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MIDDLETOWN, Calif – A 3.5-acre wildland fire on Knowles Lane in Middletown has been contained, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli.
A full wildland response including two hand crews, three engines, one bulldozer, two fixed wing aircraft, a helicopter and one air attack aircraft were used to combat the fire.
Cal Fire and South Lake Fire agencies both responded to fight the blaze.
Chief Bertelli reports no injuries and that no structures were damaged and that the fire was caused by equipment.
Bertelli reminds people to “please be extra careful” with lawn mowers or any gas powered equipment as fire danger is high.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – While the preliminary results are in for Tuesday's primary election, the Registrar of Voters Office is continuing the work of counting some additional ballots and conducting the official canvass in order to certify the final results by next month.
The election results are not considered official until the election certification is submitted to the Secretary of State's Office.
Interim Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez said Wednesday that she and her staff have until July 1 to complete the work.
As such, she cautioned that the preliminary numbers reported late Tuesday and early Wednesday could show changes once the final count is done.
First thing on Wednesday morning, Valadez began the work of conducting the official canvass, part of the certification process. That work will continue during regular business hours until the final count is finished.
On Tuesday, June 17, elections officials will conduct a public manual tally of a minimum 1 percent of randomly selected precincts for Tuesday's primary. The precincts to be counted manually will be chosen randomly that same day.
As part of finalizing the results, Valadez said she must still tally provisional ballots – used in cases when a properly registered voter's name is not on the polling place roster due to errors – and remaining absentees.
The Elections Office began processing absentee ballots on May 12, but some still have not been counted, Valadez said.
Valadez said she should have a better idea by the end of this week about how many of those absentee ballots as well as provisionals remain to be added to the final count.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The California Fish and Game Commission has voted to move forward with listing the gray wolf as an endangered species under California law.
The vote took place at the regularly scheduled Commission meeting in Fortuna on Wednesday.
Commissioners Richard Rogers, Jack Baylis and Michael Sutton voted for listing, while Commissioner Jacque Hostler-Carmesin voted no. Commissioner Jim Kellogg was not present.
“No land animal is more iconic in the American West than the Gray Wolf,” said Sutton, who also is president of the commission. “Wolves deserve our protection as they begin to disperse from Oregon to their historic range in California.”
The new regulatory language will take several months to complete and approve. However, Wednesday’s decision provides permanent protection for the gray wolf, and immediate protection under the California Endangered Species Act. That protection will remain in place throughout the required regulatory process.
The gray wolf is already federally listed as an endangered species and is therefore protected by the federal Endangered Species Act in California.
The federal Endangered Species Act makes it unlawful to take any listed wildlife unless permitted by regulation.
The term “take” means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct.
The protection provided under federal law overlaps, but does not supersede, protection provided by listing under California law.
At this time, there are no gray wolves known to be in California. A male wolf that originated in northeastern Oregon – known as OR7 – has crossed the Oregon/California state line several times since December 2011.
At this time, OR7 is in southwestern Oregon, where he has found a mate.
On Monday, June 2, biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife captured photographs of two wolf pups in the vicinity.
For more information about gray wolves, including OR7’s travels in California, visit www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/wolf/FAQ.html .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The effort to build another award-winning Lake County booth for the California State Fair is under way.
The Lake County Chamber of Commerce is coordinating the design, construction and transportation of the exhibit for the 18-day run of the state fair.
The theme for the 2014 California State Fair Counties exhibits is “From our County to Your Table.”
Joe Pennisi, AIA architect and chamber member, has designed the building which represents a barn/farm stand and the construction is being done by Meek Construction of Lakeport.
One of the displays planned for the exhibit is “The Lake County Pantry,” in which will be displayed agriculture products and items made from them. Please contact the chamber at 707-263-5092 if you have items to donate or lend for the display.
The chamber would appreciate hearing from folks who make items they consider appropriate as soon as possible. The number of items will used will be on a first-come, first serve basis.
Also included in the display will be information about Michele Malm, food services director for Kelseyville Unified School District.
Malm's program for getting frozen and processed foods off the cafeteria menu was recognized on the CBS Early Show in 2011.
The booth also will feature a display of wineries with all the awards they have garnered in the past year. There will be information about our outdoor recreation, Quilt Trail and much more.
Kelly Cox, retired county administrator, has assumed responsibility this year for vetting Lake County Ambassadors who will be at the display to greet visitors.
Questions concerning the display should be addressed to the chamber at 707-263-5092.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The state and federal races for offices serving Lake County narrowed to two contestants each on Tuesday in preparation for the general election in November.
Up for election are the seats currently held by Congressman Mike Thompson and Congressman John Garamendi, and the open seats for state Assembly District 4 and State Senate District 2.
Because of California’s primary system, the two top vote getters in each of the state and federal races now advance to the general election.
In the congressional races, Garamendi (D-Fairfield) and Thompson (D-St. Helena) easily won their races.
Garamendi topped Republican challenger Dan Logue, 54.6 percent to 45.4 percent, respectively, the Secretary of State's Office reported.
Thompson far outpaced challengers James Hinton and Douglas Van Raam. Thompson received 80.5 percent of the vote, with Hinton and Van Raam – both of whom listed no party preference – receiving 11.1 percent and 8.4 percent of the vote, respectively.
In a Tuesday evening statement, Thompson said he was humbled by the “broad and overwhelming support” his campaign received.
“Moving forward, I will keep working everyday with people on both sides of the aisle to create jobs, grow our economy, lower our debt, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and make sure our veterans and military families get the benefits they've earned,” Thompson said.
In the District 4 Assembly race to succeed Mariko Yamada – who is being termed out at year's end – Democrat and Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd came in with 25.7 percent of the vote, tying with Republican Charlie Schaupp, who also received 25.7 percent.
In that same race, Democrats and Davis City Council members Dan Wolk and Joe Krovoza received 24.6 percent and 18.1 percent, respectively, while Republican Dustin Call netted 5.9 percent, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
In the race to fill the State Senate District 2 seat currently held by retiring legislator Noreen Evans, Democrat and Sonoma County Mike McGuire led the field with 57.4 percent of the vote, with Republican Lawrence Wiesner placing second with 27.1 percent.
Democrat Derek Knell received 11 percent of the vote, and Harry V. Lehmann – who listed no party preference – garnered 4.4 percent, the Secretary of State's Office reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Education is named as a key partner in the California Career Pathways Trust Grant announced last Friday.
The Sonoma County Office of Education has been awarded a California Career Pathways Trust grant of $15 million to serve as the lead agency for a six-county alliance designed to help students stay in school and move toward college and employment in high-demand fields.
The three-year grant will create career pathway programs that connect K-12 schools, community colleges, and businesses throughout Lake, Napa, Marin, Mendocino, Solano, and Sonoma counties.
“This grant is an opportunity to ensure that young people are well prepared for their future and that the economic and workforce needs of our region are addressed,” said Stephen Jackson, SCOE’s director of Career Technical Education and one of organizers of the grant project.
The grant is one of just 12 awarded at the “up to $15 million” level. An additional 27 grant recipients, including Konocti Unified School District, were announced at lower funding levels as part of this one-time competitive grant program administered by the California Department of Education.
Business and education representatives from all six counties came together to form the Northern California Career Pathway Alliance and develop the particulars of the grant proposal.
The alliance includes 37 high schools, six county offices of education, five community colleges, five county workforce investment boards and leading employers throughout the region.
The high school pathways will provide students with sequenced courses aligned with both the Career Technical Education (CTE) and Common Core standards for California schools.
To effectively merge these standards and provide rigorous content, courses will be taught by teams consisting of at least one CTE teacher and one core academic teacher.
Teacher teams will be supported by “pathway coaches” who have expertise in curriculum integration.
The proposed 67 high school pathways will be articulated to 38 community college pathways, allowing students to smoothly transition to post-secondary education and training.
Participating community colleges have agreed to expand or refine their programs to provide effective grade articulation and dual high school-college enrollment for grades 10 through 14.
The alliance completed extensive research to ensure that its proposed pathways would provide a pipeline to high-skill, high-wage, and high-growth employment opportunities projected for the region.
Business and industry partners have been secured for each of the pathway sectors. Work-based learning specialists will be placed in each county to create linkages between participating schools and businesses.
In rural areas of the region, video-conferencing will be used to bring the workplace into the classroom.
The workforce investment boards in all participating counties were actively involved in the grant’s development and are committed to successful implementation.
“The workforce investment board directors are extremely pleased that the state has recognized the strong partnerships that are a hallmark of the North Bay. This grant will allow the education, workforce development, and employer partners to strengthen our workforce pipeline for an economically vibrant future,” says Racy Ming, director of the Marin County Workforce Investment Board.
This major regional grant will complement the career pathways work already under way in Sonoma County, including those programs supported by public-private partnerships.
“It will help local school districts develop their career pathway programs, prepare their teachers, and equip their classrooms. This directly supports the Career Technical Education (CTE) Fund’s efforts to seed the development of new CTE courses that align with the economic development needs of our county,” said Kathy Goodacre, CTE Fund executive director.
Implementation of the grant will begin immediately and start serving students in the 2014-15 school year.