CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department said it has arrested a Lower Lake resident for a Friday night drive-by shooting at a gas station that injured a man.

Michael Thomas Wagner, 52, was arrested early Saturday and booked into the Lake County Jail on numerous felony charges, according to police.

Clearlake Police Sgt. Ryan Peterson said that at approximately 8:41 p.m. Friday officers responded to the Mobil gas station in the 15000 block of Lakeshore Drive for a report of a shooting.

Based on the investigation, Peterson said it is believed that Wagner arrived at the gas station on his “trike”-style three-wheeled motorcycle and had a verbal altercation with a male adult passenger seated in a vehicle next to the gas pumps.

As the vehicle began to drive away, Wagner retrieved a handgun and fired a single shot at the vehicle, Peterson said. The single gunshot struck the victim in his torso and he was immediately transported to the hospital by the driver of the vehicle.

Peterson said Wagner left the area on his motorcycle and was seen by witnesses driving toward Lower Lake.

The victim was transported to an out-of-county hospital for further treatment and was last reported to be in stable condition, Peterson said.

As officers continued their investigation into the early morning on Saturday, they obtained information that led to the identification of Wagner and the location of his residence in Lower Lake, according to Peterson’s report.

Officers went to Wagner’s home, found his trike motorcycle and then located Wagner in a nearby trailer. Peterson said Wagner was still in possession of the handgun believed to have been used in the shooting and wearing the same clothing.

Wagner is a convicted felon prohibited from owning firearms or ammunition, Peterson said.

Peterson said Wagner was arrested on probable cause for attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a loaded firearm with the intent to commit a felony, and a convicted person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Wagner was booked at the Lake County Jail on the felony charges.

Jail records show that Wagner is being held on $200,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Leo Flores at 707-994-8251.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Authorities have one subject in custody and are investigating the possibility of arson as the cause of a Saturday evening fire that came close to a Clearlake apartment complex, triggering evacuations.

The fire, which was reported at about 5:45 p.m., began in an open field near a homeless camp and southeast of the Tractor Supply and Big 5 Sporting Goods stores on Dam Road, according to Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White.

“We have one in custody,” White told Lake County News on Saturday night.

While the investigation remains under way, “At this time it does appear that it was an arson,” and not an accidental fire, White said.

Pushed by wind and burning in heavy brush, the fire was spotting and headed toward the nearby Cache Creek Apartments.

Pictures posted online by residents showed the flames approaching the complex.

“It was really close to the apartments,” said White.

Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta, the incident commander, said the incident had huge potential for damage.

Sapeta said evacuations were implemented immediately by the Clearlake Police Department with help from the California Highway Patrol – which happened to have units in the area – before firefighters arrived on the scene.

Altogether, between 150 and 200 people were evacuated from the complex’s four buildings, Sapeta said.

While the apartment residents weren’t in any immediate threat, “You just don’t want to take a chance anymore,” Sapeta said.

Cal Fire sent a full wildland fire dispatch of engines plus aircraft, with tankers dropping retardant and helicopters making water drops to hem in the fire, according to radio reports.

In addition to Lake County Fire and Cal Fire, Sapeta said Northshore Fire and South Lake County Fire also sent units to assist.

A chaotic scene

In the midst of the firefighting effort, a chaotic situation developed around the shopping center, as people tried to leave the apartments and onlookers were reportedly gathering to watch the fire, blocking traffic.

Within about 10 minutes of dispatch, authorities began to receive reports of a male subject who witnesses said set the fire. Radio reports stated that they were provided with pictures of the man.

Later, White confirmed they had taken a subject into custody and were questioning him.

Firefighters stopped the fire’s forward progress by 6:40 p.m., with size estimated at up to four acres, according to scene reports.

About an hour later, residents of buildings A, B and C at Cache Creek Apartments were allowed to start returning to their homes, with residents of building D – which had fire apparatus staged there – allowed to return just after 8:30 p.m., White said.

In the midst of the firefighting effort, White said police were tracking down the male subject believed responsible for setting the fire, responding to numerous other nearby incidents – including fights and a man making threats at a nearby business – and helping control traffic.

At one point, they had four individuals in connection to those various incidents in custody, White said.

“It’s pretty chaotic,” White said.

White said a police volunteer was helping to conduct traffic control at the Dam Road entrance into Saturday evening as mop up continued and residents returned home.

He said Saturday’s fire was in the same general area but more to the west of a blaze that burned two acres on the afternoon of Saturday, July 13, as Lake County News has reported.

For his part, when asked if the Saturday fire was arson, Sapeta said it was too early to make that determination, noting fire investigators were still at that point working with police to speak with witnesses and validate stories.

He said the July 13 fire was definitely suspicious but the cause was undetermined and there was no suspect, so they will look at whether Saturday’s fire was connected to the fire two weeks ago or any other incidents.

More fire incidents

After containing the Saturday evening fire, firefighters – who already had been through a hectic 48 hours that included a structure fire and shooting – weren’t done yet.

Just before 10:15 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to a small wildland fire in the 16000 block of Dam Road near the site of the earlier fire.

Units arriving on scene minutes later found a 25 foot by 25 foot spot in the brush, outside of the previous fire’s burn area, according to scene reports. Forward progress was quickly stopped, with firefighters spending about 45 minutes in overhaul.

“This was not associated with the first fire,” Sapeta said of the smaller fire, the cause of which he said was undetermined.

“We’re going to continue to patrol the area,” Sapeta said.

Then, shortly after 10:35 p.m., a vehicle fire was reported at the intersection of Lake Street and Dam Road, near the Cache Creek Apartments.

Sapeta responded to that fire, which was quickly contained. He said that fire was associated with the car’s fuel system.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – If you're out and about around the lake there are two mini-parks in Clearlake Oaks where you can picnic, fish or simply bird-watch – Clarks Island and Nylander Park. Both provide a shady respite from a busy day.

According to the Konocti Regional Trails Web site, Clarks Island, which in 1.48 acres, is located off of Highway 20 and was purchased by the county of Lake/Redevelopment Agency in 2007 with the idea of an all-encompassing plan for environmental sustainability, Native American flora, interpretive panels and more.

As reported in the Lake County News in 2010, a unique plan to help the native tule reeds proliferate was undertaken by volunteers at this site.

Surprisingly enough, a company called Floating Islands West undertook the venture to launch a 150-foot manmade island made of thousands of recycled plastic bottles, and was set into place with two large anchors and held thriving tule reeds.

The idea behind the floating island concept is that there is an opportunity to restore habitat, filter out nitrates, phosphates and other detrimental pollutants from waterways, while also controlling erosion of lake and stream banks. There have been lengthy efforts to obtain grants and other funding for this pilot project to sustain our waters.

River otters and a wide variety of avian species can be spotted here. Although I don't see the otter on this particular day, there are coots and white egrets in the water.

While observing a mallard family at Clarks Island I watch as they deftly glide about the lake dining on flora. Then, dragonflies appear out of the corner of my eye – those messengers of summer have emerged from their aquatic, brown nymph period to consume hundreds of mosquitoes each day.

Nearby, across the highway from Clarks island is lovely Nylander Park, which celebrated its completion in 2008.

As the Lake County News reported then, the land upon which the park sits was purchased from Red and White Market owner Gary Nylander, hence, the park's name.

Although it is only one acre in size, it sports a relaxing atmosphere with its 40 trees that include crepe myrtles, Chinese pistache, gingko biloba, flowering plums and more. Its tables, benches and barbeques all beckon you to spend time upon its cool, greensward.

As previously reported by Elizabeth Larson, the area that the park rests on was once the location of the town's post office, barber shop and other downtown shops.

At the park dedication in 2008, Nylander spoke of his grandmother, Cora Nylander, who passed away at age 104, having arrived in Clearlake Oaks with her husband 75 years ago, when they ran the grocery store for 50 years. the park now has a display of ceramic tiles which honor those who assisted in making the park a reality.

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, freelance writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.”

 

On July 4 and 5, two major earthquakes, followed by several thousand smaller ones, struck Southern California. Their size and the damage they caused captured attention around the country.

What tends to get much less notice from the public is what can be done to prevent catastrophic damage from big quakes.

Had the epicenter of these latest large California earthquakes been closer to downtown Los Angeles, tens of thousands of apartment buildings could have been damaged or collapsed. Consequently, structural engineers are calling on legislators to prepare for and prevent earthquake damage by crafting new and improved building codes. Restricting where developers can put up new skyscrapers, or requiring that new residential buildings be designed to withstand high-magnitude earthquakes, could ultimately save structures and lives.

For the most part, though, there’s just not that much general demand for preventative policies. Why?

Might low awareness about earthquake risks help explain why the public doesn’t demand policies aimed at mitigating the loss of life and property in the event of a major earthquake? Andrew Rohrman, a civil engineer, and I, a political scientist, teamed up to investigate this question.

Politicians give people what they want

For an example of inconsistent and inadequate earthquake preparedness regulations, look at San Francisco. While the city has strict laws on the books to prevent damage to hospitals and schools, regulations regarding its 160 skyscrapers are significantly more lax. A 50-story tower in downtown San Francisco has the same building strength requirements as a structure with only five stories.

Although scientists can’t precisely predict when and where earthquakes will strike, a 2014 U.S. Geological Survey report suggested there’s a 72% chance that an earthquake of 6.7 magnitude or greater will hit the Bay Area within the next 25 years. If the epicenter of an earthquake of that size strikes close to downtown San Francisco, as was the case in the city’s catastrophic 1906 earthquake, liquefaction – that is, the destabilization of soil – could threaten the structural integrity of dozens of large buildings.

Why are San Francisco’s disaster prevention policies so weak? The answer could be due to low public demand. Policymakers have an electoral incentive to institute changes that are important to the public since voters can get rid of politicians who don’t respond to their policy preferences. Absent that demand, legislators may avoid pursuing this type of action as other issues take precedence.

Researchers have found that Americans don’t prioritize local policies aimed at earthquake disaster prevention. That holds true even for those living in areas where earthquakes are relatively common. Although there is some evidence that Americans reward politicians who allocate funds to respond to natural disasters after they occur, there’s just not much support for policies to prevent damage and loss of life in the first place.

So, why isn’t the public demanding more from their policymakers to mitigate the risks posed by major earthquakes? Our research set out to answer this question.

Recognizing real risks increases policy support

The low demand for preventative policies in the U.S. could stem from the fact that many Americans, even those who regularly experience earthquakes, inaccurately assess the likelihood that they’ll experience a big one.

For example, surveys of Southern California residents suggest that people incorrectly perceive themselves as being at fairly modest risk of experiencing a major earthquake. Others have documented high levels of public misinformation about earthquake risks and predictability – such as the idea that odd animal behavior can signal an impending earthquake.

To study how risk perceptions might shape public policy support, we surveyed 855 Americans who reside in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska or Hawaii.

We asked people to tell us what they thought the probability was, on a 0 to 100 scale, that a “major earthquake causing catastrophic damage” will occur where they live within the next 20 years. This was their perceived earthquake risk score.

Then we looked at a measure developed by seismologists to determine the objective probability of a major earthquake – known as “peak ground acceleration” – based on the zip code of each respondent. That way we could compare their perceived probability with the actual risk.

Additionally, we asked respondents how much they support or oppose implementing stricter building code requirements, investing in public awareness campaigns about earthquake preparedness and restricting where private developers can build large buildings. These responses on a seven-point scale, from 1 (strongly oppose) to 7 (strongly support), gave us a measure of support for preventative public policy.

We found only a modest relationship between objective earthquake risk (peak ground acceleration) and perceptions of earthquake risk. Although people who live in highly at-risk zip codes tend to feel more at risk than people living in less at-risk areas, it wasn’t by much. Alarmingly, we found that people living in some of the most at-risk zip codes in the country, like those in and surrounding the Bay Area, perceived their risk as being virtually the same as those living in areas where large earthquakes are highly unlikely, as in northeastern Oregon and Washington.

Critically, though, people who live in highly at-risk areas, and who accurately recognize that they are at risk, express significantly higher levels of policy support than people who live in at-risk areas and inaccurately assess their risk. These individuals also tend to express significantly higher levels of support than people who live in comparatively lower risk areas.

A job for improved science communication

Our research has important implications for public policy. By showing that people who recognize they live in at-risk areas are, in fact, more supportive of policy efforts to mitigate earthquake damages, we think the public certainly has the potential to push lawmakers toward preventative policy action.

Unfortunately, our research suggests that many Americans living in at-risk areas may hold risk perceptions that are not in line with reality. This finding underscores how important it is for local governments and science communicators to try to communicate earthquake risks to people living in hazardous areas.

Scientists and engineers know how to build cities in ways that would minimize the damage from a major quake. But for the public to demand policies that would help preempt, rather than simply respond to, seismic disasters, they need a clear understanding of the risks they face.

Matt Motta, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control’s kennels have filled up with more big dogs this week.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of boxer, Cane Corso mastiff, Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever, mastiff, miniature pinscher, pit bull, Rhodesian Ridgeback, spaniel and wirehaired terrier.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Male Rhodesian Ridgeback-pit bull terrier

This male Rhodesian Ridgeback-pit bull terrier puppy has a short tan and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 3, ID No. 12607.

Male Rhodesian Ridgeback-pit bull terrier

This male Rhodesian Ridgeback-pit bull terrier has a short tan and black coat.

He is in kennel No. 4, ID No. 12603.

Female pit bull

This female pit bull has a short white and brindle coat.

She is in kennel No. 5, ID No. 12601.

Female miniature pinscher

This female miniature pinscher has a short tan and white coat.

She has been spayed.

She is in kennel No. 6, ID No. 12611.

Male wirehaired terrier

This male wirehaired terrier has a short black and tan coat.

He is in kennel No. 8, ID No. 12622.

Male Chihuahua

This male Chihuahua has a short tan coat.

He’s in kennel No. 13, ID No. 12583.

‘Sadie’

“Sadie” is a female spaniel with a long black coat.

She already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 12542.

‘Rocky’

“Rocky” is a male pit bull-mastiff with a short black coat.

Shelter staff said he does well with others, and is a sweet and loving dog.

He’s in kennel No. 21, ID No. 12515.

‘Roxy’

“Roxy” is a female pit bull with a short black and white coat.

Shelter staff said she is a very submissive and loving dog.

She’s in kennel No. 22, ID No. 12516.

Male pit bull terrier

This male pit bull terrier has a short brown coat.

He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 12613.

‘Cash’

“Cash” is a male pit bull terrier mix with a short black and white coat.

Shelter staff said Cash does well with others, loves people and walks well on a leash.

He has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 27, ID No. 12413.

‘Buddy’

“Buddy” is a male pit bull terrier mix with a short tricolor coat.

He’s in kennel No. 31, ID No. 12508.

Male boxer

This male boxer has a short black coat.

He’s in kennel No. 32, ID No. 12512.

‘Bear’

“Bear” is a male Cane Corso mastiff with a short brown coat.

He is in kennel No. 34, ID No. 11456.

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm.

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

“Scientists say there is no life on the moon. I look at the moon today, see the faces from NASA, industry, science and academe who brilliantly sent Americans to that place, and I know differently. The people of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo are blossoms on the moon. Their spirits will live there forever. I was part of the crowd, then part of leadership that opened space travel to human beings. We threw a narrow flash of light across our nation’s history. I was there at the best of times.” – Chris Kraft in "Flight: My Life in Mission Control"

Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., who died July 22, 2019, created the concept of NASA's Mission Control and developed its organization, operational procedures and culture, then made it a critical element of the success of the nation's human spaceflight programs.

“America has truly lost a national treasure today with the passing of one of NASA’s earliest pioneers – flight director Chris Kraft," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. "We send our deepest condolences to the Kraft family.”

Bridenstine continued, “Chris was one of the core team members that helped our nation put humans in space and on the Moon, and his legacy is immeasurable. Chris’ engineering talents were put to work for our nation at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, before NASA even existed, but it was his legendary work to establish mission control as we know it for the earliest crewed space flights that perhaps most strongly advanced our journey of discovery. From that home base, America’s achievements in space were heard across the globe, and our astronauts in space were anchored to home even as they accomplished unprecedented feats."

Kraft – whose full name was Christopher Columbus Kraft – joined the NASA Space Task Group in November 1958 as NASA's first flight director, with responsibilities that immersed him in mission procedures and challenging operational issues.

He personally invented the mission planning and control processes required for crewed space missions, in areas as diverse as go/no-go decisions, space-to-ground communications, space tracking, real-time problem solving and crew recovery.

During the Apollo program, Kraft became the Director of Flight Operations at MSC, responsible for overall human spaceflight mission planning, training and execution.

His leadership in this critical area continued through the Apollo 12 mission in 1969, at which time he became deputy director of the center. He served as the center director from January 1972 until his retirement in August 1982, playing a vital role in the success of the final Apollo missions, the Skylab crewed space station, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and the first flights of the space shuttle.

Kraft was born Feb. 28, 1924 in Phoebus, Virginia, now a part of Hampton, Va. There he attended high school and developed strong interests in non-aeronautical topics such as baseball, and drum and bugle corps. Unlike many of his aerospace peers later in his career, he wasn't interested in airplanes.

After high school, he wanted to attend college, but didn't know where or what he should study. He chose Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI, now Virginia Tech) and enrolled in mechanical engineering in 1941. He credits his experiences in the military Corps of Cadets at the institute for the foundation of his leadership training that would later characterize his personality in his NASA career.

By 1942, the VPI campus was being depleted of students because of the war effort, and Kraft patriotically decided to join the Navy as an aviation cadet.

Unfortunately, his right hand had been severely burned when he was 3 years old, and he was declared unfit for military service. Ironically, his old hand injuries did not hamper his athletic prowess – he played catcher on the VPI baseball team.

A professor in the engineering department was an enthusiastic airplane devotee and passed his interest on to young Kraft. An elective course in basic aerodynamics inspired him to major in aeronautical engineering. In 1944, he graduated with one of the first degrees in that field awarded by the Institute.

Kraft was familiar with the work of the federal National Advisory Commitee on Aeronautics – NASA's predecessor agency – at Langley, which was located only about 7 miles from his home. However, he felt that Langley was too close to home, and accepted a job offer from Chance Vought in Connecticut – with a back-up offer from the NACA also in hand. After experiencing first-day bureaucratic frustration at Vought, he opted to accept his back-up offer.

So, in January 1945, he returned to Virginia to join the staff of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. Kraft was assigned to the Flight Research Division under the leadership of Robert Gilruth and Hewitt Phillips, men he held in awe.

He contributed to many critical programs that had been conceived by Gilruth, including evaluations of the flying qualities of aircraft, and free-fall model tests to measure transonic and supersonic aerodynamics.

He served as project engineer on flying-qualities investigations of the P-51H, an advanced version of the famous Mustang. He also conducted analytical work on gust alleviation, and directed a pioneering study of potentially dangerous wake turbulence caused by trailing vortices.

With the advent of the jet age of the 1950s, he was assigned as project engineer on flight tests of the Navy's high-priority Vought F8U Crusader, which was exhibiting numerous birthing problems in its earliest versions.

The problems uncovered by Langley flight tests included unacceptable g-force control behavior during maneuvers, which was determined to result from unintentional pivoting of the unique movable wing used by the configuration.

Working with Langley test pilot Jack Reeder, Kraft identified the structural source of the problem, and took on the unpleasant job of telling the Navy that its new first-line aircraft was potentially dangerous.

His warnings were heeded by Navy management, resulting in grounding of the F8U fleet, much to the chagrin of many operators of the new aircraft. He then encountered one of the most contentious members of the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics, who questioned the Langley results and doubted the conclusions drawn by the NACA.

That Marine Major was named John Glenn.

Following a detailed examination of the Langley study results with Kraft and Reeder, and interviews with Navy pilots who flew the aircraft, Glenn was convinced and became a believer.

The F8U was subsequently redesigned, as recommended by Kraft and his associates at Langley, and served the nation as an outstanding fighter during the Vietnam War.

Since his retirement from NASA, Kraft has consulted for numerous companies including IBM and Rockwell International, served as a Director-at-Large of the Houston Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Board of Visitors at Virginia Tech.

In 2001, he published an autobiography entitled "Flight: My Life in Mission Control." His book is a detailed discussion of his life through the end of the Apollo program, and was a New York Times bestseller.

He has received numerous awards and honors for his work. These include the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal; four NASA Distinguished Service Medals; the Distinguished Alumnus Citation from Virginia Tech, in 1965; the Distinguished Citizen Award, given by the City of Hampton, Virginia, in 1966; the John J. Montgomery Award, in 1963; the Goddard Memorial Trophy, awarded by the National Space Club, in 1979; and the John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award for 1996. In 1999, he was presented the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement for which he was cited as "A driving force in the U.S. human space-flight program from its beginnings to the Space Shuttle era, a man whose accomplishments have become legendary."

In 2006, NASA honored Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., for his key involvement in America's space programs with the Ambassador of Exploration Award, given to astronauts and other key individuals who participated in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs, for realizing America's vision of space exploration from 1961 to 1972.

On April 4, 2011, NASA named its Building 30 Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center in his honor, in recognition of his service to the nation and its space programs. The Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., Mission Control Center has now operated for 50 years in support of space missions. At the naming ceremony, Flight Director Glynn Lunney commented "The Control Center today…is a reflection of Chris Kraft."

Chris Kraft married his high school sweetheart, Betty Anne Turnbull, in 1950. They have a son and a daughter, Gordon and Kristi-Anne.

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED. 

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Firefighters are working to stop a wildland fire near the Clearlake Walmart that has led to immediate evacuation of a nearby apartment complex.

The fire on Dam Road, near Walmart and behind Tractor Supply Co. and Big 5 Sporting Goods, was dispatched just before 5:45 p.m. Saturday.

Incident command’s initial estimate of fire size was 2 to 3 acres with a rapid rate of spread in heavy brush, with an east wind on it. Immediate evacuation of the nearby Cache Creek Apartments was ordered.

The fire is reported to be spotting and moving toward the apartment complex’s C and D buildings.

Authorities also were dispatched to look for a male subject that reporting parties said may have been responsible for setting the fire.

Helicopters and tankers are making drops on the fire as people are being moved out of the area.

A witness reported that the fire appears to be burning in the area of a homeless camp and hasn’t yet reached the apartments.

The last size estimate at about 6:10 p.m. put the fire at between four and five acres.

Shortly afterward, incident command received a report of a spot off Boyles and Eighth avenues, but firefighters said they couldn’t find a spot fire there.

Law enforcement is working to clear traffic at the shopping center, where cars are getting blocked in and preventing fire traffic, according to radio reports.

The Clearlake Police Department sent out a Nixle alert asking people to avoid the area of Highway 53 and Dam Road to Lake Street.

Incident command said forward progress stopped as of just before 6:40 p.m. At that point, the size was estimated to be holding between three and four acres.

The evacuation order had been lifted for buildings A, B and C at Cache Creek Apartments as of 8:15 p.m. The order for building D residents was lifted about 20 minutes later, officials said.

Lake County Fire and Cal Fire are in unified command on the incident.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – An early morning house fire in Clearlake resulted in nearby evacuations and threats to other structures.

Firefighters were first dispatched to the blaze in the 4700 block of West 40th Avenue at Arnold Avenue in Clearlake at 2:45 a.m. Saturday, according to radio reports.

The first units on scene found a fully involved structure with multiple other nearby homes threatened, power lines down with high tension lines burning and read to fall, based on scene reports.

Witnesses reported that the house on fire was a large A-frame at the corner of W. 40th and Arnold avenues, which later was confirmed by the address given by incident command.

Three people were reported to have burn injuries, firefighters reported.

Lake County Fire Protection District requested engines from Cal Fire respond to assist.

Pacific Gas and Electric also was asked to come to the scene, as firefighters reported difficulty accessing the site due to the downed or burning power lines.

Shortly after 3 a.m., the Clearlake Police Department issued a Nixle alert directing people to evacuate the nearby areas on W. 40th Avenue and Hillcrest from Carrol Avenue to Lasky Avenue, and to avoid the area.

Incident command reported that the burning structure was very large and all units were in defensive mode, attempting to protect surrounding structures until they could contain the fire.

Just after 3:30 a.m., Clearlake Police issued another alert, directing people to stay away from the area between West 40th Avenue from Old Highway 53 to Hillcrest Avenue while fire crews worked in the area.

Police reported at about 3:45 a.m. that the fire was knocked down, but that people should continue to avoid the area.

Incident command said just after 4 a.m. that mop up was anticipated to take six hours.

Several units were released at about 4:45 a.m., with some units remaining at the site to work on mop up.

Additional details will be published as they become available.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is investigating two late-night burglaries and seeking leads in identifying who is responsible.

The agency said that just before 7:30 a.m. Friday officers responded to a possible burglary at Plaza Paints on South Main Street.

Two hours later, officers were dispatched to the Lakeport Christian Center Preschool on South Forbes St. for a report of another burglary, police said.

Authorities said they believe the incidents are connected.

There also was a sign that was left behind on scene and police believe it was believed to have been left there by the person involved. The small cardboard sign has a message, written in black marker, that says, “2B honest, I need a beer. Or 6.”

Police want to hear from anyone who knows of this sign or has seen a subject in possession of it and can identify them.

If anyone does have any information regarding the burglaries or the person – or persons – involved, please contact the investigating Officer Joe Medici at 707-263-5491, Extension 120, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also send an anonymous message from your cellular device by texting the word TIP LAKEPORT followed by your message to 888777 or by sending us a private message on Facebook

Police remind community members to report any suspicious activity and individuals during the late night hours.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Hot weekend temperatures across interior Northern California have led the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory for areas including Lake County this weekend.

The advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. Saturday to 11 p.m. Sunday.

The National Weather Service said a heat advisory means a prolonged period of hot temperatures is expected and will create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible.

Temperatures are forecast to hit or surpass the century mark during the daytime on Saturday and Sunday as the result of building high pressure.

Nighttime temperatures will range into the high 60s, based on the forecast.

Area residents are urged to take extra precautions to guard against heat exhaustion and heat stroke, including drinking plenty of fluids, avoiding direct sunlight if possible, staying in an air-conditioned room, and checking on outdoor pets and those more sensitive to heat such as the elderly and young children. Officials also urge against strenuous activities during the middle of the day.

Early next week, daytime temperatures are forecast to drop into the low 90s, with nighttime temperatures into the mid 50s, according to the forecast.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Recently I was asked if I could help an elderly married couple who had run into an obstacle preventing them from selling their home.

The notary public had refused to notarize the wife’s signature because the wife apparently did not understand the documents she was to sign.

The wife did not have a durable power of attorney authorizing her spouse to act as her agent in selling the property and now apparently lacked the capacity to sign one. That left two options.

The preferred option was to petition for an order authorizing a particular transaction (section 3100 et. seq. of the California Probate Code).

When community property is involved and one spouse is competent and the other spouse is incompetent, the competent spouse can petition the court. Here the transaction involved was the sale of the couple’s residence, a community property asset.

The 3100 petition has numerous requirements, including the following:

First, the incapacitated spouse must be examined by a physician and a capacity evaluation form filed with the court, the same as in a conservatorship proceeding.

Second, a court must appoint a “guardian ad litem” to represent the incapacitated spouse’s interests. Persons whom I have seen appointed as the guardian ad litem include an adult child of the incapacitated spouse or an attorney. After investigating the proposed transaction, the guardian ad litem files a written report with a recommendation to the court.

Third, the transaction must involve the couple’s community property. There must be some community property interest in the transaction. The order can also affect additional separate property interests involved in the same transaction. In the absence of community property, the well spouse may “transmutes” (changes) some of the well spouse’s own separate property interests into community property in order to meet the requirement that community property be involved.

Fourth, the transaction must be for one of four allowed purposes, such as for the, “advantage, benefit or best interests of the spouses or their estates,” or for, “the care and support of either spouse or of such persons as either spouse may be legally obligated to support.”

For example, in the aforementioned instance, the purpose was to authorize the sale of the couple’s residence so that they could move out of state to live with children. Another example, transferring one spouse’s property to another spouse so that the incapacitated spouse becomes eligible for long term Medi-Cal at a skilled nursing home.

Fifth, the notice of hearing and a copy of the 3100 petition must be served on all of the incapacitated spouse’s siblings, children and grandchildren. This can involve numerous relatives. Any of these relatives potentially could object to oppose the transaction.

Whenever, the 3100 petition is an available option it is usually preferable to initiating a conservatorship (unless a conservatorship already exists). Initiating a conservatorship involves more legal papers to be prepared and filed, and more legal expenses to pay.

Once the conservatorship is established the conservator may also still need to prepare and file a petition for substituted judgement or a 3100 petition to obtain a court order authorizing the conservator to complete the transaction on behalf of the incapacitated spouse.

The costs involved with a court petition would have been avoided had the couple either owned their residence inside of a living trust or if the wife had a durable power of attorney authorizing her husband to sell her interest their residence. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, neither type of estate planning was in place.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.

 

Looking up at the silvery orb of the Moon, you might recognize familiar shadows and shapes on its face from one night to the next. You see the same view of the Moon our early ancestors did as it lighted their way after sundown.

Only one side of the spherical Moon is ever visible from Earth – it wasn’t until 1959 when the Soviet Spacecraft Luna 3 orbited the Moon and sent pictures home that human beings were able to see the “far side” of the Moon for the first time.

A phenomenon called tidal locking is responsible for the consistent view. The Earth and its Moon are in close proximity and thus exert significant gravitational forces on each other. These tidal forces slow the rotations of both bodies. They locked the Moon’s rotation in sync with its orbital period relatively soon after it formed – as a product of a collision between a Mars-sized object and the proto-Earth, 100 million years after the solar system coalesced.

Now the Moon takes one trip around the Earth in the same amount of time it takes to make one rotation around its own axis: about 28 days. From Earth, we always see the same face of the Moon; from the Moon, the Earth stands still in the sky.

The near side of the Moon is well studied because we can see it. The astronauts landed on the near side of the Moon so they could communicate with NASA here on Earth. All of the samples from the Apollo missions are from the near side.

Although the far side of the Moon isn’t visible from our vantage point, and with all due respect to Pink Floyd, it is not accurate to call it the dark side of the Moon. All sides of the moon experience night and day just like we do here on Earth. All sides have equal amounts of day and night over the course of a single month. A lunar day lasts about two Earth weeks.

With modern satellites, astronomers have completely mapped the lunar surface. A Chinese mission, Chang'e 4, is currently exploring the Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon — the first such mission ever landed there. Researchers hope Chang'e 4 will help answer questions about the crater’s surface features and test whether things can grow in lunar soil. A privately funded Israeli mission, Beresheet, started as a mission to compete for the Google Lunar X Prize. Despite crashing during an attempted landing earlier this month, the Beresheet team still won the Moon Shot Award.

Being shielded from civilization means the far side of the moon is “radio dark.” There, researchers can measure weak signals from the universe that would otherwise be drowned out. Chang'e 4, for instance, will be able to observe low-frequency radio light coming from the Sun or beyond that’s impossible to detect here on the Earth due to human activity, such as TV and radio broadcasts and other forms of communication signals. Low-frequency radio peers back in time to the very first stars and the very first black holes, giving astronomers a greater understanding of how the structures of the universe began forming.

Rover missions also investigate all sides of the Moon as space scientists prepare for future human missions, looking to the Moon’s resources to help humanity get to Mars. For instance, water – discovered by NASA’s LCROSS satellite beneath the Moon’s north and south poles in 2009 – can be broken up into hydrogen and oxygen and used for fuel and breathing.

Researchers are getting closer to exploring the Moon’s polar craters, some of which have never seen the light of day – literally. They are deep and in just the right place to never have the Sun shine onto the crater floor. There are certainly dark parts of the Moon, but the whole far side isn’t one of them.

Wayne Schlingman, Director of the Arne Slettebak Planetarium, The Ohio State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.