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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Democratic Central Committee will hold its regular monthly business meeting on Thursday, Nov. 3.
The meeting will take place at the Democratic Campaign Headquarters at 390 N. Main St. in Lakeport at 6:30 p.m.
The agenda for the meeting includes reports from representatives for Congressmen Mike Thompson and John Garamendi, Assemblyman Bill Dodd and State Senator Mike McGuire, as well as reports from the representative of the Lake County Democratic Club.
Meetings are open to the public and committee membership is open to all registered Democrats.
The Lake County Democratic Central Committee is the official governing body for the Democratic Party in Lake County.
For more information about the Democratic Party in Lake County visit www.lakecountydemocrats.org or www.facebook.com/LakeCountyDemocrats .
Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-533-4885 or by email at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A man sent to prison for stabbing two men and killing one of them during a 1995 fight has been denied parole for the third time.
Fred Gene Stillman, 58, was denied parole at a hearing on Tuesday at California State Prison Solano in Vacaville, where Stillman is housed.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said Deputy District Attorney Alan Upton attended Stillman's lifer hearing to speak against his release.
Hinchcliff said a jury found Stillman guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Bart Jackman and an assault with a knife on Michael Betts.
Stillman originally was prosecuted by then-Deputy District Attorney Gary Luck and was represented by defense attorney Judy Conard.
On Jan. 29, 1996, Superior Court Judge Robert Crone sentenced Stillman to 16 years to life. Stillman's minimum eligible parole date was Dec. 29, 2009.
According to the investigative reports, on July 28, 1995, Stillman learned from his wife and 16-year-old daughter that his daughter had been involved in a verbal altercation with some individuals at Austin’s Resort, and that when his wife and daughter left the area, the children of a friend had been left at the resort.
Stillman armed himself with a knife and gave his daughter a baseball bat for protection. The three of them returned to Austin’s Resort.
According to Stillman, when they returned to the resort, a group of people tried to attack them so they left the area. They stopped outside the Landmark Lounge in Clearlake Park to make a phone call.
Witnesses reported that Stillman’s daughter was standing outside the door of the Landmark Lounge and Bart Jackman, who had been inside the bar with Michael Betts, asked Stillman’s daughter to leave because she was underage. This started a verbal altercation between Jackman and Stillman’s daughter.
Fred Stillman approached Jackman and they started shoving each other. Stillman’s daughter then began hitting Jackman with the bat. The Stillmans started to leave and Jackman approached, trying to take the bat away from the girl.
At that point, another physical altercation started between Fred Stillman and Jackman. Witnesses saw Stillman hitting Jackman. Betts intervened to assist Jackman but he also was hit by Stillman.
The investigation revealed that Stillman was holding a knife as he struck Jackman and Betts. Jackman suffered stab wounds to his aorta, lung and liver, and died from his wounds. Betts suffered stab wounds to his chest and abdomen. He survived.
During the altercation, Stillman also accidentally stabbed his daughter in the leg.
Stillman was arrested a short distance away after he was found hiding in some bushes. The knife used to stab Jackman and Betts was recovered.
Stillman was previously denied parole at two previous parole hearings, Hinchcliff said.
Upton appeared at the latest parole hearing to ask the Board of Prison Hearings panel to deny Stillman parole on the ground that he still presented an unreasonable risk of danger to the public if released.
In addition, Upton argued that Stillman’s violation of prison rules since his last parole hearing tended to show he could not be trusted to live a law abiding life outside of prison.
Hinchcliff said the Board of Prison Hearings panel found Stillman unsuitable for release and issued a three-year denial of parole.
Stillman’s next parole hearing will be in 2019. A representative of the Lake County District Attorney's Office will appear at that hearing as well, Hinchcliff said.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Kiwanis will once again hold its annual Halloween Kids Fair on Halloween, Monday, Oct. 31.
The spooktacular event will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Clear Lake High School gym, 350 Lange St. in Lakeport.
This free community event is open to all children from preschool to age 13 and their families, and annually draws hundreds of participants.
There will be games, candy and treats, and pumpkin weight guessing, a costume contest with prizes at 7:15 p.m., refreshments and more.
Clear Lake High's Scholastic and Interact Clubs and Kelseyville High School’s Interact Club operate the games each year.
To get updates on the event visit https://www.facebook.com/events/200437410369747/ .
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around Lake County and the North Coast during the coming week.
Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.
LAKE COUNTY
Highway 20
– Pavement repairs at various locations from Sayre Avenue to the junction of Routes 20/53 will continue through Friday, Oct. 28. One-way traffic control will also be in effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 1five-minute delays.
Highway 29
– Pavement marker replacement from .3 miles north of the Siegler Canyon Bridge to just north of Cruikshank Road will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect overnight from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., or from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
Highway 53
– Rocky Fire cleanup from Crawford Avenue to 40th Avenue will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
MENDOCINO COUNTY
Highway 1
– Bridge deck repairs at the Brush Creek will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
Highway 101
– Routine maintenance near Frog Woman Rock will continue. A northbound lane restriction will be in place. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.
– Bridge rail upgrades at the South Willits Overhead will continue. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in both directions from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.
– Highway construction near the Haehl Overhead Bridge will continue. Intermittent one-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– Highway construction near the north Willits railroad crossing will continue. Intermittent one-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– Emergency culvert repairs just north of the north Willits railroad crossing will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. 7 days per week. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
– Emergency slide repairs just south of Standish-Hickey State Park will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– Emergency hazmat cleanup near Dora Creek will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
The Caltrans Traffic Operations Office has reviewed each project and determined that individual project delays are expected to be less than the statewide policy maximum of 30 minutes, unless noted otherwise above.
For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).
As a resident of the Lower Lake area, but no longer in District 1 (because of redistricting) I am still very much concerned with the outcome of the election for District I supervisor.
I am a longtime acquaintance of candidate Monica Rosenthal and strongly encourage District 1 residents to vote for her.
Monica is hardworking, well-informed and dedicated to this beautiful place we call home.
Check out Monica’s Web site, www.monicaforsupervisor.com to learn about her many accomplishments and her caring concern for all of Lake County.
Roberta Lyons lives in Lower Lake, Calif.
The job of a Lake County Supervisor is not part-time. Rather it is a role that encompasses a huge variety of duties and a colossal commitment of time on the part of the person willing to take it on.
It takes an engaged and patient listener to all people and an understanding that it is not just about addressing the concerns of district constituents, but that of making decisions which affect the lives of all Lake County residents.
A supervisor is one of five elected to the board that acts as a governing body overseeing the operation of our county government. Therefore, one who chooses to apply for this role should have a general understanding of the workings of government and the budgets that drive each county department.
The job of supervisor requires a willingness to partner with county department heads to solve problems and to have an understanding of what each department can and cannot do.
It takes a person who has the time, ability and desire to address complex issues in order to be educated and adequately prepared at board meetings. And it requires a willingness to work as a team with other supervisors for the greater good and not for personal gain or agenda.
The job of supervisor in any district requires a full-time commitment to being available and on top of the issues that affect not just one district, but all five.
It takes a willingness to work with business and community groups toward improving the tools that support our people and drive our economy. It takes an open-minded listener to city council members and local officials in order to understand common needs and goals of our communities.
It requires a broad understanding of issues that involve law enforcement, public safety, public services, health care, transportation, the environment, our lake, the homeless, our business economy, land use, watershed issues, our educational system and so much more.
It takes someone with “life experience” who understands the hardships and struggles that the majority of our Lake County residents face every day; having empathy and understanding of those who fight just to get by. It takes someone with a lot of time to give and who can admit to not having the answer but assist with finding out who does.
I’ve known Martin Scheel for many years and have watched him suffer through the loss of his business due to an accident five years ago, only to bounce back as an effective city councilman and mayor; a tireless community volunteer; and a huge advocate for our fire recovery victims and for rebuilding the business economy in our county.
Martin has formed valuable connections with county and state leaders in an effort to better the future of Lake County. He has an impressive understanding of the workings of government and the issues affecting not only District 4, but all of us in Lake County.
I’ve personally watched Martin prepare himself for the role of supervisor for a very long time. He doesn’t make vague promises or offer gimmicks but offers realistic ideas and common sense plans to face the challenges ahead of us.
I would encourage voters to consider each candidate’s ability to add the rigorous demands of being an effective supervisor to their existing roles and responsibilities. The residents of District 4 deserve a candidate who can fill the role, and not just the position.
Melody De Leon lives in Lakeport, Calif.