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LAKE COUNTY – More snow is predicted this evening down to 1500 foot - along with a chance of thunderstorms, which could bring more rain and hail, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Sacramento.
Dawn broke on Thursday morning to reveal a light dusting of snow down to the 2000 foot level. Rain, hail and snow showered Lake County throughout the day - and will continue throughout the night according to the NWS.
Local weather stations report 1.8 inches of precipitation in Cobb, 0.16 in Lakeport.
Snow is expected to accumulate up to 2 inches overnight, with low expected around 32 degrees. On Friday, it will be mostly cloudy with a chance of snow showers, with light snow accumulation to the 3,000 foot level, changing to rain showers.
Highs are expected to be in the low to mid 40s.
According to the NWS, winds will pick up on Friday evening, with Southwest gusts up to 30 mph.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) officials reported on Wednesday that the first case of equine WNV so far this year was confirmed in a Sonoma County horse on Feb. 8.
“Outbreaks of West Nile virus are expected to continue this year,” said California State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer. “Horse owners should contact their veterinarians as soon as possible to ensure current vaccination status, so that horses will have maximum protection against the disease.”
CDFA reports that horses contract the disease from carrier mosquitoes. Affected horses, the agency added, are not contagious to other horses or people. Not every horse exposed to the virus will die.
Signs of West Nile virus include stumbling, staggering, wobbling, weakness, muscle twitching and inability to stand.
Dr. Jeff Smith, a Middletown veterinarian who has dealt with several local WNV cases over the last few years, explained that WNV is a form of encephalitis that results in neurological symptoms, including brain swelling.
The horses he's treated, he said, have a “lazy gait,” and drag their feet or cross their legs, and play with their lips. If horses get the point where they can no longer stand, they have to be euthanized, he said.
Smith said because the disease has no treatment, it has to be waited out. He's used hyperimmune serums to treat his WNV patients, although that treatment hasn't yet been proved to cure the disease. Smith said he also works to reduce brain swelling in the animals.
Some animals, he said, spontaneously recover from WNV.
Equine WNV was first diagnosed in a horse in San Diego County in 2003, according to the state's WNV information site, westnile.ca.gov.
That was the only case for 2003. But by 2004, the disease had reached 32 of California's 58 counties, infecting 540 horses and causing 228 to die or be euthanized.
In 2005, 456 horses in 43 counties were diagnosed, and 200 of them died.
Steve Lyle, CDFA's director of communications, explained that as state officials watched the disease move westward over the last several years, they noticed that it had a pattern of explosive growth and a two-year peak cycle.
In California's case, the peak years appear to have been 2004 and 2005, he said.
That pattern held true in Lake County. CDFA statistics showed that Lake County had four cases of equine WNV in 2004, with one animal death. In 2005, 10 Lake County horses were diagnosed with WNV, and eight of them died or were euthanized.
The numbers of horses diagnosed have since dropped off. Last year, 58 horses in the state were known to have contracted the disease, with 24 deaths. In Lake County there were only two equine cases, but both were fatal, according to CDFA.
In the great majority of those cases the horses were either not vaccinated or vaccinated improperly, CDFA reported.
Smith said the animals he's treated for WNV hadn't been vaccinated. Most were older animals; like people, the immune system of horses weaken as they age, said Smith.
Lyle said scientists believe that animals exposed to the disease either develop immunity or get sick, and overall infections decline.
“What we're seeing is a natural cycle of decline that has been witnessed elsewhere,” said Lyle.
This recent diagnosis in Sonoma County, said Lyle, is a reminder that WNV is “still out there and populations are still vulnerable, just in smaller numbers that before.”
As a result, officials continue to encourage horse owners to vaccinate their animals, which Lyle said is the only way to protect animals from infection.
Vaccinations don't, however, guarantee horses won't be infected, Lyle added. But in cases where vaccinated horses did contract the disease, they are more likely to survive, he said.
University of California at Davis' vaccine regimens have changed several times in the last few years, said Smith. The current recommendation is that horses be vaccinated every four months or in the face of an outbreak, he said.
Animals that survive WNV usually recover fully, said Smith. “It's not the average horse that would be left debilitated by it.”
The West Nile Virus Information Line can be reached at 800-268-7378.
For updated statistics on West Nile Virus statewide, as well as information on how to report cases, visit westnile.ca.gov.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE – The Lake County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held a resoundingly successful Black History Month program and dinner on Sunday, Feb. 18.
The standing-room-only crowd that attended the festivities included many dignitaries from the arenas of politics, business and culture.
NAACP's local chapter was founded by Rick Mayo – now the chapter's first vice president – along with Clarence Wright Sr., A.C. Marks and past California State Conference Vice President Gilbert Gray.
A proclamation was made by the office of state Sen. Patricia Wiggins in recognition of Black History Month and the Lake County NAACP.
Judy Thein, Mayor of Clearlake, on behalf of the City Council and citizens of Clearlake spoke encouragingly to the crowd on the topic of city government being in complete accord with the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and dream.
The mayor also made a proclamation in honor of Dr. King, Black History Month and the NAACP, declaring them to be integral to the American experience.
Dr. Linda Robinson, pastor at Praises of Zion Baptist Church, rendered a powerful message that touched on the lingering effects of slavery on the psyche of of African-American people and the failure therein to educate subsequent generations adequately.
Peppering her oratory with quotes from African-American intellectuals like Nikki Giovanni, Carter G. Woodson, Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Robinson cautioned against the reality of academic lynching and complacency.
Supervisor Ed Robey provided the keynote address. His theme was on why he chooses to be a lifetime member of the NAACP.
Robey spoke of coming of age in the 1950s and 1960s, when 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally murdered in Mississippi; the struggle of James Meredith to enter the University of Mississippi; Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice; and the fire hoses of Sheriff Bull Conners' repressive regime in Alabama.
His main thrust was that social change and justice are yet necessary to the fabric of life in America and the NAACP's nonviolent stance is a "very cool" way to achieve those goals.
Lake County thespian Voris Brumfield presented a dramatic and creative portrayal of Alberta Williams King, the mother of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Woven skillfully into her oration was a proclamation and commendation from the office of Congressman Mike Thompson in honor of the occasion. Brumfield used humor and candor in bringing Alberta Williams King back to vibrant life.
Another highlight of the evening was the presentation by Mayo of the Founder's Trailblazer's Award to Dorothy Myers.
Myers has been political chair of the Lake County NAACP for the past 20 years, in conjunction with being a Legal Redress Committee member for six years.
She has made huge contributions collectively with the body of the local chapter in many areas, including housing, education and employment issues within the community. It was largely through her efforts that the Boys & Girls Club of Lake County was resurrected.
Also recognized for 16 years of organizing Black History Month programs in Lake County was Mae Nahmias.
Lake County NAACP President Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit acknowledged Nahmias' work ethic as being equivalent to the efforts of 10 people – she even prepared the dishes for the evening's soul food buffet.
The gifted Nahmias eventually treated the audience to her vocal prowess at the urging of the president.
Bakheit also presented plaque awards to the family of Dr. Alan and Kathy Sampson family; Aaron and Gloria Turner; and Al and Mae Nahmias for their generous and continued contributions to the local NAACP branch.
St. Elmo Mosby Jr., education chairman, recreated King's powerful "I Have A Dream" speech with chilling accuracy and emotion. The audience responded with two ovations.
Outstanding musical selections and contributions were made by the Praises of Zion Baptist Church Choir, the Beit Chavurah Group and keyboardist David Neft.
The evening's festivities and the diversity of the attendees indicated that Dr. King's dream is still vibrant in the community at large in Lake County.
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NICE – A woman hit by a car early Tuesday morning remains in the hospital with serious injuries.
The California Highway Patrol reported Tuesday that Martha Bertolino was struck by a vehicle at 4:22 a.m. on Highway 20, west of Sayre Avenue, near the Valero gas station.
After the accident Tuesday Bertolino was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, and then airlifted by REACH helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
CHP said they were continuing to investigate why Bertolino was in the roadway at that time. As part of that investigation, they ordered a blood test on Bertolino before she was transported to Santa Rosa.
On Wednesday, Bertolino's sister-in-law, Jenny Reale, said Bertolino suffers from bipolar disorder, which – without warning – caused her to get up and run out of her house and into traffic.
Reale said Bertolino remains Santa Rosa Memorial's critical care unit, suffering from two broken legs, a broken arm, head injuries, a broken jaw and internal injuries.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson