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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Bob Reynolds of Lake County Air Quality Management District reported Sunday that the no burn status is likely to last through Tuesday, based on requests from local fire chiefs.
Reynolds reported that the no burn day is necessary because Cal Fire is reassigning resources to the Malibu and other Southern California fires. A strike team of local firefighters also may be sent to Southern California.
In addition, higher temperatures and high winds are expected from Monday afternoon through Wednesday, Reynolds reported.
Requirements remain even with burn ban lifted
Burn permits are required for all burns in the Lake County Air Basin. Contact your local Fire Protection Agency for a burn permit or the Air Quality Management District to obtain a Smoke Management Plan for burns that may last for several days.
All agencies charge fees for open waste burning permits ranging from $21 for agricultural, residential and smoke management plans, to $64 for land development/lot clearing, according to air quality officials.
Residential burn permits require a one-acre or larger lot, a burn location at least 100 feet from all neighbors and 30 feet from any structure. Burn hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. only.
Land clearing burns require specified permits. Permits may be obtained from your local Fire Agency. Multi-day burns, standing vegetation, whole tree/vine removals and all burns over 20 acres in size must obtain a Smoke Management Plan from the Air Quality Management District. Read your burn permit carefully and follow all conditions.
Each day of the burning season is designated as a “no burn day,” a “limited burn day” or an “agricultural extended burn day.”
On “no burn days” all open burning is illegal unless an exemption has been issued for a specific fire. Burning is generally allowed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. only. Burn only the amount of material that can be completely consumed during the allowed burning hours. Only vegetation may be burned.
Remember to ensure adequate clearance for fire safety.
Please consider composting as an alternative to burning leaves, or use the vegetative waste pickup provided with your waste collection services.
Avoid smoldering fires and reduce the amount of air pollution by burning only dry vegetation. DO NOT burn green vegetation or wet leaves.
Remember, it is illegal to use a burn barrel, or to burn plastics, metals, treated wood or petroleum wastes, burn only vegetation.
Contact your local fire safe council for chipping program information.
The law requires that an able-bodied adult supervise all fires. Burning even a small amount of illegal material can result in toxic ash and smoke, which cause cancer and other health problems, and can result in significant fines.
Your neighbors may be allergic to smoke; please be considerate. Some people have respiratory problems and their health is degraded by even small amounts of smoke. If your smoke enters your neighbor’s air space, ask them if it is bothering them and take corrective action if needed.
A permit does not allow you to create health problems for others and you can be liable for fines and other costs associated with your burning.
Daily burn day status is available from your local burn information numbers: North County at 263-3121 and South County at 994-4444.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
While September's unemployment rate is down from August, it's up 1.0 percent from the year-ago, September 2006 rate of 6.0 percent, according to the Dennis Mullins of the EDD's North Coast Region office in Eureka.
Lake County's 7 percent unemployment rate compares to a seasonally unadjusted rate of 5.4 percent for California and 4.5 percent for the U.S., Mullins reported.
Some surrounding county rates included 7.9 percent for Colusa, 5.0 percent for Mendocino and 4.5 percent for Sonoma, according to Mullins. Marin had the lowest rate in the state with 3.8 percent and Imperial County had the highest at 20.8 percent.
Lake's unemployment rate earned it a rank of 42nd out of the state's 58 counties, according to statistics Mullins provided.
Total industry employment grew by 390 jobs (2.5 percent) between September 2006 and September 2007, ending the year-over period with 16,210 jobs, Mullins reported.
Year-over job growth occurred in farm; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; private educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government, Mullins noted.
He added that year-over job losses occurred in natural resources, mining and construction.
Industry sectors with no change over the year, Mullins said, were financial activities, and professional and business services
The farm sector again led industry gainers adding 90 jobs for the year, Mullins reported. Trade, transportation and utilities, and private educational health services were each up 80 jobs.
Leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, government, other services, and information were up 50, 40, 30, 20 and 10 jobs respectively, according to Mullins. natural resources, mining and construction declined slightly, dropping 10 jobs.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
KELSEYVILLE – Bidding began slowly at Saturday night’s annual Lake County Wine Auction where silent and live auction lots totaling 100 in number were expected to rake in $125,000 for Lake County charities.
Live auction bidding, conducted by Archie McLaren, picked up speed and humor when Dr. Paula Dhanda of Kelseyville interrupted the bidding for lot 6, a private tasting, tour and lunch at Ceago Vinegarden, with a personal testimonial.
Bidding had slowed to near $3,000 for the 12-person lunch, when Dhanda took the microphone to tell the more than 400 ticket-holders how much she had enjoyed her $6,000 purchase from a prior year’s event. And the crowd roared when she added that she was Ceago owner Jim Fetzer’s gynecologist.
Clay Shannon, of Shannon Ridge Vineyards and Winery, whose ranch neighbors Fetzer’s Ceago, ended up winning the lot – twice - at $3,600 each, if Jim would agree to remove a tree for him.
Lake County Wine Auction Chair Marie Beery said about 70 percent of the attendees were from Lake County, adding that some of that number are second-home owners in the area.
The event is hosted by the Lake County Wine Alliance at the Buckingham Golf and Country Club and is held in a large tent on the golf course.
Master of Ceremonies Narsai David, food and wine editor at KCBS in San Francisco, welcomed the crowd, noting that Lake County is experiencing a “renaissance” in winegrowing, with 8,000 acres currently in grape vine production.
Alliance President Margaret Walker reminisced about planning the first wine auction 10 years ago. She said the event was hosted by just five wineries and 10 restaurants. The five wineries were Ployez, Wildhurst, Steele, Kendall-Jackson and Guenoc Wineries.
On Saturday some 21 Lake County wineries were on hand to pour their wines.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Judge William McKinstry on Oct. 11 turned down defense attorney Stuart Hanlon's request that District Attorney Jon Hopkins and his office be removed from prosecuting the case of 23-year-old Renato Hughes.
Hughes is facing trial for the murders of Christian Foster and Rashad Williams on Dec. 7, 2005, as Lake County News has reported.
Hughes did not shoot the two young men, who in fact were shot by Clearlake Park resident Shannon Edmonds, from whose home the men were allegedly fleeing from a robbery attempt.
However, Hopkins alleges Hughes is responsible for their deaths under a provocative act law, which holds a person responsible for the death of accomplices in a crime that is likely to result in a lethal response.
Hanlon has fought to have the trial removed from Lake County over this past year.
Last week, Hanlon went before McKinstry – the retired Alameda County Superior Court judge assigned to the case – to ask that Hopkins and his office to be recused from prosecuting Hughes.
Hanlon alleged that Hopkins should be removed from the case because he is refusing to prosecute Shannon Edmonds for trying to force his girlfriend, Lori Tyler, to commit suicide with him on Aug. 3.
The state Attorney General's Office sent Senior Assistant Attorney General Gerald Engler to lodge that agency's opposition to the motion, for which Engler argued there was no justification, Hopkins reported.
“We lost the recusal motion,” said Hanlon, which means he can't call Hopkins as a witness in the case relating to prosecuting Edmonds in the double-suicide attempt.
Hopkins denied that he has decided not to charge Edmonds relating to the suicide matter.
“At this point there has not been a determination made to file charges,” he said Friday.
Hopkins said Hanlon is attempting to transfer the attention from Hughes' alleged actions to Edmonds in order to get the jury to decide in his favor.
McKinstry ruled that evidence relating to Edmonds' alleged prior drug dealing in Lake and Mendocino counties will be admissable during the trial, said Hanlon.
In addition, McKinstry ruled that evidence regarding a shotgun found near the crime scene weeks later will be admitted, Hopkins reported,which was evidence Hanlon had wanted blocked.
Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit, president of Lake County's branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was in court for the hearing. She said McKinstry also ruled that if Edmonds is to testify in the case he cannot invoke the Fifth Amendment – which protects individuals from self-incrimination – which he did, 147 times, during preliminary testimony.
The two sides must go before McKinstry Monday afternoon to argue the issue of whether or not the attempted suicide should be disclosed during the trial.
After that, Hopkins said jury selection is set to start Oct. 23 and 24, with four panels of jurors to be called over those two days.
Hanlon and Hopkins both explained that on the initial days of jury selection jurors will complete a questionnaire, which the prosecution and defense will go over before the jurors return for further questioning Oct. 30.
Based on their answers on the questionnaire, some of the jurors may be questioned in private about possible biases, said Hanlon.
If he doesn't believe he can get a fair jury based on the questionnaires, Hanlon said he could ask for a new jury.
Hopkins, who will prosecute the case himself, said that he hopes that a jury will be selected in time for the trial to get under way Nov. 6.
Next week Hopkins said he expects to have a better idea of how long the trial could last. He expects it to last all of November – with the court taking a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday – and into December.
The first two weeks of the trial will take place in Judge Arthur Mann's Department 3 courtroom, while Mann is away, said Hopkins. Then the trial will be moved around to available courtrooms.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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