UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A fatality was reported as the result of a vehicle crash late Friday afternoon near Upper Lake.
The wreck was reported just before 5 p.m. in the area of Highway 20 and Van Sleeper Road.
Initial radio reports stated that the crash involved two or three vehicles.
Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters arriving at the scene reported that the crash involved two vehicles and partially blocked the highway.
The first units at the scene and a battalion chief that arrived immediately after them reported over the radio that one person had died in the wreck.
Radio reports indicated there also was one person who was injured but up and walking around and another person who was uninjured.
Fire units remained on scene until shortly before 6:30 p.m., based on scanner reports.
Additional details were not immediately available.
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. – Clearlake Police officers on Friday arrested a Novato man on charges including kidnapping, making terrorist threats and fighting with police officers after he tried to take a child from an apartment.
Donald Jackson, 49, was arrested in the case, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.
Just after 10 a.m. Friday Clearlake Police officers responded to a report of an attempted kidnapping of a child at an apartment complex located in the 7000 block of Old Highway 53, Joseph said.
The caller reported an unknown adult male subject had come into her apartment uninvited and picked up a 1-year-old child she was caring for, Joseph said.
An adult acquaintance of the caller was battered by the male subject while forcibly taking the child from the subject’s arms. Joseph said the unknown male who had attempted to take the child then left the apartment.
When officers arrived, they located the male subject leaving the vicinity of the apartment complex and safely detained him in handcuffs without incident, Joseph said.
Joseph said the male subject was identified as Jackson.
While one officer remained with Jackson, the other officer spoke to the residents of the apartment to determine what had occurred, Joseph said.
Jackson became more agitated and angry during this time, and began making threats to the police officers on scene, according to Joseph.
As Jackson was being moved to an awaiting patrol car, he became combative and began resisting officers. Joseph said Jackson spat at officers on scene, striking one in the face and kneed one of the other officers in the face.
Jackson was ultimately placed into a waiting patrol car. Once in the car, Jackson again spat at officers, striking two officers on their uniforms. Joseph said Jackson then began trying to kick out the rear windows of the patrol car.
Because of his actions, a hobble was placed around Jackson’s feet and a spit mask over his head so he could be safely transported to the Lake County Jail, Joseph said.
Upon completion of the investigation, Jackson was charged with felonies including burglary, attempted kidnapping, terrorist threats, child endangerment and two counts of obstructing an officer, and one misdemeanor count of battery. Joseph said Jackson was booked into the Lake County Jail.
It was discovered that the Lake County Sheriff’s Office had contacted Jackson during a call for service earlier in the morning and had transported him to Adventist Health Clear Lake for treatment, Joseph said.
Joseph said Jackson had been released from care by Lake County Behavioral Health approximately 30 minutes prior to this incident. Jackson was released after it was determined that he was not suffering a mental health episode, but was under the influence of methamphetamine.
The case will be referred to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for filing, Joseph said.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is investigating a Tuesday burglary in which several commercial vehicles were targeted for expensive catalytic converters.
Acting Clearlake Police Chief Tim Celli said that on Wednesday workers from the AT&T office, located in the 2500 block of Old Highway 53, found that suspects had cut the fence to their yard where several trucks were parked.
It also was discovered that catalytic converters were stolen from four trucks parked inside the fenced area, Celli said.
Celli said it appeared that the suspects specifically targeted the trucks for the catalytic converters because nothing else was touched on the vehicles or inside the yard.
The Clearlake Police Department is asking anyone who may have information regarding this theft to please contact Officer Jared Nixon at 707-994-8251.
In the meantime, Celli said officers will be conducting extra patrols in the area where it is known these types of vehicles are stored.
Celli reminded business owners, managers and citizens alike that now is a good time to ensure surveillance cameras and alarm systems are functioning properly. In addition, is a good idea to have extra lighting to discourage thieves from targeting an area.
“We also want to encourage citizens to call police if anything suspicious is seen,” Celli said.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Lucerne man was injured on Friday morning when the semi he was driving went off of Highway 101 south of Hopland.
Fred M. Burns, 49, suffered major injuries in the wreck, which occurred at 7:50 a.m. Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Ukiah office.
The CHP said Burns was driving a 2014 Peterbilt northbound on Highway 101 north of Pieta Creek.
For an unknown reason, the CHP said Burns allowed the semi to go off the highway and hit an embankment.
The semi overturned and came to rest in the highway’s northbound lanes, the CHP said.
The CHP said Burns, who was using his safety equipment, was transported to Ukiah Valley Medical Center for treatment.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, however, the CHP said drugs and alcohol do not appear to be contributing factors.
The crash caused a partial closure of Highway 101 for several hours Friday morning, according to the CHP.
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.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Friday, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05) led every member of the California House delegation in urging the chair and ranking member of the House Committee on Appropriations to include the state of California’s current $4.4 billion request for additional fire-related disaster relief in upcoming supplemental disaster relief legislation.
“Today, we’re calling on the leaders of the Appropriations Committee to help California communities devastated by the recent fires and grant the State of California’s current $4.4 billion request for further fire-related disaster relief,” said Rep. Thompson. “These were the worst fires in California’s history and, as a result, they left unprecedented damage in their wake. California has outlined the funding we need for relief efforts, and it is crucial that the Federal government steps up to help. This funding is a vital first step in our long-term recovery, and I’ll continue to fight to ensure we have all the resources we need to fully recover and rebuild.”
"We are united as a delegation to help our neighbors recover and rebuild from these tragic fires,” said Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23). “California will receive the resources we need in the supplemental package the House will pass – including legislation ensuring wildfire-specific tax relief for affected Californians, just as Congress approved for victims of the recent hurricanes.”
“Congress has an urgent responsibility to the California families whose lives have been upended by the disastrous wildfires,” said Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-12). “We must provide these communities with the resources they need to recover, rebuild and heal during this heartbreaking time. The people of California deserve to know that Congress will be there for them not only now but throughout the long road to recovery.”
“In the wake of the worst wildfire disaster we have ever seen, our communities need this federal support to rebuild,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02). “I’m glad to see the entire California Delegation in Congress uniting today to call on the Appropriations Committee to deliver this this overdue disaster aid to Californians. I’ll keep pushing to secure the resources that my constituents need to navigate the long path to recover from this tragedy.”
“The California delegation has come together in a bipartisan fashion to work with Governor Brown to provide much-needed assistance to California communities affected by recent disasters,” said Rep. Ken Calvert (CA-42). “I recently toured the areas affected by the devastating wildfires with Rep. Mike Thompson because I felt it was important to see the horrific impacts up close and hear from those affected. There’s a tremendous effort being made by FEMA and the other agencies on the ground but we must ensure the areas affected by these disasters have the resources they need.”
The House Committee on Appropriations is currently developing supplemental disaster relief legislation that would appropriate funding for ongoing relief efforts in areas recently stuck by natural disasters.
The state of California has put forth a $4.4 billion request for supplemental disaster relief to begin long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts in communities affected by the fires.
Mark your calendars: a series of three supermoons will appear on the celestial stage on Dec. 3, Jan. 1 and Jan. 31.
A supermoon is a moon that is full when it is also at or near its closest point in its orbit around Earth.
Since the moon’s orbit is elliptical, one side (apogee) is about 30,000 miles (50,000 km) farther from Earth than the other (perigee).
Nearby perigee full moons appear about 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than full moons that occur near apogee in the moon's orbit.
“The supermoons are a great opportunity for people to start looking at the moon, not just that once but every chance they have!” said Noah Petro, a research scientist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
It’s hard for our eyes to distinguish these small changes in size when the moon is high amidst the vastness of the night sky.
But any time you catch a full moon as it rises or sets, while it’s suspended low on the horizon beaming through the silhouettes of trees or buildings, its apparent size might make you do a double-take.
You almost feel as though you could reach out, grab the glowing orb, and drop it into your coffee cup. Even more so if it’s a supermoon.
If you can only catch one episode of the supermoon trilogy, catch the third one. It will be extra special.
First of all, the Jan. 31 supermoon will feature a total lunar eclipse, with totality viewable from western North America across the Pacific to Eastern Asia.
The moon’s orbit around our planet is tilted so it usually falls above or below the shadow of the Earth.
About twice each year, a full moon lines up perfectly with the Earth and Sun such that Earth’s shadow totally blocks the Sun’s light, which would normally reflect off the moon.
“The lunar eclipse on Jan. 31 will be visible during moonset. Folks in the Eastern United States, where the eclipse will be partial, will have to get up in the morning to see it,” noted Petro. “But it’s another great chance to watch the moon.”
The moon will lose its brightness and take on an eerie, fainter-than-normal glow from the scant sunlight that makes its way through Earth’s atmosphere.
Often cast in a reddish hue because of the way the atmosphere bends the light, totally eclipsed moons are sometimes called “blood moons.”
“We’re seeing all of the Earth’s sunrises and sunsets at that moment reflected from the surface of the moon,” said Sarah Noble, a program scientist at NASA headquarters.
The Jan. 31 supermoon will also be the second full moon of the month. Some people call the second full moon in a month a blue moon, that makes it a super “blue moon.”
Blue moons happen every two and a half years, on average. With the total eclipse, it’ll be a royal spectacle indeed: a ‘super blue blood’ moon.
Sometimes the celestial rhythms sync up just right to wow us. Heed your calendar reminders. On the three dates marked, step out into the moonset or moonrise and look up for a trilogy of sky watching treats!
Alexy Rei Jenkins, 24, was reported missing to officials in Lake County, Calif., on Friday, December 1, 2017. Courtesy photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the community’s help in locating a missing at-risk woman.
On Friday, the family of Alexy Rei Jenkins, 24, reported her as missing to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.
Jenkins’ family reported to officials that they last spoke to her at 4:22 a.m. on Friday via a text message.
The content of the text message was unusual in nature. Jenkins has not been heard of since, the sheriff’s office reported.
Jenkins is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and approximately 120 pounds, with brown hair that is sometimes colored blonde and blue eyes. She has an unspecified tattoo on her right arm.
Jenkins is known to frequent the Clearlake, Lucerne and Clearlake Oaks areas, officials reported.
If you have any information or know the whereabouts of Jenkins please contact the Lake County Sheriff's Office Central Dispatch at 707-263-2690.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Middletown woman suffered major injuries on Wednesday after her bicycle collided with a vehicle on Highway 29.
Patricia Morris, 45, was transported out of county by an air ambulance after the crash, which occurred at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday on Highway 29 in Middletown, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Morris was riding her mountain bike northbound on the right shoulder of Highway 29 south of St. Helena Creek Road.
Denise Vanress, 35, of Hidden Valley Lake was driving a 2014 Honda CR-V northbound on Highway 29 at 40 to 45 miles per hour, the CHP said.
The CHP said Morris failed to see Vanress’ location and made a left turn into the northbound traffic lane.
Morris collided with the right front of Vanress’ Honda, which caused Morris to be thrown off of her bike and onto the windshield of the Honda, the CHP said.
A REACH air ambulance flew Morris to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment of her injuries, which included major head trauma. The CHP said she wasn’t wearing a helmet.
Vanress was uninjured, the CHP said.
CHP Officer Kory Reynolds said Thursday that the CHP did not have an update on Morris’ condition.
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 will meet next week to discuss new marijuana rules, bonds, city equipment purchases and employment classifications.
The council will meet in closed session beginning at 5:05 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4, to discuss anticipated litigation involving Verizon Wireless and also will conduct a performance evaluation of City Manager Margaret Silveira before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council is holding the special meeting on Monday, as Silveira requested it be moved from the normal time on Tuesday due to training.
On the agenda is a general discussion on the proposed ordinance to permit and regulate commercial marijuana, or cannabis, activities in the city. No action is being requested at this meeting, with the ordinance set for a public hearing on Dec. 19.
In other business, the council will consider approving resolutions for the authorization, preparation and sale of wastewater revenue bonds to repay the city for project costs associated with the wastewater system improvement project.
Also on Monday, the council will consider approving a new classification for police detective with a salary range earning $4,708 to $6,012 per month, and the reclassification of one police officer position to police detective in the 2017-18 budget.
The council also will consider authorizing Silveira to sign the associated purchase order and purchase agreement for a 2017 Hamm Model HD-14-VV double drum vibratory roller for paving projects at a cost of $62,748.75.
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. – Next week the Lakeport Police Department will conduct a test of its emergency phone notification system.
On Monday, Dec. 4, between the hours of 10 and 11 a.m., the Lakeport Police Department will send out a city of Lakeport emergency telephone notification test call.
Officials said this call will go to all landline telephone numbers in the city of Lakeport and the cellular phone numbers of people who have registered with the city’s NIXLE emergency voice notice system.
The call will advise that it is a test of the city of Lakeport emergency phone notification system, the department reported.
The police department has purchased the current data for landline phones in the city and no action needs to be taken by residents regarding these phone numbers.
Cellular and voice over internet protocol, or VOIP, telephone numbers have to be registered in our system by their users.
The police department encourages everyone who lives in, works in or visit the city of Lakeport to register their cellular or VOIP phone numbers to receive voice calls from the NIXLE system.
Being registered to receive NIXLE text alerts from the city will not ensure you get emergency voice calls. You must login online and configure your account to receive voice calls in addition to text messages.
Voice calls are not often made to residents as they are reserved for extreme or severe emergencies. However, the city said it is important that people be registered in the event an emergency happens in the area of the city where they live, work or may be visiting.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Residents recovering from the October 2017 fires in California have less than two weeks left to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, for disaster assistance.
The last day to register is Dec. 11.
Individuals and families who were living in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sonoma and Yuba counties and suffered damage from the fires between Oct. 8 and Oct. 31, 2017, should register for FEMA assistance.
They also may be eligible for low-interest, long-term disaster recovery loans administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA.
Owners of businesses and nonprofits located in the designated counties during the same disaster period also should register to receive applications for SBA business disaster recovery loans.
Disaster assistance may be able to fill insurance gaps or provide help to survivors who have been waiting more than 30 days on a homeowner’s claim.
Assistance could cover such costs as short-term temporary housing, basic home repairs, disaster-related personal expenses, wells or septic systems damaged in the fires.
Residents can apply for disaster assistance by going online at DisasterAssistance.gov, by using the FEMA app on a smartphone or by calling 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Applicants who use 711 or Video Relay Service can call 800-621-3362. The toll-free numbers are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
In-person registration assistance is available at the Local Assistance Center in Napa County or at one of the Disaster Recovery Centers, or DRCs, in Mendocino, Napa or Sonoma counties.
To find the closest DRC, go online at www.fema.gov/drc or text 43362 with the message DRC and the resident’s ZIP code. Standard message and data rates apply.
Applicants registering for disaster assistance should have the following information available:
– Social Security number. – Address of the damaged primary residence. – Description of the damage. – Information about insurance coverage. – A current contact telephone number. – An address where they can receive mail. – Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds.
The California Department of Water Resources on Thursday announced an initial water allocation of 15 percent for most State Water Project, or SWP, contractors for the 2018 calendar year.
That allocation will likely change depending on rain and snowfall received this winter.
“It’s hard to know what mother nature will have in store for us this year, but it’s safe to say California is in a better place than we were during the recent drought,” said DWR Director Grant Davis. “Planning for the year and providing more accurate early estimates for water managers so they can better plan for the year is just one of the many reasons the state needs to improve our forecasting ability.”
The state’s major reservoirs are currently holding much more than their historical averages.
Shasta Lake north of Redding, the federal Central Valley Project’s largest reservoir, now holds 3.2 million acre-feet, or AF, 71 percent of its 4.5-million AF capacity and 119 percent of its historical average.
San Luis Reservoir, a critical south-of-Delta storage facility for both the SWP and CVP, now holds 1.5 million AF, 74 percent of its 2 million AF capacity and 124 percent of its historical average for the date.
New Melones now holds 83 percent of its 2.4 million AF capacity and 148 percent of its average for this date.
Lake Oroville however, currently holds 59 percent of its historical average this time of year. Water was released beginning in spring to provide adequate flood protection during reconstruction of the main spillway.
Last year, the department’s initial allocation was 20 percent. By the end of Water Year 2017, allocations reached 85 percent due to the abundant rainfall during the year. During the recent drought, the initial allocation was as low as 5 percent in 2014.
Nearly all areas served by the SWP have sources of water other than the allocation, among them streams, groundwater, and local reservoirs.
DWR is hopeful that Thursday’s SWP allocation, made before the wettest months, will increase as storms bring rain and snow to the state.
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
