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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has eights dogs waiting for new homes this week.

This week’s available dogs include mixes of Great Dane, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, shepherd and terrier.

To meet the animals, call Clearlake Animal Control at 707-994-8201 and speak to Marcia at Extension 103 or call Extension 118, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or leave a message at any other time.

Below are this week's available pets.

‘Bruno’

“Bruno” is a young male Labrador Retriever.

He has a short black coat.

‘Champ’

“Champ” is a young male Labrador Retriever.

He has a short black coat with white markings.

‘Hank’

“Hank” is a young male Labrador Retriever and Great Dane mix.

He has a short black coat with white markings.

Shelter staff said he is a big baby that will make a good family dog.

‘Marma Duke’

“Marma Duke” is an adult male pit bull terrier mix.

Shelter staff said he is a beautiful brindle boy who is now ready to be adopted into a loving family. He would be a great jogging buddy.

‘Oscar’

“Oscar” is a 6-month-old male terrier mix with a short tricolor coat.

Shelter staff said Oscar is adorable and a staff favorite. He’s ready for his new home.

‘Sarah’

“Sarah” is a young female pit bull terrier mix with a short black coat.

Shelter staff said she needs a family to love.

‘Sheldon’

“Sheldon” is an adult male shepherd and Great Dane mix with a short black coat and white markings.

Shelter staff said he is a big sweetheart looking for his forever family.

‘Tippy’

“Tippy” is a young female pit bull terrier mix with a short gray coat.

Shelter staff said she is a love bug just waiting for her new home.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The 27th running of the Konocti Challenge cycling event is set to occur this Saturday, Oct. 7, and there is still time for interested cyclists to sign up and take part.

This event, produced by the Rotary Club of Lakeport, brings in hundreds of cyclists and their guests to participate in this very unique and fun event.

The ride is staged from the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport with the festivities beginning on Friday afternoon with a wine tasting and rider packet pickup from 4 to 7 p.m.

The ride takes off from the Skylark on Saturday at 7 a.m. Cyclists will travel around the lake with four different routes to choose from.

The 20-mile and 40-mile routes travel through Scotts Valley and to Kelseyville.

The 65- and 100-mile routes circle Clear Lake with the 100-mile route traveling to Middletown an up and over Cobb Mountain.

The ride route maps can be found at www.konoctichallenge.com.

The ride brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Lake County community with hotels filled, restaurants filled and the shops and wineries seeing many visitors.

“This is an amazing event for our community and we are excited to bring all of these folks to our beautiful area,” said Konocti Challenge Ride Director and Lakeport Rotarian Jennifer Strong. “This is a great opportunity for us to show off the incredible assets we have and to encourage these cyclists to come back other times during the year.”

The ride is highly regarded as one of the best in the state as was apparent with their recent Cycle CA! Magazine Awards for the Best Metric Century of 2014 and the 2015 Excellence in Service Award.

If you would like to register for the event, please do so online at www.konoctichallenge.com or you can register at the event on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

There also are still volunteer opportunities available; contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in helping and please share the road.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday night presented a proclamation in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, met the city’s newest police officer and approved a project list for SB 1 funds.

Mayor Stacey Mattina presented the proclamation designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month to Lake Family Resource Center Executive Director Jennifer Dodd and center staffer Kimberly Layton.

The proclamation stated that in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, Lake County law enforcement responded to more than 371 incidents of domestic violence involving men, women and children.

In the past year, the District Attorney’s Office’s Victim Witness Division has served 224 victims of domestic violence, and the District Attorney’s Office has prosecuted 118 felonies and 106 misdemeanor acts of domestic violence, according to the document.

“Lake Family Resource Center responded to 372 crisis line calls, served victims, and additionally sheltered 166 domestic violence victims and their children for a total of 5,335 bed nights,” the proclamation said.

“That’s a lot of numbers, and the numbers are actually worse,” said Dodd.

Before the meeting she had handed out small pink cards with the toll-free number for the community crisis line, 888-485-7733.

That number is a resource for domestic violence victims, it reaches the Rape Crisis Center and also is a suicide prevention resource, she said.

“I guarantee you, someone you know needs it,” she said of the number.

She said everyone in the room was connected to someone who has had physical, emotional, financial or spiritual violence, and is stuck in a cycle of power and control.

People in Lake County have died due to domestic violence, she said. “Please don’t be silent.”

Dodd said that it generally takes a victim seven times before they actually leave, and that’s when they’re at the most dangerous point.

Also on Tuesday, Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen presented his agency’s newest officer, Casey Debolt, who was sworn in on Monday.

Debolt was born and raised in Lake County. He served six years in the United States Army and had two deployments overseas, in Iraq and Egypt, Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen said Debolt attended Santa Rosa Junior College and ended up being a top candidate in the city’s recent recruitment.

After his official welcome by the council – and a round of applause from the audience – Debolt left to get back to work, accompanied by Sgt. Mike Sobieraj.

In other business during the council’s 15-minute meeting, Public Works Director Doug Grider sought and received the council’s approval of a resolution approving the city’s SB 1 project list for fiscal year 2017-18.

SB 1 is the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. Grider’s report said the bill increases gasoline and diesel taxes and vehicle registration fees to address basic road maintenance and rehabilitation needs on both state highways and local streets and roads.

A portion of the funding is distributed to cities like Lakeport based on a formula. “This is a requirement to be eligible for these funds,” Grider said.

As part of that brief discussion, the council amended the budget to account for anticipated Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account funds in the amount of $26,923.

Grider said the document needed to be submitted to the California Transportation Commission by Oct. 16.

Staff proposed that the funds be used for the Third Street Thin Lift Overlay Project, which Grider’s report explained includes the mill and fill of failed areas along Third Street between Main and Forbes streets with a thin lift overlay.

The council approved the proposal unanimously.

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.

100317 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council will hold a special meeting this week to discuss a response to the grand jury and a number of abatements.

The council will meet beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in closed session to discuss a lawsuit before meeting in open session at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

On the agenda is the council's receipt and response to the 2016-17 Lake County Grand Jury Report.

City Manager Greg Folsom’s report explained that the grand jury document included several issues related to the city of Clearlake or mentioning Clearlake – road conditions, tax lien sales and animal control.

“A response is only required regarding the road conditions since the other two items only mentioned the City of Clearlake and were primarily about the County,” he wrote.

He said staff supports the report’s recommendations, including prioritizing the roadway rehabilitation in terms of existing problems and coordinating with the county of Lake to participate in a tax lien property tax sale.

In other business, the council will consider approving a resolution for criminal history checks of commercial marijuana dispensaries and discuss awarding a contract for professional engineering design services relating to the Country Club Drive Pavement Rehabilitation Preliminary Study Report.

Also on the agenda, the council will consider abatement orders for 11 properties: 4116 Sunset Ave., 3900 Vista Robles Way, 15595 31st Ave., 3843 Emile Ave., 15961 21st Ave., 4075 Eureka Ave., 4055 Eureka Ave., 3051 Sixth St., 3071 Sixth St., 3347 Seventh St. and 3355 Seventh St.

On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – is a resolution correcting the deed and re-transfer of the Clearlake City Hall property to the city of Clearlake from the successor agency for the former redevelopment agency.

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. – Konocti Senior Support Inc. announced the hiring of Francois van Wyk, LMFT, to head one of the most outstanding services for seniors in Lake County – Senior Peer Counseling.

This is a free service for individuals over the age of 55 who are seeking help to solve their own problems through one-on-one dialogue with senior-aged peer counselors.

Van Wyk was born in South Africa and attended the University of Cape Town, where he earned a Bachelor of Social Science degree and later worked in the field of human resources.

In 1986, he moved to the US, and he completed a Master’s degree in counseling psychology in 1996.

He became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in 2003. For the past 15 years, he has worked with foster and adopted children and their families, severely mentally ill adults and maintained a private practice.

His most recent position was that of deputy director of Lake County Behavioral Health, and prior to that he worked for Behavioral Health in various positions for more than 10 years.

He loves Lake County and is excited to expand this program to include more trained senior peer counselors who can serve greater numbers of homebound seniors in need.

“Senior Peer Counseling encourages seniors to live active and rewarding lives,” van Wyk said. “Clients are empowered when they are helped to identify their own problems, goals, and solutions.”

He currently provides a weekly consultation and training group for senior peer counselors every Wednesday at venues around the county.

A portion of this training will be open to the public on the last Wednesday of every month, from 11 a.m. to noon. Topics covered will be of interest to seniors wanting to learn more about living a meaningful and healthy life in Lake County.

The organization currently is seeking volunteers for its board and senior peer counselors.

Call Konocti Senior Support Inc. at 707-995-1417, visit http://www.konoctiseniorsupport.com/ or stop by the officer at 14310 Memory Lane in Clearlake to find out more about becoming a senior peer counselor, board member or to join the Friendly Visitors program.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Last week narcotics detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office seized a large amount of methamphetamine, along with cash and marijuana, and made one arrest.

Meliton Pacheco Rangel, 39, of Clearlake was arrested as a result of the case, according to Sgt. Corey Paulich.

On Friday, narcotics detectives served a search warrant in the 3900 block of Alvita Avenue in Clearlake, Paulich said.

Paulich said that as the detectives approached the residence they contacted Pacheco Rangel, who was seated in a vehicle.

He was searched pursuant to the search warrant and detectives located a little over an ounce of suspected methamphetamine is Rangel’s pocket. Rangel also had more than $1,400 on his person, Paulich said.

Detectives then conducted a search of two residences that were included in the search warrant. Paulich said the residences were in close proximity to each other.

In the first residence detectives located four separate packages each containing approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine that were hidden in the oven, Paulich said.

Paulich said detectives also located two large baggies in the kitchen area that each contained approximately a quarter pound of methamphetamine. Detectives located an ice chest in the kitchen area that contained five more clear bags each containing approximately an ounce of methamphetamine.

Detectives then search the second residence. Paulich said that during the search detectives located approximately 20 pounds of marijuana. They also located approximately $3,600 hidden in various locations throughout the residence.

Paulich said detectives searched the vehicle Rangel had been sitting in when they arrived. A large box was located that contained approximately 26 pounds of processed marijuana.

A shipping receipt was located inside the vehicle. Detectives were able to seize the package related to the receipt. Paulich said a search warrant was obtained for the package and 2 additional pounds of marijuana was located in the package. The package was set to be shipped to an address in the state of Washington.

In total detectives seized approximately 5.3 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 5 0 pounds of marijuana as well as over $5,000 in cash. The methamphetamine and marijuana had a combined street value of over $285,000, Paulich said.

Paulich said Rangel was transported to the Lake County Jail where he was booked for possession of a controlled substance for sale, renting place to store or sale a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana for sale and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.

Rangel remains in custody with bail set at $500,000, according to booking records. He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 11.

The sheriff’s office is continuing its efforts to eradicate narcotics from the communities of Lake County and seize the suspected profits of drug trafficking for asset forfeiture whenever possible. Anyone with information that can assist the Narcotics Unit with this effort is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.