News

Wayne Russell Huggins
1946 - 2017

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Wayne Russell Huggins was born in San Jose, Calif., on Dec. 26, 1946. On May 17, 2017, while surrounded by the love of his family, his courageous battle with cancer was over.

Wayne, or better known as “Grampie,” was a pear farmer, commercial fisherman and a maintenance specialist for the Kelseyville School District.

Wayne was a true mountain man. He lived for the outdoors and was always searching for the next adventure. He loved to hunt, fish, ride motorcycles and could out-hike all who knew him. He built 19 beautiful wood kayaks and gave them to his family members. He was a best friend to many.

Two of his most favorite roles were being a loving husband to Patsy Huggins for 31 years, and “Grampie” to Bailey, Derek and Andrew Huggins, and Ryland and Ronan Armstrong.

He leaves behind his best friend, his son, David (Samantha) Huggins, and loving daughter, Rena (Zach) Armstrong.

There will be no service.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to Hospice Services of Lake County, 1862 Parallel Drive, Lakeport, CA 95453 or 707-263-6222.

For further information, contact Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On May 22 this year the Lord called home our Pixie Angel! Deborah Louise Ford-Reed passed unexpectedly do to a short bout with cancer.

Her life was one of love, compassion and understanding. Her Moon Beams blessed Eugene and Maxine Ford on April 7, 1952.

As a fourth generation “Kelseyvilleian,” she grew up with her hometown, witnessing dirt roads and creek crossings give way to pavement and bridges, even the creation of Highway 29 into Lakeport.

In her 65 years of life, she has seen the beautiful snow of Big Sky Montana, and ventured east to North Carolina, eventually returning to the homestead in Kelseyville.

If you were ever to cross star paths with her, you know she was our caretaker, family mediator and “bestest” friend in life.

Like her turtles, she enjoyed a simpler pace of life and her happiness and love consumed you like a fairy song! She leaves us now to be with her fairies and turtles in the enchanted forest of Heaven.

Behind to carry on are her sons, Sirre Reed (Robyn) and Sean Reed (Farrah); nine grandchildren; siblings, Jen Ford, Denise Wiltse (Mike), Linda Breeding and Dan Ford; five nephews; two nieces; 12 great nieces and nephews; and three great-grandnephews, Don Jamison, Debbie Tempelton and Ron Reed; all her four-legged babies; and many loving friends and cherished memories.

Her heart was bigger than this world could contain, we will forever miss our Pixie Angel, more than there are stars and moons in the sky that she now graces with her fairy wings.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported that the body of a male subject was found Friday in the Cache Creek Recreation Area.

Lt. Corey Paulich said that at approximately 11:30 a.m. Friday the sheriff’s office received a report of possible human remains located in a remote area on the Judge Davis Trail.

The trail is within the Cache Creek Recreation Area, which is located in eastern Lake County near the Colusa County line.

Paulich said deputies responded to that area and located a deceased male approximately two miles from Highway 20.

The deputies were able to recover the deceased male with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol helicopter H16 out of Sacramento, Paulich said.

Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie said Highway 20 was shut down for about 25 minutes Friday afternoon while the CHP copter transferred the body to a vehicle at the Cache Creek Recreation Area parking lot.

There were no obvious signs of foul play, according to Paulich’s report.

Paulich said the cause of death and positive identification are pending an autopsy scheduled for next week.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Education has named its new assistant superintendent.

The Office of Education announced this week that Cynthia Lenners will be taking on the role as of July 1.

She will succeed April Leiferman, who has been hired as the new superintendent of the Lakeport Unified School District.

District officials said Lenners has been in education for more than 35 years.

For the past two years she has served Lake County students as the Lake County Office of Education’s senior director of school and district support services.

She started her career as a science and social studies teacher in the Salinas Union High School District, where she also served as an education specialist.

Lenners later worked as an educational consultant, focusing on school and district accountability and reform.

Prior to coming to the Lake County Office of Education, Lenners served as a teacher and principal in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District.

She has single subject credentials in science, history/social studies and physical education; special education and administrative services credentials, and she is also a language development specialist.

“We could not have asked for a better educator or more dedicated person to take the helm of LCOE’s Ed Services,” said Ryan Mahan, director of human resources and operations.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Commission has begun tagging and removing vehicles in the county and in the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake.

Officials offered the following details on what community members need to know about these activities.

When a vehicle is tagged for removal, the last registered owner is notified by mail at their last known address. They are granted a period of 10 days in which to remedy the related code violation and legally park the vehicle.

If, after 10 days, insufficient action has been taken by the owner, the vehicle will be towed.

Vehicle information is logged with the placement of each tag. If a vehicle is moved to a different location and dumped illegally, the jurisdictions will know where it came from.

Abandonment of any vehicle is presumed the responsibility of the last registered owner under the California Vehicle Code.

As of May 17:

• The county of Lake had tagged 59 vehicles, towed 10 and impounded two.
• The city of Lakeport had tagged three, towed two and had five more ready to be tagged.
• The city of Clearlake has now tagged greater than 160, and towed more than 35.

Efforts are ongoing to identify vehicles eligible for removal.

As a reminder, it can cost between $4,000 to $6,000 to remove an abandoned motorhome, and there are many environmental concerns associated with such a vehicle’s disposal.

Funds available through the Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Program are limited, and one individual’s choice to abandon an RV could mean that multiple smaller vehicles will remain alongside Lake County roads.

For more information about abandoned vehicles in the county, contact Lake County Code Enforcement at 707-263-2309.

For abandoned vehicles within either of the city limits, please contact your city offices: city of Clearlake, 707-994-8201; city of Lakeport, 707-263-5615.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – California agencies combatting the spread of invasive quagga and zebra mussels remind boaters to remain cautious over Memorial Day weekend.
 
Quagga and zebra mussels are invasive freshwater mussels native to Eurasia.
 
They multiply quickly, encrust watercraft and infrastructure, alter water quality and the aquatic food web, and ultimately impact native and sport fish communities.
 
These mussels spread from one body of water to another by attaching to watercraft, equipment and nearly anything that has been in an infested waterbody.
 
Microscopic juveniles, invisible to the naked eye, are spread from infested waterbodies in water entrapped in boat engines, bilges, live-wells and buckets.
 
Quagga mussels have infested 31 waterways in Southern California and zebra mussels have infested two waterways in San Benito County.
 
To prevent the spread of these mussels and other aquatic invasive species, people launching vessels at any body of water are subject to watercraft inspections and are strongly encouraged to clean, drain and dry their motorized and nonmotorized boats, including personal watercraft, and any equipment that contacts the water before and after recreating.
 
"The public plays a critical role in preventing the spread of quagga and zebra mussels," said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham. "The public should remember to Clean, Drain, and Dry their watercraft to prevent the further spread of quagga/zebra mussels, and other invasive species."
 
To ensure watercraft are clean, drained and dry, many local agencies conduct boat inspections.
 
The CDFW Web site provides a list of these inspection programs, along with additional information about the invasive mussels and what people can do to help prevent their spread in California.
 
Prior to traveling, boaters should contact destination waterbodies directly to check for restrictions and requirements.
 
Take the following steps both before traveling to and before leaving a waterbody to prevent spreading invasive mussels, improve your inspection experience and safeguard California waterways:
 
– CLEAN: Inspect exposed surfaces and remove all plants and organisms;
– DRAIN: All water, including water contained in lower outboard units, live-wells and bait buckets; and
– DRY: Allow the watercraft to thoroughly dry between launches. Watercraft should be kept dry for at least five days in warm weather and up to 30 days in cool weather.
 
In addition, to the video above demonstrating the ease of implementing the clean, drain and dry prevention method, a detailed guide to cleaning vessels of invasive mussels is available at https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=4957&inline .
 
Additional information is available on the Division of Boating and Waterways Web site at http://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=28996 .
 
Travelers are also advised to be prepared for inspections at California Department of Food and Agriculture Border Protection Stations.
 
Over the past nine years, more than one million watercraft entering California have been inspected at the Border Protection Stations.
 
Inspections, which can also be conducted by CDFW and California State Parks, include a check of boats and personal watercraft, as well as trailers and all onboard items.
 
Contaminated vessels and equipment are subject to decontamination, rejection, quarantine or impoundment.
 
Quagga and zebra mussels can attach to and damage virtually any submerged surface. They can:
 
– Ruin a boat engine by blocking the cooling system and causing it to overheat.
– Jam a boat's steering equipment, putting occupants and others at risk.
– Require frequent scraping and repainting of boat hulls.
– Colonize all underwater substrates such as boat ramps, docks, lines and other underwater surfaces, causing them to require constant cleaning.
– Impose large expenses to owners.
 
A multi-agency effort that includes CDFW, DBW, CDFA and the California Department of Water Resources has been leading an outreach campaign to alert the public to the quagga and zebra mussel threats.
 
A toll-free hotline, 1-866-440-9530, is available for those seeking information on quagga or zebra mussels.