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CHP Officer Adam Garcia reported Monday that, while officers remove lost items from the state's roadways on a daily basis, one Clear Lake area officer recently came across a much different find.
On Dec. 23, CHP Officer Erica Coddington was removing a box from the middle of Highway 20 near Blue Lakes, Garcia reported.
“Once Officer Coddington was out of the roadway she noticed that this was not the usual ice chest or ladder,” Garcia said.
Rather, it was a wrapped Christmas present labeled “From Grandma and Grandpa,” Garcia reported.
Normally, such items are moved to the road shoulder, said Garcia, where Caltrans picks them up and takes them to the landfill.
However, the thought of a sad child on Christmas day kept Coddington from discarding the package, said Garcia.
Garcia said the CHP is requesting the public's help in locating the lost Christmas gift's intended recipient.
Anyone who was traveling through the area of Highway 20 near Blue Lakes and has a child missing their gift is asked to call Officer Erica Coddington at the Clear Lake Area CHP office at 707-279-0103.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Lake County’s November 2007 unemployment rate was 8.2 percent, up 0.8 percent from last month and 1.0 percent above the November 2006 rate, according to Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's North Coast office in Eureka.
The 8.2 percent rate compares to a seasonally unadjusted rate of 5.6 percent for California and 4.5 percent for the U.S. Some surrounding county rates included 14.4 percent for Colusa, 5.5 percent for Mendocino and 4.5 percent for Sonoma, Mullins reported.
Marin again had the lowest rate in the state with 3.8 percent and Imperial County had the highest at 19.1 percent, according to Mullins.
Lake's unemployment rate ranks it No. 42 out of California's 58 counties, according to statistics provided by Mullins.
Total industry employment increased 530 jobs (3.6 percent) between November 2006 and November 2007, ending the year-over period with 15,080 jobs, Mullins said.
Mullins reported that year-over job growth occurred in farm; trade, transportation and utilities; information; private educational and health services; and government.
Year-over job losses occurred in Natural Resources, Mining, and Construction; Financial Activities; Professional and Business Services; Leisure and Hospitality; and Other Services, Mullins reported.
The manufacturing sector, said Mullins, experienced no change over the year.
The farm sector again led industry gainers adding 380 jobs for the year, according to Mullins. Government was up 130; and private educational and health services and trade, transportation and utilities gained 70 and 50 respectively.
Information was up 10 jobs; natural resources, mining and construction led decliners dropping 50 jobs; and financial activities was down 30. Professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and other services shed 10 jobs each for the period.
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Lt. Chris Spallino of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reported that it's rescue helicopter, Henry 1, was dispatched to the Oat Hill Mine Road near Calistoga on a report of an injured mountain biker at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Deputy Wade Borges along with Pilot Matt Heart and Paramedic Dmitri Menzel responded to the area and located 47-year-old Randy Woods of Sacramento approximately four and a half miles from the nearest roadway, Spallino reported.
The helicopter landed nearby, Menzel and Borges were secured to the bottom of a 100-foot rescue rope and were flown to Woods, according to Spallino.
Once on scene, Woods complained of a broken lower leg due to the crash, Spallino reported. Woods was placed into a rescue stretcher and long-lined to a nearby landing zone.
Spallino said the helicopter crew flew Woods to Saint Helena Hospital for treatment.
The 10-mile Oat Hill Mine Road area is known to mountain biking enthusiasts for its great views along an old wagon road.
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LAKEPORT – It seems like it has been forever.
It has felt at times as though nothing at all was being done, or that the wheels slowly turning in distant bureaucratic machines would never arrive at our number.
So now is the time to let a breath of fresh air into the Soper-Reese Community Theater, and we have that in the Winter Music Fest/Vaudeville 2008, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27.
It will be the lead program when the Soper-Reese opens its doors after completion of stage one of the reconstruction plan.
The Music Fest is returning to its home at Main and Martin streets. During the short period that the theater was kept open after the Arts Council purchased it, the Music Fest was presented there. Since then it has been held in the Little Theater in the Fairgrounds and last year at the Marge Alakszay Center at Clear Lake High School.
The Arts Council is delighted to get its Winter Music Fest back to its source.
Last year's presentation was a good show, one of the best in some time. This arose from a more varied fund of talent, skillful production staff, and the excellent facilities of the Alakszay Center.
Some of last year's talent is with us again, and there will be some new faces. At the time of writing this, the slate is not fully written, but you will be entertained.
Just a hint or two for you, though. Bill, for instance, will take a journey together with Connie, and Hope will fall in love, forever. Mrs. Flores will be the source of Adelaide's lament, Holland will just barely
contain the October rain, and a Zimmerman will become a sultan. Stranger things than these can happen, were Rod a rich man.
Nick Biondo assisted us last year, his last at the high school, and has agreed to come with us to the Soper-Reese. He has been setting up a sound system for the community Theater, and he will be manning it for the Music Fest performances.
Once again, this show will be done without karaoke. For singers who don't have any accompanying musician, David Neft will be on hand to accompany them.
Of course, some of the audience will be there just to see the reopened Soper-Reese Community Theater. There are those who can't believe even yet in any progress on that Lakeport landmark, and some of them will come just to see for themselves. I'm sure that they too will have a good time!
Tickets are now available at the Main Street Gallery, 325 N. Main St., Lakeport, and at Catfish Books, 1013 11th St., Lakeport.
For more information, call the Arts Council, 707-263-6658.
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THIS ARTICLE'S PHOTO CUTLINES HAVE BEEN UPDATED WITH THE NAME OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER.
LAKE COUNTY – Local law enforcement officers took part in a friendly shooting competition recently which the organizer hopes will turn into an annual fundraiser.
California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Dye arranged the inaugural Lake County Law Enforcement Challenge, which was held Oct. 28 at the sheriff's shooting range at Highland Springs.
Dye said it was a way to get all of the county's law enforcement agencies together, enjoy some camaraderie and have a friendly competition.
Each agency was invited to send its top five shooters in three categories – shotgun, rifle and pistol – and they all went head to head, Dye said. More than 35 competitors took part.
Speed and accuracy decided the victors in each event, said Dye.
In the pistol division, Lake County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Wes Frey won, said Dye, and received a new pistol. Lakeport Police Det. Norm Taylor won the shotgun competition, with Deputy Mike Pascoe of the sheriff's office coming out the best shot with a rifle, with Taylor receiving a new shotgun and Pascoe a new rifle.
The overall team competition only counted the best pistol performances, because Dye said that some local agencies don't carry rifles and shotguns.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office won the overall team championship, said Dye. Their prize was a Howitzer shell made into a traveling trophy.
There was even a special chiefs division in the competition, said Dye.
Local CHP Commander Dane Hayward won the chiefs competition, which Sheriff Rod Mitchell couldn't attend because of a meeting.
Mitchell, Dye reported, “started calling right away wanting a rematch.”
For his part, Mitchell responded, “I don't want a rematch, I want a match. I want an opportunity to compete against them.”
“I think everyone had a lot of fun,” said Dye, who added that it was one of the most fun days he's had in his law enforcement career.
The competition had a lot of local support, said Dye, including help from the Konocti Rod and Gun Club, which helped set up targets.
Dye sent a special thank you to the event's local sponsors, including Huggins Uniforms, Lakeshore Bait and Tackle, Lake County Guns and Rick's Guns.
In addition, national sponsors Safari Land and Midway USA also lent their support, said Dye.
The plan is to hold the competition on an annual basis, said Dye, although next year's date hasn't yet been set.
“I'm hoping that it will be even bigger next year,” he said, noting that he would like to turn it into a fundraising event.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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The quake, measuring 3.1 in magnitude on the Richter scale, was recorded at 3:20 p.m., according to the US Geological Survey.
The US Geological Survey reported that the small earthquake was centered two miles west of Anderson Springs, four miles east southeast of The Geysers and five mile south of Cobb. It occurred at a depth of 1.6 miles.
Four reports were submitted to the US Geological Survey from people who reported feeling the quake, including one person each from Middletown and Pope Valley, one from Novato and one from Stockton.
The US Geological Survey reported a 3.0 quake near The Geysers on Dec. 23, as Lake County News previously reported.
Across the county, the Lake Pillsbury area, which has had increased seismic activity this year, had two small quakes – a 2.7 and a 2.6 – that occurred just after 6 p.m. Friday, according to the US Geological Survey's records. Both of those small earthquakes were centered eight miles west northwest of Lake Pillsbury.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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