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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States and a concern the California Highway Patrol addresses with its Start Smart Program.
The likelihood of a teen being involved in a collision is significantly reduced when high-risk driving behaviors are eliminated.
The free Start Smart class can help eliminate these behaviors by providing teens driver education developed specifically to address risky driving behaviors observed every day by CHP officers.
“The intent of the Start Smart program is to provide new drivers with pertinent information that will help in making smart decisions behind the wheel,” said CHP Acting Commissioner Warren Stanley. “The program also reinforces that driving is a great privilege that comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility.”
Designed for newly licensed teen drivers and their parents, the CHP’s Start Smart program is a two-hour driver safety class that is conducted throughout the state. It uses innovative techniques to capture the attention of teens and parents, providing a lasting impression.
The Start Smart curriculum is based on teen driver and passenger behaviors, California’s Graduated Driver License law, cultural changes in today’s society and the need for stronger parental involvement in a teen’s driving experience.
Parents are also reminded of their responsibility to teach their new driver and model good driving behavior.
Parents and teenagers can register for a Start Smart class by contacting their local CHP office.
The two-hour Start Smart classes are frequently held by the Clear Lake Area CHP office in Kelseyville. Contact Officer Kory Reynolds at 707-279-0103 or by email atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
For more information about Start Smart and the GDL program, download the CHP Start Smart mobile application, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The likelihood of a teen being involved in a collision is significantly reduced when high-risk driving behaviors are eliminated.
The free Start Smart class can help eliminate these behaviors by providing teens driver education developed specifically to address risky driving behaviors observed every day by CHP officers.
“The intent of the Start Smart program is to provide new drivers with pertinent information that will help in making smart decisions behind the wheel,” said CHP Acting Commissioner Warren Stanley. “The program also reinforces that driving is a great privilege that comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility.”
Designed for newly licensed teen drivers and their parents, the CHP’s Start Smart program is a two-hour driver safety class that is conducted throughout the state. It uses innovative techniques to capture the attention of teens and parents, providing a lasting impression.
The Start Smart curriculum is based on teen driver and passenger behaviors, California’s Graduated Driver License law, cultural changes in today’s society and the need for stronger parental involvement in a teen’s driving experience.
Parents are also reminded of their responsibility to teach their new driver and model good driving behavior.
Parents and teenagers can register for a Start Smart class by contacting their local CHP office.
The two-hour Start Smart classes are frequently held by the Clear Lake Area CHP office in Kelseyville. Contact Officer Kory Reynolds at 707-279-0103 or by email at
For more information about Start Smart and the GDL program, download the CHP Start Smart mobile application, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A small, recently discovered asteroid – or perhaps a comet – appears to have originated from outside the solar system, coming from somewhere else in our galaxy.
If so, it would be the first "interstellar object" to be observed and confirmed by astronomers.
This unusual object – for now designated A/2017 U1 – is less than a quarter-mile (400 meters) in diameter and is moving remarkably fast. Astronomers are urgently working to point telescopes around the world and in space at this notable object.
Once these data are obtained and analyzed, astronomers may know more about the origin and possibly composition of the object.
A/2017 U1 was discovered Oct. 19 by the University of Hawaii's Pan-STARRS 1 telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, during the course of its nightly search for near-Earth objects for NASA.
Rob Weryk, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA), was first to identify the moving object and submit it to the Minor Planet Center.
Weryk subsequently searched the Pan-STARRS image archive and found it also was in images taken the previous night, but was not initially identified by the moving object processing.
Weryk immediately realized this was an unusual object. "Its motion could not be explained using either a normal solar system asteroid or comet orbit," he said.
Weryk contacted IfA graduate Marco Micheli, who had the same realization using his own follow-up images taken at the European Space Agency's telescope on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. But with the combined data, everything made sense.
Said Weryk, "This object came from outside our solar system."
"This is the most extreme orbit I have ever seen," said Davide Farnocchia, a scientist at NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "It is going extremely fast and on such a trajectory that we can say with confidence that this object is on its way out of the solar system and not coming back."
The CNEOS team plotted the object's current trajectory and even looked into its future. A/2017 U1 came from the direction of the constellation Lyra, cruising through interstellar space at a brisk clip of 15.8 miles (25.5 kilometers) per second.
The object approached our solar system from almost directly "above" the ecliptic, the approximate plane in space where the planets and most asteroids orbit the Sun, so it did not have any close encounters with the eight major planets during its plunge toward the Sun.
On Sept. 2, the small body crossed under the ecliptic plane just inside of Mercury's orbit and then made its closest approach to the Sun on Sept. 9.
Pulled by the Sun's gravity, the object made a hairpin turn under our solar system, passing under Earth's orbit on Oct. 14 at a distance of about 15 million miles (24 million kilometers) – about 60 times the distance to the Moon.
It has now shot back up above the plane of the planets and, travelling at 27 miles per second (44 kilometers per second) with respect to the Sun, the object is speeding toward the constellation Pegasus.
"We have long suspected that these objects should exist, because during the process of planet formation a lot of material should be ejected from planetary systems. What's most surprising is that we've never seen interstellar objects pass through before," said Karen Meech, an astronomer at the IfA specializing in small bodies and their connection to solar system formation.
The small body has been assigned the temporary designation A/2017 U1 by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where all observations on small bodies in our solar system – and now those just passing through – are collected.
Said MPC Director Matt Holman, "This kind of discovery demonstrates the great scientific value of continual wide-field surveys of the sky, coupled with intensive follow-up observations, to find things we wouldn't otherwise know are there."
Since this is the first object of its type ever discovered, rules for naming this type of object will need to be established by the International Astronomical Union.
"We have been waiting for this day for decades," said CNEOS Manager Paul Chodas. "It's long been theorized that such objects exist – asteroids or comets moving around between the stars and occasionally passing through our solar system – but this is the first such detection. So far, everything indicates this is likely an interstellar object, but more data would help to confirm it."
The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) is a wide-field survey observatory operated by the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy.
The Minor Planet Center is hosted by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and is a sub-node of NASA's Planetary Data System Small Bodies Node at the University of Maryland (http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/ ).
JPL hosts the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. All are projects of NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations Program, and elements of the agency's Planetary Defense Coordination Office within NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
More information about asteroids and near-Earth objects can be found at https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov or https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch.
For more information about NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office, visit https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense.
For asteroid and comet news and updates, follow AsteroidWatch on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AsteroidWatch.
If so, it would be the first "interstellar object" to be observed and confirmed by astronomers.
This unusual object – for now designated A/2017 U1 – is less than a quarter-mile (400 meters) in diameter and is moving remarkably fast. Astronomers are urgently working to point telescopes around the world and in space at this notable object.
Once these data are obtained and analyzed, astronomers may know more about the origin and possibly composition of the object.
A/2017 U1 was discovered Oct. 19 by the University of Hawaii's Pan-STARRS 1 telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, during the course of its nightly search for near-Earth objects for NASA.
Rob Weryk, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA), was first to identify the moving object and submit it to the Minor Planet Center.
Weryk subsequently searched the Pan-STARRS image archive and found it also was in images taken the previous night, but was not initially identified by the moving object processing.
Weryk immediately realized this was an unusual object. "Its motion could not be explained using either a normal solar system asteroid or comet orbit," he said.
Weryk contacted IfA graduate Marco Micheli, who had the same realization using his own follow-up images taken at the European Space Agency's telescope on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. But with the combined data, everything made sense.
Said Weryk, "This object came from outside our solar system."
"This is the most extreme orbit I have ever seen," said Davide Farnocchia, a scientist at NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "It is going extremely fast and on such a trajectory that we can say with confidence that this object is on its way out of the solar system and not coming back."
The CNEOS team plotted the object's current trajectory and even looked into its future. A/2017 U1 came from the direction of the constellation Lyra, cruising through interstellar space at a brisk clip of 15.8 miles (25.5 kilometers) per second.
The object approached our solar system from almost directly "above" the ecliptic, the approximate plane in space where the planets and most asteroids orbit the Sun, so it did not have any close encounters with the eight major planets during its plunge toward the Sun.
On Sept. 2, the small body crossed under the ecliptic plane just inside of Mercury's orbit and then made its closest approach to the Sun on Sept. 9.
Pulled by the Sun's gravity, the object made a hairpin turn under our solar system, passing under Earth's orbit on Oct. 14 at a distance of about 15 million miles (24 million kilometers) – about 60 times the distance to the Moon.
It has now shot back up above the plane of the planets and, travelling at 27 miles per second (44 kilometers per second) with respect to the Sun, the object is speeding toward the constellation Pegasus.
"We have long suspected that these objects should exist, because during the process of planet formation a lot of material should be ejected from planetary systems. What's most surprising is that we've never seen interstellar objects pass through before," said Karen Meech, an astronomer at the IfA specializing in small bodies and their connection to solar system formation.
The small body has been assigned the temporary designation A/2017 U1 by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where all observations on small bodies in our solar system – and now those just passing through – are collected.
Said MPC Director Matt Holman, "This kind of discovery demonstrates the great scientific value of continual wide-field surveys of the sky, coupled with intensive follow-up observations, to find things we wouldn't otherwise know are there."
Since this is the first object of its type ever discovered, rules for naming this type of object will need to be established by the International Astronomical Union.
"We have been waiting for this day for decades," said CNEOS Manager Paul Chodas. "It's long been theorized that such objects exist – asteroids or comets moving around between the stars and occasionally passing through our solar system – but this is the first such detection. So far, everything indicates this is likely an interstellar object, but more data would help to confirm it."
The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) is a wide-field survey observatory operated by the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy.
The Minor Planet Center is hosted by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and is a sub-node of NASA's Planetary Data System Small Bodies Node at the University of Maryland (http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/ ).
JPL hosts the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. All are projects of NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations Program, and elements of the agency's Planetary Defense Coordination Office within NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
More information about asteroids and near-Earth objects can be found at https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov or https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch.
For more information about NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office, visit https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense.
For asteroid and comet news and updates, follow AsteroidWatch on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AsteroidWatch.
Friday, Oct. 20, 2017
06:15 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200017
Officer initiated activity at S State Highway 29/ACKLEY Rd, Lakeport. Between ackley and highland springs/sb. Disposition: WARNING.
07:56 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200029
Officer initiated activity at Terrace Middle School, Lange, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
08:16 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200034
Officer initiated activity at HARTLEY/17TH, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
08:28 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200038
Officer initiated activity at HARTLEY/16TH, Lakeport. Disposition: MOVING VIOLATION CITATION.
08:45 SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES 1710200041
Occurred at Lavelle's Gallery on N Main. , Lakeport. BICYCLE CHAINED TO A POST IFO THE OFFICE FOR ABOUT ONE WEEK. SOMEONE CAME BACK AND CHAINED ANOTHER BICYCLE TO THAT THIS MORNING. THE RP WOULD LIKE THEM REMOVED. Disposition: GENERAL SERVICES RENDERED.
10:26 TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INJURY 1710200059
Occurred at Safeway on 11TH. , Lakeport. TWO VEHICLE TC POSSIBLY ONE INJURY
Service Class: BUSN. Disposition: REPORT TAKEN.
12:03 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200071
Officer initiated activity at Lakeport Police Department, S Main, Lakeport. TICKET SIGN OFF. Disposition: GENERAL SERVICES RENDERED.
12:46 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200081
Officer initiated activity at Lakeport Police Department, S Main, Lakeport. 21 DETAIL. Disposition: GENERAL SERVICES RENDERED.
13:38 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200093
Officer initiated activity at Cvs Pharmacy, 11TH, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
13:55 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200097
Occurred at Lakeport Police Department on S Main. , Lakeport. HAS A TICKET THAT NEEDS TO BE SIGNED OFF. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
14:47 THEFT 1710200111
Occurred at S Main/Industrial Ave, Lakeport. WANTS TO REPORT A STOLEN VEHICLE. WAS PLACED OUTSIDE THE CAR LOT IN THAT AREA AND NOW HIS CAR IS GONE. ASSOC WITH A RED ALL IN ONE TOW TRUCK. Cellular E911 Call: Lat:39.027944 Lon:-122.91628
Service Class: WPH2. Disposition: REPORT TAKEN.
14:50 PROBLEM WITH A SUBJECT 1710200113
Occurred on 1ST, Lakeport. RP SAYING A CRAZY LADY OUTSIDE HER HOUSE NEEDING TO DO HER LAUNDRY. RP SAID SHE FOUND HER LAUNDRY IN HER LAUNDRY ROOM. RP THREW THE WOMAN'S LAUNDRY OUTSIDE. LSW LIGHT SHIRT BLUE JEAN. Service Class: RESD. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
15:15 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200117
Occurred at Round Table Pizza on 11TH. , Lakeport. LSH TWDS HWY 29/ GRAY-BLUE HONDA CIVIC - NO BRAKE LIGHTS AND DRIVING ERRATICALLY. Cellular E911 Call:
Lat:39.049069 Lon:-122.91598. Service Class: WPH2. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
15:47 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200124
Officer initiated activity at S State Highway 29/11TH, Lakeport. ON RAMP. Disposition: MOVING VIOLATION CITATION.
16:12 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200137
Officer initiated activity at Safeway, 11TH, Lakeport. BEHIND - LOADING BAY. Disposition: MOVING VIOLATION CITATION.
16:53 FOOT PATROL 1710200147
Officer initiated activity at Library Park, Park, Lakeport. Disposition: CHECKS OK.
17:18 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200152
Officer initiated activity at Giselman/Sayre, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
17:32 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200156
Officer initiated activity at N High, Lakeport. Disposition: MOVING VIOLATION CITATION.
17:48 FRAUD 1710200158
Occurred on Page Dr, Lakeport. CREDIT CARD FRAUD. Service Class: RESD. Disposition: UNFOUNDED.
19:46 PUBLIC DISTURBANCE 1710200176
Occurred at Bruno's Foods on Lakeport Bl. , Lakeport. GROUP OF JUVES IS STANDING AROUND A SUBJ ON THE GROUND THAT IS MOANING AND THEY ARE SPITTING ON HIM AND HE APPEARS INJURED. STAGING MEDICAL NFI. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
20:24 SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE 1710200186
Officer initiated activity at Todd Road Ext, Lakeport. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
20:26 WIRELESS 911 HANG UP 1710200187
Occurred at Courthouse on N Forbes. , Lakeport. TX TO CHP. Cellular E911 Call: Lat: 39.043189 Lon:-122.91735. Service Class: W911. Disposition: REFERRED TO ANOTHER AGENCY.
21:40 PEDESTRIAN CHECK 1710200195
Officer initiated activity at 6TH/N High, Lakeport. Disposition: CHECKS OK.
22:06 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200200
Officer initiated activity at Safeway, 11TH, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
22:59 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200209
Occurred on Starr, Lakeport. 2D HAND INFO. RPS STOLE THE RPS VEH..DESC: WHI 1999 ACURA WITH A DENT ON THE TRUNK AND BACK LEFT BUMPER..OCCD APPROX 5 AGO..RESP LSH TWDS PEOPLE'S SERVICES. Cellular E911 Call: Lat:38.936008 Lon:-122.61907. Service Class: WPH2. Disposition: WARNING.
23:50 FOOT PATROL 1710200217
Officer initiated activity at Clearlake Club Bar, N Main, Lakeport. IN THE AREA. Disposition: CHECKS OK.
06:15 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200017
Officer initiated activity at S State Highway 29/ACKLEY Rd, Lakeport. Between ackley and highland springs/sb. Disposition: WARNING.
07:56 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200029
Officer initiated activity at Terrace Middle School, Lange, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
08:16 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200034
Officer initiated activity at HARTLEY/17TH, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
08:28 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200038
Officer initiated activity at HARTLEY/16TH, Lakeport. Disposition: MOVING VIOLATION CITATION.
08:45 SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES 1710200041
Occurred at Lavelle's Gallery on N Main. , Lakeport. BICYCLE CHAINED TO A POST IFO THE OFFICE FOR ABOUT ONE WEEK. SOMEONE CAME BACK AND CHAINED ANOTHER BICYCLE TO THAT THIS MORNING. THE RP WOULD LIKE THEM REMOVED. Disposition: GENERAL SERVICES RENDERED.
10:26 TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INJURY 1710200059
Occurred at Safeway on 11TH. , Lakeport. TWO VEHICLE TC POSSIBLY ONE INJURY
Service Class: BUSN. Disposition: REPORT TAKEN.
12:03 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200071
Officer initiated activity at Lakeport Police Department, S Main, Lakeport. TICKET SIGN OFF. Disposition: GENERAL SERVICES RENDERED.
12:46 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200081
Officer initiated activity at Lakeport Police Department, S Main, Lakeport. 21 DETAIL. Disposition: GENERAL SERVICES RENDERED.
13:38 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200093
Officer initiated activity at Cvs Pharmacy, 11TH, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
13:55 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200097
Occurred at Lakeport Police Department on S Main. , Lakeport. HAS A TICKET THAT NEEDS TO BE SIGNED OFF. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
14:47 THEFT 1710200111
Occurred at S Main/Industrial Ave, Lakeport. WANTS TO REPORT A STOLEN VEHICLE. WAS PLACED OUTSIDE THE CAR LOT IN THAT AREA AND NOW HIS CAR IS GONE. ASSOC WITH A RED ALL IN ONE TOW TRUCK. Cellular E911 Call: Lat:39.027944 Lon:-122.91628
Service Class: WPH2. Disposition: REPORT TAKEN.
14:50 PROBLEM WITH A SUBJECT 1710200113
Occurred on 1ST, Lakeport. RP SAYING A CRAZY LADY OUTSIDE HER HOUSE NEEDING TO DO HER LAUNDRY. RP SAID SHE FOUND HER LAUNDRY IN HER LAUNDRY ROOM. RP THREW THE WOMAN'S LAUNDRY OUTSIDE. LSW LIGHT SHIRT BLUE JEAN. Service Class: RESD. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
15:15 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200117
Occurred at Round Table Pizza on 11TH. , Lakeport. LSH TWDS HWY 29/ GRAY-BLUE HONDA CIVIC - NO BRAKE LIGHTS AND DRIVING ERRATICALLY. Cellular E911 Call:
Lat:39.049069 Lon:-122.91598. Service Class: WPH2. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
15:47 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200124
Officer initiated activity at S State Highway 29/11TH, Lakeport. ON RAMP. Disposition: MOVING VIOLATION CITATION.
16:12 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200137
Officer initiated activity at Safeway, 11TH, Lakeport. BEHIND - LOADING BAY. Disposition: MOVING VIOLATION CITATION.
16:53 FOOT PATROL 1710200147
Officer initiated activity at Library Park, Park, Lakeport. Disposition: CHECKS OK.
17:18 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200152
Officer initiated activity at Giselman/Sayre, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
17:32 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200156
Officer initiated activity at N High, Lakeport. Disposition: MOVING VIOLATION CITATION.
17:48 FRAUD 1710200158
Occurred on Page Dr, Lakeport. CREDIT CARD FRAUD. Service Class: RESD. Disposition: UNFOUNDED.
19:46 PUBLIC DISTURBANCE 1710200176
Occurred at Bruno's Foods on Lakeport Bl. , Lakeport. GROUP OF JUVES IS STANDING AROUND A SUBJ ON THE GROUND THAT IS MOANING AND THEY ARE SPITTING ON HIM AND HE APPEARS INJURED. STAGING MEDICAL NFI. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
20:24 SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE 1710200186
Officer initiated activity at Todd Road Ext, Lakeport. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.
20:26 WIRELESS 911 HANG UP 1710200187
Occurred at Courthouse on N Forbes. , Lakeport. TX TO CHP. Cellular E911 Call: Lat: 39.043189 Lon:-122.91735. Service Class: W911. Disposition: REFERRED TO ANOTHER AGENCY.
21:40 PEDESTRIAN CHECK 1710200195
Officer initiated activity at 6TH/N High, Lakeport. Disposition: CHECKS OK.
22:06 TRAFFIC STOP 1710200200
Officer initiated activity at Safeway, 11TH, Lakeport. Disposition: WARNING.
22:59 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 1710200209
Occurred on Starr, Lakeport. 2D HAND INFO. RPS STOLE THE RPS VEH..DESC: WHI 1999 ACURA WITH A DENT ON THE TRUNK AND BACK LEFT BUMPER..OCCD APPROX 5 AGO..RESP LSH TWDS PEOPLE'S SERVICES. Cellular E911 Call: Lat:38.936008 Lon:-122.61907. Service Class: WPH2. Disposition: WARNING.
23:50 FOOT PATROL 1710200217
Officer initiated activity at Clearlake Club Bar, N Main, Lakeport. IN THE AREA. Disposition: CHECKS OK.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After nearly three weeks of work by firefighters, on Friday the Sulphur fire was fully contained.
Cal Fire said the fire’s total size remained at 2,207 acres.
County of Lake and city of Clearlake officials reported that the fire burned 168 structures, all but two f them in the city of Clearlake, with 136 of those being homes. No deaths were reported.
Firefighters first responded to the incident in the early morning hours of Oct. 9.
The fire was managed as part of the Mendocino Lake Complex, which included the Redwood fire, which began Oct. 8.
Cal Fire said the Redwood fire was fully contained as of Thursday. That fast-moving fire killed eight people, burned 36,523 acres and several hundred structures in Potter and Redwood valleys.
Cal Fire fully contained both fires ahead of schedule – the agency had originally estimated the full complex would be extinguished by Nov. 1.
Elsewhere around the region, Cal Fire reported on Friday that the Southern LNU Complex that began in Napa and Solano counties on Oct. 8 also was fully contained.
That complex burned 51,624 acres, destroyed 481 structures and damaged 90 more, Cal Fire said.
Edging closer to being fully extinguished is the Central LNU Complex in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Cal Fire said that complex, which began Oct. 8, was at 96-percent containment on Friday night.
The complex, one of the most destructive in the state’s history, has had 23 deaths attributed to it and altogether has burned 110,720 acres and destroyed 6,957 structures, according to Cal Fire.
As of Friday night, Cal Fire said 270 firefighters, 19 engine companies, two helicopters, four bulldozers and six crews remained assigned to the complex.
Cal Fire said the causes of all of the fires remain under investigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s jobless rate showed marked improvement in September, even as the harvest season was winding down.
The Employment Development Department’s latest report on unemployment said that Lake County’s September rate was 5.4 percent, down from a revised 5.9 percent in August and well below the year-ago estimate of 5.9 percent.
California’s September unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, unchanged from August. The state’s September 2016 jobless rate was 5.3 percent.
The unemployment rate in California is derived from a federal survey of 5,100 households.
Nationwide, the September jobless rate was 4.2 percent, down from 4.4 percent in August and 4.9 percent the previous September, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Job growth in Lake County in September took place in subcategories including nondurable goods, 6.3 percent; retail trade, 0.9 percent; goods producing, 0.9 percent; and educational and health services, 0.2 percent, according to information provided by the Employment Development Department.
Categories in Lake County that showed job loss last month included total farm, 26.4 percent; information, 8.3 percent; federal government, 5.9 percent; state government, 4.5 percent; local government, 2.4 percent; leisure and hospitality, 1.8 percent; and other services, 1.8 percent.
Lake County’s September jobless rate earned it a ranking of No. 38 out of the state’s 58 counties. Its neighboring counties were ranked as follows: Colusa, 8.9 percent, No. 56; Glenn, 6.3 percent, No. 45; Mendocino, 4 percent, No. 13; Napa and Sonoma, tied at, 3.2 percent, No. 4; Yolo, 4.5 percent, No. 20.
The lowest unemployment statewide, 2.7 percent, was in San Mateo County, while Imperial had the highest, 22.6 percent.
Statewide job growth continues
The Employment Development Department said California’s employers added 52,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in September, and has now gained a total of 2,643,900 jobs since the economic expansion began in February 2010.
Nonfarm payroll jobs in California totaled 16,830,500 in September, according to a survey of 71,000 California businesses that measures jobs in the economy.
The year-over change, September 2016 to September 2017, shows an increase of 280,300 jobs, up 1.7 percent, according to the report.
The report said that the federal household survey, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed Californians over the month and the year.
It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in September was 18,309,000, an increase of 113,000 from August, and up 183,000 from the employment total in September of last year.
The number of unemployed Californians was 986,000 in September – up by 13,000 over the month, but down by 37,000 compared with September of last year, the Employment Development Department said.
Eight of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 57,100 jobs in September, the report said.
Government posted the largest jobs increase with a gain of 27,000 jobs, followed by trade, transportation and utilities, up 13,000 jobs, and other services, up 5,200 jobs. Other sectors adding jobs over the month were information; leisure and hospitality; construction; educational and health services; and financial activities, according to the report.
Three industry sectors reported job declines over the month, down a total of 4,900 jobs.
The state said professional and business services posted the largest decrease over the month, down 3,500 jobs, followed by manufacturing, down 1,300 jobs, and mining and logging, down 100 jobs.
In a year-over-year comparison – September 2016 to September 2017 – the state said nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 280,300 jobs, a 1.7-percent increase.
The Employment Development Department said eight of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 287,700 jobs over the year.
The report said the largest job gains were in educational and health services, up 75,300 jobs, or a 3.0-percent increase; government, up 57,600 jobs, a 2.3-percent increase; and construction, up 44,600 jobs, a 5.7-percent increase.
Other sectors that the agency said added jobs over the year were leisure and hospitality; trade, transportation and utilities; other services; information; and financial activities.
The Employment Development Department said three industry sectors posted job declines over the year, down a total of 7,400 jobs: professional and business services fell by 3,400 jobs, down 0.1 percent; manufacturing fell by 3,000 jobs, down 0.2 percent; and mining and logging fell by 1,000 jobs, down 4.2 percent.
The Employment Development Department also reported that there were 312,933 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the September survey week. That is compared with 340,670 in August and 326,253 in September of last year.
New claims for Unemployment Insurance were 39,575 in September, compared with 38,074 in August and 38,277 in September of last year, the agency 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 Employment Development Department’s latest report on unemployment said that Lake County’s September rate was 5.4 percent, down from a revised 5.9 percent in August and well below the year-ago estimate of 5.9 percent.
California’s September unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, unchanged from August. The state’s September 2016 jobless rate was 5.3 percent.
The unemployment rate in California is derived from a federal survey of 5,100 households.
Nationwide, the September jobless rate was 4.2 percent, down from 4.4 percent in August and 4.9 percent the previous September, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Job growth in Lake County in September took place in subcategories including nondurable goods, 6.3 percent; retail trade, 0.9 percent; goods producing, 0.9 percent; and educational and health services, 0.2 percent, according to information provided by the Employment Development Department.
Categories in Lake County that showed job loss last month included total farm, 26.4 percent; information, 8.3 percent; federal government, 5.9 percent; state government, 4.5 percent; local government, 2.4 percent; leisure and hospitality, 1.8 percent; and other services, 1.8 percent.
Lake County’s September jobless rate earned it a ranking of No. 38 out of the state’s 58 counties. Its neighboring counties were ranked as follows: Colusa, 8.9 percent, No. 56; Glenn, 6.3 percent, No. 45; Mendocino, 4 percent, No. 13; Napa and Sonoma, tied at, 3.2 percent, No. 4; Yolo, 4.5 percent, No. 20.
The lowest unemployment statewide, 2.7 percent, was in San Mateo County, while Imperial had the highest, 22.6 percent.
Statewide job growth continues
The Employment Development Department said California’s employers added 52,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in September, and has now gained a total of 2,643,900 jobs since the economic expansion began in February 2010.
Nonfarm payroll jobs in California totaled 16,830,500 in September, according to a survey of 71,000 California businesses that measures jobs in the economy.
The year-over change, September 2016 to September 2017, shows an increase of 280,300 jobs, up 1.7 percent, according to the report.
The report said that the federal household survey, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed Californians over the month and the year.
It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in September was 18,309,000, an increase of 113,000 from August, and up 183,000 from the employment total in September of last year.
The number of unemployed Californians was 986,000 in September – up by 13,000 over the month, but down by 37,000 compared with September of last year, the Employment Development Department said.
Eight of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 57,100 jobs in September, the report said.
Government posted the largest jobs increase with a gain of 27,000 jobs, followed by trade, transportation and utilities, up 13,000 jobs, and other services, up 5,200 jobs. Other sectors adding jobs over the month were information; leisure and hospitality; construction; educational and health services; and financial activities, according to the report.
Three industry sectors reported job declines over the month, down a total of 4,900 jobs.
The state said professional and business services posted the largest decrease over the month, down 3,500 jobs, followed by manufacturing, down 1,300 jobs, and mining and logging, down 100 jobs.
In a year-over-year comparison – September 2016 to September 2017 – the state said nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 280,300 jobs, a 1.7-percent increase.
The Employment Development Department said eight of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 287,700 jobs over the year.
The report said the largest job gains were in educational and health services, up 75,300 jobs, or a 3.0-percent increase; government, up 57,600 jobs, a 2.3-percent increase; and construction, up 44,600 jobs, a 5.7-percent increase.
Other sectors that the agency said added jobs over the year were leisure and hospitality; trade, transportation and utilities; other services; information; and financial activities.
The Employment Development Department said three industry sectors posted job declines over the year, down a total of 7,400 jobs: professional and business services fell by 3,400 jobs, down 0.1 percent; manufacturing fell by 3,000 jobs, down 0.2 percent; and mining and logging fell by 1,000 jobs, down 4.2 percent.
The Employment Development Department also reported that there were 312,933 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the September survey week. That is compared with 340,670 in August and 326,253 in September of last year.
New claims for Unemployment Insurance were 39,575 in September, compared with 38,074 in August and 38,277 in September of last year, the agency said.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County officials are working to raise awareness of childhood lead poisoning.
The effort was launched as part of Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which takes place from Oct. 22 to 28.
This year’s theme this year is, “Healthy homes, food, and play areas protect children from lead.”
Campaign highlights include; presentations to various parent and community groups that serve children from 0-6 years of age, distributions of lead poisoning prevention information cards and posters to preschools and childcare facilities, and mailings to medical providers and labs that perform lead testing. Wide and varied distribution of information will assure that lead poisoning prevention facts are shared throughout the community.
Lead poisoning can seriously affect a child’s brain and nervous system. It can cause learning and behavioral problems. A blood lead test is the only way to identify lead poisoning in children.
"The purpose of this campaign is to remind parents that lead poisoning can be detrimental to young children’s health and development. It's important for parents to ask their child’s doctor about lead testing,” said Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait.
In California, children can be exposed to lead by ingesting lead-contaminated dust, paint chips from deteriorating lead-based paint, and lead-contaminated soil.
Other sources of lead poisoning include lead dust brought home on parents' work clothes, certain imported ceramic pottery, painted objects, certain inexpensive jewelry, traditional home remedies, imported spices, candies, and other food products.
Additionally, activities that involve lead products such as soldering, making stained glass, and handling bullets or fishing sinkers can put children at risk.
All parents and caregivers of young children are invited to contact Lake County Health Services Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and learn how to protect their children from this silent and serious environmental disease.
The Health Services Department can be reached at 707-263-1090 or http://health.co.lake.ca.us/Public_Health_Home.htm.
The effort was launched as part of Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which takes place from Oct. 22 to 28.
This year’s theme this year is, “Healthy homes, food, and play areas protect children from lead.”
Campaign highlights include; presentations to various parent and community groups that serve children from 0-6 years of age, distributions of lead poisoning prevention information cards and posters to preschools and childcare facilities, and mailings to medical providers and labs that perform lead testing. Wide and varied distribution of information will assure that lead poisoning prevention facts are shared throughout the community.
Lead poisoning can seriously affect a child’s brain and nervous system. It can cause learning and behavioral problems. A blood lead test is the only way to identify lead poisoning in children.
"The purpose of this campaign is to remind parents that lead poisoning can be detrimental to young children’s health and development. It's important for parents to ask their child’s doctor about lead testing,” said Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait.
In California, children can be exposed to lead by ingesting lead-contaminated dust, paint chips from deteriorating lead-based paint, and lead-contaminated soil.
Other sources of lead poisoning include lead dust brought home on parents' work clothes, certain imported ceramic pottery, painted objects, certain inexpensive jewelry, traditional home remedies, imported spices, candies, and other food products.
Additionally, activities that involve lead products such as soldering, making stained glass, and handling bullets or fishing sinkers can put children at risk.
All parents and caregivers of young children are invited to contact Lake County Health Services Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and learn how to protect their children from this silent and serious environmental disease.
The Health Services Department can be reached at 707-263-1090 or http://health.co.lake.ca.us/Public_Health_Home.htm.