NORTH COAST, Calif. – As a result of felony charges having been filed last month by the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office charging embezzlement of public funds, a former financial analyst at the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office entered guilty pleas at her arraignment Monday morning to six felony counts of grand theft.

Melissa Alcala Alvarez, age 28, now of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, appearing with private defense counsel, was accused to stealing public funds over a 16-month period while she was employed at the sheriff’s office, the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office reported.

Beginning Aug. 29, 2016, and continuing through Nov. 1, 2017, the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office alleged that $35,000 was systematically stolen by Alvarez while she was responsible for and working alone with cash receipts.

After Alvarez left her job at the sheriff’s office, county financial employees were auditing Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office records when fraudulent accounting was discovered that led to a criminal investigation, an effort spearheaded by Sheriff’s Sgt. Andrew Porter, officials said.

“Prior to submitting the gathered evidence to the District Attorney’s Office for review and charging consideration, Sgt. Porter and Chief District Attorney Investigator Kevin Bailey traveled to North Carolina to confront the suspect and give her an opportunity to explain ‘her work’ at the sheriff’s office,” according to a District Attorney’s Office report.

Initially denying all wrongdoing, Alvarez eventually admitted some wrongdoing but refused to confirm all the incriminating evidence, including bank records, which had methodically been compiled as evidence against her, the District Attorney’s Office said.

Authorities said accounting safeguards have subsequently been instituted at the sheriff’s office to prevent similar acts from being perpetrated in the future.

Following Alvarez’s guilty pleas on Monday morning, the court referred the matter to the Adult Probation Department for a social study and sentencing recommendation.

A formal sentencing hearing is now scheduled for 9 a.m. May 22 in Department B of the Mendocino County Superior Court in Ukiah.

Anybody interested in the outcome of this case is welcome to attend the May 22 hearing, the District Attorney’s Office said.

The District Attorney’s Office said the sentence options range from 64 months in county jail to supervised probation with up to a year in county jail. Any sentence will include a requirement that the defendant fully reimburse the Sheriff’s Office for all monies she misappropriated.

The prosecutor handling this matter is District Attorney David Eyster. The agencies involved in gathering the necessary evidence against the defendant were the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, the Mendocino County Auditor-Controller’s Office, the Mendocino County Counsel’s Office, and the District Attorney’s own investigators.

The judge who accepted the defendant’s guilty pleas and who will be the sentencing judge in May is Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Cindee Mayfield.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Forecasted storms expected in the Feather River basin this weekend may require using Lake Oroville’s flood control outlet spillway – also known as the main spillway – this week or next.

After last year’s spillway incident, the Department created the 2017/18 Lake Oroville Winter Operations Plan to ensure public safety in the event of major storm events.

This plan triggers more aggressive outflow from Hyatt Powerplant and potential use of the main spillway should the reservoir’s elevation reach 830 feet during the month of April.

The current forecasts show the potential for inflows to raise the reservoir to near the 830-foot trigger elevation by the middle of next week. Currently, the lake elevation is 794 feet.

In anticipation of the incoming weather, DWR began increasing outflows on Tuesday from Hyatt Powerplant to approximately 10,000 cubic feet per second, or cfs. The total capacity of outflows from Hyatt Powerplant is currently 12,500 cfs. If necessary, DWR also has use of the River Valve Outlet System which has an additional maximum outflow capacity of 4,000 cfs.

DWR’s objective for the year has been to minimize use of the main spillway while it is still under construction.

However, because forecasts are uncertain, DWR is taking proactive steps such as early notification to downstream communities, regulatory agencies and construction crews to prepare for possible use of the main spillway next week in the event the lake level reaches an elevation of 830 feet, even after increasing outflows through Hyatt Powerplant.

Phase one of the reconstruction of the main spillway was completed in November to handle outflows of 100,000 cfs.

The design of the partially reconstructed spillway was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Division of Safety of Dams and an Independent Board of Consultants that has been overseeing reconstruction.

Phase II of construction on the main spillway will begin in May, depending on weather.

Phase I included repair and replacement of the upper chute and end of the chute with structural concrete, and construction of a temporary roller-compacted concrete, or RCC, section in the middle chute.

Since the surface finish of the temporary RCC section is not as smooth as the structural concrete sections, the flow may be more turbulent than in the upper chute. Additional wear may also occur to the surface of the temporary RCC.

Phase I construction included structural concrete cutoff walls at the connections between the structural sections and RCC section as measures to protect against possible wear of the RCC.

If the main spillway is used, inspectors will be closely monitoring the chute and flows.

DWR has notified state and federal regulatory agencies, local and statewide public safety organizations including the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, partner state agencies, as well as local, state and federal elected officials, and community members and stakeholders about the increase in outflows and potential use of the spillway.

Because the forecasts are dynamic, they could change in magnitude and timing. DWR will provide regular communication to the community, stakeholders and the media about forecasts and their impact to Oroville operations over the coming days as the storms approach.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Five and a half months after the Sulphur fire broke out, the Board of Supervisors has terminated the ongoing local emergency for the incident.

The Sulphur fire, which began on Oct. 8 near Clearlake Oaks, quickly spread to Clearlake, where it did most of its damage. It burned approximately 2,207 acres and more than 160 structures.

Then-Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait issued a proclamation of a local health emergency, which was ratified by the Board of Supervisors and regularly updated until it was finally terminated unanimously last Tuesday by the board, at the request of county Health Services staff.

Health Services Director Denise Pomeroy told the board that the cleanup has been completed and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the agency overseeing Lake County’s cleanup, has been gone for several weeks.

Lake County Environmental Health Director Jesse Kang told the board that all the properties that signed up for debris removal with the Army Corps have been completed, and the Army Corps has given the county a letter saying its work is completed, debris is removed and soil testing is done.

Kang said the owners of 14 properties opted to do private cleanup. Of those, he said all have been cleaned, but at the time of the board meeting eight were pending soil testing results.

Now that the Lake County Environmental Health Division and Army Corps of Engineers have confirmed that the cleanup steps listed on the signs have been completed, and with the board terminating the proclamation of a local health emergency, the county reported that property owners may choose to remove the checklist signs originally posted by the Army Corps of Engineers.

For more information regarding the checklist signs please call Lake County Health Services, Environmental Health Division at 707-263-1164.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is encouraging the community’s seniors to take advantage of a program it offers to help keep them safe and connected.

The department’s Volunteers in Police Services offers the “You Are Not Alone,” or YANA, program.

The program provides regular phone calls to seniors who live alone, who have limited family or community contacts, or seniors who just want someone to check in on them on a regular basis.

Seniors also can call the YANA program for help finding specific services and resources.

YANA promotes peace of mind and a sense of security for elderly residents. It’s a great resource for seniors who enjoy independent living, but have no friends or family nearby to check on them regularly, officials said.

If an emergency occurs during a phone call, the VIP/YANA volunteer will arrange for a police officer and/or medical assistance to be sent to the residence right away.

Additionally, if the volunteer is unable to reach the senior citizen after multiple attempts, they may request a police officer conduct a welfare check on the individual.

Seniors can register for the program by calling 707-994-8201, Extension 322.

They should leave a message with their name and call back number and a volunteer will contact them.

Services can also be requested on the Clearlake Police Department Web site at http://clearlake.ca.us/302/YANA-Gold-You-Are-Not-Alone.

Anyone interested in joining the YANA program as a volunteer can also leave a message at the number listed above.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Hopland woman who formerly served as a volunteer firefighter and was arrested in January for vandalisms at two fire facilities has been found incompetent to stand trial and is undergoing an evaluation before the case proceeds.

Rachael Diane Seivertson, 29, of Hopland, Calif., was arrested Jan. 14, as Lake County News has reported.

She’s facing three felony counts and a misdemeanor in the case, according to Mendocino County Superior Court filings.

However, Mike Geniella, a spokesman for the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office, said Seivertson was found to be incompetent to stand trial following a hearing by Superior Court Judge John Behnke on Feb. 21.

Authorities linked Seivertson to vandalism incidents at both the Hopland Cal Fire Station and the Hopland Fire Department just days apart during the first half of January.

At the Cal Fire station, the investigation found more than $8,000 in damage to vehicles while an estimated $10,000 in damage was done at the Hopland Fire Department, where windows were broken out on the fire station windows as well as on emergency vehicles, which also had their tires slashed, according to the original Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office report.

At the time of her arrest, authorities said they believed Seivertson’s motive was revenge.

The Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office subsequently charged her with four counts.

The counts include three felonies, all for vandalism in excess of $400, and a misdemeanor for kicking a correctional officer when she was booked in January, according to court records.

The case can’t move forward until her mental status is determined.

“She is undergoing evaluation. Her status is scheduled to be reviewed by Judge Behnke on April 16,” Geniella said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Following one of the driest Februaries in California history, late winter storms increased the Sierra Nevada snowpack but were not enough to put the state on track for an average year.

Monday’s snow survey by the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program indicates that water content in the statewide mountain snowpack increased from 23 percent of the March 1 average to 52 percent of today’s historical average.

The early-April snow survey is the most important for water supply forecasting because the snowpack is normally at its peak before it begins to melt with rising spring temperatures.

“These snowpack results – while better than they were a few weeks ago – still underscore the need for widespread careful and wise use of our water supplies,” said California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth. “The only thing predictable about California’s climate is that it’s unpredictable. We need to make our water system more resilient so we’re prepared for the extreme fluctuations in our water system, especially in the face of climate change.”

The snow survey conducted at Phillips Station by Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, found a snow water equivalent of 12.4 inches, or 49 percent of average for this time of year as recorded since 1964.

Snow water equivalent is the amount of water contained within the snowpack. The snowpack normally provides about a third of the water for California’s farms and communities as it melts in the spring and summer and fills reservoirs and rivers.

“Despite recent storms, today's snow survey shows that we're still playing catch-up when it comes to our statewide water supplies,” said Gehrke. “While today's snow survey determined that the water content is much higher than February, the state will remain well below average for the year.”
In addition to the manual surveys conducted at Phillips, DWR also logs electronic readings from 103 stations scattered throughout the Sierra. Electronic measurements indicate the snow water equivalent of the northern Sierra snowpack is 11.8 inches, 43 percent of the multi-decade average for today’s date.

The central and southern Sierra readings are 17.6 inches (60 percent of average) and 12.9 inches (50 percent of average) respectively.

Statewide, the snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 14.6 inches, or 52 percent of the April 2 average. Electronic snowpack readings are available on the Internet at: http://bit.ly/2rVa84a.

The Phillips snow course, near the intersection of Highway 50 and Sierra-at-Tahoe Road, is one of approximately 260 that are surveyed manually throughout the winter.

Manual measurements augment the electronic readings from the snow pillows in the Sierra Nevada that provide a current snapshot of the water content in the snowpack.

California’s exceptionally high precipitation last winter and spring resulted in above-average storage in 154 reservoirs tracked by the department.

DWR estimates total storage in these reservoirs at the end of March was 28.2 million acre-feet, or 107 percent of the 26.4 million acre-feet average for this time of year.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities are continuing their efforts to determine what led to a wreck last Monday that killed a Washington family, are still looking for three of the family’s missing children and believe that the crash off a cliff in a rugged area of the northern Mendocino coast may have been intentional.

In a telephone call with reporters on Sunday evening, acting Assistant Chief Greg Baarts with the California Highway Patrol’s Northern Division and Capt. Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office gave updates on the parallel investigations their agencies are conducting into the crash that killed the Hart family of Woodland, Wash.

“It’s a very daunting task to try to put all the pieces of the puzzle together,” Van Patten told reporters.

Despite the vast interest in the case, Van Patten explained, “We as investigators don’t want to rush to conclusions,” adding, “It’s going to take some time.”

Baarts called the crash “very tragic,” and told reporters, “We’ve been working on this 24/7 since the day that it happened.”

Because their initial conclusion is that the crash may have been an intentional act and not a traffic crash, Baarts said they are investigating it as a possible felony case.

They said they are still trying to find Devonte Hart, 15, Hannah Hart, 16, and Sierra Hart, 12.

Last Monday their siblings, Markis Hart, 19, Jeremiah Hart, 14, and Abigail Hart, 14, and their parents, Jennifer Jean Hart and Sarah Margaret Hart, both age 38, were confirmed dead following a solo-vehicle wreck, as Lake County News has reported.

The bodies of the five family members were found on the afternoon of March 26 after a passerby spotted their GMC SUV on its top on a large rock in the ocean. Authorities said the vehicle went off a 100-foot cliff at the edge of a dirt turnout along Highway 1 at County Road 430, just south of Juan Creek in Westport.

Van Patten said the Harts’ family and friends have indicated that it had been very rare for the family not to travel or to be together, so investigators are going on the assumption that the three missing children were with the rest of their siblings and parents at the time of the wreck.

While the couple had been belted in, their children were not. Van Patten said two of the children were found in the rocks on the shoreline and the third was in the water.

Van Patten said the three missing children also could have been in the water and searchers just weren’t able to locate them.

He said extensive searches inside the crash area and beyond have continued, including through the Easter holiday weekend.

The area where the crash occurred is difficult to search due to its strong and unpredictable ocean tides and the water’s very murky quality. Van Patten said conditions have been such that they haven’t been able to get divers in the water.

He said Mendocino County Sheriff’s Patrol Division staff, with aerial support from CHP fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, continued the search this weekend along the Mendocino Coast and down into the Sonoma County coast. Based on past drownings, Van Patten said it hasn’t been uncommon for bodies to be found counties away.

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman, who had been at the scene, said last week that the firefighters who first repelled down to the vehicle believed that, by the time of its discovery, it had been there several hours because the engine was cold and water that had pooled in the upturned vehicle was warmer than the ocean, likely because the sun had warmed it.

Since then, authorities had asked people across the region to report seeing the family in the days before the wreck in an effort to track their whereabouts.

Baarts said they have not received any leads in response to that request, but on Sunday they renewed the call to anyone who might have seen the family on their trip from Washington – at restaurants, hotels, gas stations or other locations.

While they so far haven’t gotten leads, Baarts said investigators have talked to witnesses in Oregon and Washington, talked to family members, and have written search warrants for bank and cell phone records, which they’re waiting on now.

They said Sunday they still don’t know why the family was even in Mendocino County.

Both men also acknowledged the many agencies – both inside of California and from other western states – who are assisting as well as the outpouring of resources and assistance.

Vehicle investigation raises possibility of intentional crash

Some of the new information the men shared with reporters on Sunday arose from the CHP’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, or MAIT, investigation so far.

That information has led them to believe that the crash may have been intentional, based on a lack of skid marks, and signs the vehicle accelerated and didn’t brake before going over the sheer cliff, Baarts said.

Baarts explained that the vehicle’s speedometer was “pinned” at 90 miles per hour. However, he said that doesn’t mean that’s how fast the vehicle actually was going, and investigators must look at other reasons that could have caused that speed to be recorded.

For example, he said the speedometer is electronically controlled, and an electronic charge could have caused it to record that 90-mile-per-hour speed, as could an unintentional manipulation during the vehicle’s recovery from the crash scene.

Many other things need to be completed before the speed can be concluded upon, he said.

The reason why investigators believe the wreck may have been intentional is that the vehicle’s computer shows that it came to a stop, most likely in the turnout, before it accelerated and continued to do so over a distance of about 70 feet before going off the cliff and into the ocean, according to Baarts.

He said the lack of physical evidence such as tire friction marks and no burrowing in the gravel pullout and information from the airbag control module suggested that the vehicle went straight off the edge, not off at an angle.

Both Baarts and Van Patten acknowledged during the call that a huge piece of the puzzle lies in the coroner’s investigation.

Regarding that investigation, Van Patten said that on Thursday and Friday autopsies were conducted on the bodies of the five family members located so far.

He said the initial finding and notations were made by a pathologist, and are unofficial findings at this time. Those will be coupled with toxicology testing to be done by an East Coast laboratory as is the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office protocol.

Van Patten said it typically takes four to six weeks to conclude the toxicology testing, and once received he said it will be used to compare against the autopsies’ physical findings.

“This is a very, very complex investigation,” he said, adding that there are numerous agencies and an overwhelming amount of information, and it will take weeks for them to have a clear understanding of whether or not there is a definitive answer as to what occurred.

In response to questions from reporters, Baarts said a search warrant was served at the family’s Washington home and, to the best of his knowledge, no suicide note was found there.

There have been reports in Oregon and Washington media outlets referring to a possible neglect case involving the family that’s being investigated by Child Protective Services.

Van Patten said the local investigators are aware of the case but didn’t have any information about the Washington neglect investigation.

As for the felony aspect of the case, Baarts said the information they have so far is leading them to believe that they could be looking at a variety of felony crimes, such as manslaughter, but said he wasn’t yet in a position to give a final conclusion.

He said the concerns about the felony crime, or crimes, are laid out in the probable cause declaration for a search warrant written for the case.

Baarts said investigators also have come across red flags in speaking with family and friends of the victims, but he declined to be specific.

Anyone who has information about the family is asked to call the CHP’s Ukiah Area Office at 707-467-4000 or the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office 24-hour tipline at 707-234-2100.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors this week will host a visit from California’s United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development director.

The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 3, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

At 9:30 a.m., the board will get a presentation from California USDA Rural Development Director Kim Vann.

Vann, a former Colusa County supervisor, was appointed to oversee USDA Rural Development’s California operations in November by President Donald Trump, as Lake County News has reported.

She will speak to the board about housing and economic development projects in Lake County.

The full agenda follows.

CONSENT AGENDA

7.1: Adopt the resolution of support for protection of our ocean and coast from offshore drilling and fracking.

7.2: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings held March 13 and March 20.

7.3: (a) Adopt a resolution amending adopted budget for FY 2017-18 to establish Fund 64 – Cannabis Fees and Taxation, Budget Unit 1072 – Cannabis Program; and (b) adopt a resolution amending Resolution No. 2017-125 Establishing Position Allocations for Fiscal Year 2017-2018, Budget Unit No. 1122, Treasurer – Tax Collector, Budget Unit No. 2201, Sheriff – Coroner, Budget Unit No. 2602, Building and Safety, Budget Unit No. 2702, Planning.

7.4: Sitting as the Lake County Air Quality Management District Board of Directors, approve waiver of the 900 hour limitation for Extra Help Secretary 1 / Field Worker 1 Robert Boss.

7.5: Approve agreement between county of Lake and CliftonLarsonAllen LLP for audit services for fiscal years ending June 30, 2018, and June 30, 2019.

7.6: Approval request for advance step hiring of mental health specialist II, Step 5 for Dr. Andrea Bruce.

7.7: (a) Approve waiver of the 900-hour extra help limitation for extra help district attorney investigator aides, Robert McPherson and Billy Newsom and (b) approve waiver of the 900-hour extra help limitation for extra help information tech support tech I, Ryan Clair.

7.8: Adopt proclamation designating the month of April 2018 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Lake County.

7.9: Authorize the Public Services director/assistant purchasing agent to increase the purchase order to Geologic Computer Systems in the amount of $550 for a revised amount not to exceed $119,838.88, due to out of state sales tax that was not included in the original request.

7.10: Adopt resolution approving right of way certification for the HSIP Cycle 8 Upgrade Warning Signs and Striping Project - State Agreement No. HSIPL-5914 (113).

7.11: Approve contract between county of Lake and Redwood Community Services Inc. for family wraparound services in the amount of $360,000 from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018, and authorize the chair to sign.

7.12: Approve agreement #EW-2018-14 between the Regents of the University of California at Davis and the Lake County Department of Social Services for training services in the amount of $122,400 from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019 and authorize the chair to sign.

7.13: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Bid4Assets Inc. for the period of Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2018, for tax default public auction services for an amount not to exceed $30,000; and authorize the chair to sign.

TIMED ITEMS

8.2, 9:10 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of April 2018 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Lake County.

8.3, 9:15 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution approving resolutions and capital fire facility and equipment plans submitted by Lake County fire agencies and updating the Lake County Capital Fire Facility and Equipment Plan. Continued from March 20.

8.4, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation by Kim Vann, state director of USDA-Rural Development in California, to discuss housing and economic development projects in Lake County.

UNTIMED ITEMS

9.2: Continued from March 13, consideration of board appointment to the Building Board of Appeals.

CLOSED SESSION

10.1: Public employee evaluations: Information technology director, Water Resources director.

10.2: Employee grievance complaint pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54957.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will hold a public hearing on an ordinance to give an earlier deadline for hazardous weed removal and present proclamations to increase awareness of sexual assault, child abuse and human trafficking.

The council will meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, to discuss negotiations with Lake County Tribal Health for property located at 902 Bevins Court before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

At the start of the meeting, the council will present proclamations designating April as Sexual Assault Awareness Day and Child Abuse Prevention Month to Lake Family Resource Center staff, and a proclamation designating April 14 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day to the Soroptimist International of Clear Lake.

On the agenda is a public hearing on a new hazardous weed abatement ordinance which will change the date in which dry vegetation creating fire hazard conditions on private property must be abated from early July to June 1.

Under business, council members will approve the updated Sewer System Management Plan and direct staff to complete the update certification process in the State Water Resources Board’s electronic database.

The city clerk also will present a proposed resolution adopting an email retention policy and will ask the council to appoint a member to serve as the Lakeport representative to the Public, Educational and Governmental Channel Board of Directors with a term expiring on the first Monday of January 2020.

Police Chief Brad Rasmussen also will give an update on police activity in the first quarter of 2018.

Items on the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the council’s regular meeting on March 20 and the
special meeting of March 27; approval of Application 2018-012, with staff recommendations, for the quagga mussel outreach booth to be set up at the Third Street boat ramp during summer events in Library Park; approval of Application 2018-013, with staff recommendations, for the Walk for Life event to be held on May 5; adoption of a resolution approving the compensation and benefits program for the city of Lakeport Unrepresented Employees for the period of March 1, 2018 through June 30, 2020; adoption of a proposed resolution opposing the Tax Fairness, Transparency and Accountability Act of 2018; and receipt and filing of the Public, Educational and Governmental Channel fiscal year 2018-19 budget.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

040318 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has had an influx of German Shepherds, which join a group of other dogs needing new homes.

In addition to the German Shepherds, dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Labrador Retriever, pit bull, shepherd and terrier.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Female shepherd mix puppy

This female shepherd mix puppy has a short black and tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 2a, ID No. 9732.

Female shepherd mix puppy

This female shepherd mix puppy has a short tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 2b, ID No. 9733.

Pit bull terrier

This female pit bull terrier has a short brown and blue coat.

She’s in kennel No. 7, ID No. 9588.

Pit bull-Labrador Retriever mix

This male pit bull-Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 11, ID No. 9591.

Female German Shepherd

This female German Shepherd has a short black and tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 12, ID No. 9657.

Terrier mix

This male terrier mix has a tan and white coat.

He already has been neutered.

He is in kennel No. 18, ID No. 9659.

Female pit bull terrier

This female pit bull terrier has a short blue coat with white markings.

She’s in kennel No. 19, ID No. 9711.

‘Camilia’

“Camilia” is a female German Shepherd mix with a long black and brown coat.

She’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. 9694.

‘Onyx’

“Onyx” is a female shepherd mix.

She has a medium-length black coat with white markings, and already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 22, ID No. 4174.

Female German Shepherd

This female German Shepherd has a medium-length tan and black coat.

She’s in kennel No. 25, ID No. 9708.

Female German Shepherd

This female German Shepherd has a medium-length black and tan coat.

She’s in kennel No. 26, ID No. 9707.

Female German Shepherd

This female German Shepherd has a medium-length tan and black coat.

She’s in kennel No. 27, ID No. 9706.

Female German Shepherd

This female German Shepherd has a medium-length tan and black coat.

She’s in kennel No. 28, ID No. 9710.

Female German Shepherd

This female German Shepherd has a short black and tan coat.

She’s in kennel No. 29, ID No. 9709.

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm.

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – As a rising sun held back an encroaching fog slithering from both the nearby coastline and the inland farmland on Friday, fueling vapor could be seen escaping from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket perched at the launch tower.

The rocket configuration, or “stack,” launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base where several SpaceX launches have taken place in recent years.

This particular payload, consisting of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, were secured at the top of the 230-foot-tall rocket, protected inside an eggshell-shaped nose cone known as a fairing.

This fairing protects the payload during ascent as the rocket screams through the atmosphere and then is discarded once the rocket moves beyond Earth’s protective layer, about three minutes and 28 seconds after liftoff.

The Iridium-5 launch is the fifth cluster of satellites out of 10 launches that will strive to form an upgraded web of communication technology around the globe.

SpaceX will be responsible for eight payloads with each launch delivering on average nine satellites for a total of 75 in all. This web will assist people as they utilize the Internet of Things, or IoT, accessible by an enormous array of various technological components.

The instantaneous launch window Friday was at 7:13 a.m. and as planned the rocket catapulted off the launchpad at T-minus zero.

SpaceX continues to demonstrate the reliability of their reusable hardware as this rocket booster, the first stage, flew previously on another mission and was prepared for this flight.

In fact, Iridium points out this Falcon 9 rocket first stage previously carried the third set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit back in October of 2017.

Previously flown hardware is often described by SpaceX as “flight-proven.” Veteran rocket boosters from SpaceX are easily spotted from the visual scarring which can be seen on the vehicle as dark marks reflecting the intense heat the booster experiences as it descends back through the atmosphere.

The Iridium-5 mission suffered a temporary setback during launch preparation when a problem with a harness on a satellite provided concerning data.

“We don’t want to launch a brick,” Iridium CEO Matt Desch explained, referring to an unresponsive satellite.

This problem was detected only hours prior to launch and it would be determined that an external testing harness was to blame. Once the problem was identified and corrected, all activity for launch proceeded as normal.

After the first and second stage separation of the Falcon 9 rocket occurs, the second stage initiates thrust from its vacuum Merlin engine and then shuts down for 43 minutes during what is commonly referred to as a coast phase.

Upon restart and a short burn, the second stage has then ensured the satellite payload has achieved the desired trajectory. About 57 minutes into the flight, the 10 satellites began a timed release sequence distributing each satellite not unlike a string of pearls across the sky.

Once each satellite is powered and makes contact with ground crews, they will eventually propel themselves into their desired altitudes and orbits.

When the successful launch and deployment of Iridium’s NEXT payload occurred, Desch provided these remarks. "The new satellites and services we're launching and continued strong subscriber growth are cementing our position as an industry leader and critical global communications platform and underscore the significant transformation we've undergone as a company over the last 10 years. This truly is a testament to the trust our partners and customers have in our network, which is only going to continue growing as the deployment of the Iridium NEXT constellation nears completion."

The partnership between SpaceX and Iridium has proven to be a successful endeavor as SpaceX provides the launch services Iridium needs to advance their technological edge over competitors. There are still a few more planned launches this year with the manifest indicating launches taking place in May, June and August, but those predicted dates can easily change.

Lake County resident Jerome Strach is a Lake County News correspondent and photographer.

In retrospect, it was a very brave, if ill-conceived, plan.

Or maybe it was a very ill-conceived, if brave, plan – 150 years later and the jury is still out. But then again, any venture that posterity dubs the “Great Locomotive Chase” has got to have a good deal of bravery and foolhardiness in equal measure.

Don’t let the name fool you, though, the great chase had a lot riding on it – the potential collapse of the Confederate Army in the west to be exact.

It was spring in 1862 and the Civil War was approaching the end of its first long year. In the western theatre, the tide was turning in favor of the Union, with General Curtis scoring a victory at Pea Ridge in Arkansas and General Grant capturing Fort Donelson along the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

On all fronts, the men in blue had the rebels whipped. Following up these victories, the Union commander of the theater ordered his two armies to gather together, the better to fend off a massing of Confederate troops in Corinth, Mississippi.

The subsequent clash between the opposing forces kicked off the bloody battle of Shiloh. That first day of fighting nearly saw the complete collapse of the Union Army, as a tide of gray-clad demons emerged from the predawn fog and caught the Yankees with their pants down.

As the exhausted and bloody-nosed Union troops bedded down for the night at Shiloh, General Ormsby Mitchell considered his predicament.

Mitchell was 200 miles to the east, in command of 8,000 soldiers. Now that the Union army to the west was engaged with a considerable force of rebels at Shiloh, he needed to plan his next move wisely.

Recognizing that in their haste to ambush the enemy, the Confederate army had left the city of Chattanooga loosely defended, General Mitchell began sketching out a plan to deal a deadly blow.

The city of Chattanooga was a vital connection point for the Confederates, located as it was at the intersection of major railway lines leading throughout the south. Capturing that city would open a gateway for the Union to launch campaigns deep into enemy territory, cutting the Confederate Army in the west in two.

But in order to achieve such a victory, Mitchell needed to ensure that the enemy couldn’t reinforce the beleaguered defenders of Chattanooga once his assault was underway. So the general turned to an unlikely source for help: a spy.

James Andrews hailed from Kentucky, and when word of the war reached him, he threw his hat in with the Union. Since he had lived in the area of operations for a few years already, the Union commanders saw fit to take advantage of his local knowledge, and a spy was born.

General Mitchell invited James Andrews into his tent the night of April 6. By the tattered light of a single candle, Andrews and \ Mitchell hatched an audacious plan.

Andrews, dressed in civilian clothes, would lead 23 similarly-disguised soldiers to Atlanta Georgia, the city to the south of Chattanooga where the Confederate reinforcements were likely to come from.

Once there, he and his force of commandos would hijack a train and ride it north to Chattanooga, all the while ripping up track behind them. If their plan succeeded, they would have stolen from the enemy the quickest means of reinforcing Chattanooga.

Mitchell and Andrews planned to coordinate their movements, so that the assault on Chattanooga occurred as Andrews and his men set off on their stolen locomotive. Andrews’ team set out in small groups, to reassemble at Marietta, Georgia on April 10 and steal the train on the morning of the 11.

Rain delayed them one day, but promptly at 6 a.m. on the 12th Andrews and his men boarded a train bound for Chattanooga. The engine of the train was known locally as the General.

Eight miles into the trip, the Union squad jumped the crew and successfully hijacked the locomotive. Now the real challenge began.

Racing down the track, Andrews and his team stopped periodically to cut telegraph lines and tear up track behind them. The latter task took longer than they had anticipated. To make matters worse, the enemy were prompt in their response.

Led by a young conductor, a group of railroad employees rushed pell-mell after Andrews, first on foot, then marginally quicker on a push car. The disassembled track delayed the pursuers, but aboard the General, Andrews and his team were facing their own setbacks.

Mitchell and Andrews had timed the assault too perfectly, and in their haste to save important military supplies from the advancing Union army, the garrison at Chattanooga was sending down boxcars full of munitions – right into the path of the stolen train.

Andrews was able to talk his way out of several close encounters, one time claiming that the General was a rush delivery of munitions for the Confederate army further to the north. These untimely delays alone might not have prevented Andrews from reaching his destination. But then the General went and got finicky on them.

Trains, after all, need fuel.

Pushing full-steam ahead for over 50 miles had depleted the meager supply of wood and coal onboard, and a brief resupply of the stuff was cut short.

As they were frantically hauling wood aboard, the hijackers heard the telltale clunking of a racing locomotive. Looking behind them, to their horror, they saw in hot pursuit that persistent conductor and his loyal train workers.

While Andrews had been conning incoming trainloads fleeing Chattanooga, the pursuing force had made decent headway on their pushcart. When they were flung from the vehicle after hitting a section of track derailed by Andrews and his team, two of the Confederate train workers picked themselves up and continued pursuit on foot.

They soon reached a station where they telegraphed ahead to Chattanooga, telling them of the situation and asking them to send down guards. Not content to let others take the glory, these two persistent men boarded their own locomotive and chased after the General themselves.

Now, faced with a trainload of armed guards barreling down from the north and an unknown number of enemy coming up from the south, Andrews knew the game was up.

Shouting, “Scatter boys.” he and his crew abandoned the engine and split up. Although they tried to disappear into the bush, even in civilian clothes it didn’t take long for Andrews and his men to be recognized as Yankees.

He and his entire crew were caught.

Since they had been wearing civilian clothes, the Confederate government considered them spies. They hanged James Andrews and seven of his comrades. The rest of the Union saboteurs they shipped to prison.

A year later, the entire group of them escaped, two men even rowing several hundred miles up the coast to seek safety north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

In March 1863, six of the raiders met with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, who explained that Congress had created a new medal to honor valor.

“Your party shall have the first,” he said as he pinned onto Private Jacob Parrott our nation’s first Medal of Honor.

That concluded the saga of the “Great Locomotive Chase” of the Civil War.

Foolhardy or brave? Probably a bit of both. But then again, maybe acts as brave as theirs require a suspension of better judgement. After all, the sacrifice had been great, but the reward would have been greater still.

Antone Pierucci is curator of history at the Riverside County Park and Open Space District and a freelance writer whose work has been featured in such magazines as Archaeology and Wild West as well as regional California newspapers.