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CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – One person was flown to an out-of-area hospital on Saturday night after being shot during an incident in Clearlake Oaks.
The shooting was first reported minutes before 7 p.m. at a residence in the 13000 block of Third Street, according to radio reports.
Northshore Fire, Cal Fire and sheriff's deputies responded to the location on a report of a gunshot victim. Dispatch indicated that it was not known at that time where the shooter was.
Minutes later, firefighters reported that they had found a shooting victim in a vehicle at Highway 20 and High Valley Road.
Shortly afterward it was later determined that the person in the vehicle – who was wounded in the neck – was the only shooting victim from the Third Street incident, according to reports from the scene.
The victim was transported by Northshore Fire ambulance to a landing zone at Orchard Shores Homeowners Association, where a REACH air ambulance responded to pick up the patient, reports indicated.
REACH indicated over the air that they were taking the victim to Vacaville Medical Center rather than Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital due to weather issues.
Authorities were looking for the shooter early Saturday evening. One report over the air stated that the male subject responsible for the shooting was wearing a gorilla mask, a black shirt and black pants, but his location was not known.
More information will be posted as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LUCERNE, Calif. – While an early Friday morning crash resulted in damage and a partial power outage to the Lucerne Elementary School facilities, classes went on as usual.
The crash occurred shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Country Club Drive, between 17th Avenue and Ogden Road, as Lake County News has reported.
A pickup crashed into the school's chain-link fence, a power transformer box and power pole, knocking the pole down and damaging other poles in the process, officials reported.
Power in the immediate area also was knocked out for several hours. Pacific Gas and Electric said the outage – reported shortly after the crash – was resolved by 11 a.m. Friday.
Lucerne Elementary Principal/Superintendent Mike Brown told Lake County News that no buildings were damaged in the crash.
He said the school owns the power transformer box that was hit. It was a total loss, and will cost between $15,000 and $20,000.
Brown estimated that other damage to fencing, an electrical pole and the school's water system could cost another $5,000 to repair.
“We were however able to have school with only three classrooms without power,” said Brown, who added that those classrooms should be powered up by the middle of next week.
Brown said the school has insurance to cover the damages.
The California Highway Patrol was reported to have arrested the pickup's driver for driving under the influence, but on Friday a report on the crash was pending from the agency.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A local man who was sought by authorities for having been noncompliant in his sex offender registration requirements has been arrested.
Daniel Lee Weippert, 58, was taken into custody on Friday evening, according to jail records.
Hours before, the Lake County Sheriff's Office had put out a statement to the community seeking help in locating Weippert, who the agency said was a noncompliant sex offender with an active arrest warrant for a violation of his probation.
Weippert is registered on the Megan’s law Web site as residing in Kelseyville on Live Oak Drive and, prior to his arrest Friday, had last been seen in the city of Lakeport, the sheriff's office said.
Weippert is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, according to his booking sheet.
MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – The Mendocino National Forest is once again entering prescribed burning season.
The public may notice smoke in various parts of the forest during the next few months as part of the continued commitment to protect communities and natural resources from wildfires.
Forest visitors, including hunters, are asked to be aware of their surroundings and watch for prescribed burning operations to maintain personal safety.
Areas where prescribed burning operations are taking place will be well signed and there will be increased fire personnel in the area.
If visitors are uncertain, they are encouraged to contact the forest at 530-934-3316 before their visit to see where prescribed burns are planned for the day.
As cooler weather and higher humidity move in, there is an opportunity to bring fire into the forest in a controlled setting.
Prescribed fires are used to clear the forest floor of small fuels and brush without burning or killing large trees.
Prescribed burns are conducted when there is a window of opportunity and specific conditions and criteria are met before, and will be sustained, during and after the burn. These include temperature, wind conditions, relative humidity and fuel moisture levels.
The forest also takes air quality into consideration.
“Prescribed burning is an important tool for the Forest to use for hazardous fuels reduction and forest health improvement, including wildlife habitat,” said acting Grindstone District Fire Management Officer Mike Cooper. “The fires are intended to be slow, low-intensity creeping fires on the forest floor. Although there are only a few opportunities for prescribed burns, they produce less smoke and there aren’t the resource impacts typically created by large wildfires.”
The season traditionally runs from early October through spring as weather permits. This year the season has been delayed due to dry weather and winds. The burning operations are monitored and patrolled frequently to ensure public safety.
During the prescribed burning season, fire crews also burn piles of wood debris and fuel that are the result of fuel reduction activities in the forest.
Prescribed burning announcements will be placed at local ranger stations prior to ignition. Mendocino National Forest employees are committed to a safe and successful prescribed burning season for both the public and employees.
For more information, please contact the Grindstone Ranger District at 530-934-3316, the Upper Lake Ranger District at 707-275-2361 or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Safeway Foundation, represented by store managers from Napa, Lakeport and St. Helena, last week presented a $100,000 check to Jeff Baumgartner, executive director of the California Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross, in support of area fire relief efforts.
Local Safeway stores raised funds at cash registers and matched customer giving.
“We are thankful to our customers for their generosity at this unprecedented time of need, and happy to play a small role in helping the American Red Cross and area residents in the rebuilding process,” said Bob Boyette, Safeway district manager.
On Jan. 1, 2016, many blind and disabled residents of California will become eligible to establish tax free accounts under the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 (“ABLE Accounts”) to save for future educational and disability related expenses.
ABLE accounts extend the benefits of 529 college savings plans to disabled persons to include their disability-related expenses. Let us discuss.
Only one ABLE account per eligible person is allowed. Up to $14,000 per year can be contributed to it until all such contributions reach a $100,000 limit. An ABLE account grows tax free and so may exceed $100,000 in value without penalty.
A 529 College Savings Plan is not ideally suited to the needs of blind and disabled persons. They have additional expenses related to their disability needs and their receipt of needs based government benefits.
ABLE accounts allow families to accumulate and grow money tax free for educational and disability related expenses without the legal cost of establishing a Special Needs Trust (“SNT”) for that purpose.
The ABLE account both broadens the scope of the tax sheltered 529 college saving plan and makes up to $100,000 in the account not countable for need based government benefits, so that the beneficiary does not lose his or her Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) or Medi-Cal benefits.
Whatever is not spent on education can instead be spent towards “Qualified Disability Expenses.”
Qualified Disability Expenses means, “any expenses related to the eligible individual’s blindness disability or that are made for the benefit of an eligible individual who is the designated beneficiary, including expenses related to education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology and personal support services, health, prevention and wellness, financial management and administrative services, legal fees, expenses for oversight and monitoring, funeral and burial expenses, and other expenses, [to be approved by regulations].”
Anyone who became blind or disabled, as defined by Social Security Law, prior to their 26th birthday is eligible.
A person who receives Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) due to their blindness or disability is eligible.
Otherwise, a physician’s certification that the individual is blind or disabled, due to an impairment that began before the age of 26, and the condition is expected to result in death or has lasted (or will last) for at least 12 months is sufficient.
Once an ABLE account reaches $100,000 the amount above $100,000 becomes a countable resource for purposes of determining whether the blind or disabled beneficiary is eligible for needs based SSI. That is, if an account reaches $102,000 the beneficiary is automatically suspended from SSI benefits due to having more than $2,000 in countable resources.
SSI benefits resume once the account returns to $100,000, presuming the person is otherwise eligible to receive SSI benefits.
On the other hand, an ABLE account has no impact on Medi-Cal eligibility. Nonetheless, like other exempt assets, at the beneficiary’s death it is then subject to Medi-Cal estate recovery claims. Given the $100,000 limitation on total contributions, however, it is unlikely that an ABLE account would have anything left when the disabled beneficiary dies.
ABLE accounts do not really replace the third party SNT. A third party SNT will still often be desirable for parents wishing to leave significant inheritances to their special needs child. SNT’s, after all, have no annual or in a lifetime contribution limits.
Nor will SNT’s established by family members through their own estate planning ever be subject to the future Medi-Cal Estate Recovery claims of the beneficiary; thus, whatever remains in the SNT when the beneficiary dies can go to other family members.
Come 2016, families of blind and disabled children can start tax free savings accounts to ensure a significant pool of money available to meet their children’s future educational and disability related needs.
Dennis A. Fordham, Attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at