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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Beginning Friday, Sept. 3, at 6:01 p.m., officers will join motorists on California’s roads for the Labor Day MEP.
The holiday enforcement initiative continues through 11:59 p.m., Monday, Sept. 6.
“I hope everyone enjoys the Labor Day weekend by keeping safety in mind,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “With many families headed for fun, the highways will be crowded and congested with traffic. Mixing these factors with alcohol, speed and not wearing a safety belt can lead to a deadly consequence.”
Although fatalities caused by collisions were far lower than previous Labor Day weekends, last year 12 people were killed in crashes on California roadways.
In addition, 75 percent of all vehicle occupants killed in CHP jurisdiction were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
In addition to the Labor Day MEP, the CHP is in the midst of an aggressive crackdown on impaired driving which began on Aug. 20.
The national campaign, “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest,” is a coordinated effort of law enforcement agencies throughout the country and continues through the holiday weekend.
Last year during the Labor Day weekend, CHP officers throughout the state made 1,417 arrests for driving under the influence.
“If we find you driving impaired we will arrest you, no exceptions,” added Commissioner Farrow. “DUI is a careless disregard for human life.”
Motorists are encouraged to call 911 if they encounter a suspected drunk driver. To help law enforcement intervene, callers should be prepared to provide dispatchers a description of the vehicle, its location and direction of travel.
“Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Designate a driver in advance, always wear your seat belt, don’t speed and be sure to pay attention to the road,” added Farrow.
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- Written by: Tom Philpott
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The pageant will take place on Friday, Sept. 3, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Museum Park area at the fairgrounds in Lakeport.
“We're really looking forward to hosting this event during the Lake County Fair,” said Fair Chief Executive Officer Richard Persons.
“The date worked well, and we had a stage available in the Museum Park, which is pretty quiet and well separate from the demolition derby in the grandstands and the other stages,” Persons said. “We worked with Konocti Christian Academy to provide a classroom to be used for a dressing room just adjacent to the stage, and it all seems to be working out. It should be a great night.”
In the 1960s and 1970s, the pageant was held in conjunction with the annual county fair, but in the late 1970s the pageant date was changed and the event has taken place several weeks prior to the Lake County Fair in most years since.
This year's pageant includes six contestants for the title of Miss Lake County, and three contestants for the title of Miss Teen Lake County.
The pageant is an official preliminary to the Miss California and Miss America pageants which are talent based scholarship programs, and is not associated with the Miss USA beauty contest system.
The Miss America scholarship system is the largest provider of scholarships for young women in the world.
In 2009, the Miss America Organization and its state and local affiliates provided more than $45 million in scholarships to young women.
The 2010 contestants for Miss Lake County include Lauren Berlin, Alissa Iaccino, Carly Davis, Jennifer Humble, Salsei Monthei and Michelle Wells. Contestants for Miss Teen Lake County include Sarah Christensen, Faith Hornby and Makayla Paulson.
Like in all Miss America preliminaries, the contestants are judged in five categories. The one with the highest overall score among the panel of judges is crowned Miss Lake County. The categories include a personal interview (25 percent of total score), talent (35 percent of total score), evening wear (20 percent of total score), swimwear (15 percent of total score), and the on-stage question (5 percent of total score).
In the personal interview, each contestant participates in a private interview with the panel of judges. Scoring is based on overall communication skills including personality and intelligence, overall first impression and personal appearance, and whether the contestant possesses quality that would make her a good Miss America. The audience doesn't get to see this interview, as it takes place earlier in the day.
For the talent portion, each contestant performs a 2 minute routine of their own choosing. Scoring is based on skill, personality, interpretive ability, technical skill level, stage presence and a totality of all elements. Talent performances can range from singing to dramatic monologues to playing a musical instrument.
During the evening wear portion, each contestant appears onstage in an outfit of her own choosing representative of something she would wear to a social event. Scoring is based on overall first impression, sense of confidence, personality and stage presence, walk and posture, appropriateness of attire and sense of attractiveness.
For swimwear, each contestant appears briefly on stage in a swimsuit of her own choosing. Scoring is based on overall first impression, statement of physical fitness and health, overall physique which is pleasing to her height, weight, and bone structure, walk, posture and grace, sense of confidence, and presence on stage.
The on-stage interview phase of competition is designed for the contestant to make an on-stage statement of her interests, opinions, and aspirations.
Overall "first impression," charisma, and stage presence to be a spokeswoman for the state/local organization will be evaluated. Judges will give special attention to whether or not the contestant answered the question she is asked and if she had the commanding presence to make the audience want to listen to her.
The pageant is a separately ticketed event from the Lake County Fair, with advanced sale tickets that include both fair admission and pageant admission on sale now for a reduced price of $15.
On the day of the event, attendees will need to purchase both a full price fair admission and a full price pageant admission for entrance into the pageant venue.
Sales outlets for the reduced price pageant tickets include CPS Country Air Properties, Your One Stop Party Shop, Skin Fitness, Healing Earth, Focused on Wine, Totorica Plumbing and Elegant Touch.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The burros are the last of a herd of 69 wild burros found stranded without water and outside their normal herd management area.
BLM Needles Field Office Manager Rusty Lee said BLM was notified by a local rancher on Aug. 20 that he had come across a number of burros that apparently had died of dehydration, but there were also others that were still alive at Fenner Spring, in the Piute Mountain Wilderness Area, about 35 miles west of Needles, Calif.
The herd was about 40 miles from the Chemehuevi Herd Management Area, the nearest BLM herd management area.
The rancher, who grazes livestock in an allotment covering the area, said the dead animals had clogged the spring in the pursuit of water in the 110-degree heat, preventing other burros from getting to the spring. He attempted to pull out as many as he could with his horse, but wasn’t able to reopen access to the spring.
The nearest alternative source of water is 12 miles away; Fenner Spring, an abandoned mine adit, is the only reliable source of water in the Piute Mountains.
Lee said BLM immediately mobilized a helicopter, a county water tender, folding water tanks, and other equipment needed to rescue the remaining burros. Although the site is in a federal wilderness area, BLM has authority to use “minimum tool” equipment in the case of emergencies, he said.
A BLM fire crew was dispatched to the area and deployed portable water troughs. Corral staff from the BLM Ridgecrest Wild Horse and Burro Facility were also dispatched.
A contract fire helicopter reached the scene later that afternoon and began moving water from large portable troughs by the highway to a smaller water "pumpkin" near the spring.
Thirteen live burros watched a helicopter deliver 750 gallons of water. BLM personnel then backed off at sunset to allow the burros to approach the water.
Upon returning in the morning, 13 live burros were seen in the area and the water trough was empty.
Corral staff then ordered another 1,000 gallons delivery by helicopter and also set up secondary troughs for more water. The county water tender delivered another 3,000 gallons to the helicopter drop point to be readily available as needed.
Corral crews have been on-site to stabilize the surviving burros for further recovery and later transport to the Ridgecrest Corrals.
Lee said the rancher’s discovery and rapid reporting of the situation “saved the lives of the remaining burros.” He said range specialists were unsure how the animals wandered into this area although burros are adept at finding water sources in the desert.
Lee said the agency took special precautions to minimize impacts to the wilderness and to rehabilitate the area, which was already disturbed due to the previous mining operation.
BLM California Deputy Director Tom Pogacnik said BLM will conduct an inquiry into the incident and credits Lee and all others involved with “a fast response and plan that undoubtedly saved the lives of the remaining animals.”
The preliminary findings from the veterinarian brought to the site to check both living and dead burros were that the animals died from dehydration. The remaining animals are in fair condition and with an adequate supply of water on hand are expected to survive.
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