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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake teenager suffered major injuries on Sunday when he was struck by a car while crossing traffic on his bicycle in Lower Lake.
Chris Vetter, 14, suffered serious head trauma in the crash, which occurred at 12:29 p.m. Sunday on Highway 53 north of the Anderson Ranch Parkway, according to the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said the teen was riding his Tony Hawk bicycle northbound on Highway 53's east shoulder when, for unknown reasons, he decided to cross all lanes of traffic traveling westbound.
Rayonna Jamison, 19, of Kelseyville was driving northbound in the No. 1 lane in her 2012 Toyota Corolla at approximately 45 miles per hour, the CHP said.
Vetter didn't see Jamison's vehicle. The CHP said Jamison swerved to the left but couldn't avoid hitting the bike.
The CHP said Vetter was thrown from his bike and hit his head on the asphalt. He was not wearing a bicycle helmet.
Due to his head trauma, REACH air ambulance flew Vetter to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment, according to the CHP report.
Jamison was not injured and was wearing her seat belt, the CHP said.
The CHP is continuing its investigation into the crash.
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MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – The Mendocino National Forest will be hosting two open houses next week for community members and partners to meet new Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson.
Dates and times for the events have been updated from a previous forest report and are now scheduled as follows:
– Monday, June 1, 3 to 5 p.m. at the Forest Supervisor’s and Grindstone Ranger District Office, 825 N. Humboldt Ave., Willows.
– Wednesday, June 3, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Upper Lake Ranger District Office, 10025 Elk Mountain Road, Upper Lake.
Carlson started on the Mendocino National Forest in April and has spent her first few months getting to know the employees and learning about the Forest.
“I’m looking forward to spending some time in our local communities, meeting new people and learning more about the area,” Carlson said.
For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The boards for the Upper Lake Union Elementary School District and the Upper Lake Union High School District are set to hold their final joint meeting on unification on Wednesday, at which time they will discuss a feasibility report.
The meeting will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, in the cafeteria at Upper Lake High School, 675 Clover Valley Road.
The two boards began meeting jointly earlier this year to discuss a proposal to unify the two districts, as Lake County News has reported.
Upper Lake High School Principal/Superintendent Patrick Iaccino told Lake County News that on Wednesday the two school boards will consider approving a final feasibility study on the unification proposal.
In order to move forward, the two boards would need to consider resolutions to approve unification at their separate, regularly scheduled meetings next month, according to Iaccino.
He said the elementary board is set to meet at 6 p.m. June 3 at the middle school to vote on the resolution to unify, while the high school board will consider its own resolution to unify on June 10.
Iaccino said that if both district boards pass the resolutions, there will be a county committee public hearing on June 24.
On that date, there will be two hearings, according to Iaccino – one at 5 p.m. at Lucerne Elementary and one at 7 p.m. at Upper Lake High School.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol has released the name of a young woman who died following a solo-vehicle crash that occurred near Lakeport on Friday night.
Francesca Rose Schetter, 19, of Lakeport was the victim in the fatal wreck, according to Officer Kory Reynolds of the CHP's Clear Lake Area office.
Schetter was riding as the passenger in a 1997 Honda Civic driven by 21-year-old Lakeport resident Nicholas Ivicevich when the crash occurred at 10 p.m. Friday, the CHP said.
The CHP said Ivicevich was driving southbound on Park Way north of Lakeshore Boulevard at an unknown speed when he lost control of the car while rounding a right-hand curve.
Ivicevich's Honda went off the road and hit a power pole, with firefighters having to cut Schetter out of the vehicle with the Jaws of Life, the CHP said.
Schetter was taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, where the CHP said she was pronounced deceased.
Ivicevich was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. While the investigation is continuing, Reynolds said Tuesday that the crash is still believed to have been caused by drunk driving.
Due to major injuries he sustained in the crash – which the CHP said included a lacerated liver and broken ribs – Ivicevich was flown to an out-of-county trauma center.
Reynolds said that Ivicevich remained hospitalized on Tuesday at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Schetter, who also went by the last name of Kreuger, was listed as a Miss Lake County contestant in 2012, according to an organization Web site.
At the site of the crash, her friends have set up a memorial with flowers, candles and other items.
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Whether you are looking for a local office of the California Highway Patrol, are interested in learning about careers with the CHP or our traffic safety programs, wish to file a commendation or report a crime on state property, it will all be much easier on the new CHP Web site that was launched this month.
“Connecting with our communities is so important to the CHP,” Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “We studied usage statistics from our current site, listened to users, and thought carefully about why people come to our Web site and what kind of information they need.”
The revamped Web site – www.chp.ca.gov – also is designed for mobile users and social media.
About half of the visits to the current CHP Web site are from mobile devices. Links on the front page go to CHP’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, Nixle and Instagram accounts.
“We want to make sure we reach as broad an audience as possible. That is why we have increased our social media presence,” Commissioner Farrow said.
Two clicks will direct site users to their nearest CHP office. Users will find information on local events, commercial inspection facilities, court information, a map of the office, and other area-specific information for each office.
With the updated Web site, CHP programs that not only protect the public, but also show the public how to protect themselves, are much more accessible.
These programs include “Age Well Drive Smart,” child safety seat programs, impaired driver enforcement, outreach to Hispanic and Asian-Pacific Islander populations, and more.
Information on how to apply to be a CHP officer, public safety dispatcher, or commercial vehicle inspector are also easy to find.
The Web site also will help the CHP use less paper. Forms that once had to be printed, such as crime reports – including workers compensation fraud and out-of-state vehicle registrations – can now be submitted electronically.
The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of safety, service, and security to the people of California.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A Lake County man was injured in a Memorial Day crash in Butte County that claimed the life of an elderly Oroville woman and left her nephew with major injuries.
Brandon Dean McGilvray, 32, of Clearlake suffered moderate injuries in the crash, which the California Highway Patrol's Oroville Area office said killed 95-year-old Paulene Frances King and injured 60-year-old David Lee Elwell, also of Oroville.
The CHP said the crash occurred at 1:20 p.m. Monday in the intersection of Miners Ranch Road at Olive Highway near Kelly Ridge in rural Butte County.
Elwell was driving a 2014 Hyundai Genesis southbound on Kelly Ridge Road approaching Olive Highway, preparing to cross the highway and continue southbound on Miners Ranch Road, according to the report.
McGilvray, driving a 1999 Chevrolet Suburban, was traveling northbound on Miners Ranch Road approaching Olive Highway and preparing to turn left onto westbound Olive Highway, the CHP said.
The CHP said the intersection is controlled by a signal light and a regulatory sign directing drivers turning left to yield to through traffic before turning.
Both of the vehicles entered the intersection on a green light. McGilvray made a left turn directly into the path of Elwell's Hyundai, with the two vehicles colliding and coming to rest near the intersection's southwest side, according to the CHP.
Initially, officials believed the three people had injuries ranging from minor to moderate. The CHP said McGilvray was taken to Oroville Medical Center, while Elwell and King were transported to Enloe Medical Center in Chico.
At Enloe, medical personnel concluded that Elwell and King had far more severe injuries. Later Monday afternoon, King succumbed to her injuries, the CHP reported.
The CHP said Elwell sustained moderate to serious injuries, and was last reported to be in stable condition.
Neither alcohol, drugs nor cell phone use are believed to have been factors in the wreck, the CHP said.
Elwell, King and McGilvray all were wearing their seat belts, the CHP said, and the airbags in both vehicles properly deployed.
The crash remains under investigation, the CHP said.
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