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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
NORTH COAST, Calif. – A wildland fire complex in northern Mendocino County grew by more than 5,000 acres over the past day, sending more smoke south into Lake County.
The lightning-caused North Pass Fires reached 17,820 acres Thursday morning, with 10 percent containment, according to Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, which have unified command of the incident.
Burning since early last Saturday morning in the Williams Valley, 10 miles northeast of Covelo, the fires have burned into the Mendocino National Forest and have headed in the direction of the Yolla Bolly Wilderness area.
Officials said evacuations remain in place in areas east of Covelo.
On Thursday there were approximately 962 personnel assigned to the North Pass Fires, along with 93 engines, 26 fire crews, two airtankers, six helicopters, 37 dozers and 25 water tenders.
Lake County residents were seeing more smoke and haze in the air basin on Thursday, which county Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart confirmed was coming from the North Pass Fires.
He said the district had set up an air monitor in Upper Lake as a result of the fires.
The latest readings on Thursday morning showed air quality levels were at 50 percent of the state health standard, when normally they are 10 percent.
“It’s elevated but not above any health standard,” Gearhart said.
An area closure has been issued and posted for the area surrounding the North Pass fire. Visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino for more information.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Lakeport man died Wednesday night as the result of a motorcycle crash in the south county.
Bruce Knoles, 50, was mortally injured in the crash, which occurred just after 5 p.m. on Butts Canyon Road near Middletown.
The California Highway Patrol said Knoles was riding his 1999 Harley-Davidson eastbound on Butts Canyon Road at an unknown speed attempting to negotiate a left curve. At the time he was with about half a dozen other motorcyclists.
For unknown reasons Knoles exited the north shoulder of Butts Canyon Road and was ejected from the motorcycle, the CHP said. Knoles struck a milepost marker and wood fence and was unresponsive at the scene.
Knoles was flown by REACH to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 11:58 p.m. Wednesday, the CHP reported.
Knoles was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision and drugs and alcohol are not suspected in this collision, according to the CHP.
Officer Mark Crutcher is investigating the collision.
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- Written by: Rich Mellott
This week’s Fall Football Preview is following the county’s high school teams as they get ready for the upcoming season.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Middletown High has suddenly turned into the Rodney Dangerfield of the North Coast Section Div. IV football ranks.
The Mustangs are getting no respect this summer – or at least not the kind they’re accustomed to, and the kind their fans think they deserve.
MaxPreps, the national high school sports information service that ranks every team in the country every which way it can, has placed Middletown in the No.17 position in its preseason rankings of NCS Div. IV teams.
The Mustangs, fixtures in most Top 10 polls for years and who regularly break into the Top 5, are coming off a “down year” (at least by their lofty standards), as their string of seven consecutive league titles was snapped when St. Helena (7-0) and Willits (6-1) finished ahead of them in the North Central League I standings.
Middletown (5-2, 6-5) rallied late in the season, winning four of its last five league games to qualify for the Div. IV playoffs, where it lost its opener to Fortuna, 20-7.
“We knew we would be down last year,” Mustang coach Bill Foltmer said. “We had a lot of seniors on the team that went to the section finals the year before (where it lost to Salesian in overtime). This year we’re a better team.”
Not according to MaxPreps, which, after ranking Middletown 14th in the final 2011 ratings, dropped Middletown to No. 17 among the 25 NCS Div. IV (500 and over enrollment) schools.
St. Helena is fifth in the preseason poll (with a power rating of 8.9) and Willits, the top Lake County team, was ninth (with a power rating of 0.6).
Middletown’s MaxPreps computerized power rating was a minus 8.4--17.3 points lower than St. Helena and 9 points lower than Willits.
Foltmer, in his office Tuesday afternoon preparing for practice, said he hadn’t had a chance to peruse any preseason rankings yet, and besides, he added, he doesn’t put much stock in them.
“I haven’t seen any (ratings),” said Foltmer, whose teams have compiled a 202-81-1 record in his 27 years at Middletown. “I really don’t know what they go by. I do know that no one called me to ask me what kind of team I’m going to have.”
Ask him and he’ll tell you: He’s got a team capable of competing with St. Helena and Willits for the league title.
“We’re small this year, so we have to be quicker, but this team has more experience. And if it plays with the consistency that we lacked last year, we can very good.
“We knew last year that St. Helena’s program was on the rise. And we knew Willits had a good team. And along with our inexperience last year, I think all that played into (the third-place finish).”
Marin Catholic (Kentfield) is No. 1 and Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) No. 3 in the Div. IV preseason poll – but that’s probably a temporary technicality; both teams are expected to “petition up” to play in Div. III, where they competed successfully last year.
Teams have until the second week in September to petition to play in larger-school divisions, according to Karen Smith, NCS associate commissioner.
That would leave current No. 2 Salesian of Richmond as the top-ranked school – befitting a team that’s won consecutive Div. IV championships and 20 straight games.
The Tide, which defeated Ferndale, 42-6 in the 2011 divisional title game, will be heavily favored in their season-opener Friday against De Anza, and will likely take a 21-game win streak into the Aug. 31 game against the Mustangs at Middletown.
This should be a batter-prepared team that opened last season with a 33-7 loss at Salesian. Six starters return on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Ben Pike is back; so are junior running back Austin Benson and senior running back Drew Tyler, both with speed to break some big runs.
Receiver Jared Carrillo, tight end Tyler Rockwell and lineman Anthony Tacla also are back on offense. Tyler, Benson and Carrillo double as defensive backs, and Tacla (6-3, 185) also anchors the defensive line.
Up from last year’s undefeated junior varsity are some players who should make immediate contributions.
As experienced as this team might be, Foltmer still plans to start three sophomores: receiver/defensive back Anthony Guzman; 6-0, 190-pound lineman Wyatt Hall, and 5-11, 170-pound offensive lineman/linebacker Cody Chorjel.
“They don’t have to carry the team; they just have to play solid,” Foltmer said of the three sophomore starters.
Here’s a team with a nice balance of underclassmen and seniors; a team, despite its small stature, that looks capable to getting the program back on track. Here’s a coach who’s won 17 league titles in 27 years, nine in the last 11. Here’s a team that spent last year in a rebuilding mode – and still made the playoffs.
It was a “hiccup” that required only a polite “Excuse me.” And MaxPreps confused it for a collapse that cried out for the Heimlich maneuver.
According to the folks at MaxPreps, which CBS Sports now owns, Middletown’s first three opponents – Salesian (31.2 power rank), No. 7 Div. V team Upper Lake (-6.2 PR) and Div. IV No. 16 El Molino (-7.7 PR) are better than Middletown and its -8.4 power ranking.
Throw in Willits’ 0.6 PR and you have four of the Mustangs’ first five opponents rated ahead of them.
That’s not a lot of respect for the Mustangs, who might have a lesson or two to teach that MaxPreps computer.
On Friday: The Upper Lake High School Cougars gear up for fall.
Rich Mellott can be reached at
Middletown Mustangs
Coach/Record: Bill Foltmer (28th year), 202-81-1.
Assistants: Tom Knowles, Moke Simon, Jim Garrett, Kurtis Woodard.
Last year: 6-5.
League: 5-2 (3rd place).
JVs: 10-0.
Offense: Delaware wing-T and “I.”
Returning starters: 5 on offense, 6 on defense.
Top players: QB/DB Ben Pike (5-9, 170), Sr.; WR/DB Jared Carrillo (5-11, 195), Sr.; RB/DB Austin Benson (6-0, 180), Jr.; RB/DB Tyler Drew (5-7, 175), Sr.; WR/DB Anthony Guzman (5-6, 155), Soph.; OL/LB Cody Chorjel (5-11, 170), Soph.; DL/OL Wyatt Hall (6-0, 190), Soph.; OL/DL Anthony Tacla (6-3, 185), Sr.; OL/LB Adam Cade (5-9, 190), Jr.; TE/DE Tyler Rockwell (6-1, 180), Sr.
Keep an eye on: The three sophomore starters: Guzman, Chorjel and Hall, of whom Foltmer says “they don’t have to carry the team; they just have to play solid.” Also, let’s see how successful the Mustangs are in using their speed advantage over bigger teams … The season-opener against Salesian will be a great test for the Mustangs, and so of course will the games against the two NCL teams (St. Helena and Willits) that beat them to finish 1-2 in the standings.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished a fire that damaged two outbuildings and a vehicle at Clear Lake State Park late Wednesday night.
The incident, first reported as a vegetation fire at 11:25 p.m., was located in the 5400 block of Soda Bay Road at the park, according to radio traffic.
Kelseyville Fire, Lakeport Fire and Cal Fire all responded, according to Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells, who was on scene.
The fire was located in a shed where gas and other fuel was stored, with concerns of a high danger of explosion, reports from the scene indicated.
It was reported contained and extinguished at approximately 11:50 p.m., according to radio reports. Cal Fire was to continue to the scene to take a report, with a hazmat team to respond Thursday morning to clean up the fuel.
Wells said the utility storage shed – where gas for tools was stored – burned and another small building had its roof damaged from the fire.
A State Parks pickup parked next to the second building with roof damage had its door singed from the fire, Wells said.
He said the fire didn’t get into the nearby wildland.
“No indication right now what started it,” Wells said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at