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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The Napa County Sheriff's Office said that it is investigating a fatal early Sunday morning incident on Highway 29 as a possible homicide case.
The California Highway Patrol initially reported the incident as a possible crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian, as Lake County News has reported.
Capt. Doug Pike reported that the Napa County Sheriff’s Office – along with the California Highway Patrol and emergency medical personnel from the Calistoga Fire Department, Napa County Fire and EMS and Cal Fire – responded to a report of a woman lying in the roadway in the 4100 block of Highway 29 near Old Lawley Toll Road at 4:45 a.m.
When they arrived at the scene, emergency responders found an unidentified female – who is believed to be in her mid to late 50s – lying in the southbound lane with major injuries, Pike reported.
Pike said the woman was airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment but succumbed to her injuries while en route.
As of Sunday afternoon, Pike said the victim had not been positively identified.
Because the site where the woman was found is in a rural area of the county where pedestrians are few and there was no associated vehicle present, Pike said the Napa County Sheriff’s Office will be working with the California Highway Patrol and assets from the county’s homicide task force to determine what exactly happened to the victim and who may be responsible.
Pike said Highway 29 remained closed while the crime scene was processed.
A reassessment of the closure situation occurred at 2 p.m., Pike said.
Just after 2:31 p.m., the CHP reported that the highway was to remain closed until 4 p.m.
While the closure is in effect, both north and southbound traffic for Lake County is being rerouted at Deer Park Road in St. Helena to Butts Canyon Road in Middletown, Pike said.
If anyone has information about this incident, they are asked to contact Napa County Sheriff's Det. Chris Pacheco at 707-253-4591.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – An early Sunday morning Napa County crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian resulted in a fatality and has led to an extended closure of a portion of Highway 29.
The California Highway Patrol reported that the crash occurred at 4:52 a.m. on Highway 29 near Old Lawley Toll Road.
Initial reports from the scene indicated a vehicle hit a pedestrian, who was found lying in the southbound lane. The individual suffered major head trauma.
As a result of the crash and the subsequent investigation, law enforcement closed a portion of Highway 29 between Tubbs Lane and Mount St. Helena.
Motorists from the Lake County side are being diverted from Highway 29 to Butts Canyon, and then to Howell Mountain Road to Deer Park through the town of Angwin, with the reverse route directed for those coming from Napa County.
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Photographer Sharon Dawson on Nov. 8 received Lake County’s highest tribute for her “Wave of Hope” program, a nonprofit organization she launched only five months ago.
The tribute was the Stars of Lake County Marla Ruzicka Humanitarian Award.
It was one of 20 stars presented at the 17th annual Stars of Lake County Community Awards ceremony at the Soper Reese Theater in Lakeport.
Ruzicka was killed in 2005 while on a mission of mercy in Iraq.
Dawson launched her organization on May 31 of this year as a means of lowering the suicide rate and restoring hope to people who are down and out.
Key to the program are people who have overcome difficult episodes in their lives whose stories bring encouragement to others.
“It’s a big deal,” said Dawson of the Star Award, “but there is a team of volunteers behind me. I did not do this alone; I couldn’t. I just spearheaded the thing. “
She said she didn’t know she would receive the award until two days before the ceremony and that she was so overcome by the honor that she needed tissue to dry her eyes.
“I’m holding a big wad of Kleenex and didn’t want to be photographed doing that, so I shoved the Kleenex in my bra. I’m looking over at my board of directors and they’re looking back tensely at me like, ‘Oh God! She didn’t!’”
Wave of Hope is expanding into other venues, other towns and other counties with its incisive self-revelations and artful photos of “Waves,“ as the people in the program are known.
“We’ll be in the Lakeport Public Library for the month of November,” said Dawson. “St. Helena Public Library will be taking our exhibit for the month of December and in January and February we’re slated for the Sonoma County library system.
“In the interim we will continue to present to the schools and create more ‘Waves.’”
In the time Wave of Hope has been up and running, Dawson has taken it to the Life Gallery and public library in Middletown, Circle of Native Minds in Lakeport and the Redbud Public Library in Clearlake, and twice to Lower Lake High School.
The display has been shown at Middletown Days, the Fourth of July celebration in Clearlake, the Pear Festival in Kelseyville, the American Foundation for Suicide’s “Out of the Darkness” walk and is part of a permanent installation at the Mental Health Building in Lucerne.
The people who have been served by Wave of Hope are as diverse as:
– a woman whose mother banged her head against the wall during the woman’s earlier years.
– a young man who when he was 10 saw his brother accidentally shoot and kill himself.
– a 78-year-old cancer survivor who was taking a prescribed medication that had a pervasive side effect that caused him to think suicidal thoughts.
Dawson said she is presently concerned with getting Wave of Hope into the schools.
Lower Lake High School has agreed to bringing it on campus several times during the school year. The Middletown Unified School District Board viewed her program on Wednesday night.
She said Bill Roderick, Middletown High School principal, has expressed enthusiasm about what she's doing.
“We want to put a package together beyond where we can drive it for the schools,” said Dawson. “We’re trying to fine tune it.”
She continued, “My reason for wanting the schools is I want Lake County, which has so generously donated and got us launched, to see that we have done a lot in such a short time and we have a lot more going on.”
Nina Gibson, health teacher at Lower Lake High School, has enthusiastically welcomed Dawson and her program.
Gibson, in fact, has an arrangement with Dawson to bring Wave of Hope to the school on an every-20-days basis.
“Suicide is the third leading cause of death for people 18 to 24,” said Gibson. “So we have to talk about it. I think that’s what Wave of Hope brings to the table. They did a great job the last time they came and I think this next time is going to be even better.”
Wave of Hope has made progress. It now has a seven-person board of directors. It has also received a fiscal sponsorship preliminary to being awarded 501(c)3 nonprofit status. This makes raising funds a lot easier, Dawson said.
“Sharon has really believed in the Wave of Hope since the very beginning,” said Rev. Audrey Ward, the minister for United Methodist Church in St. Helena. “I think (suicide) is the No. 1 subject in the United States today for young people. What we want to encourage with the Wave of Hope is that this is not something to be ashamed of. If you feel your life is not the way you want it to be it is a starting point for something that is.”
Says Dawson: “I am the writer, I am the creator and it is eating my time. But it is my passion and I love it. All of those associated with the organization put their heart and soul out there and, if it saved one person, it made a difference.
“But we have saved a lot more than one person.”
Email John Lindblom at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control this week has a mix of big and little dogs available to go to forever homes.
The dogs, both puppies and adults, include mixes of Chihuahua, hound, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, Rottweiler and shepherd.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Male Chihuahua mix
This male Chihuahua mix has a short white coat.
He's in kennel No. 2a, ID No. 1202.
Male Rottweiler mix
This male Rottweiler mix is a young dog.
Shelter staff said he is still a puppy. He needs some training and would make a great dog.
Find him in kennel No. 12, ID No. 1032.
Hound-shepherd mix
This male hound-shepherd mix has a short brown coat.
Shelter staff said he is a very sweet dog that walks well on a leash and does not appear to be interested in cats.
He needs more socialization with other dogs; he does well with female dogs but caution is suggested around other males.
He has no signs of food aggression.
He's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 1107.
'Gizmo'
“Gizmo” is a male Chihuahua mix with a short tan and white coat.
He's in kennel No. 17, ID No. 1229.
Female Pomeranian mix
This female Pomeranian mix puppy has a medium-length black coat.
She's in kennel No. 24, ID No. 1080.
Male pit bull terrier-shepherd mix
This young male pit bull terrier-shepherd mix has a short tan coat.
He's in kennel No. 25, ID No. 1135.
Male pit bull terrier mix
This male pit bull terrier mix has a short tan and white coat.
He's in kennel No. 30, ID No. 1201.
Pit bull terrier mix
This female pit bull terrier mix puppy has a light-colored short coat.
Shelter staff said she is deaf and will need a home willing to give her the needed love and attention.
Find her in kennel No. 31, ID No. 1118.
Male Labrador Retriever
This male Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat.
He's good with other dogs prefers and prefers to be around other males.
Shelter staff said he has a mellow energy level. He appears to have been an outside dog and is a bit jumpy about being indoors, but will adjust well if given the chance.
He's in kennel No. 34, ID No. 779.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The California Highway Patrol announced that it is implementing a yearlong, federally funded traffic safety campaign to reduce the number of collisions associated with aggressive driving.
“Every year, speed and aggressive driving plays a role in the death or injury of thousands of people in California,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Through this enforcement and education campaign we seek to curb the number of fatal and injury collisions linked to speeding and other dangerous driving.”
With the support of a federal traffic safety grant titled, “Reduce Aggressive Driving Incidents and Tactically Enforce Speed (RADIATES) III,” the CHP will educate motorists about the dangers of aggressive driving and to take appropriate enforcement action.
The primary goal of this grant is to reduce, by 5 percent, the number of fatal and injury traffic collisions where speed, improper turning, and driving on the wrong side of the road are primary collision factors.
To achieve this goal by Sept. 30, 2015, the CHP will combine enhanced enforcement with an active public awareness campaign, which includes at least 400 radar trailer deployments and a minimum of 300 traffic safety presentations throughout the state.
Speed, coupled with aggressive driving, consistently contributes to the vast majority of serious collisions in California.
According to data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, in federal fiscal year 2011-2012, speed was a factor in approximately 42 percent of all fatal and injury collisions in the state.
That year, more than 26,000 speed-related collisions resulted in the death of 264 people and the injury of more than 38,000 others.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Today's climate models predict a 50-percent increase in lightning strikes across the United States during this century as a result of warming temperatures associated with climate change.
Reporting in the Nov. 14 issue of the journal Science, University of California, Berkeley, climate scientist David Romps and his colleagues look at predictions of precipitation and cloud buoyancy in 11 different climate models and conclude that their combined effect will generate more frequent electrical discharges to the ground.
“With warming, thunderstorms become more explosive,” said Romps, an assistant professor of earth and planetary science and a faculty scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “This has to do with water vapor, which is the fuel for explosive deep convection in the atmosphere. Warming causes there to be more water vapor in the atmosphere, and if you have more fuel lying around, when you get ignition, it can go big time.”
More lightning strikes mean more human injuries; estimates of people struck each year range from the hundreds to nearly a thousand, with scores of deaths.
But another significant impact of increased lightning strikes would be more wildfires, since half of all fires – and often the hardest to fight – are ignited by lightning, Romps said.
More lightning also would likely generate more nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere, which exert a strong control on atmospheric chemistry.
While some studies have shown changes in lightning associated with seasonal or year-to-year variations in temperature, there have been no reliable analyses to indicate what the future may hold.
Romps and graduate student Jacob Seeley hypothesized that two atmospheric properties – precipitation and cloud buoyancy – together might be a predictor of lightning, and looked at observations during 2011 to see if there was a correlation.
“Lightning is caused by charge separation within clouds, and to maximize charge separation, you have to loft more water vapor and heavy ice particles into the atmosphere,” he said. “We already know that the faster the updrafts, the more lightning, and the more precipitation, the more lightning.”
Precipitation – the total amount of water hitting the ground in the form of rain, snow, hail or other forms – is basically a measure of how convective the atmosphere is, he said, and convection generates lightning.
The ascent speeds of those convective clouds are determined by a factor called CAPE – convective available potential energy – which is measured by balloon-borne instruments, called radiosondes, released around the U.S. twice a day.
“CAPE is a measure of how potentially explosive the atmosphere is, that is, how buoyant a parcel of air would be if you got it convecting, if you got it to punch through overlying air into the free troposphere,” Romps said. “We hypothesized that the product of precipitation and CAPE would predict lightning.”
Using U.S. Weather Service data on precipitation, radiosonde measurements of CAPE and lightning- strike counts from the National Lightning Detection Network at the University of Albany, State University of New York (Ualbany), they concluded that 77 percent of the variations in lightning strikes could be predicted from knowing just these two parameters.
'Blown away'
“We were blown away by how incredibly well that worked to predict lightning strikes,” he said.
They then looked at 11 different climate models that predict precipitation and CAPE through this century and are archived in the most recent Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5).
CMIP was established as a resource for climate modelers, providing a standard protocol for studying the output of coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models so that these models can be compared and validated.
“With CMIP5, we now have for the first time the CAPE and precipitation data to calculate these time series,” Romps said.
On average, the models predicted an 11 percent increase in CAPE in the U.S. per degree Celsius rise in global average temperature by the end of the 21st century.
Because the models predict little average precipitation increase nationwide over this period, the product of CAPE and precipitation gives about a 12 percent rise in cloud-to-ground lightning strikes per degree in the contiguous U.S., or a roughly 50 percent increase by 2100 if Earth sees the expected 4-degree Celsius increase (7 degrees Fahrenheit) in temperature.
This assumes carbon dioxide emissions keep rising consistent with business as usual.
Exactly why CAPE increases as the climate warms is still an area of active research, Romps said, though it is clear that it has to do with the fundamental physics of water.
Warm air typically contains more water vapor than cold air; in fact, the amount of water vapor that air can “hold” increases exponentially with temperature.
Since water vapor is the fuel for thunderstorms, lightning rates can depend very sensitively on temperature.
In the future, Romps plans to look at the distribution of lightning-strike increases around the U.S. and also explore what lightning data can tell climatologists about atmospheric convection.
Romps’ co-authors are Jacob Seeley, also of the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at UC Berkeley, and David Vollaro and John Molinari of the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at Ualbany.
The work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research and Office of Biological and Environmental Research, and the National Science Foundation (Grant No. AGS1132576).
Robert Sanders works for the UC Berkeley News Center.