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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Residents of Lake County are invited to join “Climb to the Peak of Health” – a project designed to engage our community in working together toward bettering health.
The national Centers for Disease Control awarded a two-year grant to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake to address such issues as tobacco use, active living, healthy eating, and the importance of emotional well-being in Lake County.
The hospital is working with the Health Leadership Network to create and implement strategies that focus of those four areas.
One of “Climb to the Peak of Health’s” first steps is gathering input from the community on health habits and the kind of health information that would result in action.
By going to the project Web site, www.climbtothepeakofhealth.com , and taking the survey, you can help create strategies that match the needs of Lake County. The survey is mostly yes or no questions and may take five to 10 minutes to complete.
In the most recent release of the national County Health Rankings Report, Lake County was ranked in the bottom five of California’s 58 counties for poorest health outcomes.
The report ranks nearly every county in the nation and looks at a variety of measures that affect health. The rankings are a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
The “Climb to the Peak of Health” project is an opportunity to begin changing Lake County’s ranking for the better – starting with our own individual health – by promoting the idea that each small step we take can have big rewards.
The project encourages taking steps that fit easily into one’s lifestyle. For instance, become more active by taking a walk around the block, jumping rope, or trying out a hula hoop. Or visit a farmer’s market or the produce section of your local grocery store to purchase a colorful basket of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Take the first step by taking the survey. You can take the survey at http://climbtothepeakofhealth.org/survey.html .
For more information about Climb to the Peak of Health, visit http://climbtothepeakofhealth.org .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Two people suffered major injuries as the result of a motorcycle crash on Sunday afternoon.
Mark Thibeau, 51, and Joanne Santos, 39, both of Lakeport were injured in the crash, which occurred on Soda Bay Road south of the Highway 175 extension at 4:40 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Thibeau was driving a 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle eastbound on Soda Bay Road in south Lakeport at an unknown speed, with Santos riding as his passenger.
As Thibeau was negotiating a lefthand curve in the roadway, the motorcycle traveled off the right side of the roadway onto the shoulder and overturned, ejecting Thibeau and Santos, the CHP said.
Both Thibeau and Santos were transported via REACH helicopters to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment of major injuries, the CHP said.
The CHP said Thibeau and Santos were both using safety equipment.
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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A single-vehicle crash early Monday morning claimed the life of a young Middletown man.
Dinoti R. Mosley, 20, died when his car went off of Highway 175 near Anderson Springs and struck a tree at about 6:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said Mosley, driving a 1994 Geo Prizm, was traveling westbound on Highway 175 east of Anderson Springs Road at an unknown speed when the crash occurred.
Mosley was negotiating a lefthand curve in the roadway when the Prizm went off the right side of the road and hit a tree, the CHP said.
The CHP and Cal Fire responded to the crash scene, where Mosley died of his injuries, according to the report.
Mosley was not wearing a seat belt, the CHP said.
One-way traffic control was in effect for an hour as emergency personnel worked to remove the vehicle, according to the CHP.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Monday morning investigators remained at the scene of a fatal plane crash that killed a Susanville couple near Auburn on Saturday night.
The single-engine, fixed-wing Cessna 170 crashed under unknown circumstances in a wooded area one mile south of the Auburn airport around 9 p.m. Saturday, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
Dena Erwin of the Placer County Sheriff’s said the crash victims were Bruce Aldridge Rhymes, 59, and his wife Kathy Lorraine Rhymes, 58, both of Susanville.
The plane was registered to the couple, according to the FAA’s plane registry.
Josh Cawthra, an aviation accident investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, was at the scene on Monday.
He confirmed to Lake County News that the plane had taken off from Middletown but said he could not offer further details until later on Monday.
According to a statement from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the agency received a call from the California Office of Emergency Services at 12:30 a.m. Sunday to assist in a search for a possible downed aircraft near the Auburn airport.
Commercial airliners confirmed a distress signal from an aircraft’s emergency locating transmitter, and CalEMA also provided specific GPS information for the California Highway Patrol’s fixed wing and Placer County Sheriff’s helicopter, according to the report.
Placer County officials said the accident site was located by the joint efforts of CHP’s fixed wing and a sheriff’s deputy on the ground equipped with a handheld radio programmed with the distress signal information.
Gregor said the wreckage was found around 1:45 a.m. Sunday.
He said both NTSB and FAA investigators were at the crash site on Sunday.
A basic preliminary report should be available from the NTSB within a week or two, said Gregor, adding that it typically takes the NTSB months to come up with a probable cause for accidents.
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CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Big fish, big fun and an even bigger turnout marked this past weekend’s Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Catfish Derby.
The 2013 derby gave out $10,000 in cash and prizes, and had a record number of participants, according to Dennis Locke, one of the annual event’s organizers.
John Sorden of Clearlake topped the field in the adult division with a catfish weighing 22.24 pounds, Locke said. Sorden won a $4,000 cash prize.
Gary McAsey came in second in the adult division with a 21.66-pound fish, followed by Chris Lane of Hood River, Ore., who reeled in a catfish weighing 20.77 pounds, based on derby rankings.
Angelina Godinez of Lakeport won the children’s division with a fish weighing 19.93 pounds. Locke said she took home an Apple iPad.
Rounding out the top three in the children’s rankings were Nalani Marlowe of Clearlake Oaks, with a 17.72-pound fish; and Brice Holt of Sacramento, whose fish weighed 17.19 pounds, according to derby rankings.
Locke said the biggest news may be the derby’s record number of participants.
“We had expected attendance to be up slightly from last year (a record turnout then), but not to the extent that we actually experienced,” Locke said.
Locke said there were 706 adult entries this year, up from 581 last year, and 143 child entries, up from 113 last year.
“The large numbers stressed our volunteer staff pretty well, but I think we still managed to show everyone a good time,” Locke added.
Derby organizers weighed fewer fish by number and weight than last year, probably due to the windy
conditions that persisted on all but the last day, he said.
A total of 261 fish were caught during the three-day tournament, with a total weigh of 3,521.09 pounds, according to derby organizers.
As in most years, a large percentage of the derby participants were visitors from outside Lake County. Locke said approximately 61 percent of those taking part – or 521 people – had traveled to the county for the derby, Locke said.
He added that fishing enthusiasts came from as far away as Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington. Approximately 327 Lake County residents participated.
The annual catfish derby is the major fundraiser for the Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association.
All proceeds are given back to the community in the form of donations, scholarships, grants and funding for the annual July 4 fireworks.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Employment prospects in Lake County appeared to have improved in April, with state officials reporting a drop in the number of out-of-work county residents.
The California Employment Development Department’s latest unemployment report said Lake County’s unemployment rate was 12.8 percent in April, down from 14 percent in March and 15.6 percent in April 2012.
Based on Employment Development Department statistics, Lake County’s April unemployment rate is the lowest since November of 2008.
In April unemployment also dropped across California to 9 percent from 9.4 percent in March and 10.7 percent from April of last year. Like Lake County, in April California saw its lowest unemployment rate since November 2008, according to historical reports.
The U.S. unemployment rate also decreased in April to 7.5 percent, down from 7.6 percent in March. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that’s the lowest nationwide unemployment since December 2008.
Marin, with 4.6 percent, had the lowest unemployment in the state, while Imperial had the highest, with 24 percent, according to the report.
Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department’s North Coast Region Labor Market Information Division reported that Lake was ranked No. 44 among the state’s 58 counties for unemployment in April.
Mullins said Lake’s neighboring counties registered the following April unemployment rates: Colusa, 19.9 percent; Glenn, 12.4 percent; Mendocino, 8 percent; Napa, 5.9 percent; Sonoma, 6.5 percent; and Yolo, 9.4 percent.
Total Lake County wage and salary employment increased 10 jobs between March and April and is up 90 jobs for the year over. Eight industry sectors gained or remained unchanged and three declining for the year-over period, according to Mullins.
He said year-over job growth occurred in the farm (+160) and government (+80) categories, with no changes in mining, logging and construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; private educational and health services; and other services.
Industry sectors with declines over the year included manufacturing (-10), professional and business services (-10), and leisure and hospitality (-120), Mullins said.
California’s employment picture
California saw an overall gain of 10,400 nonfarm payroll jobs in April, rising to a total of 14,602,200, according to a survey of 42,000 California businesses. The state has seen 756,900 jobs created since the recovery began in February 2010, the Employment Development Department said.
The Employment Development Department said a second survey it uses to calculate the state’s jobless rates – a federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of
employers – also shows an increase in the number of employed people.
The agency said that survey estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in April was 16,951,000, an increase of 71,000 from March and up 443,000 from the employment total in April 2012.
The number of people unemployed in California was 1,673,000, down by 76,000 over the month, and down by 303,000 compared with April of last year, following a gain of 25,200 jobs in March, the Employment Development Department said.
During the April survey week, 497,274 Californians received regular unemployment insurance benefits, compared to 532,831 in March and 552,163 the previous April, the Employment Development Department reported.
Also in April, new claims in California for unemployment insurance were 50,977, compared with 58,842 in March and 63,212 in April 2012, the agency reported.
The report said that seven categories – construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities;
financial activities; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – added jobs in April, gaining 23,300 jobs. Construction posted the largest increase over the month, adding 7,400 jobs.
On the losses side, three categories – information, professional and business services, and
government – reported job declines over the month, down 12,900 jobs. Professional and business services posted the largest decrease over the month, down 6,000 jobs. One category, mining and logging, was unchanged over the month, according to the report.
In a year-over-year comparison – April 2012 to April 2013 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 273,100 jobs, up 1.9 percent, the agency said.
Eight categories – construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – posted job gains over the year, adding 287,500 jobs, the Employment Development Department said.
Professional and business services posted the largest gains on a numerical basis, adding 71,500 jobs, up 3.2 percent, the report showed, while construction posted the largest gains on a percentage basis, up 7.7 percent, adding 44,800 jobs.
The report said that three categories – mining and logging; manufacturing; and government – posted
job declines over the year, down 14,400 jobs.
Manufacturing posted the largest declines on a numerical basis, down by 10,500 jobs, a 0.8-percent decrease, while the report said mining and logging posted the largest declines on a percentage basis,
decreasing by 1.7 percent, down 500 jobs.
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