News

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A funeral procession and public memorial service are planned this Sunday for “Officer Ronnie” Dekeyser III.

Ronnie, 11, died on Monday after a lengthy battle with an inoperable brain tumor.

He was made an honorary Lakeport Police officer last October, as Lake County News has reported.

His family reported that his memorial service will be held at one of his favorite places, the Lakeport Speedway, located at the Lake County Fairgrounds at 401 Martin St.

The service begins at 1 p.m. Sunday in the main grandstands.

The Dekeyser family requested that people forgo black and instead wear brightly colored clothing, as Ronnie loved color. Candles and balloons also are welcome.

Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said the Lakeport Police Department will lead a law enforcement memorial procession to the public services. He said the procession will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of N. High Street.

Rasmussen said the procession will travel south to Clearlake Avenue, then east to N. Main Street, then south on Main Street to Martin Street before turning west on Martin Street into the Lake County Fairgrounds.

Prior to the start of the procession, the 300 block of 16th Street will be closed to through traffic in order to stage law enforcement and fire vehicles that will be involved in the procession, Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen reported that the closure of 16th Street is expected to last from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

During the procession there will be traffic controls of short duration in the 1700 block of N. High Street, the intersection of N. Main Street and Third Street, and on Martin Street at the fairgrounds, Rasmussen said.

The Lakeport Fire Department, Kelseyville Fire Department, California Highway Patrol and the California State Parks-Law Enforcement-Clear Lake area will be providing assistance during the procession, according to Rasmussen.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – In just the first three weeks of January, Cal Fire has already responded to a significant increase in wildfires this winter due to the extremely dry conditions.

As a result, Cal Fire officials are reminding residents to ensure they are maintaining 100 feet of defensible space; a reminder that comes several months earlier than normal.

“We are experiencing conditions right now that we would usually see in August,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director.

“In Southern California we never really transitioned out of fire season and in Northern California we are already in the process of hiring additional seasonal firefighters to augment our permanent firefighters who have been staffing extra fire equipment this winter,” Pimlott said. “We have increased our personnel and now we need the public to make sure they, too, are prepared for early fire season conditions.”

With record low rainfall, the grass and brush across California is tinder dry and ready to burn. Already this year Cal Fire has responded to nearly 300 wildfires that have charred more than 700 acres.

In a normal year the department only responds to about 50 fires that all together would char a little over 100 acres, Cal Fire reported.

Cal Fire said many of those fires were sparked by powered equipment like lawn mowers and weed trimmers.

While maintaining defensible space is critical right now, residents are asked not to use powered equipment outdoors during the heat of the day when it’s dry and windy, and especially on red flag warning days.

Clearance work should be done in the early morning when temperatures are down and humidity is up, to avoid sparking a wildfire. One less spark means one less wildfire.

Here are some tips to creating defensible space:

• Maintain 100 feet of defensible space around all structures.
• Clear all needles and leaves from roofs, eaves and rain gutters.
• Trim branches six feet from the ground.
• Landscape with fire resistant / drought tolerant plants, that require little water
• Remove branches away from roofs and 10 feet from the chimney.
• Use trimming, mowing and powered equipment before 10 a.m., and not on hot, windy days.
• Keep wood piles and flammable materials at least 30 feet from the home.

The increased fire threat has also led officials to suspend outdoor residential landscape debris burning in many areas, including Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit.

Homeowners should always check with their local Cal Fire station or fire department before burning outdoors.

There are several alternative ways to dispose of trimmed branches and yard clippings including chipping, or taking it to a green waste facility. Residents can check with their local fire safe council for alternative landscape debris disposal programs.

For more information on preparing for wildfires and defensible space visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org .

Is a sole beneficiary named on a term insurance policy that was purchased by the insured while married entitled to receive all the insurance proceeds?

Not necessarily.

If the deceased insured was either divorced or married then the surviving ex-spouse and/or the surviving spouse may be entitled to a portion of the proceeds even though they are not named as beneficiaries. Let us consider some examples.

With term insurance a death benefit is paid only if the insured dies while the policy is in force. Term insurance, unlike whole life insurance, has no cash surrender value.

First, take a married insured person who names a daughter as the sole beneficiary. The final premium was paid by the insured using the insured’s marital earnings – community property.

Unless the surviving spouse consented in writing to allowing the daughter to be named as the beneficiary on the insured’s policy, the surviving spouse is entitled to one-half of the insurance death proceeds.

Why? Because the last insurance premium was paid using community property, the surviving spouse had an undivided one-half interest in the life insurance proceeds.

If instead the last premium were paid using the insured’s own separate property – such as from an inheritance or from assets acquired before the marriage – then the daughter would receive all the death proceeds.

Why? Now the surviving spouse has no community property interest in the insurance policy as the premium was paid by the deceased spouse’s own separate property.

Second, consider an insured spouse who gets divorced but neglects to remove the ex-spouse as the named death beneficiary on a term life insurance policy executed while both were married.

In California, a decree of dissolution does not automatically nullify the right of an ex-spouse to collect as beneficiary on the other ex-spouse’s life insurance policy; this is unlike with other assets where an ex-spouse who was named (during the marriage) as a designated death beneficiary while married is treated as having predeceased the spouse unless the designation is ratified after the dissolution of marriage.

Thus, an ex-spouse may later collect based a death beneficiary form previously executed by the decedent while they were still married.

This can be avoided if either the insured names a new death beneficiary or the decree of dissolution says that the insured’s ex-spouse loses her expectancy in the life insurance policy.

Third, consider an insured person who divorces, remarries, and names the new spouse as sole beneficiary on a term insurance policy that was renewed after the dissolution of marriage.

Generally, provided the final premium on the term life insurance policy was paid using money unrelated to the prior first marriage then the second spouse as the policy’s sole beneficiary will receive all of the death benefits.

However, if the premiums on the renewed term insurance policy are reduced due to payments that were made from first marriage’s community property then the ex spouse retains an on-going community property interest in the renewed life insurance policy.

Thus, unless the dissolution decree says otherwise, the ex spouse may claim some portion of the death proceeds on the renewed term life insurance even though he or she was not named as a beneficiary and was not even married to the insured at the insured’s death.  

In sum, a surviving spouse, or surviving ex spouse, may have a claim to term insurance proceeds even though he or she was not named as a beneficiary if either community property from their marriage was used to pay the final premium on the term life insurance, or the renewed policy’s premiums were discounted (“capped”) due to payments on the original policy made from community property.

Additional exceptions may also apply.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, California. Fordham can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com .

Scientists using the Herschel space observatory have made the first definitive detection of water vapor on the largest and roundest object in the asteroid belt, dwarf planet Ceres.

“This is the first time water vapor has been unequivocally detected on Ceres or any other object in the asteroid belt and provides proof that Ceres has an icy surface and an atmosphere,” said Michael Küppers of ESA in Spain, lead author of a paper in the journal Nature.

Herschel is a European Space Agency (ESA) mission with important NASA contributions. Data from the infrared observatory suggest that plumes of water vapor shoot up from Ceres when portions of its icy surface warm slightly.

The results come at the right time for NASA's Dawn mission, which is on its way to Ceres now after spending more than a year orbiting the large asteroid Vesta.

Dawn is scheduled to arrive at Ceres in the spring of 2015, where it will take the closest look ever at its surface.

“We've got a spacecraft on the way to Ceres, so we don't have to wait long before getting more context on this intriguing result, right from the source itself,” said Carol Raymond, the deputy principal investigator for Dawn at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “Dawn will map the geology and chemistry of the surface in high resolution, revealing the processes that drive the outgassing activity.”

For the last century, Ceres was known as the largest asteroid in our solar system.

But in 2006, the International Astronomical Union, the governing organization responsible for naming planetary objects, reclassified Ceres as a dwarf planet because of its large size. It is roughly 590 miles (950 kilometers) in diameter.

When it first was spotted in 1801, astronomers thought it was a planet orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Later, other cosmic bodies with similar orbits were found, marking the discovery of our solar system's main belt of asteroids.

Scientists believe Ceres contains rock in its interior with a thick mantle of ice that, if melted, would amount to more fresh water than is present on all of Earth.

The materials making up Ceres likely date from the first few million years of our solar system's existence and accumulated before the planets formed.

Until now, ice had been theorized to exist on Ceres but had not been detected conclusively. It took Herschel's far-infrared vision to see, finally, a clear spectral signature of the water vapor.

But Herschel did not see water vapor every time it looked. While the telescope spied water vapor four different times, on one occasion there was no signature.

Here is what scientists think is happening: when Ceres swings through the part of its orbit that is closer to the sun, a portion of its icy surface becomes warm enough to cause water vapor to escape in plumes at a rate of about 6 kilograms (13 pounds) per second. When Ceres is in the colder part of its orbit, no water escapes.

The strength of the signal also varied over hours, weeks and months, because of the water vapor plumes rotating in and out of Herschel's views as the object spun on its axis.

This enabled the scientists to localize the source of water to two darker spots on the surface of Ceres, previously seen by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes.

The dark spots might be more likely to outgas because dark material warms faster than light material.

When the Dawn spacecraft arrives at Ceres, it will be able to investigate these features.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force detectives arrested a Lakeport couple and seized marijuana, methamphetamine, hydrocodone pills and two firearms following a search warrant service Friday.

Carlos Ponce, 31, and 28-year-old Laura Ann Flores were arrested at Ponce's home, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Brooks said narcotics detectives secured a search warrant for Ponce's person, vehicle and residence, located in the 300 block of 16th Street in Lakeport, on Jan. 17.

At 8:20 a.m. Friday detectives served the warrant at Ponce’s residence, Brooks said.

Detectives announced their presence and the fact they had a search warrant, with no response from inside the home. Brooks said the detectives forced entry into the residence where they located and detained Ponce and Flores, who had with them their 3-year-old child.

During a search of the master bedroom detectives located a plastic bucket filled with processed marijuana, a plastic bag containing approximately 1 pound of processed marijuana and other miscellaneous containers of processed marijuana, Brooks said.

Detectives also located two 12 gauge shotguns and a high capacity drum magazine filled with 12 gauge slugs in the master bedroom closet, according to Brooks.

In the bathroom detectives located a digital scale, 1.8 grams of packaged methamphetamine and a glass meth pipe inside a sweatshirt on the floor, Brooks said. Inside Ponce’s vehicle, detectives found 25 5 milligrams hydrocodone pills inside a plastic bag in the glove box. Detectives also located $504, which was seized pending asset forfeiture proceedings.

Brooks said Ponce and Flores were arrested for possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance while armed, possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of marijuana for sale and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.

Narcotics detectives also charged Ponce and Flores with child endangerment due to the methamphetamine located in the bathroom which was easily accessible to the child, Brooks said.

Ponce and Flores were transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked. Bail for each was set at $75,000.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – State officials said Friday that the number of confirmed flu-related deaths has once again grown.

Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health and state health officer, said the number of confirmed influenza related deaths in the state has increased by 50 to a total of 95 confirmed deaths for the season. Three of the 95 are pediatric deaths.

There are an additional 51 deaths under investigation and not yet confirmed, Chapman said.

“The increasing number of influenza related deaths points to the severity of this flu season,” said Dr. Chapman. “Vaccination is so important, because it continues to be the best defense against the flu.”

Influenza vaccine remains available and there is no widespread shortage of anti-virals for treatment of the flu. While hospitals have seen over the last few weeks an increase in the number of patients hospitalized, there is still bed capacity, Chapman's office reported.

CDPH continues to closely monitor flu activity statewide and related resources.

The 95 confirmed influenza-associated deaths this season have been reported by the following counties: Alameda (3), Contra Costa (3), El Dorado (1), Fresno (5), Humboldt (1), Kern (4), Kings (3), Lassen (1), Long Beach (1), Los Angeles (8), Marin (2), Mendocino (1), Merced (3), Monterey (2), Nevada (1), Orange (4), Riverside (3), Sacramento (10), San Bernardino (7), San Diego (6), San Francisco (1), San Joaquin (3), San Mateo (3), Santa Barbara (1), Santa Clara (7), Santa Cruz (1), Shasta (1), Siskiyou (1), Solano (1), Sonoma (3), Stanislaus (3) and Tulare (1).

The total number of deaths reported for the entire 2012-13 influenza season was 106, according to the state.

Dr. Chapman also noted that in addition to getting vaccinated, it's important to practice good hand washing and other good health habits.

People who are ill should take actions to stop the spread of germs such as:

• While sick, limit contact with others;
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing;
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based rub;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Those at highest risk – the elderly, pregnant women, infants, or those with other health conditions – who show flu symptoms should contact their physician immediately in order to get the most effective treatment, health officials reported. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.

Lake County Public Health, located at 922 Bevins Court in Lakeport, offers vaccinations for $2 from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays.

For information on local vaccinations contact Lake County Public Health, 707-263-1090 or http://health.co.lake.ca.us/ .