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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Thursday Morning Breakfast Group that meets weekly in Clearlake has announced its lineup of invited guest speakers for June.
The group meets at 7 a.m. at Main Street Café, 14084 Lakeshore Drive.
The lineup is as follows:
• June 1: Dr. Mark Cooper, “The Essence of Japan.”
• June 8: Ginny Craven, update on Operation Tango Mike.
• June 15: Carol Brown, director, Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic.
• June 22: Joan Jacobs, author and Creator of KC and the Keep Well Kids Club.
• June 29: Frank Parker, leader of the Lake County Veterans Council on the Veterans Stand Down program.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – With graduation season in full swing, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is warning customers about the public safety risks associated with helium-filled metallic balloons.
If your graduation celebration involves balloons make sure they are secured with a weight. Otherwise they can float away and come into contact with overhead power lines, causing a public safety risk.
The company reported that there were several outages last year in Mendocino and Lake counties caused by mylar balloons coming into contact with power lines, which affects power to thousands of customers – usually around holidays.
In the first five months of 2017, metallic balloons striking electric lines have caused nearly 132 power outages in PG&E's service area alone, disrupting service to more than 76,000 customers.
These power outages can interrupt electric service to critical facilities such as hospitals, schools and traffic lights.
PG&E typically sees a spike in the number of outages caused by metallic balloons during the graduation season.
“It may look fun and festive to release balloons in the air during graduation ceremonies, but when helium-filled metallic balloons come into contact with overhead lines they can cause a widespread power outage. PG&E encourages grads to celebrate safely by keeping metallic balloons secured with weights,” said Pat Hogan, senior vice president, PG&E Electric Operations.
Metallic balloons have a silvery coating, which is a conductor for electricity. If the balloons float away and make contact with power lines, they can short transformers, cause power outages and melt electrical wires, causing public safety risks.
Last year, a homecoming parade in the North Coast turned dark after a group of metallic balloons slipped away from a float and hit a power line, which came down energized. More than 2,700 customers lost power for most of the day and the homecoming dance was cancelled.
To help ensure that graduation balloon celebrations are enjoyed responsibly, PG&E reminds customers to follow these important balloon safety tips:
• "Look Up and Live!" Use caution and avoid celebrating with metallic balloons near overhead electric lines.
• Make sure helium-filled metallic balloons are securely tied to a weight that is heavy enough to prevent them from floating away. Never remove the weight.
• Keep metallic balloons indoors, when possible. For everyone's safety, never permit metallic balloons to be released outside.
• Do not bundle metallic balloons together.
• Never attempt to retrieve any type of balloon, kite or toy that becomes caught in a power line. Leave it alone, and immediately call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 to report the problem.
• Never go near a power line that has fallen to the ground or is dangling in the air. Always assume downed electric lines are energized and extremely dangerous. Stay far away, keep others away and immediately call 911 to alert the police and fire departments.
SACRAMENTO – Legislation to introduce media literacy education into school curriculums passed the State Senate on Tuesday afternoon.
Senate Bill 135, authored by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), aims to combat fake news and ensure students have the tools to succeed in the digital age.
Media literacy is the ability to analyze and evaluate information consumed from various media sources such as Web sites, social networking sites, television, print and radio.
“While we already require critical thinking skills in our school, those skills haven’t kept up with the emerging technologies. Crafting a comprehensive curriculum for media literacy education is essential to combating fake news,” said Sen. Dodd. “While information is more accessible than ever, many people lack the tools to identify fake or misleading news and information. By giving students the tools to analyze the media they consume, we can empower them to make informed decisions.”
A rise in fake news was widely noted during the most recent presidential election, where it became increasingly difficult for the public to note the difference between a reputable news publication and Web sites that publish false or misleading claims.
The practice of advertisements masquerading as news has also seen an increase in recent years.
A recent Stanford study found that 82 percent of middle school students struggled to distinguish advertisements from news stories.
The same study also found a significant percentage of high school and college students scored poorly in media literacy evaluations.
"There has never been a more important time to address the issue of media literacy in schools,” said Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, executive director for the National Association for Media Literacy Education. “Our students are growing up in the midst of a complicated and diverse media landscape which they need to understand in order to fully engage and participate in today’s world. We must continue to fight for media literacy education for students of all ages. We applaud Sen. Dodd for taking on this important issue and moving it forward.”
Dodd’s bill would empower the California Board of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission to develop a model framework necessary for incorporating media literacy into school curriculums.
The legislation will also advance media literacy training opportunities for teachers in California.
The bill now moves on to the Assembly, where it will be heard in the Assembly Education Committee this summer.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. -- A gravel truck and trailer went off the road on Hwy 20 Wednesday afternoon creating a traffic hazard and delays. Further West, between Bruner and Rosemont, road repairs are taking place resulting in controlled one way traffic.
According to the CHP, a West bound semi truck with a trailer went off the road at approximately 1:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, losing its load and blocking both lanes briefly.
Crews were at the accident scene cleaning gravel from the roadway to open the East bound lane for controlled one way traffic. The CHP report indicates that the container broke loose from the trailer during the accident.
This story has been updated with booking details.
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that the victim in a fatal Tuesday night Hidden Valley Lake shooting is a young local woman, with her father arrested for having killed her.
Hannah Welch, 20, was found dead by emergency responders who arrived at the scene Tuesday night, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The sheriff’s office said the suspect in the shooting is Welch’s father, 39-year-old Steven Russell Miller.
At 8:15 p.m. Tuesday sheriff’s deputies and medical personnel from Cal Fire responded to an address in the 18000 block of Spyglass Road in Hidden Valley Lake for a report of a call of a man who just shot his daughter, the sheriff’s office said.
Upon arrival, first responders contacted the reporting party who was the grandmother of the victim and mother of the suspect, according to the Wednesday report.
At that time, they also located Welch’s body inside the residence, the sheriff’s office said.
Miller had at that point left the residence, but the sheriff’s office said he was located in the subdivision within minutes by responding deputies and taken into custody without incident.
As a result of the initial investigation, the sheriff’s office said it appears that Welch was killed by a gunshot wound. An autopsy will be conducted as part of the final investigation.
No other victims or suspects have been identified, authorities said.
Miller was transported to the sheriff’s office for questioning by sheriff’s detectives and then transported to the hospital as part of a standard medical clearing procedure prior to booking at the Lake County Jail.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Miller was still in the booking process, the sheriff’s office said.
Later in the day, his booking sheet was posted, which stated he is being held on $1 million bail. He is tentatively scheduled for arraignment in Lake County Superior Court on Friday.
The sheriff’s office said a motive has not been determined.
Anyone who has information concerning this investigation is asked to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Detective Richard Kreutzer at 707-262-4233.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service said an incoming storm system is expected to bring light amounts of rain to interior Northern California on Wednesday.
The low pressure area is moving in from the Pacific, the agency said Tuesday.
Forecasters said that it’s a weak system that’s expected to drop most of its rain over the region’s mountains and foothills on Wednesday, although some valley areas could get light rainfall amounts.
In addition to the rain, the specific Lake County forecast calls for temperatures this week that range from daytime highs in the low 80s to nighttime lows in the high 50s.
Wednesday is expected to see some rain and cloudy skies, with partly cloudy skies on Thursday. Conditions will clear, bringing sunny skies through the weekend, based on the forecast.
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