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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A wildland fire burning for the past week in Colusa and Yolo counties was fully contained on Tuesday morning.
The 16 Complex, two fires burning four miles apart off of Highway 16 in the Rumsey Canyon area, was 100-percent contained at 17,944 acres, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire said firefighters were continuing to patrol the fire perimeter and perform fire suppression repair and mop up on Tuesday.
Approximately 980 firefighting personnel remained assigned to the incident Tuesday, with plans to begin releasing them and the equipment that remained on scene, including 37 engines, 31 fire crews, eight bulldozers and 10 water tenders, Cal Fire reported.
Motorists traveling along Highway 16 are advised to continue to be cautious as they travel through the area, and to be on the lookout for fire vehicles still working on the incident as well as possible debris on the roadway.
Cal Fire said the 16 Complex’s cause remains under investigation.
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- Written by: Rich Mellott
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – If there was any question about who Lake County’s best football was (and there seemed to be some opposing opinions floating around recently in both the clear skies over Middletown and the smoky haze that’s enveloped Upper Lake), the Middletown Mustangs gave the definitive answer in a rare Monday night performance.
Austin Benson rushed for 192 yards in 24 carries and scored all four touchdowns and Middletown’s defense, after some adjustments at halftime, shut down Upper Lake’s power running game as the Mustangs pulled away for 28-8 victory at Bill Foltmer Field.
The game, originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Upper Lake, was pushed back to Monday afternoon – still at Upper Lake – because of all the smoke in the air generated by the Scotts Valley fire west of Scotts Valley Road and east of Ukiah.
But when Monday morning came around, the air quality wasn’t any better, so it was decided that if the non-league game was to be played, it had to be played at Middletown on Monday night. Kick-off was at 5:30 p.m. and, not surprisingly, a smaller-than-usual crowd attended the game.
“Playing at home is always an advantage,” said Mustang coach Bill Foltmer, but that could only partially explain Upper Lake’s problems on both sides of the ball.
The Cougars, who ran over Kelseyville in its opener, 52-6, had just one impressive drive, marching 74 yards midway through the second quarter, with Travis Coleman running it in from the 4.
Coleman’s pass to Wes Thaxton on the PAT gave the Cougars an 8-7 lead.
And it looked like a good game was starting to unfold between the county’s top two teams.
But that was about it for Upper Lake, which not only couldn’t stop Benson and the Middletown offense, but couldn’t generate any offense of its own.
“Middletown wanted it more than we did,” said a disappointed Alex Stabiner, coach of the Cougars.
Benson played like he wanted to score a lot of touchdowns. On the Mustangs’ first possession of the game, it looked like he would score on what would have been a 15-yard run, but had the ball stripped from him inside the Cougars’ 5-yard line, with Ward Beecher recovering for Upper Lake.
“I thought it could be a break-out game for him,” Foltmer said of his 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back. “He’s come close to breaking a few runs, nearly broke a couple against Salesian (in the season-opening 7-3 loss).”
And breaking out is what Benson did. The big play for him on Monday is called “toss right,” where he takes a quick pitch from quarterback Ben Pike and tries to get outsides the Cougar defense.
His 14-yard sweep made it 7-0 early in the second quarter and his 20-yard sweep made it 14-8 with 2:30 left in the half (with Tyler Drew adding both PAT kicks).
Benson, in a career-best performance, scored on yet another “toss right” touchdown on a 10-yard sweep that pushed the lead to 20-8 with 10:30 left in the third quarter.
And he added a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.
The Mustangs made some adjustments on defense in the second half, basically involving the linebackers and defensive backs remembering to shift accordingly to the Cougars’ offensive formation.
“We weren’t making the adjustments,” Foltmer said, “and they put together a couple of early drives on us. It was something we practiced all week, but we didn’t execute.”
Upper Lake coach Alex Stabiner had a different explanation for his team’s poor showing. “We got our butts whipped,” he said.
Email Rich Mellott at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local officials said air quality conditions are expected to be much improved on Tuesday following days of heavy smoke due to a wildland fire on Cow Mountain.
With firefighters making significant advances in controlling the Scotts Fire and favorable weather in the forecast, the Lake County Air Quality Management said air quality in the “good” range is expected on Tuesday.
Air quality conditions on Monday afternoon were notably improved over the weekend, the district reported, due primarily to better meteorological conditions and increasing control over the fire, which by Monday night had burned 4,618 acres, with containment at 35 percent.
Areas close to the fires may have experienced degraded air quality early Monday, but most areas of the Lake County experienced good to moderate air quality much of the day, according to county Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart.
Gearhart said levels of ozone and particulate were elevated, but did not exceed state health-based air quality standards.
The prediction is for “good“ air quality in Lake County, though areas near active burn areas and where cleanup efforts are under way may experience “moderate” air quality intermittently on Tuesday and until recovery efforts are complete, Gearhart said.
Despite the favorable forecast, Gearhart urged county residents to be cautious, as conditions can change rapidly.
Residual haze and particulate from the wildfires can be expected to intermittently impact areas of Lake County until the fires are out and recovery efforts are completed, Gearhart said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
UKIAH, Calif. – Mendocino College will officially open its new library and learning center this week.
The public is invited to celebrate the opening at a gathering beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14.
After a brief presentation and welcome, guests will participate in a self-guided tour and featured presentations of the new facility.
Following the tour refreshments, prepared by the Mendocino College Culinary Arts students, will be served.
Visitors will be greeted by College Board President Joel Clark and by Richard Cooper, chair of the Measure W Oversight Committee.
“This new building provides the opportunity for students to increase their learning in a facility that maximizes the use of technology with an emphasis on interaction among staff, faculty and students,” said Interim Superintendent/President Roe Darnell.
The center includes a spacious library, a learning center, the Math Engineering Science Achievement program, a disabled resource center and a new language lab.
Visitors touring the facility will have the opportunity to enjoy student and staff demonstrations of programs provided by the center.
The library/learning center was designed by TLCD Architecture and constructed by Midstate Construction at a cost of $28 million.
The center was built as a result of community support through Measure W.
On Nov. 7, 2006, voters in the Mendocino-Lake Community College District passed Measure W authorizing $67.5 million in facility bond funds.
Measure W passed with 62 percent voter approval, substantially greater than the 55 percent required for passage under Proposition 39.
The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee was formed in December 2006 by appointment by the college board of trustees.
This committee, as required by law, is comprised of members representing specific interests, including business, senior citizens, taxpayer organization, Mendocino College students, a college support organization and at-large members.
The oversight committee is charged with overseeing the expenditure of bond proceeds and ensuring that bond proceeds are expended only for the purposes set forth in Measure W.