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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A Hidden Valley Lake woman was arrested for driving under the influence and child endangerment after a Thursday night crash that injured her and her teen passenger.
Jewel Leos, 24, sustained major injuries and the 15-year-old female passenger from Clearlake had minor injuries following the crash, which occurred at 10:41 p.m. Thursday on Mountain Meadow North at Oak Flat Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP said Leos was driving at a high rate of speed when she lost control of her 2000 Chevrolet Metro and hit a parked vehicle.
The crash caused Leos' vehicle to spin before the drivers' side hit a power pole, the CHP report said.
Leos and the teenager were transported to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for treatment of their injuries, the CHP said.
The CHP is continuing to investigate evidence that there was a third passenger in the vehicle, as witnesses had reported a young male had fled the scene. CHP had no additional information on that subject Friday morning.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Halloween night around Lake County was filled with fun, frights and goodies for all ages.
Communities around the lake hosted festivities Thursday evening, from several new “trunk or treat” events to the popular annual Lakeport Kiwanis party for children.
Featured here are video compilations of some of the Thursday night Halloween celebrations.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A successful partnership between the Robinson Rancheria and the Lake County Department of Public Works, coupled with a grant from the state of California, has resulted in the rehabilitation of the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff.
“The primary purpose of the project was to repair Nice-Lucerne Cutoff and provide the safest travel possible. Through the partnership with Robinson we significantly increased the extent of those repairs.” said Scott De Leon, director of Lake County Public Works.
In 2011, representatives of Robinson Rancheria approached the county about using Indian Reservation Road funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Federal Highway Administration to improve the condition of the cutoff.
District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington is pleased with the success of the project.
“During these lean economic times, the county needs to take a creative approach to funding,” Farrington said. “Working in partnership with Robinson Rancheria is an outstanding example of pooling resources to get much-needed work completed that otherwise would not be possible.”
Phase I was completed in the fall of 2011. The county road crew performed extensive “digout” repairs and shoulder work to create a strong foundation for future rehabilitation.
To complete phase II, the county applied for and received a grant from CalRecycle in 2012. The Rubberized Pavement Grant provided funding which allowed the county to use rubberized asphalt – which includes ground tire rubber blended with asphalt binder and aggregate materials – to surface the road.
“With the addition of the CalRecycle rubberized asphalt grant the project will require less long-term maintenance, reduces vehicle tire noise, and uses scrap tires in the asphalt which reduces the amount of tires in landfills,” said Lake County Assistant Director of Public Works Lars Ewing.
Phase II was recently completed under contract by Granite Construction and included an asphalt overlay of Nice-Lucerne Cutoff and a reconstruction of the bridge approaches to provide for a smoother transition onto and off of the bridge deck.
The county of Lake also has just finished the rehabilitation of Lakeshore Boulevard in the north end of Lakeport, utilizing funds from the county’s construction vehicle road impact fee and a second grant from CalRecycle for the use of rubberized asphalt on that project.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake has announced the completion of phase two of the transformation of its emergency department, with all the upgraded facilities and services now available.
With an emphasis on faster access to top-quality care, the new emergency department is ready to fully serve the community, the hospital reported Wednesday night.
Home to one of the busiest emergency department in the state, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake began renovations in October 2011 to replace its cramped 1960s-era space with an efficient new layout, providing better access to critical technology and a more comforting environment for patients.
Improvements include the addition of 4,100 square feet, 12 private patient care rooms including two equipped for trauma care, new entrances and waiting areas, cutting-edge equipment and support systems upgrades.
In addition, with an eye to faster, better care for patients, the enhanced emergency department also provides increased patient care staff, and has upgraded laboratory and other services.
“This is truly a community accomplishment,” said David Santos, St. Helena Clear Lake Vice President of Operations. “This new emergency department has been one of the most needed and anticipated developments in health care for Lake County. Our goal is to provide quality care and an excellent patient experience. The new configuration will allow doctors and nurses to concentrate on superior patient care rather than improvising around cramped quarters.”
The opening of the new emergency department represents a strong partnership between St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake and the community.
“The improved level of care we’re now able to provide is truly a tribute to the many, many community members who gave donations of time and money to make this happen,” Santos said.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum was held on Saturday in Lower Lake.
The event included live music in the museum's vintage parlor, a slide show, games, refreshments and recognition of those responsible for preserving the landmark.
“It's so nice to see so many people here and enjoying this building,” said Jane Weaver.
Weaver and her late husband, John, were instrumental in the formation of the Lower Lake School Preservation Committee, which worked to save the building from demolition.
Weaver Auditorium, located on the museum's second floor, commemorates their efforts.
Retired Lake County Administrator Kelly Cox, who became involved when the committee formed in 1986, said a person can't come into the museum without mentioning the Weavers.
“They are a part of this building,” he said.
Cox commended everybody involved in the museum project, from the people who launched its preservation effort to those responsible for its continued care and operation.
“It's hard to believe it's been 20 years. We were in here trying to save it and it doesn't look anything like it did (then) now,” he said. “It's everything we dreamed of and more.”
He added, “All the people involved have been the right people. They care about the building and Lake County. It's more than just a building.”
The schoolhouse was built in 1877 and was used as a school until 1935. The auditorium upstairs served as a community center and events such as meetings, funerals, plays, traveling shows and graduations were held there. With the advent of motion pictures, silent films were shown in the auditorium.
The Masonic Lodge bought and remodeled the building in 1935. Sometime during the 1960s, the Masons traded the schoolhouse for a parcel of county property.
The building was then leased to the Grange, during which time little maintenance was done. The upper story of the building became nesting grounds for pigeons and bats.
In 1986 efforts to preserve the building were launched. Formal dedication of the building was held on Oct. 21, 1993, just a year after starting renovations on the interior.
Restoration improvements since 1993 include the addition of a two-story side building for storage use on the first floor, restroom accommodations on the second floor and an elevator.
In 2007, restoration of the bell tower, which was damaged in the 1906 earthquake, was completed, and landscaping improvements were made.
The museum hosts a collection of pioneer, early settler and American Indian artifacts, a restored schoolroom and a Victorian parlor with working player piano.
For more information, call the Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum at 707-995-3565.
Email Denise Rockenstein at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A north Lakeport subdivision where several homes were damaged by a landslide earlier this year has witnessed more destruction this week, as one of the homes collapsed on Monday.
The Lakeside Heights home of Jagtar Singh had been halfway suspended on a hillside after part of its floor had fallen away earlier this year.
However, this week the back half of the house split off and slid down the hill.
The Singh home was among several damaged by the landslide, which began to crack and split through the hilltop subdivision in March.
Most of the damaged homes, including Singh's, were located along Lancaster Road.
The causes of the slide are still under dispute, but in some part appear related to saturation of the hillside by a water source.
The subdivision's property owners, who are preparing to file a lawsuit against the county, believe it's a county water system that is the source of the water that saturated the hillside. County officials maintain that leak tests don't support that conclusion.
Earlier this month, two of the damaged homes were demolished by Coleman Construction, which the county hired to carry out the abatements as part of an effort to winterize and stabilize the hillside.
As part of the contract with the county, Coleman Construction covered the slide area with tarps.
County officials are concerned about keeping the land dry in order to prevent the ground – which in recent months has stopped moving – from again become saturated and beginning to move.
Randall Fitzgerald, president of the subdivision's homeowners association, told Lake County News that the association, at its own expense, also had winterization work completed at the site to complement the county grading and tarping.
The additional work done included the building of a storm drain bypass and tarping all of the Lancaster Road area, Fitzgerald said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at