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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Authorities in Shasta County this week have had to call for evacuations and declare a local emergency after a decades-old cache of explosives was found at a home.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said 150 to 200 pounds of explosives were discovered earlier this week at a residence at 5747 Happy Valley Road in Anderson.
The homeowners, Steven and Tammy Joseph of Olinda, purchased the property four months ago. The property consists of a home, which is in the process of a remodel, and an outbuilding/barn.
On Tuesday, the Shasta County Multi-Agency Bomb Squad instituted evacuations for the Happy Valley area ahead of destroying approximately 150 pounds of explosives in five separate blasts. The agency said blast noise was reportedly heard as far east as Palo Cedro and south to Cottonwood.
The bomb squad has determined the explosives were manufactured between the 1950s and 1960s and hadn’t been moved for several decades.
For the safety of the public, these explosives will remain in place until a meticulous search of the property, outbuildings and premises by the bomb squad is completed, officials said.
The agency said there is a tentative plan in place to mitigate any potential threat from the decaying explosives by setting fire to the structure rather than to continue to remove them from the premises. The fire will neutralize the explosives rendering them inert.
Authorities said the Josephs were unaware of the presence of the explosives and have been very cooperative throughout this removal process.
On Wednesday, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko, as the director of Emergency Services, executed a proclamation declaring a local emergency due to the clear and present danger the explosives pose to the public.
This proclamation will be presented to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors on March 6.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said 150 to 200 pounds of explosives were discovered earlier this week at a residence at 5747 Happy Valley Road in Anderson.
The homeowners, Steven and Tammy Joseph of Olinda, purchased the property four months ago. The property consists of a home, which is in the process of a remodel, and an outbuilding/barn.
On Tuesday, the Shasta County Multi-Agency Bomb Squad instituted evacuations for the Happy Valley area ahead of destroying approximately 150 pounds of explosives in five separate blasts. The agency said blast noise was reportedly heard as far east as Palo Cedro and south to Cottonwood.
The bomb squad has determined the explosives were manufactured between the 1950s and 1960s and hadn’t been moved for several decades.
For the safety of the public, these explosives will remain in place until a meticulous search of the property, outbuildings and premises by the bomb squad is completed, officials said.
The agency said there is a tentative plan in place to mitigate any potential threat from the decaying explosives by setting fire to the structure rather than to continue to remove them from the premises. The fire will neutralize the explosives rendering them inert.
Authorities said the Josephs were unaware of the presence of the explosives and have been very cooperative throughout this removal process.
On Wednesday, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko, as the director of Emergency Services, executed a proclamation declaring a local emergency due to the clear and present danger the explosives pose to the public.
This proclamation will be presented to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors on March 6.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Friday the Lakeport Fire Protection District held a graduation ceremony for the five men and two women who completed its latest volunteer firefighter academy.
Graduates are Nathan Barnett, Solano Dominguez, Kia Kohler-Bibby, Isaac Maize, Wyatt Smith, Jesse Oberesser and Lani Bonson, according to Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison.
The academy, which was free to the participants, was held on weekends over the course of five weeks, Hutchison said.
Hutchison said the academy prepares those who complete it to become probationary volunteer firefighters.
It drills down to the firefighting basics, Hutchison said, with particular emphasis on personal protective equipment, pulling hose, stretching hose lines, securing water supplies, conducting search and rescue operations in structures, wildland firefighting and vehicle crash extrication.
Hutchison said the agency has done such academies in the past, and generally waits until it has a group of volunteers before scheduling them.
With the addition of this new group of seven volunteers, Hutchison said the department now has 22 volunteers, adding that not all of them are active.
Volunteers are important to the small fire agencies around the lake. In Lakeport’s case, they augment personnel including nine full-time line staff, Hutchison and administrative assistant Linda Buckner, one limited term staffer, four part-time firefighters who cover shifts, one part-time paramedic and five-part emergency medical technicians, according to Hutchison.
At times the staff is stretched thin enough that Hutchison said he and Buckner will take out the district’s third ambulance and run calls.
In order to become part-time or full-time paid firefighters, Hutchinson said the academy graduates would have to go to a state-sanctioned firefighter academy such as are available at Santa Rosa Junior College or Butte College in Chico and receive their firefighter 1 certification, which is the minimum entry level requirement for paid staff.
Those interested in volunteering can download an application from the Lakeport Fire Web site at http://www.lakeportfire.com/jobs.asp or drop by the main station at 445 N. Main St., and talk to staff.
Hutchison said prospective volunteers also are invited to visit during the weekly trainings, which take place at 6 p.m. Tuesdays at the main station.
For more information call Lakeport Fire at 707-263-4396.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors emerged from a closed session discussion to vote unanimously to begin litigation to recoup the expenses the county incurred in removing a sunken crane from Clear Lake seven years ago.
The board voted to file suit against Martin Scheel, a former Lakeport City Councilman who before his time on the council had worked as a marine contractor.
During a major storm in November 2010, a crane Scheel was using to build a boat lift in Clearlake Park slipped from its barge and sank in about 50 feet of water. A barge and a push boat also sank and were removed a month later, as Lake County News has reported.
In early 2011 the board voted to have the crane removed, which was completed in August of that year. The crane’s removal cost the county approximately $59,945.07, officials reported.
Officials said Scheel signed the crane over to the county, which recouped $4,039 by selling it for scrap.
The matter became an issue in the 2016 District 4 supervisorial campaign, when Scheel was running to succeed Anthony Farrington.
At that time, the issue of what Scheel owed the county went to the Board of Supervisors, which discussed what action to take over the course of several meetings that summer.
While Farrington had faulted Scheel for not making any payments to the county, it was confirmed at the time that no collection process had been initiated to recoup the costs despite the board having held a nuisance abatement hearing on the crane’s removal and the associated costs in January 2012.
At its meeting on July 19, 2016, the board voted unanimously to approve a contract with Scheel to repay approximately $55,906.07, plus interest, in monthly installments, an agreement secured with a promissory note of $60,312.65.
Failure to pay on the contract’s terms makes the promissory note immediately payable, according to the document.
The reason for the county now taking legal action is that Scheel stopped making payments last year.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson told Lake County News that Scheel’s last payment on the contract was posted in August.
She said Scheel told her that he was short on funds and asked if he could delay payments for a few months and catch up later.
“I told him the board would need to decide if there was to be a change in repayment terms and I offered to agendize that discussion. But I didn't hear back from him,” she said.
Huchingson said Scheel still owes $54,784.05 on the contract, having so far paid $5,528.60 of the amount required by the promissory note.
Before taking the litigation matter to the board, Huchingson said she sent Scheel a certified letter but it was returned unclaimed.
The board went into closed session following the conclusion of its public meeting on Tuesday. When the board came out, Supervisor Tina Scott – who had defeated Scheel in the 2016 election in which the crane was made a campaign issue – moved to initiate litigation, with Supervisor Jeff Smith seconding and the rest of the board voting to support.
Huchingson said she doesn't yet know when the suit will be filed.
Lake County News contacted Scheel on Tuesday afternoon to get his reaction to the board’s action.
At that point, he did not know the board had voted to sue.
When asked for further comment, Scheel declined.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The board voted to file suit against Martin Scheel, a former Lakeport City Councilman who before his time on the council had worked as a marine contractor.
During a major storm in November 2010, a crane Scheel was using to build a boat lift in Clearlake Park slipped from its barge and sank in about 50 feet of water. A barge and a push boat also sank and were removed a month later, as Lake County News has reported.
In early 2011 the board voted to have the crane removed, which was completed in August of that year. The crane’s removal cost the county approximately $59,945.07, officials reported.
Officials said Scheel signed the crane over to the county, which recouped $4,039 by selling it for scrap.
The matter became an issue in the 2016 District 4 supervisorial campaign, when Scheel was running to succeed Anthony Farrington.
At that time, the issue of what Scheel owed the county went to the Board of Supervisors, which discussed what action to take over the course of several meetings that summer.
While Farrington had faulted Scheel for not making any payments to the county, it was confirmed at the time that no collection process had been initiated to recoup the costs despite the board having held a nuisance abatement hearing on the crane’s removal and the associated costs in January 2012.
At its meeting on July 19, 2016, the board voted unanimously to approve a contract with Scheel to repay approximately $55,906.07, plus interest, in monthly installments, an agreement secured with a promissory note of $60,312.65.
Failure to pay on the contract’s terms makes the promissory note immediately payable, according to the document.
The reason for the county now taking legal action is that Scheel stopped making payments last year.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson told Lake County News that Scheel’s last payment on the contract was posted in August.
She said Scheel told her that he was short on funds and asked if he could delay payments for a few months and catch up later.
“I told him the board would need to decide if there was to be a change in repayment terms and I offered to agendize that discussion. But I didn't hear back from him,” she said.
Huchingson said Scheel still owes $54,784.05 on the contract, having so far paid $5,528.60 of the amount required by the promissory note.
Before taking the litigation matter to the board, Huchingson said she sent Scheel a certified letter but it was returned unclaimed.
The board went into closed session following the conclusion of its public meeting on Tuesday. When the board came out, Supervisor Tina Scott – who had defeated Scheel in the 2016 election in which the crane was made a campaign issue – moved to initiate litigation, with Supervisor Jeff Smith seconding and the rest of the board voting to support.
Huchingson said she doesn't yet know when the suit will be filed.
Lake County News contacted Scheel on Tuesday afternoon to get his reaction to the board’s action.
At that point, he did not know the board had voted to sue.
When asked for further comment, Scheel declined.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Lake County due to winter storms expected to bring rain, snow and gusty winds.
The winter storm warning will be in effect from 4 p.m. Wednesday through 10 p.m. Saturday.
Forecasters said a series of cold winter storms will bring periods of heavy snow and gusty winds to the foothills and mountains of interior Northern California this week.
The forecast calls for snow beginning on Wednesday afternoon and continuing through the weekend in parts of the North State.
Foothill locations above 2,000 feet can expect from 8 inches to 2 feet of snow, and from 3 to 7 feet above the 3,500 foot elevation mark, forecasters said.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for chances of showers on Wednesday during daytime and nighttime hours, with chances of snow on Thursday night, on Friday and again on Saturday night.
Conditions are forecast to clear on Sunday and Monday before chances of showers are again predicted on Monday night and on Tuesday.
Daytime temperatures over the next several days are expected to be in the high 40s and the nighttime lows in the high 20s, according to the forecast.
Winds are forecast on Wednesday and Thursday, with gusts peaking at close to 20 miles per hour on Wednesday night and 30 miles per hour on Thursday night, forecasters said.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The winter storm warning will be in effect from 4 p.m. Wednesday through 10 p.m. Saturday.
Forecasters said a series of cold winter storms will bring periods of heavy snow and gusty winds to the foothills and mountains of interior Northern California this week.
The forecast calls for snow beginning on Wednesday afternoon and continuing through the weekend in parts of the North State.
Foothill locations above 2,000 feet can expect from 8 inches to 2 feet of snow, and from 3 to 7 feet above the 3,500 foot elevation mark, forecasters said.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for chances of showers on Wednesday during daytime and nighttime hours, with chances of snow on Thursday night, on Friday and again on Saturday night.
Conditions are forecast to clear on Sunday and Monday before chances of showers are again predicted on Monday night and on Tuesday.
Daytime temperatures over the next several days are expected to be in the high 40s and the nighttime lows in the high 20s, according to the forecast.
Winds are forecast on Wednesday and Thursday, with gusts peaking at close to 20 miles per hour on Wednesday night and 30 miles per hour on Thursday night, forecasters said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
On Tuesday, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05), chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, offered a resolution to force a vote on the bipartisan H.R. 4240, the Thompson-King Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act, and H.R. 3464, the Background Checks Completion Act of 2017.
H.R. 4240 provides resources to help states strengthen and expand the background checks system and closes a number of gun sale loopholes.
H.R. 3464 prohibits licensed gun dealers from selling guns to buyers without licenses without completing a background check.
“Background checks are proven to keep our schools and our communities safe from dangerous individuals. We all can agree that we should make the system stronger,” said Thompson. “That’s why I offered a resolution to immediately take up my bipartisan legislation to strengthen the background checks systems in states across our nation. It is shameful that this resolution was dismissed without a vote on strengthening background checks, but I will continue to fight for action that will keep our nation safer from gun violence.”
Full text of the resolution can be found here.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A Kelseyville High School graduate was among 18 Cal Poly students recognized for their awards and other accomplishments by lawmakers on the floors of the state Assembly and Senate in Sacramento on Monday, Feb. 12.
Blair Brookes, 21, a 2014 Kelseyville High grad, was among the honorees, school officials said.
The students were accompanied to the ceremonies by university President Jeffrey D. Armstrong, who said they were amongst the school’s best and brightest as well as campus leaders.
Each student distinguished him- or herself as an individual or on a team that has received a national industry award or in other high-profile events, including the Tournament of Roses Parade, with its worldwide TV audience of 100 million, and the concrete canoe team that won the national championship.
University officials said the students met with Sen. Bill Monning and received ceremonial resolutions on the floors of the Assembly and Senate.
Brookes was part of Cal Poly’s National Agri-Marketing Association Team that won the the National Agri-Marketing Association’s student marketing competition last April.
The contest challenges students from 40 universities to develop marketing plans for brand-new products. Brookes estimates she and her teammates spent 5,000 hours over six months developing and honing the winning proposal.
The year 2017 was a busy year for the agribusiness senior who will complete her studies in March and begin work at Dow AgroSciences.
In addition to numerous student competitions and receiving an American FFA Degree in October, she oversaw last year’s Ag Showcase, a career fair for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
The Agribusiness Management/National Agricultural Marketing Association Club expanded the job fair to two days to accommodate a record 100 companies. The club was able to award $20,000 in scholarships from company sponsorships.
As this year’s club president, Brookes co-directed the January event and expects the club will have “at least $30,000” in scholarship funds available.
She is proud to represent Cal Poly in Sacramento because of its Learn by Doing philosophy. “As a student studying agriculture, it is crucial to get hands on experience that you can later apply to your career in industry,” she said. “I am so glad I chose to attend Cal Poly and for all of the experiences I have had. Being selected to represent all of these hard working, talented people is incredibly humbling.”
She added, “I am so grateful to be able to represent an accomplishment that is so much bigger than myself,” said Brookes. “My six additional teammates all are champions. Our win also wouldn’t have been possible without our coach, Dr. Lindsey Higgins. Being selected to represent all of these hard working, talented people is incredibly humbling.”
The group of students also greeted family, friends and alumni at a reception in San Jose on Feb. 11.
