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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint in Lake County on the afternoon and evening of Sunday, March 16.

“The desired result is to save lives and make everyone's family spring excursion, for both our community residents and those visiting our beautiful county, a safe and pleasurable memory,” Lt. Greg Baarts, commander of the CHP's Clear Lake Area office, said Friday.

The sobriety checkpoint will be staffed by officers who are trained in the detection of alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers.

Drug recognition experts, certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will be on site to provide on-the-spot assessments of drivers suspected of drug use.

The officers also will be equipped with state-of-the-art, handheld breath devices which provide an accurate measure of blood alcohol concentrations of suspected drunk drivers.

“Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs can expect to be arrested,” said Baarts.

“Our goal is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist by targeting roads where there is a high frequency of drunk driving. DUI enforcement patrols, as well as sobriety checkpoints, are effective tools for achieving this goal and are designed to augment existing patrol operations,” Baarts added. “By publicizing our efforts, we believe that we can deter motorists from drinking and driving.”

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in northern Chile have announced the discovery of an unexpected clump of carbon monoxide gas in the dusty disc around the star Beta Pictoris.

This is a surprise, as such gas is expected to be rapidly destroyed by starlight.

Something – probably frequent collisions between small, icy objects such as comets – must be causing the gas to be continuously replenished. The new results are published today in the journal Science.

Beta Pictoris, a nearby star easily visible to the naked eye in the southern sky, is already hailed as the archetypal young planetary system. It is known to harbor a planet that orbits some 1.2 billion kilometers from the star, and it was one of the first stars found to be surrounded by a large disc of dusty debris.

New observations from ALMA now show that the disc is permeated by carbon monoxide gas. Paradoxically the presence of carbon monoxide, which is so harmful to humans on Earth, could indicate that the Beta Pictoris planetary system may eventually become a good habitat for life.

The cometary bombardment that its planets are currently undergoing is likely providing them with life-enabling water.

But carbon monoxide is easily and rapidly broken up by starlight — it can only last about 100 years where it is observed in the Beta Pictoris disc. Seeing it in the 20-million year old Beta Pictoris disc is a complete surprise. So where did it come from, and why is it still there?

“Unless we are observing Beta Pictoris at a very unusual time, the carbon monoxide must be continuously replenished,” said Bill Dent, an ESO astronomer at the Joint ALMA Office in Santiago, Chile, and lead author on a paper published today in the journal Science. “The most abundant source of carbon monoxide in a young solar system is collisions between icy bodies, from comets up to larger planet-sized objects.”

But the rate of destruction must be very high: “To get the amount of carbon monoxide we observe, the rate of collisions would be truly startling – one large comet collision every five minutes,” noted Aki Roberge, an astronomer at NASA’s Goddard Research Center in Greenbelt, USA, and coauthor of the paper. “To get this number of collisions, this would have to be a very tight, massive comet swarm.”

But there was another surprise in the ALMA observations, which did not just discover the carbon monoxide, but also mapped its location in the disc, through ALMA’s unique ability to simultaneously measure both position and velocity: the gas is concentrated in a single compact clump.

This concentration lies 13 billion kilometres from the star, which is about three times the distance of Neptune from the Sun. Why the gas is in this small clump so far from the star is a mystery.

“This clump is an important clue to what is going on in the outer reaches of this young planetary system,” said Mark Wyatt, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge, UK, and a co-author on the paper.

He goes on to explain that there are two ways such a clump can form: “Either the gravitational pull of an as yet unseen planet similar in mass to Saturn is concentrating the cometary collisions into a small area, or what we are seeing are the remnants of a single catastrophic collision between two icy Mars-mass planets.”

Both of these possibilities give astronomers reason to be optimistic that there are several more planets waiting to be found around Beta Pictoris. “Carbon monoxide is just the beginning – there may be other more complex pre-organic molecules released from these icy bodies,” added Roberge.

Further observations are planned with ALMA, which is still ramping up to its full capabilities, to shed more light on this intriguing planetary system, and so help us to understand what conditions were like during the formation of the Solar System.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Clearlake man was arrested on Wednesday following an alleged road rage incident that caused the rollover of a vehicle with a child inside.

Eric Vonrenegar, 65, was arrested after the incident, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Just after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday a sheriff's patrol deputy was leaving the Clearlake Oaks Substation when he witnessed a vehicle rollover on Highway 20, Brooks said.

The deputy said the white sport utility vehicle came to a stop on its roof in the eastbound lane of Highway 20, near Keys Boulevard. Brooks said the deputy did not witness what caused the collision or if any other vehicles were involved.

The deputy contacted Central Dispatch and requested that the fire department respond as well as the California Highway Patrol, Brooks said.

Brooks said the deputy contacted the driver of the sport utility vehicle, who said his 4-year-old daughter was still secured in her car seat. The driver was able to remove his daughter from the vehicle, and the child did not appear to have any injuries.

Medical personnel from Northshore Fire Protection District's Station 75 arrived on scene, where Brooks said they provided medical attention to both the driver and his child.

Brooks said the SUV driver told the deputy that another vehicle had purposely struck him had caused the rollover.

The patrol deputy and CHP officers conducted interviews and obtained statements from several witnesses concerning the crash, and in the process received a description of the vehicle alleged to have caused the rollover, Brooks said.

Brooks said several witnesses said they saw an older pickup strike the victim's vehicle multiple times as they were traveling on Highway 20, eventually causing the SUV to roll over several times. Another witness said the pickup hit the SUV and kept pushing it as they were going down the road until it started to roll over.

The deputy was contacted by a CHP officer who said he had located the pickup and detained the driver, Brooks said. The deputy responded and contacted the suspect, who was identified as Vonrenegar.

Brooks said Vonrenegar denied hitting the victim with his pickup and stated, “That guy got what he deserved.”

The deputy inspected Vonrenegar’s vehicle, an older Dodge pickup with black front fenders and a white utility bed. Brooks said the deputy noticed numerous white paint chips and paint transfer on the front bumper, which appeared to be consistent with the victim’s vehicle.

Vonrenegar was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.

Jail records indicated Vonrenegar remained in custody on Friday evening, with bail set at $25,000.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The races for eight county elected offices are now set for the June 3 ballot.

The deadline for offices in which incumbents are seeking reelection was last Friday, and the final deadline for submitting paperwork for offices in which the incumbent was not seeking reelection was Wednesday, the Registrar of Voters Office said.

The only changes since last Friday were in the District 3 supervisorial race, which officials had said last week had nine candidates.

Three, however, have dropped out – Craig Bach, Nine Green and Wilmer Lipscomb, according to elections officials.

That leaves a six-candidate field that includes John Brosnan, James Brown, Marvin Butler, Mark Currier, Herb Gura and Jim Steele, the Registrar of Voters Office said.

The candidates listed below are set to appear on the June 3 ballot, according to the Registrar of Voters Office.

Assessor-recorder: Richard Ford, Sorhna Li Jordan, Logan Weiper.

County clerk-auditor: Cathy Saderlund (incumbent).

District attorney: Don Anderson (incumbent), Andre Ross.

Sheriff: Bob Chalk, Brian Martin, Frank Rivero (incumbent).

Superintendent of schools: Brock Falkenberg.

Supervisor, District 2: Joyce Overton, Jeff Smith (incumbent), Jeri Spittler.

Supervisor, District 3: John Brosnan, James Brown, Marvin Butler, Mark Currier, Herb Gura, Jim Steele.

Treasurer-tax collector: Barbara Ringen (incumbent).

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Lake County Special Districts is planning its third workshop on gardening in the midst of drought.

The workshop will take place beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 29, at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, 15900 E. Highway 20.

Special Districts held two workshops on the same topic late in February, and decided to put on this latest event after receiving requests for another one.

With weather and water experts predicting the worst statewide drought in recent history, there are many things to consider before planting a garden.  

Special Districts believes that with some proper planning, determination and willingness to exert a little extra effort, people can garden and retain landscaping despite the possibility of a severe water shortage.

At the March 29 workshop, Master Gardeners from the University of California Cooperative Extension will cover topics including how to make your existing garden more drought tolerant, what you must know if you are planning a new garden – complete with a recommended plant list – and what you want out of your garden and how you can achieve it with less water.

Those in attendance will receive a phone number for the permanent Master Gardener help-line to have gardening questions answered Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., throughout the entire year.

Special Districts has established a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lakecountyspecialdistricts for general drought-related updates and information.  

Anyone with questions about these or other drought related meetings and workshops can call Jan Coppinger at Special Districts, 707-263-0119.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) on Thursday introduced comprehensive drought relief legislation he co-authored with Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-2) that will provide assistance to farmers and ranchers, businesses, and communities suffering from the record drought in California and other Western states.

The legislation provides emergency relief to affected agricultural producers and fishing communities, funds emergency drought relief projects, maintains environmental protections, and ensures that the United States will be better-prepared to respond to future droughts and natural disasters.

“This bill provides comprehensive relief to our entire state without putting the needs of some California water users above others,” said Thompson. “The bill is transparent, based on sound science, builds on the efforts of Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and protects the interests of farmers, fishers, businesses and other water users in the northern, central and southern parts of our state.”

Original co-authors of the legislation include Grace Napolitano (CA-32), Peter DeFazio (OR-4), George Miller (CA-11), John Garamendi (CA-3), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), Doris Matsui (CA-6), Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), Sam Farr (CA-20), Jackie Speier (CA-14), Ami Bera (CA-7), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), and Scott Peters (CA-52).

This comprehensive legislation stands in stark contrast with H.R. 3964, the partisan drought legislation by the House Majority in early February. H.R. 3964 would allow water to be pumped south from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for as long as water is available.

If enacted, the bill would devastate Bay-Delta communities, harm drinking water, and jeopardize thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity, according to Thompson's office.

In contrast, Thompson and his co-authors asserted that comprehensive bill introduced on Thursday:

• Accelerates planning and execution of water supply projects while maintaining environmental protections like the National Environmental Policy Act compliance.
• Brings the Army Corps reservoir operations in line with modern science, saving water, and helping communities through extreme weather events. The Army Corps of Engineers operates many of its reservoirs on outdated and obsolete water control manuals, some of which are as much as 60 years old. The new bill includes an emergency provision for faster updates during times of drought.
• Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to help cover losses caused by the drought.
• Ensures that the damages from California’s drought are properly recognized under the Stafford Act, so that Californians receive accurate and adequate disaster relief.
• Cracks down on illegal water diversions for marijuana cultivation. Illegal water diversions not only reduce available water for legal uses, but create a significant environmental threat in Northern California and other rural parts of the state. Thompson and Huffman previously introduced a bill to crack down on such environmental damages.
• Authorizes water planning and management activities to reduce water use in the Klamath Basin in California and Oregon.
• Directs the President to update the National Response Plan and the National Disaster Recovery Framework to address plans for responding to catastrophic drought preparing for longer term, continued drought in California and the western United States.
• Requires the development of a California salmon drought plan to address impacts of drought on wild fisheries, those that support tribal fisheries and the commercial and recreational fishing industry.
• Urges the Secretary of Commerce to immediately declare a fisheries disaster and fast-tracks future processes to respond to disaster conditions, ensuring prompt assistance rather than years after a disaster.
• Requires that water agencies receiving assistance under the legislation are in full compliance with state laws regarding groundwater and agricultural water use.
• Includes sunset provisions ensuring that emergency provisions end once the drought declaration is revoked.

The bill includes $255 million in emergency appropriations, including:

• $50 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund for projects in drought-affected states that reduce fire risk or assist water quality and capacity.
• $5 million for the Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program within the Rural Utilities Service to assist with rural water supply projects.
• $30 million for grants under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
• $15 billion for grants under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
• $3 million for the Drug Enforcement Administration to assist in suppression of illegal trespass marijuana grows that diminish available water supply.
• $152 million available to the Bureau of Reclamation for projects, including $52 million for water conservation and efficiency projects, and to develop alternative water supplies, through the WaterSMART and Title XVI programs.

Also included is $200 million in emergency disaster assistance including:

• $100 million in emergency assistance for farmers to fund water conservation measures that protect lands and sensitive watersheds.
• $25 million for Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grants that fund community projects to reduce harmful effects of the drought.
• $25 million to the Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants program for water conservation projects and to protect and upgrade water systems. These grants of up to $1 million are to complete projects that boost the availability and quality of drinking water, including in California communities at risk of running out of safe drinking water;
• $25 million in grant funding for public and nonprofit institutions to provide emergency assistance to low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers harmed by the drought.
• $25 million in grants fo  r private forest landowners to carry out conservation measures in response to drought and wildlife risks.

The bill allocates $3 million in funding for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to carry out its work to respond to extreme drought conditions, including relocation of the release location and timing of hatchery fish and barging of hatchery release fish, and $15 million for integrated regional water management projects that focus on water recycling and integrated water management on a watershed or regional scale.

Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.