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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Nationwide, collisions are the leading cause of death for teenagers, and California is not immune to this disturbing trend.
Each year, thousands of young drivers and their passengers are killed in collisions. To help bring awareness to this national problem, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will participate in National Teen Driver Safety Week Oct. 20-26.
“It only takes a second of inattention behind the wheel to cause a tragedy,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “This week we are dedicated to educating our inexperienced drivers on the dangers of unsafe driving and providing them with the information needed to be safe on our roadways.”
Using cellular telephones, eating or drinking, adjusting a radio, or simply talking with friends are all routine activities that teenagers engage in every day.
However, these routine activities can become life-threatening hazards when done behind the wheel of a vehicle.
The overwhelming majority of teenage collisions are caused by inexperienced drivers or distractions behind the wheel rather than "thrill-seeking" or deliberate risk taking by the driver.
“Enforcement alone is not the answer – education plays an equally important role in keeping California’s teenage drivers safe,” added Commissioner Farrow. “We encourage parents to get involved by talking to their teen driver about the rules of the road and by being a good role model behind the wheel.”
The CHP offers multiple programs geared toward educating our teenage drivers, including: Every 15 Minutes, which focuses on high school juniors and seniors; Start Smart, which is a driver safety education class targeting future licensed drivers; and Impact Teen Drivers, which is a public awareness and education program for teen drivers and their parents about the dangers of distracted driving.
Contact your local CHP office and request more information about getting involved in these programs. The Clear Lake Area office can be reached at 707-279-0103.
“It is crucial that we educate teens with evidence-based safe driving messaging and empower them to make good decisions behind the wheel,” said Kelly Browning, executive director of Impact Teen Drivers. “Although teens are our focal group, we also work with parents, teachers, law enforcement, and community members to promote a culture of safe, distraction-free driving. It is primarily through this cultural change that we can eliminate the number one killer of teens in America – reckless and distracted driving.”
National Teen Driver Safety Week is dedicated to raising awareness and seeking solutions to preventable teen deaths on the road. It is held annually during the third week of October.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office reported that it will begin to process absentee ballots for the November election this week.
Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley said she and her staff will commence processing vote by mail ballots for the Nov. 5 Consolidated General District Election at 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 21.
The processing of the vote by mail voter ballots will continue through Election Day as well as during the official canvass, Fridley said.
The counting of the official ballots will commence on Tuesday, Nov. 5, in the Registrar of Voters Office, Room 209 at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. Fridley said the results will not be announced until after the close of the polls at 8 p.m.
The official canvass will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, and will continue daily – excluding weekends and holidays – until completed, Fridley reported.
Fridley said observers are invited to view the processing and counting of the ballots, but shall not interfere with the election process.
Using data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, an international team of astronomers has discovered a distant planetary system featuring multiple planets orbiting at a severe tilt to their host star.
Such tilted orbits had been found in planetary systems featuring a “hot Jupiter,” a giant planet in a close orbit to its host star. But, until now, they hadn't been observed in multiplanetary systems without such a big interloping planet.
The discovery is reported in a paper, “Stellar Spin-Orbit Misalignment in a Multiplanet System,” published in the Oct. 18 issue of the journal Science.
The lead author of the study is Daniel Huber of NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. Steve Kawaler, an Iowa State University professor of physics and astronomy and a leader of the Kepler Asteroseismic Investigation, is a co-author.
“This is a new level of detail about the architecture of a planetary system outside our solar system,” Kawaler said. “These studies allow us to draw a detailed picture of a distant system that provides a new and critical test of our understanding of how these very alien solar systems are structured.”
Kawaler contributed as part of the research team that studied regular changes in the brightness of the host star, Kepler-56, an aging red giant star with two planets in close orbits and a massive third planet in a distant orbit.
By measuring those oscillation frequencies and using spectroscopy data about the star's temperature and chemistry, researchers measured the star's diameter and other properties.
The paper reports Kepler-56 is more than four times the radius of our sun. Its mass is also 30 percent greater than our sun. It is about 3,000 light years from Earth.
Kawaler said he was also part of the team that used studies of the changes in brightness to help determine the tilt of the rotation axis of Kepler-56. That axis is tilted 45 degrees to the line of sight from Earth.
Generally, Kawaler said, the simplest way for a planetary system to develop is with the orbits in the same plane as the host star's equator.
That typically indicates the planets formed from a thin disk of dust and gas surrounding the host star. The planets in our solar system all orbit within 7 degrees of the plane of the sun's equator.
A planet orbit that tilts away from other planets or from the host star's equator can mean the planet had a traumatic youth, Kawaler said. It may have been pulled into a different plane after encountering another planet or planets.
That's generally the case with migrating hot Jupiters. They change their orbits after encounters with other planets and material, and therefore have a higher chance of tilted orbits.
In the case of Kepler-56, however, the more massive outer planet seems to be maintaining the tilted orbits of the two inner planets.
“It issues a continuous tug on the orbit of the smaller ones, pulling them into their inclined orbits,” Kawaler said.
All of those Kepler-56 observations, the researchers noted in their Science paper, add up to firm evidence that tilted planetary orbits are possible even in systems that don't contain a hot Jupiter.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Young dogs from the working breeds are waiting for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control this week.
The dogs range in age from 10 weeks to 6 years, and include mixes of German Shepherd, heeler, hound, pit bull and even a Chihuahua.
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”).
Chihuahua mix
This male Chihuahua mix is of undetermined age.
He has a short tricolored coat. Shelter staff did not report if he had been altered.
He's in kennel No. 4, ID No. 38061.
Hound-shepherd mix pup
This male hound-shepherd mix pup is 10 weeks old.
He has a short brown coat and gold eyes, weighs 6 pounds and has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 7a, ID No. 38176.
Hound-shepherd mix pup
This male hound-shepherd mix pup is 10 weeks old.
He has a short brown coat and gold eyes, weighs 6 pounds and has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 7b, ID No. 38177.
Hound-shepherd mix pup
This male hound-shepherd mix pup is 10 weeks old.
He has a short brown coat and gold eyes, weighs 6 pounds and has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 8a, ID No. 38178.
Hound-shepherd mix pup
This male hound-shepherd mix pup is 10 weeks old.
He has a short brown coat and gold eyes, weighs 6 pounds and has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 8b, ID No. 38179.
Hound-shepherd mix pup
This female hound-shepherd mix pup is 10 weeks old.
She has a short brown coat and gold eyes, weighs 6 pounds and has been neutered.
Find her in kennel No. 8c, ID No. 38180.
'Bosco'
“Bosco” is a 6-year-old blue heeler mix.
He has a short red and white coat, weighs 52 pounds and has not yet been neutered.
Bosco is in kennel No. 10, ID No. 38063.
Male pit bull terrier mix
This male pit bull terrier mix is 1 year old.
He has a short brown brindle coat and weighs 64 pounds. Shelter staff did not report if he has been altered.
Find him in kennel No. 15, ID No. 38168.
Male German Shepherd mix
This male German Shepherd mix is 2 years old.
He has a short brown and black coat, weighs nearly 80 pounds and has been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 30, ID No. 38245.
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
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A Mendocino County man accused of shooting at law enforcement officers early Saturday morning has been booked into the Lake County Jail.
William Edward Steele, 39, of Hopland, was booked Saturday evening.
District Attorney Don Anderson, whose office is handling the criminal portion of the investigation according to the Lake County Critical Incident Protocol, confirmed to Lake County News that Steele was the suspect in the early morning shooting.
Steele, whose records say he is a firefighter, was booked on charges of attempted murder and felony hit and run resulting in death or injury, with bail set at $200,000.
He is alleged to have shot at California Highway Patrol officers after they attempted to pull him over on suspicion of driving under the influence just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday on Highway 29 near Cruickshank Drive.
Steele, driving a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, shot at the officers and fled, later pulling over, making a U-turn and shooting at them again in the area of Live Oak Drive, according to the initial report from the CHP.
A male subject, who was said to have been in the vehicle with Steele, either jumped or fell out of the SUV and was injured, with a REACH air ambulance taking the man to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, official said. There was no report available on his condition late Saturday, although he had been reported to be critical earlier in the day.
Steele eventually abandoned his SUV in the area of Highway 29 and Sand Hill and fled on foot, and was taken into custody by sheriff's Sgt. Don McPherson following a search using K9 teams and a CHP helicopter.
The work of processing the scene continued throughout the day, with a portion of Highway 29 remaining closed as the District Attorney's Office, the CHP Northern Division's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team and CHP shooting team collected evidence.
Anderson said investigators were obtaining a search warrant in order to process Steele's vehicle, which he said would be towed and secured, and then searched Monday or Tuesday.
Some of the evidence techs on Saturday were at Idle Wheels Mobile Home Park on Live Oak Drive, where residents reported two trailers were hit by the gunfire.
The sheriff's office had put out an automated call to Kelseyville residents warning of another suspect being at large, but Anderson said there were concerns about the accuracy of that information, and he did not have information about another wanted suspect.
According to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, Steele was arrested this past May on felony charges of assault with a firearm, threats to commit crimes resulting in death or great bodily injury, tear gas possession and being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.
Steele is due to appear in Lake County Superior Court on Tuesday, according to his booking record.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Investigators are continuing to piece together the facts surrounding an early Saturday morning Kelseyville incident in which a man shot at officers before leading law enforcement on a lengthy pursuit that resulted in another man being seriously injured.
Officials said no officers were hurt in the incident, which occurred shortly after 2:30 a.m. and led to a daylong search near Kelseyville.
However, a male subject believed to have been in the suspect vehicle – and who fell or jumped out – was seriously injured and in the hospital, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.
A male suspect, who was not identified, was arrested for the shooting, said Anderson, whose office is conducting an investigation per Lake County Critical Incident Protocol.
Anderson said they're still not sure why the man shot at California Highway Patrol officers during an early morning traffic stop.
A female who was in the vehicle and is considered a witness has been questioned and released, he said.
The District Attorney's Office is working with CHP Northern Division's Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team and CHP shooting team to collect evidence and conduct measurements, Anderson said.
According to a report from CHP Officer Kory Reynolds, at 2:37 a.m. a CHP unit attempted to make a traffic stop on a suspected drunk driver on Highway 29 near Cruickshank Drive.
The vehicle – which in radio reports had been described as a white SUV – yielded to the right shoulder and then the driver allegedly shot several times at the officers with a firearm, according to the report.
Reynolds said the vehicle fled northbound on Highway 29 to north of Live Oak Drive and again pulled to the right shoulder.
The CHP pulled behind the suspect vehicle and exited their patrol vehicle, at which point the suspect vehicle made a U-turn and several more shots were fired at the officers, Reynolds said.
He said the officers returned fire as the vehicle fled south on Highway 29, then west on Live Oak Drive.
The officers attempted to pursue the vehicle and as the vehicle turned onto Live Oak Drive they located an injured suspect in the roadway, he said.
Reynolds said the CHP officers provided medical treatment to the injured party until Kelseyville Fire arrived on scene.
Radio reports indicated the injured person was transported by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The suspect vehicle, which Anderson said was a white Chevy Tahoe SUV, was located abandoned on a hillside in the area of Highway 29 and Sand Hill, with its tires flat.
Anderson said Saturday evening that the SUV hadn't yet been searched. He said a search warrant needed to be obtained to process it, and it would be towed and then searched sometime Monday or Tuesday.
Highway 29 remained shut down through much of the day as the search continued from the ground as well as from the air, thanks to a CHP helicopter.
Anderson said the highway was closed in both directions between Live Oak Drive and Bell Hill Road, and he expected it to be fully reopened sometime early Saturday evening.
“It looks like they've collected some of the evidence, not all of it,” he said.
Elona Porter, a sheriff's crime scene evidence technician, also was assisting, as were Kelseyville K-CORPS members, Anderson said. “They did a great job.”
He said one female K-CORPS member had suffered a minor injury during the search. Anderson did not have details about how the girl was injured.
As for the possibility of another suspect being outstanding, Anderson said they're not sure if there was another person involved.
An automated call from the sheriff's office to Kelseyville residents on Saturday morning stated that officials were searching for a male subject in his early 20s, who was Hispanic or Indian, and last seen in a read flannel jacket and jeans.
However, Anderson said officials are not certain the information about that subject is accurate.
Anderson said he and his staff expected to remain at the scene into Saturday night, with more work to continue on Sunday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at