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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With fall having arrived, rain is forecast to return to Lake County on Sunday.
The National Weather Service forecast has chances of showers in the county beginning Sunday morning and continuing into early Tuesday.
Winds of up to 13 miles per hours are forecast across parts of the county on Saturday, with clouds increasing Saturday night.
On Sunday, there is up to a 70-percent chance of rain arriving after 11 a.m., with up to a quarter of an inch possible, based on the forecast.
Chances of rain will drop to 30 percent on Sunday night, when wind gusts of up to 25 miles per hour are anticipated. Past Sunday, windy conditions are expected to clear.
The forecast calls for a 20-percent chance of rain during the day Monday and on Monday night, and a slight chance on Tuesday morning, with conditions expected to move from partly sunny on Tuesday night to mostly sunny during the days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Along with the rain, temperatures are forecast to drop over the next several days.
Daytime temperatures will drop as low as the mid-50s during the daytime through Tuesday, and will rise back into the high 70s by the end of the week, according to the forecast.
Forecasters also predict nighttime temperatures will see a dip into the mid-40s before rising back into the 50s by Friday.
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LUCERNE, Calif. – One woman was injured and another arrested for driving under the influence following a wreck on Highway 20 in Lucerne on Friday night.
Rhonda Kohfeld, 57, of Lucerne was arrested for felony driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a suspended driver's license after the crash, which the California Highway Patrol said occurred at 6:35 p.m.
The CHP said Kohfeld was driving her 2005 Ford Taurus westbound on Highway 20 west of Lake Street at an unknown speed while 58-year-old Kathy Ellis of Lucerne was driving her 2005 Toyota Tacoma eastbound in the same location at approximately 30 miles per hour.
For reasons that the CHP said are yet to be determined, Kohfeld allowed her vehicle to veer across both lanes of Highway 20, colliding head-on with Ellis' Toyota.
Kohfeld's Ford came to rest in the westbound lane, while Ellis' vehicle was in the eastbound lane following the wreck, the CHP said.
The CHP said one-way traffic was in effect for a short period of time while the vehicles were cleared from the roadway.
A Northshore Fire Protection District ambulance transported Ellis to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment of moderate injuries, which the CHP said included complaints of pain to her neck, back and chest.
The CHP said Kohfeld was evaluated at the scene and found to have minor cuts to a hand. She subsequently was placed under arrest for DUI and driving on a suspended license.
Both women were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, which is still under investigation by Officer Ryan Erickson.
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For those who find the night sky fascinating, there are a lot of interesting happenings in the month of October 2016.
In the video above, Jane Houston Jones of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., gives an update on what to watch for this month.
Highlights include descriptions of this month's moon phases, and on Oct. 8 both the Fall Astronomy Day and International Observe the Moon Night.
October also will include three meteor showers: the Draconids, expected to peak on Oct. 7 and 8; the Taurids, peaking on Oct. 10; and the Orionids on Oct. 21, although the full moon may interfere with viewing, Houston Jones said.
On Oct. 27 Saturn will form a straight line with Venus and the red star Antares.
For star parties and astronomy events near you, visit https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm .
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Valley Fire Recovery Chipping Program needs your application.
The Lake County Resource Conservation District has partnered with the Lake County Air Quality Management District to offer chipping of brush, branches and tree trunks up to 10 inches in diameter to owners of small parcels in the Valley Fire Recovery Area.
Unfortunately, because sufficient applications have not been received, the program is in danger of being discontinued.
Please submit your application by Oct. 4 to help keep this program going for your community.
The service is available at no cost to the landowner, who must first cut down the trees, limb them out, and haul woody materials (please no blackberries or poison oak) to the edge of the road.
All owners of small residential parcels (one acre or less) in the Valley Fire Recovery Area are eligible for this free service, with scheduling priority given to those who intend to rebuild.
Properties of up to two acres will be considered as capacity is available, and owners of larger properties may also be able to participate on a cost-sharing basis.
Chipping services outside the recovery area can be provided for a fee.
For more details and to apply, download the application form from www.lakercd.org/lc-rcd-chipper-program.html or contact Lake County Resource Conservation District at 707 262-7089 and leave a message.
For general program information you can also call the Lake County Air Quality Management District at 707-263-7000.
This project is made possible by a generous donation from #LakeCountyRising, a collaborative fundraising effort of the Lake County Winegrape Commission, Winery Association and Wine Alliance.
SACRAMENTO – California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith called on the people of California to help reduce the number of mosquitoes by eliminating standing water, especially in areas that have recently had rain and continue to experience warm temperatures.
“Rainy weather can create new breeding grounds for mosquitoes if water is allowed to pool and remain stagnant,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “Mosquito season in California peaks in October, making it critically important that Californians take action to empty even small amounts of water from our gardens and yards.”
To help control mosquitoes, check your yard weekly for water-filled containers. Clean and scrub bird baths and pet watering dishes weekly, and dump the water from dishes under potted plants.
Contact your local vector control agency if you detect unusual numbers of mosquitoes or you are being bitten during the day.
Information about the Lake County Vector Control District can be found at http://www.lcvcd.org/ .
The Aedes aegypti mosquito, an aggressive mosquito that bites during the day, has been detected in 12 California counties. This black-and-white striped mosquito has the potential to transmit Zika and other diseases, such as dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever.
While the mosquito is especially active two hours after sunrise and several hours before sunset, it can also bite during the day. These mosquitoes often enter buildings through unscreened windows and doors and bite people indoors.
While there has been no local transmission of Zika in California, as of Sept. 23, 302 travel-associated cases have been reported in the state.
Zika symptoms typically include a fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. Most people infected with the Zika virus will not have symptoms, but Zika is a major concern in pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects.
In addition to Zika, West Nile virus, another mosquito-borne illness, continues to concern public health officials.
To prevent mosquito bites, apply repellents containing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 to exposed skin and/or clothing (as directed on the product label).
During the times mosquitoes are most active you should wear long- sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and shoes. Be sure window and door screens are in good condition to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.
More information about Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can be found on the CDPH Web site, www.cdph.ca.gov , and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, www.cdc.gov .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Treasurer and Tax Collector Barbara C. Ringen is pleased to announce that the State Controller’s Property Tax Postponement Program has returned after being suspended by the State Legislature in 2009.
The program allows homeowners who are 62 or older, blind, or have a disability, to defer current-year property taxes on their principal residence if they meet certain criteria including 40 percent equity in the home and an annual household income of $35,500 or less.
Applications became available Sept. 1, 2016, and can be found at the Lake County Treasurer & Tax Collector’s Office or online at http://www.sco.ca.gov/ardtax_prop_tax_postponement.html .
The State Controller’s Office will begin accepting applications on Oct. 1, 2016, through Feb. 10, 2017.
Funds are limited and applications will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis.
The interest rate for taxes postponed is 7 percent per year as compared to 18 percent per year for delinquent taxes.
Repayment under this program becomes due when the homeowner:
· Moves or sells the property;
· Transfers title;
· Defaults on a Senior lien;
· Refinances; Dies; or
· Chooses to obtain a reverse mortgage.
For more detailed program information, contact the tax collector’s office at 707-263-2234 or email