How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – The Mendocino National Forest is currently fighting a newly discovered lightning fire located in a remote area near Daves Ridge.
Forest officials said the fire, dubbed the Daves Fire based on its location, is north of Grindstone Canyon on the Grindstone Ranger District of the Mendocino National Forest.
The Daves Fire was spotted Wednesday afternoon, and is the 15th fire discovered on forest lands following the lightning storm early Monday, according to a report from Mendocino National Forest headquarters.
Forest officials said the Daves Fire is estimated to be the largest of the fires so far at more than 200 acres. It's visible from the communities east of the forest.
As conditions continue to dry out and warm up, forest firefighters anticipate discovering more lightning fires in the coming days.
For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316, or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .
Updates also will be available on Twitter @Mendocino NF.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two men were arrested and 300 pounds of processed marijuana was seized during a search warrant service on Tuesday.
David Russell Draper, 68, of Kelseyville and Brian Matthew Bareis, 27, of Fort Bragg were arrested in the case, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
On Tuesday Lake County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Task Force detectives received information regarding a large marijuana grow on a property located at 9475 Bottle Rock Road in Kelseyville, Brooks said.
The marijuana grow at 9475 Bottle Rock Road was observed and noted by detectives during an overflight operation conducted in late May.
Brooks said it was reported that Draper and Bareis had just left the property in a silver-colored Dodge Ram truck.
Detectives believed that Draper was associated with several other marijuana growing operations located in the 7000 block of Highway 20 in Lucerne, according to Brooks.
Shortly after receiving the information detectives located Draper and Bareis in the truck, traveling on Big Valley Road in Kelseyville, and conducted a traffic enforcement stop for vehicle code violations, Brooks said.
Both Draper and Bareis said that they had just visited the property to deliver items to a contractor who was working on the property. Both men denied being involved in the marijuana grow, but Brooks said detectives later learned that this was not true.
Detectives obtained and served a search warrant for a total of five locations: 9475 Bottle Rock Road and 3715 Wood Plaza Way in Kelseyville; and 7004 Highway 20, 7232 Highway 20 and 7242 Highway 20, all in Lucerne, according to Brooks.
As a result of the searches, a total of 267 marijuana plants were eradicated and 327 pounds of processed marijuana was seized, Brooks said.
On the property located at 9475 Bottle Rock Road, processed marijuana was found stored in camouflaged steel boxes that were hidden along the tree line near the grow site, he said.
On the properties located at 7232 and 7242 Highway 20 in Lucerne, processed marijuana was found stored in steel boxes that were buried underground, according to Brooks.
Both Draper and Bareis were arrested and booked in the Hill Road Correctional Facility for cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Bail for both men was set at $15,000, with jail records indicating that both later posted the required portion of bail and were released.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Efforts are under way to establish a museum and cultural center in the building that formerly housed the Middletown Library.
At its June 8 board meeting, the Lake County Historical Society named Voris Brumfield to head its Gibson Museum & Cultural Center project and nominated her for election to its board as District 1 representative.
Operating a local museum as a project of the county historical society insures nonprofit status, offers a bit of financial support and a good deal of expertise for guidance for the new museum.
Supporters are anticipating a Grand Opening the weekend of May 3-4, 2014, exactly 84 years after the Gibson Library opened in the building May 3-4, 1930.
A memorandum of understanding for creating the Gibson Museum as a cooperative venture between the Lake County Historical Society and the county of Lake has been finalized and approved by the Lake County Historical Society board, and is ready for review by County Counsel Anita Grant.
District 1 County Supervisor Jim Comstock does not anticipate problems with county approval, which will make the historic Gibson Library building available for the museum’s use.
Assessments of work needed on the Gibson building have been made, and work on bringing the building up to code should begin soon. Tenting for termite extermination may happen yet this month.
With that approval, Gibson Museum will be ready to accept donations of historical artifacts, photos and information.
Gibson members have begun collecting oral interviews, and would appreciate submission of names of longtime residents for further interviews.
Local fundraising efforts will be immediate and energetic. Gibson Museum members will participate in the Middletown Days Parade, with a few appearing as "historical characters."
Members wearing white t-shirts with the Gibson logo will be encouraging local support and donations from onlookers. The members also will man tables in front of the Gibson building and at Central Park and will be prepared to take membership subscriptions and donations.
Everyone who would like to further the creation of a south Lake County museum is encouraged to join the Lake County Historical Society, specifying your interest in Gibson Museum.
Gibson will get all the funds generated by such memberships. It's $15 per year for an individual, $20 for a household. County society memberships include the Gibson group and the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum group.
You can join online at www.cgibsonmuseum.com or at www.lakecountyhistory.org using Paypal or your credit card.
The local Gibson Museum group will hold its next planning meeting at the activities center, between the library and the senior center, beginning at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, June 26. All interested persons are urged to attend.
For more information about the effort, to donate funds or artifacts, or submit information, email
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Local blues band Twice As Good, which regularly tours throughout the United States, will headline the Theater Main Stage at 8 p.m. Friday, June 14, opening night of the new Lake County Spring Fair.
The fair runs from Friday through Sunday, June 16.
The Lake County Spring Fair is a new event that combines several activities from past years, including a carnival, a home and garden pavilion, a car show, and vocational education exhibits.
In addition to Twice As Good, The Snake Alley Band will perform several sets on the same stage Friday afternoon, and the Cherry Road Gang will perform on the Mediacom Gazebo Stage.
Twice As Good is the professional name of the music duo formed by Paul Steward and his father, Richard Steward, who are from Clearlake Oaks, and are members of the Elem Indian Colony.
Richard Steward has grown up around music all his life, mostly admiring blues & soul music. When Paul Steward was a young teenager, Richard taught him to play guitar. Paul, was inspired by B.B. King and began imitating the electric blues guitar he heard on the radio and also learned to sing lead vocals.
In May 2003 they debuted as Twice As Good, and since then they have been all over the the USA, released four award winning albums, shared the stage with many legends and famous artists, and continue to garner success and praise from many corners of the musical world.
The name “Twice As Good” isn't a claim of status. To the Stewards it is a dedication to hard work and quality of craft.
They were once told, “You can't make it in the music business, you got to be twice as good.” So they replied, “Well all right then. We will be, Twice As Good.”
The Theater Main Stage will also host the Lake County Diamonds on Saturday, and the Mark Weston Band on Sunday, with several sets each day.
The Mediacom Gazebo Stage will host the Cherry Road Gang for several sets all three days. In addition to the musical acts, Fill-up the Clown will be strolling the grounds performing magic tricks, creating balloon animals, and generally creating laughter.
In addition, a face painter will be active near the carnival entrance from the grandstands area.
Other attractions at the Spring Fair include a variety of food, two stages of local entertainment, motorized grandstand activities, a laser tag building, and various commercial displays.
Events in the grandstand arena include mud bogs on Friday evening, tuff truck and buggy and ATV races on Saturday evening, and an invitational auto race on Sunday evening. All grandstand shows start at 7:30 p.m. Local participants are also encouraged all three nights, and entry can be made through Lakeport Speedway at 707-279-9577.
Spring Fair gates open all three days at 2 p.m., and admission is $5 per person for ages 6 and older. Children under age 6 are admitted for free.
Carnival unlimited ride wristbands will be $25 each at the Fair, but can be purchased through Thursday, June 13, for $20 at the fairgrounds office. Parking is $5 per car, and benefits the Kelseyville High School softball program.
More information about the Lake County Spring Fair can be found at www.lakecountyfair.com or at the fair's Facebook page.
Have you been hit by a lot of overdraft charges from your bank? A new report says you're not alone.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday released a report on bank and credit union overdraft practices that raises concerns about whether the overdraft costs on consumer checking accounts can be anticipated and avoided.
The report shows big differences across financial institutions when it comes to overdraft coverage on debit card transactions and ATM withdrawals, drawing into question how banks sell this account feature.
The report also finds that consumers who opt in for overdraft coverage end up with more costs and more involuntary account closures.
“Consumers need to be able to anticipate and avoid unnecessary fees on their checking accounts. But we are concerned that overdraft programs at some banks may be increasing consumer costs,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “What is often marketed as overdraft protection may actually be putting consumers at greater risk of harm.”
The overdraft report is available at: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201306_cfpb_whitepaper_overdraft-practices.pdf or can be seen below.
An overdraft can occur when consumers spend or withdraw more money from their checking accounts than is available.
The financial institution can choose to cover the payment by advancing funds on the consumer’s behalf, and generally charges a fixed overdraft fee for doing so.
The institution can also choose to return the payment if it is a check, online bill payment, or direct debit, and then charge a nonsufficient fund fee.
In recent years, most banks have adopted automated systems for making these decisions. These systems have contributed to the evolution of overdraft from an occasional courtesy to a significant source of industry revenues.
The CFPB estimates that overdraft and nonsufficient fund fees represent 60 percent or more of consumer checking account fee income.
The CFPB did this overdraft study, which reflects a significant portion of U.S. consumer checking accounts, after initial market research raised concerns about overdraft practices.
The information in the study was largely gleaned from confidential information from a small set of large banks supervised by the CFPB. It was supplemented by responses to a CFPB Request for
Information issued to the public in February 2012, and a recent study by the Independent Community Bankers of America.
Opting-in puts consumers at greater risk
In 2010, a new federal government regulation took effect requiring that banks and credit unions obtain a consumer’s consent before charging fees for allowing overdrafts on ATM withdrawals and most debit card transactions.
The new CFPB study found that new customer opt-in rates varied across banks. At some banks in 2011, more than 40 percent of all new customers opted in while other banks saw only single digit opt-in rates.
The study also found that a consumer’s decision to opt in may have significant ramifications:
– Consumers who opt in end up with more costs: The CFPB study looked at previous heavy overdrafters who declined to opt in when the new federal requirements were implemented in 2010. It found that by opting out these account holders reduced their overdraft and non-sufficient fund fees, on average, by more than $450 in the second half of 2010.
– Consumers who opt in to overdraft are more likely to end up with involuntary account closures: Negative account balances are a significant contributor to involuntary account closures at many banks and credit unions. The CFPB study found that at some banks in the study involuntary closure rates were more than 2.5 times higher for accounts that had opted in to debit and ATM overdraft coverage.
Overdraft practices vary by institution
The CFPB study raises questions about whether overdraft costs can be anticipated and avoided.
A bank’s complex and often unique overdraft policies, procedures and practices can be very difficult for a consumer to understand. This is true for consumers who have opted in but also for those who have not but are trying to figure out their potential costs in using their bank’s services.
These complexities include:
– Complex transaction postings: The order in which transactions are posted to an account can influence the number of transactions that incur an overdraft fee. The study found wide variation in posting practices, from institutions debiting transactions at periodic intervals throughout the day to debiting them in nightly batches. Banks also differ in how they combine, sort or order the transactions.
– Overdraft coverage limits that often depend on many factors: The overdraft coverage limit is the amount of money the institution is willing to advance to an account holder when his or her funds are insufficient to cover a pending payment. Some institutions have limits of fixed amounts, others vary limits based on the account holder’s individual circumstances, such as his or her deposit patterns. Smaller limits reduce the opportunities for overdraft but can result in more non-sufficient fund fees. Higher limits can result in more overdraft fees because the consumer may keep drawing from his or her account.
– Complicated fee structures that are not standardized: Institutions have different fee structures when it comes to capping the number of overdrafts that can be incurred in a single day. Some banks, for example, limit the number of overdraft charges in a day to two; other banks have no cap on fees or caps that allow as many as 12 overdrafts and nonsufficient fund fees in a day. Similarly, some banks will not charge an overdraft fee for any item that overdraws the account by less than $5 while other banks charge fees on every overdraft transaction regardless of size.
Costs and closures vary by institution
Because bank and credit union overdraft policies, procedures, and practices are so different, the outcomes for consumers at the various banks in the study also varied.
This raises questions about why some consumers are incurring much higher costs than others – especially when overdraft costs are not upfront fees but automated, back-end charges largely difficult for the consumer to predict.
The CFPB study found:
– Average annual overdraft charges vary among institutions: The average consumer who overdrew his or her account paid $225 in overdraft and insufficient funds charges over the course of one year. Among the banks in the study, consumers at some banks paid an average of $298 while consumers at others paid only $147.
– Involuntary account closures vary widely: Among the banks in the study the rate of involuntary closures appears to have varied by nearly 9 percentage points across the banks in the study.
A factsheet about overdraft practices is available at http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201306_cfpb_factsheet_overdraft-practices.pdf .
In addition to the institution-level data reviewed in today’s report, the CFPB plans future studies of account-level data to better understand how differences in bank practices affect consumers.
If the CFPB finds that policies or practices do not protect consumers in accordance with federal consumer protection law, it will use its authorities to provide such protection.
The goal is to make checking accounts more fair, transparent, and competitive and to ensure consumers are empowered to take control over their economic lives.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a 21st century agency that helps consumer finance markets work by making rules more effective, by consistently and fairly enforcing those rules, and by empowering consumers to take more control over their economic lives.
For more information, visit www.consumerfinance.gov .
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau white paper on overdraft practices
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A sheriff's deputy was assaulted in a weekend confrontation with a Clearlake man who was wanted for parole violations and was driving a stolen pickup.
Reginald Leffall Mills, 24, was arrested after he allegedly assaulted Deputy Sarah Hobbs last Saturday morning, according to a report from Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Hobbs sustained no lasting injury after being punched by Mills, Brooks said.
Brooks said Hobbs encountered Mills while on patrol in the Kelseyville area at around 9 a.m. Saturday.
He said Hobbs observed a 2004 Chevrolet truck fail to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Gaddy Lane and Gunn Street.
Hobbs provided the license plate number of the truck to Central Dispatch and activated her emergency lights in order to stop the truck, Brooks said.
The driver of the truck, later identified Mills, a wanted parolee at large, drove into the parking lot of the Kelseyville Post Office and Deputy Hobbs followed. Brooks said Central Dispatch notified Hobbs that the truck had been reported stolen to the California Highway Patrol on Thursday, June 6.
After driving around the parking lot of the Kelseyville Post Office, Mills abruptly stopped the truck, got out and ran away heading through a large field near the parking lot. Brooks said Hobbs stayed with the stolen truck and detained the passenger.
Additional deputies and officers from the California Highway Patrol responded to the scene to search for Mills but were unable to locate him, according to Brooks.
Later that day, shortly before 1:30 p.m., Hobbs located Mills at the corner of Gaddy Lane and Clark Drive in Kelseyville, Brooks said.
As Hobbs was taking Mills into custody, he pulled away from her, punched her in the face with his closed fist and again ran away, Brooks said.
Hobbs pursued Mills on foot, with Deputy Nick LaVelle arriving to assist and joining the pursuit. Brooks said Hobbs and LaVelle caught up with Mills as he attempted to hide behind a stack of hay in a nearby barn. Hobbs confronted Mills and took him into custody.
Mills was booked in the Hill Road Correctional Facility for an outstanding parole violation warrant, battery on a peace officer, possession of stolen property, and obstructing a peace officer by means of force, Brooks said.
Mills remained in custody on Tuesday on a no bail hold, according to jail records.