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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Health’s locally produced video “Health Living in Lake County: Keeping Flu Out of the Landscape” tied for a Bronze Award in a national competition hosted by the National Public Health Information Coalition.
The organization considered more than 230 entries and issued awards in a variety of categories.
Lake County’s video was in the “Special AV Projects – Broadcast//Audio Visual” category and the entry with whom it shared the Bronze Award was California Department of Public Health’s “The H1N1 Flu: California’s Response.”
Developed with federal Centers for Disease Control Public Health Emergency Response Funds, the video was produced in 2010 as part of Lake County Public Health’s efforts to develop local capacity for health education of the public.
According to Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait, public messaging is most effective when the message is tailored to the local community.
“There are all kinds of generic messages about hand washing and vaccination, but I wanted to create something that speaks directly to residents of Lake County and which reflects our local values,” said Tait.
The video highlights familiar scenery and faces, noting a general appreciation for Lake County’s natural beauty.
The video also can be viewed in English and Spanish at http://health.co.lake.ca.us/site10.aspx.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
“The times dictate that state government always be on the lookout for ways to reduce costs when possible,” Chesbro (D-Arcata) said in a Tuesday statement.
The new address is 200 S. School St., Suite D, Ukiah, CA 95482. The phone and fax number will remain the same: 707-463-5770 (phone) and 707-463-5773 (fax).
“An opportunity opened up for us to scale back our Ukiah office while still offering the same level of service our Mendocino and Lake County constituents deserve,” Chesbro said. “By moving into the Ukiah Valley Conference Center we cut our office rent in half and also help the city, which owns the conference center. The city has been more than accommodating.”
Chesbro will host an open house at the new location so the public will have an opportunity to become familiar with the new office. The date is yet to be announced.
The Ukiah office services Mendocino and Lake Counties, and will continue to be staffed by Field Representative Ruth Valenzuela.
The new office – in addition to having better parking – is in the same building as State Sen. Noreen Evans’ office making it a sort of “one stop shop” for state legislative business.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Superior Court Judge Richard Henderson sentenced Cody Fisher, 30, to a four-year state prison term, according to a report from Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster's office.
Henderson characterized his decision as “very, very difficult” after he heard pleas for leniency from the defendant’s family and friends.
The maximum that Fisher could have been sentenced to was 11 years in state prison.
Before the four-year sentence was imposed Assistant District Attorney Paul Sequeira argued on behalf of the people in favor of a state prison commitment despite an emotional plea for mercy from the mother of victim.
Sequeira contended Fisher needed to be held accountable for Mark Pare’s death, especially in face of Fisher’s prior conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol, and other unusual circumstances of the fatal accident.
While Sequeira acknowledged the courtroom pleas seeking mercy for Fisher, Sequeira countered, “Mercy is the business of God. Justice is the business of the court.”
District Attorney David Eyster said, "Our primary interest as prosecutors is public safety and drunk drivers, especially repeat offenders like Mr. Fisher, put us all at great risk. Prison is appropriate given all the facts of this case and the background of the defendant."
Prosecutors have described Fisher’s case as a story of a birthday celebration turned deadly.
Fisher, Pare and another friend on the night of Aug. 28 left a home in the remote area of McNab Ranch, located west of Highway 101 between Ukiah and Hopland, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Fisher drove his pickup truck down to the intersection of Highway 101 and McNab Ranch Road, where the trio of friends met a cab to take them into town for a night of drinking. They hailed a cab to return to the truck in the early morning hours.
Fisher insisted on driving up the unpaved dirt road despite concerns from his friends about his level of intoxication. On the way home, the pickup suddenly went off the road, overturned and slid down an embankment on its roof before slamming into a tree.
Pare was trapped inside the cab of the truck, but Fisher didn’t call authorities for nearly four hours because he claimed he knew his friend had been killed instantly, officials reported.
Instead Fisher called his fiancée to bring him a pot of coffee to help him sober up before summoning the California Highway Patrol to the scene.
According to the investigation, Fisher initially lied about what happened at the time of the accident, telling investigators first that a deer had run across the road causing him to swerve. Later Fisher admitted he was intoxicated, and missed a turn while driving up the darken road.
“What Mr. Fisher did that night could not have been any more callous,” said Sequeira.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A fire destroyed a Hidden Valley Lake home and injured three people – two of them critically – on Tuesday.
Forty firefighters from agencies around the county responded to the blaze, reported at 11:49 a.m. at a home at 18390 North Shore Drive, according to the South Lake County Fire Protection District.
Responding were firefighters from South Lake County Fire, Cal Fire, Lake County Fire, Kelseyville Fire and Northshore Fire, the report said. Cal Fire also sent two battalion chiefs, with one battalion chief each coming from Lake County Fire and Northshore Fire.
Six engines, three medic units, a Cal Fire helicopter used to drop water on the blaze and two air ambulances – one from REACH and from CalStar – were part of the response, fire officials reported.
Firefighters en route to the scene were notified that power lines were down, and also had to deal with a venting propane tank in the home’s front yard, according to South Lake County Fire Battalion Chief Scott Upton, the incident commander.
The wind blowing the fire over North Shore Drive, along with the downed power lines and venting propane tank, made for what Upton called a “pretty severe situation.”
Fire personnel also were challenged in reaching the scene due to vehicles stacking up on North Shore Drive, with CHP officers helping control traffic. Lake County Sheriff’s deputies also assisted at the scene, according to radio reports.
CHP was among the first responders, with Officer Josh Dye responding to help treat one of the two burn patients, a man who was reported to have run from his home while on fire, according to fellow CHP Officer Kory Reynolds, who arrived sometime later.
Reynolds said Dye called for assistance, and CHP sent five additional units, totaling six in all.
Upton said when paramedics reached the burned man Dye was assisting, the man was across the road and down the hill from his home. The other burn victim also was out of the home by the time firefighters arrived.
“We have two very serious injuries,” Upton said, with one being flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and the other to the UC Davis Medical Center in the Sacramento area.
The third injury was Dye himself. Reynolds said Dye appeared to have suffered smoke inhalation and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. He didn’t have a condition update for Dye late Tuesday afternoon.
The fire was contained at approximately 12:52 p.m., South Lake County Fire reported.
Upton said the two-story wood structure was destroyed. He remained on scene late into the afternoon with a skeleton crew that was mopping up hot spots.
He was awaiting the arrival of the Lake County Arson Task Force, which will work to determine the cause.
“It’s still under investigation, just exactly what happened,” Upton said.
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