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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A Saturday afternoon fire damaged a Hidden Valley Lake home but the resident and three pets were rescued thanks to the fast action of firefighters.
South Lake County Fire and Cal Fire units responded to the fire in the 18000 block of Spyglass Road, which was reported at approximately 1:17 p.m. Saturday, according to a Cal Fire report.
Fire was reported to be coming from the garage, Cal Fire said. Fire units arrived at scene to find a working fire with power lines down.
Cal Fire said one victim was rescued from the structure and transported to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for treatment of injuries. Three cats also were rescued from the home.
Resources assigned to the incident included one volunteer company, one water tender, five engine companies and 18 total personnel, according to the Cal Fire report. Pacific Gas and Electric also responded to address the downed power issues.
Half of the structure was destroyed, and Cal Fire estimated the loss at $200,000, with $80,000 worth of damage prevented.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and shortly after 3 p.m. Cal Fire said crews remained on scene to conduct overhaul and finish extinguishing the structure.
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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A 3.0-magnitude earthquake was reported near Upper Lake early Saturday afternoon.
The quake occurred at 12:05 p.m., according to the US Geological Survey.
The US Geological Survey said the epicenter was 12 miles north northeast of Upper Lake at a depth of 4.3 miles.
No shake reports had been submitted on the quake as of 4 p.m.
The epicenter of Saturday's quake is close to those of a 3.1-magnitude quake that occurred Dec. 5 and what's believed to be the biggest quake in more than a century, a 5.1-magnitude temblor that occurred Aug. 9, as Lake County News has reported.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A little girl in Clearlake and a little boy in Lakeport are the first two babies born in Lake County in 2017.
The first baby born in Lake County in 2017, Aaliyah Rose Shoop, was still comfortably in utero as the new year arrived on Sunday.
It wasn’t until Tuesday that Lake County’s New Year’s baby made her arrival at 8:26 a.m. at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake to happy parents Billy Dean Shoop and Lindsey Marie Kenton.
Little Aaliyah was delivered by Dr. Kimberly Fordham and Women’s Care Unit nurse Josephine Lutz, RN. She was a healthy 7 pounds, 7 ounces.
“Each new baby is a reason for celebration, but welcoming a new life at the beginning of a new year is special for our entire team,” said Al Hansen, RN, director of Surgery and Women’s Care at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake. “All year long, we are privileged to provide every family in our community with a healthy, happy beginning for their newborn.”
The hospital gave the family a number of gifts for Aaliyah.
In Lakeport, Sutter Lakeside Hospital's first baby of the year was a boy.
Baby Leo Torres was born to Jessica Johns and Armando Torres at 4:50 a.m. on Friday at the Sutter Lakeside Family Birth Center. Leo measured 21 inches and weighed in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces.
“His older brother Aiden is thrilled,” said Johns. “Leo is the first baby to join our family in a while, so we’re excited.”
The Family Birth Center provided a welcome basket to the family, which included a swaddling blanket, a visual monitoring system and a backseat mirror to allow a clear view of the baby’s face while driving.
All babies born in the Family Birth Center also receive a year-long subscription to the Imagination Library as part of an initiative to boost literacy. The family will receive one age appropriate book each month to encourage reading at home.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Patsy (Pat) Ruth Diener, beloved Mother and Grandma, passed away peacefully in Clearlake on Jan. 3, 2017. She was 87.
Born on Aug. 12, 1929, in Fayetteville, Ark., to William and Cleopatra Allen.
Pat migrated with her family to Long Beach, Calif., in 1935 and eventually made it to her forever home, Lake County, in 1970, where she met and wed husband William Diener (former fire chief of Lower Lake).
Pat enjoyed working at the Diener Ranch during walnut season, as well as becoming a foster grandparent at Lower Lake Elementary for 16 years.
She leaves behind daughter, Vivian, and son-in-law, Ruffin Gauthier; stepsons, William and Charles Diener, along with their families; and grandchildren, Richard and Melody Ness, and Christal and Allen Hutcheson.
Pat is preceded in death by husband, William, and daughter, Patricia Hutcheson.
Condolences can be sent to the family at P.O. Box 37, Lower Lake, CA 95457
Arrangements under the care of Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel.
Please share your loving memories of Patsy by signing her online guestbook at www.jonesandlewis.com and www.legacy.com .
David Mills
May 25, 1961 – Dec. 27, 2016
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – David was a free spirit who saw the good in everyone. He had an open heart and an open door to anyone less fortunate. He was very creative and loved working with wood and rocks. If he had something you needed it was yours.
David had a special love for his wife and his mom, but loved everyone. He was a good-hearted charmer who never met anyone he didn't like. David was a kickback frontiersman who will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
He is survived by his wife, Pamela Mills, and step-daughter, Krystal Lockwood; parents, Gerry and Fran Mills; siblings, Gregg (Candy), Kimberley (Rick) Perez, and John Mills; nephew Ricky Perez; and many friends and other family members.
A celebration of life will be scheduled soon.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This week the United States Department of Labor reported that it was offering an additional $4 million to help with the cleanup and recovery efforts for the 2015 Valley and Butte fires.
The Valley fire burned primarily in Lake County beginning on Sept. 12, 2015, resulting in four confirmed fatalities, destroying nearly 2,000 structures – of which almost 1,300 were homes – and burning more than 76,000 acres.
It started just three days after the Butte fire was ignited in Amador and Calaveras counties. The Butte fire burned nearly 71,000 acres and destroyed more than 900 structures, including more than 500 homes.
Both fire incidents were included in a presidential major disaster declaration from President Barack Obama on Sept. 22, 2015.
The U.S. Department of Labor subsequently approved a National Dislocated Worker Grant award for up to $11 million, with $2 million released initially on Oct. 23, 2015, to provide disaster relief employment to help with cleanup and recovery efforts following the fires.
On Aug. 22, the department awarded another increment of $2 million for the continuation of disaster relief employment.
Then, this week, the department said it will give another $4 million incremental award to the California Employment Development Department to continue the cleanup and recovery effort, bringing the total funds awarded to date for this project to $8 million.
The Department of Labor said the grant funding has served approximately 550 workers.
Congressman John Garamendi, whose district is next to the affected areas, thanked the Department of Labor for providing the additional recovery assistance.
“The effects last long after the blazes are extinguished,” said Congressman Garamendi. “People who have lost their homes and businesses often need continued help to get back on their feet. I’m very pleased that the Department of Labor has provided $4 million in continued funding to help people who were displaced by wildfires get back to work. This additional grant will make a big difference to the people who need it most.”
According to a Department of Labor statement, Dislocated Worker Grants are supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.
The grants temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker training and employment programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance in response to large, unexpected economic events which cause significant job losses, the agency said.
The Department of Labor said the grants generally provide resources to states and local workforce investment boards to reemploy laid-off workers quickly by offering training to increase occupational skills.
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