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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department is reporting that due to a water main break at Lakeshore Boulevard and Jones Street, Lakeshore Boulevard between Giselman and Lange streets will be closed for approximately four hours on Friday, July 1.
Motorists can detour around the closure by using Giselman and Lange streets, police said.
Local residents in the closure area will be able to enter and exit the area, according to police.
LUCERNE, Calif. – The Northshore Community Center is welcoming new ideas, energy and direction in the form of the new executive director taking over its leadership this week.
Nathan Maxman officially succeeds to the executive director job on Friday, but by early Thursday afternoon retiring Executive Director Rae Eby-Carl already had handed off the keys to him.
He is a member of Marymount California University's Lakeside Campus inaugural graduating class, whose members received their diplomas in May. Maxman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business with a concentration in accounting.
He'll bring to the position experience in working with churches and social service organizations, plus an understanding of business operations and budgets.
In addition, Maxman intends to take new approaches to the center's challenges.
“The most toxic thing for any organization is saying we can't change because that's the way things have always been done,” he said.
The center has faced both change and challenges over the last several years.
Eby-Carl took over the executive director job in March 2013, just as it was facing the potential end of its nutritional services contract, as Lake County News has reported.
She helped get the center back on track, beginning by successfully appealing the Area Agency on Aging decision to terminate the contract and keeping intact the center's congregate and Meals on Wheels programs.
The Meals on Wheels Program “is the primary service we do out of the center,” and one that will remain a priority, said Maxman, adding that he wants to offer nutritional services to the public in general, in addition to seniors.
Last fall, the center's board announced that it was changing the center's name to the Northshore Community Center from its longtime identity as the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center in order to “reflect its multi-age activities.”
Maxman said he's not yet gotten a sense of whether or not that name change – which isn't official on the center's business documents – is working.
In addition to its core nutritional programs, Maxman said the center offers classes – such as Tai Chi and Pilates – and is a regular meeting places for groups and organizations. Earlier this week it hosted a town hall meeting led by Supervisor Jim Steele.
Under Eby-Carl's leadership, the center also established monthly “Open Mic Lucerne” events and poetry gatherings.
In his new job Maxman is heading up a staff of four full-time paid employees – that includes his position – plus two grant-funded senior work experience volunteers.
He also has a full nine-member board with which to work, and which also was the group of individuals who decided on his hire.
While keeping the board seats filled has been a challenge, early in July the center reported that it had a full board, including Chair John Brosnan, Vice Chair Craig Purcell, Treasurer Carey Calvanese, Secretary Dawn Alvarado, and members Nancy Bylund, Dallas Cook, David Eby, Joey Liik and Peter Tibbits.
Maxman said the nonprofit center has many needs as it seeks to continue offering and expanding its services, not just to seniors but the community at large.
As he gets settled in, Maxman said he has two “small” projects on which he wants to place his initial focus. Those include changing how the center's food pantry operates and making improvements to the center's thrift store.
Regarding the food pantry, it's available on Fridays, with a long line of people usually coming for the assistance, he said.
Maxman said he wants to change it so that, rather than standing in line, people can set appointments and come in to get the supplies they need.
Regarding the thrift store, Maxman said that he intends to give it some curb appeal and make it more noticeable, adding that even though he was attending classes at nearby Marymount, he had no idea that the thrift store was there until he joined the center.
Maxman also has a particular interest in helping the homeless.
Earlier this year, when the Lake Ministerial Association hosted a warming center at the Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist Church, Maxman was a regular volunteer.
Even though he has a wife and young children, and at that time was in the final semester before graduating with his bachelor's degree, Maxman was a regular volunteer, working on homework assignments during overnight stints at the center.
While he would like to address the Northshore's homeless issues as part of the center's operations, he said he'll need more funding and buy-in from his board before he can formally take on that challenge.
The center has had numerous challenges with funding over the past decade. While Maxman said that the finances look “better than anticipated” – and the center has never missed payroll – it still needs help.
He's aiming at getting pledges for the center on a regular basis in order to establish a financial baseline, and is hoping to be able to bring on more staff in order to be able to concentrate on grant writing.
The board members – tasked with fundraising – also are increasing outreach and have been able to bring in several thousand dollars over the last few months, which is expected to help them start the new fiscal year in a stronger position, he said.
The Northshore Community Center is located at 3985 Country Club Drive. For information about services, classes, facility rentals or volunteering, call 707-274-8779.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Fireworks displays, parades on both land and water, worm races, and a cardboard and duct tape regatta will be among the top attractions taking place at Independence Day weekend celebrations around Lake County.
The following is a roundup of key events over the weekend and on Monday.
SATURDAY, JULY 2
Clearlake Keys Boat Parade
CLEARLAKE OAKS – The annual Clearlake Oaks Keys Boat Parade will take place on Saturday morning.
Lineup takes place at 9:30 a.m., with the parade starting at 10 a.m. at M&M Campground, 13050 Island Drive.
This year's theme is “Anything Goes – Just Have Fun!”
No water balloons or other hard objects are allowed, but squirt guns are OK.
Prizes include $100 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third place.
For signups or more information, call Heidi Aragon at 707-998-9439.
Clearlake Independence Day weekend festivities
CLEARLAKE – Clearlake's celebration of Independence Day on Saturday will include highlights such as the annual parade and the International Worm Races.
The day's festivities begin with the Redbud Parade at 11 a.m. The route goes from Lakeshore Drive north to Austin Park. This year's theme is “Star Wars, Out Of This World.”
At Austin Park the festivities will continue with the Show & Shine car show, food, beverages, music, arts and crafts, and the famed International Worm Races. The CalStar/Reach helicopter is expected to land around 1 p.m.
The Show & Shine car show is in its 17th year and is open to all vehicles of special interest. Entries can arrive from 9 a.m., or participate in the parade and then enter the show.
The International Worm Races are sponsored by the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce.
On Saturday night there will be the fireworks display, co-sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric and
The fireworks display will take place on Saturday night.
Parade Chairman Ray Bridges said there will be no carnival this year. After having secured an agreement with a company for the carnival, Bridges said the carnival vendor decided at the last minute to go to another event instead.
Konocti Vista fireworks show
LAKEPORT – Konocti Vista Casino, 2755 Mission Rancheria Road, will host a huge fireworks show on Saturday.
The show, cosponsored by Twin Pine Casino, will begin at dusk and can be viewed from Konocti Vista Casino's marina and from boats on Clear Lake.
The event is free.
Following the fireworks display, the local band The Fargo Brothers will play a free concert (for ages 21 and older) in the banquet room.
Lakeport Speedway fireworks displays
LAKEPORT – A fireworks display will take place at dusk at the Lakeport Speedway on Saturday night.
The display will follow an afternoon and evening of racing.
Gates will open at 3:30 p.m. at the track, located at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St., with racing to begin at 5 p.m. The fireworks will happen at dusk.
Tickets for the racing event and fireworks show cost $15 for adults, seniors and students $13, children 6 to 11 $10 and children 5 and under are admitted free.
SUNDAY, JULY 3
Hidden Valley Lake Independence Day celebration
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE – The Hidden Valley Lake Association's daylong celebration will take place on Sunday.
Beginning at 10 a.m., there will be fun in the sun, with barbecue grills available at either of the beaches.
From 6 to 9:30 p.m. Tony Neves will perform.
The fireworks will take place at dusk, weather permitting.
Event parking will take place at the Fiddlers Lot, and a free parking and a shuttle bus will be available. Lakeridge Circle will be closed to all traffic, and the Big Beach parking lot also will be closed.
For more information, contact the Hidden Valley Lake Association at 707-987-3138.
Maxine Sherman fireworks display
CLEARLAKE OAKS – The 2016 Clearlake Oaks fireworks display – named in memory of Maxine Sherman, who helped establish the annual event – is set for Sunday.
The fireworks will be launched at dusk – beginning at around 9:30 p.m. – from the Clearlake Oaks Beach Park.
Best areas for viewing include from a boat anchored near Rattlesnake Island or Clark's Island.
The event is sponsored by the Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association.
The organization asks the community to support the display by making donations, either online through PayPal or credit card by visiting http://www.clearlakeoaks.org/news/22-annual-clearlake-oaks-fireworks-display-set-for-july-3rd . Checks can be mailed to the association at P.O. Box 1211, Clearlake Oaks, CA 95423.
MONDAY, JULY 4
Lakeport July 4 celebration
LAKEPORT – A full day of events is planned in the city of Lakeport on Monday.
From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Library Park will host a street fair with vendors – including a variety of foods available for purchase – plus music and activities.
The cardboard and duct tape regatta will take place on the lake off Library Park, with signups beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the races from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
A large fireworks display will take place at dusk, or around 9:30 p.m.
The city of Lakeport is allowing the sale and use of Safe and Sane Fireworks within the incorporated area of Lakeport.
Dates and hours of discharge are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday; and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday, Independence Day.
Discharge of Safe and Sane Fireworks also will be permitted on Fourth Street during the city's July 4 event. The location will be cordoned off by barrier tape and will be in the 50 block of Fourth Street.
The Lakeport Police Department also will have a command post set up at City Hall Chambers, 225 Park St., during the event for those who wish to stop by or have questions.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Scotts Valley Grange No. 725 is having a community yard sale from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 2.
The grange is offering free table space for anyone who would like to come sell their items.
The grange hall is located at 7003 Scotts Valley Road, Lakeport.
For further information call Lisa at 707-275-0847.
SACRAMENTO – Last year’s crab season delay had a disastrous impact on our state’s fishing industry, and it wasn’t great news for humpback whales either – California saw a record number of entanglements off the Coast.
Several proactive/short-term measures have been taken by the fishing industry, emergency entanglement teams and the state legislature to address this increasingly common occurrence.
Sen. Mike McGuire’s legislation that will help permanently protect whales by removing lost and abandoned gear from the ocean received widespread and overwhelming support in the Senate, passing with a vote of 38-0 earlier this month.
This week, as the bill continues to progress, it was approved in the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee.
“This program is a true example of teamwork. California crabbers, environmentalists and the state have come together to protect whales and keep our ocean clean of old fishing debris,” McGuire said. “And it couldn’t come at a more important time. There were a record number of whales entangled off the California Coast last year and the numbers are alarming in the first half of 2016. There’s a simple solution, and we’re working closely with crab fishermen and ocean and marine mammal protection groups to get this bill signed into law.”
The Whale Protection & Crab Gear Retrieval Act, which was proactively initiated by California’s Dungeness crab fishermen, would create a regulatory program with incentives for fishermen to retrieve Dungeness crab fishing gear that would otherwise be lost in the ocean.
It’s estimated that thousands of pots are lost every season and these pieces of gear could have hundreds of feet of rope attached to a locater buoy.
The lost gear has created marine debris and entanglement hazards for whales and other marine life, along with others in the crab and salmon fleets.
“In 2015, 61 whales were reported entangled off the West Coast, 57 in California alone. Humpbacks were the main species impacted. This is the highest total since the National Marine Fisheries Service started keeping records in 1982,” McGuire said. “Just in the first half of this year, there have already been 27 reports of entangled whales off California’s coast. In light of these concerning developments, we are working with the thousands of hard working men and women of California’s Dungeness Crab Fleet and environmental organizations from across the state to bring forward a lost fishing gear recovery program.”
McGuire also supported a one-time funding allocation of $100,000 from the State’s General Fund to assist with emergency disentanglement efforts, supporting a highly specialized volunteer-based whale disentanglement emergency response team.
The team is on-call 24/7 and works diligently to disentangle whales; and the group continues to volunteer their time and personal funds to ensure whales are able to swim freely in California waters.
Successful grant funding in the past years provided sufficient monetary support for emergency responses in the single-digits. As emergency responses increased, the funding remained the same. This year’s additional allocation will help achieve the dual-goals of safely disentangling more of the whales and allow for the collection of additional data that can ultimately inform long-term solutions.
Crab fishermen continue to take the lead on the whale entanglement issue and many are already taking part in a voluntary pilot project that was initiated two years ago. Approximately 1,500 lost crab pots have been collected in that program. SB 1287 will build upon the successful pilot project by advancing a statewide solution to the growing problem.
Based on recommendations from the Dungeness Crab Task Force, SB 1287 will call on the Department of Fish and Wildlife to establish a retrieval program. One hundred percent of the program will be paid for by industry related fees, not the taxpayers.
Dungeness crab fishermen, who obtain a retrieval permit through this program, will collect old crab traps after the crab season has closed each year. Those fishermen will be paid a recovery bounty for each trap retrieved from the ocean.
The bill also establishes a fee to be paid by the owner that lost or abandoned the crab trap. A crab fisherman who doesn’t buy back their lost or abandoned crab traps will not be able to get their vessel permit the next season.
The creation of a self-perpetuating program to recover fishing gear is a necessary action of the commercial Dungeness crab fishing industry to continue operating as a responsible, sustainable fishery.
“The Dungeness crab fishery is in the top tier of California’s commercial seafood catch and the entire industry has weathered a challenging few years, including the historic delay of this year’s Dungeness crab season,” McGuire said. “This gear retrieval program will be a great step forward in cleaning up our oceans and making a safer environment for the people who work the Pacific for their living and the whales and marine life that call the ocean home.”
A broad coalition of fishing and environmental groups are unified in supporting SB 1287 which will increase mariner safety while reducing marine debris and the potential for whale entanglement, including: Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Sierra Club, Californian’s Against Waste, California Coastkeeper Alliance, Earthjustice, Golden Gate Salmon Association, Golden Gate Fishermen’s Association, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, The Marine Mammal Center, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Trinidad Bay Fishermen’s Marketing Assn, Crescent City Fishermen’s Assn, Half Moon Bay Seafood Marketing Assn, the Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Assn, Natural Resources Defense Council, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, Surfrider and many more.
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.
Caltrans will suspend work on Northern California highways from Friday, July 1, through Monday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.
However, due to unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary for Caltrans Maintenance forces to respond to emergency situations.
LAKE COUNTY
Highway 20
– Pavement repairs from Sayre Avenue to the Paradise Cove subdivision will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect during nighttime paving, which will take place between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. Monday night through Thursday night. One-way traffic control will also be in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
– The Mine Restoration Project has been issued a long-term Caltrans Encroachment Permit to allow trucks to access their worksite near the Colusa County Line. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.
MENDOCINO COUNTY
Highway 1
– The Fort Bragg Fireworks Display has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for a special event near Cypress Avenue on Saturday, July 2. A full closure at Cypress Avenue will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Motorists should seek an alternate route.
– Highway repairs a quarter-mile north of Ocean Meadows Circle 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.
Highway 20
– Paving operations between Harmon Lane and the Wildwood Campground will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.
Highway 101
– Caltrans will perform slide repairs near the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (near Frog Woman Rock). Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.
– Willits Frontier Days has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment Permit to hold a special event between the junction with Route 20 and Commercial Street on Monday, July 4. A full highway closure will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Motorists are advised to seek an alternate route.
– Highway construction from 0.6 mile south of Upp Creek to the north Willits railroad crossing will continue. Intermittent one-way traffic control will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-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.
Highway 128
– Drainage work from Masonite Timber to approximately 1.8 miles east of the junction with Route 1 will begin Thursday, July 7. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. through July 8. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
Highway 162
– Mowing operations between Outlet Creek Bridge and Goat Rock will begin Wednesday, July 6. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
– The Round Valley Indian Tribe has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit to pave a driveway near Barnes Lane beginning Tuesday, July 5. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit to perform tree work between Short Creek Road and Short Creek beginning Tuesday, July 5. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
Highway 253
– Highway repairs from Cattle Pass to Butler Ranch will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 10-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).