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The National Weather Service in Sacramento says that Lakeport might see 1 to 2 inches of snow by Friday afternoon.
The below-freezing air that the National Weather Service predicted to flow into the county overnight will precede another weather system that will bring a 30-percent chance of rain after 10 a.m. this morning, with daytime highs in the low to mid 40s.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a 60-percent chance of precipitation overnight tonight in areas of Lake County, combined with lows in the 30s, which may turn to snow, with Lakeport seeing accumulations of up to 2 inches, and 3 to 5 inches at higher elevations.
Precipitation is expected to taper off by 10 a.m. Friday. according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid to high 40s – so any snow that may occur overnight and into Friday morning will melt off before mid-day.
For the weekend in Lake County, the National Weather Service expects a 40- to 50-percent chance of rain on both Saturday and Sunday, with highs near 50 and lows in the mid 30s.
E-mail Terre Logsdon at
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The service interruption in an area of the Northshore was reported at about 10 a.m., according to a Mediacom representative.
Although there was no exact cause known for the outage, the Mediacom representative suggested longer outages usually result from issues with the company's fiberoptic cables.
Service was finally restored at about 3:30 p.m.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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On Dec. 17 Judge Burton R. Lifland of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York issued a decision confirming Calpine's Sixth Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization, company officials reported.
Lifland ruled that the company had met all of its statutory requirements necessary to confirm its plan, according to a statement from the company.
The ruling came less than a week after Calpine reported that 91 percent of its creditors voted in favor of the reorganization plan.
The federal bankruptcy court decision puts Calpine on track to emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy early next year, prior to Feb. 7, 2008, the company reported.
"We continue to be very proud of what we have been able to accomplish as we work to emerge as a financially stable, stand-alone company with an improved competitive position in the energy industry,” Calpine Chief Executive Officer Robert P. May said in a written statement.
Gregory L. Moody, Calpine's general counsel and chief restructuring officer, said in a written statement that the company's reorganization has been the largest and most complex conducted under the new bankruptcy laws.
Calpine filed the reorganization plan in federal court in June, a year and a half after it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2005, as Lake County News has reported.
In November, the Associated Press reported that Calpine plans to give up attempts to recover $2 billion in “preferential payments” that it made to businesses 90 days before its bankruptcy filing. Calpine, as a business in bankruptcy, could have filed to recover those funds under bankruptcy law.
Mel Scott, a Calpine spokesman, told Lake County News that Calpine's next step is to emerge from bankruptcy before the first week of January.
After the emergence, Scott said Calpine plans to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CPN, replacing the current symbol, CPNLQ.
The company, founded in 1984, owns 19 of 21 geothermal units in the 40-square-mile Geysers steamfield network, which is the world's largest geothermal facility, Dennis Gilles, Calpine's senior vice president for geothermal power operations, told Lake County News in an interview earlier this year.
In May Calpine announced that it planned to invest $200 million in its operation at The Geysers. That effort seeks to expand steam production and identify new sources of geothermal power, and replace geothermal turbines with more efficient models.
The Geysers plants generate 725 kilowatts of power, enough to supply 725,000 households, according to Giles, and employ 350 of the company's 2,300 workers.
Calpine reports that, companywide, it's capable of delivering nearly 24,000 megawatts of electricity in 18 states.
Since declaring bankruptcy, Calpine has sold off some of its holdings, but has maintained that its Lake County operations are core to its future plans and that The Geysers geothermal plants would not be sold.
On Dec. 17, following the court's ruling on the reorganization plan, May credited Calpine's employees for their hard work and dedication “during these uncertain and challenging times.”
“Calpine would not have been able to accomplish all that we have during our restructuring without the outstanding effort and commitment of our employees,” May said.
During the spring of 2006 court documents showed that Calpine cut its workforce by 975, but officials have told Lake County News they have to plans for further reductions.
The company still hasn't determined exactly how its emergence will happen, said Scott. The company continues to negotiate with all of its creditors, he added.
On Dec. 21 Calpine announced that it would issue warrants to purchase 50 million shares of its new common stock, or about 10 percent of the common stock to be issued pursuant to its reorganization plan, to holders of its currently outstanding common stock. Each warrant will represent the right to purchase a single share of Calpine's new common stock.
Calpine is also still figuring out how much its new stock will be worth based on a complex formula, said Scott.
On a possible stock value, Scott said, “It's a little early for us to try to provide that.”
However, a scenario in court documents suggests that if the company ultimately issues 500 million shares, stocks could be valued at $23.88 per share. Calpine's current stock is trading at 26 cents per share.
“We're ready to move forward at this point,” said Scott.
For more information or to see Calpine's court documents, visit www.calpine.com or www.kccllc.net/calpine/.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Santa Claus' sleigh, pulled by his nine reindeer, was spotted over Lake County just moments before the stroke of midnight Monday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command's (NORAD).
NORAD's radar system picked up the sleigh as it left Lake County and headed on to San Francisco and then to Southern California.
The Christmas Eve Santa Claus tracking effort officially ended at 1 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, as Santa and his reindeer finished his worldwide run in Hawaii and returned to the North Pole.
Santa's office issued a statement saying he'll be resting up and starting preparations for next year.
To see videos of his trip and the places he visited, go to www.noradsanta.org/en/home.htm.
Here's wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, and happy holidays to our friends of all faiths.
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A two-story shake home located at 6369 13th Avenue caught fire late Sunday at about 10:30 p.m., with Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters dispatched shortly afterward, reported Fire Captain Dave Emmel.
Twelve firefighters and four engines from all of Northshore Fire's stations responded, said Emmel, along with mutual aid from Lakeport Fire Protection District.
The house's resident was home when the fire started, said Emmel, but she was able to escape without injury.
The fire was put out by 11:30 p.m., said Emmel, with mop up continuing until about 12:45 a.m.
“We saved a lot of the house but it's not livable,” he said. “It really is a complete loss.”
Emmel said he wasn't sure of the home's value. Zillow.com listed the home's value at just over $125,000.
The woman who lived in the home didn't tell firefighters how the fire might have started, said Emmel, and the cause is still under investigation.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Michael Rather, 61, of Upper Lake is facing DUI charges, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia.
On Sunday night at approximately 6:15 p.m. Rather was driving his 2005 Dodge pickup northbound in the southbound lane of Highway 29, north of Mockingbird Lane near Lakeport, Garcia reported.
Lakeport resident James Davis, 50, was driving south in the highway's southbound lane in a 2001 Dodge pickup, Garcia reported. When Davis saw Rather, he took evasive action and attempted to swerve left when the two pickups collided.
Garcia said Rather's vehicle continued in a northerly direction and went up a dirt embankment, causing his vehicle to roll over before coming to rest in the traffic lanes.
Rather sustained major injuries and was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by REACH air ambulance, Garcia reported. Davis was not reported injured at the time of the collision.
CHP closed Highway 29 at Highway 20 and at Mockingbird lane for about two and a half hours while extricating Rather from his pickup and investigating the crime scene, as Lake County News reported Monday.
CHP Officer Dan Frederick is investigating the incident, Garcia said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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