same time a male subject was reported to have been undergoing an x-ray at St. Helena Hospital-Clearlake.
Based on the initial report, it was not clear how many people had been involved or the full extent of their injuries, and their identities were not reported.
The roadways on Christmas appeared mostly impacted by weather-related issues.
Just after 7 p.m., a tree was reported in the road on Bottle Rock Road just west of Pine Grove, according to the CHP. At about 9:30 p.m., a tree also was reported in the middle of Dry Creek Road at Highway 175 in Cobb.
Not long after 10 p.m., CHP also received a report of rocks in the roadway on southbound Highway 29 one mile south of Highway 20.
A power pole with power lines was reported down on southbound Highway 175 just south of Anderson Springs shortly before 9 p.m. The CHP reported that Pacific Gas and Electric was summoned to the scene and the roadway was opened again in both directions just before 10 p.m.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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"To live is not to live for one's self; let us help one another." – Menander
LAKEPORT – Local veterans gathered together this week to share holiday good cheer with seniors around the county.
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 951, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the United Veterans Council took part in the fourth annual "Seniors Not Forgotten" Christmas campaign.
This year Dan Davi and Frank Parker once again coordinated the gathering of donations – both from local businesses and residents – in order to provide gifts to seniors and care facilities. Despite the tough economy, the vets reported that the community was generous once again.
This past Saturday, the groups kicked off the week of Christmas giving with a gift wrapping party at St. Mary Immaculate Catholic Church Hall in Lakeport. They put together gifts including blankets and an abundance of handmade items, the latter crafted by Suzanne Schneider.
Over the next several days, they visited Lakeport facilities including Edelweiss Nursing Home, Evergreen Lakeport Healthcare and Lakeport Skilled Nursing. They're slated for a visit to Meadowood Nursing Center in Clearlake on Christmas morning.
When the Seniors Not Forgotten effort started several years ago, it initially focused on reaching out to veterans in convalescent facilities. However, the groups expanded their efforts to reach out to the hundreds of seniors who are in permanent care in the nursing centers, giving out fleece blankets and slipper socks.
This year, Davi and Dean Gotham, president of the local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter, said they decided to go to the nursing facilities to ask if there was anything in particular they wanted to help care for their senior patients.
Gotham said the facility administrators all made the same request – a Wii gaming system.
The system, the center administrators told the vets, could help with therapy for seniors who needed the mental and physical stimulation.
This week, that wish was granted, with the vets delivering the Wiis and Christmas greetings during visits to the care facilities.
On Tuesday afternoon, the vets gathered at Lakeport Skilled Nursing, where they joined with a roomful of seniors to sing Christmas carols and give out the handmade gifts.
During the visit, they presented the gaming system plus another gift – a barbecue that the seniors can enjoy once the warmer weather arrives.
Joining the vets was Santa Claus – played by Supervisor Rob Brown – who made the rounds of the rooms to visit those residents who were unable to make it to the activity room.
Gotham and his fellow veterans walk patrol on behalf of those who need a helping hand year-round, but their efforts have taken on a special importance at the end of what has been a challenging year for many residents.
Earlier his week, Lake County News received a letter from Bill Conway and his son, Joshua, of Glenhaven, thanking Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars for their unexpected help this holiday season.
On Saturday, Davi, Gotham and VFW Adjutant Kirk Macdonald showed up at the Conways' home with gifts and groceries after finding out about their need. Bill Conway compared the men to the three wise men bearing gifts.
The goal was simply to reach out to someone who needed a helping hand. Gotham said they didn't realize until later that Conway happened to be a Vietnam-era veteran.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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The National Weather Service warned that a hazardous winter storm could be coming into Lake County, with an urgent winter storm warning in effect through noon on Christmas day.
The National Weather Service said that rain will mix with snow, and snow is expected to fall as low as 1,500 feet on Christmas morning, with 3 to 6 inches of snow possible to 3,000 feet by Christmas afternoon, and 1 to 2 inches as low as 2,000 feet.
The agency also warned of wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour that will decrease by late morning on Christmas.
Cobb residents reported about 3 inches of snow fell early Wednesday, with some of it melting off.
Throughout the day, the Cobb area was the scene of hazardous road conditions, with the California Highway Patrol reporting icy and snow-covered roads, causing vehicles to get stuck in the snow.
The snow was so bad in some spots that tow trucks reported the roads weren't passable. The Lake County Roads Department was called in to plow the areas.
Other parts of the county also reported the impact of the winter conditions on roads, with trees and boulders reported on portions of Highway 29.
CHP Officer Josh Dye said most of the weather-related road issues on Wednesday were to be found in Cobb due to the snow, with some snowy slush in the Clear Lake Rivieras also reported. He advised that after dark the roads become icy all over the county.
Late Wednesday, the CHP reported snow in parts of the Mendocino National Forest above Upper Lake.
On Wednesday evening, the CHP began its maximum enforcement period, which Dye said will be in effect until Dec. 28.
During that four-day period, Dye said the CHP will have 80 percent of its available staff on duty, which will mean from three to five officers at a time will be patrolling the county's roadways during the busy holiday.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Hugo L. Macias Jr., 20, and the 16-year-old male from Laytonville, whose name was not released because of his age, were traveling southbound on Highway 101 in a 1994 Geo Tracker when the crash occurred at around 6:14 p.m. Tuesday, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred in the Ukiah area north of mile post marker 36.01, the CHP reported. Conditions at the time of the collision were reported to be cloudy, cold and dry.
The CHP report said that Macias, who was driving about 55 to 60 miles per hour, suddenly veered off the roadway and continued over the side of the road, plummeting 350 feet down a steep ravine.
Both Macias and his passenger were wearing their seat belts, but the violent nature of the crash – in which the vehicle overturned several times – resulted in the teenage passenger being ejected and sustaining fatal injuries, according to the CHP report.
Macias was flown via REACH Air Ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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