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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Visitors from across the United States – as well as some from across “the pond” in the United Kingdom and from throughout California – joined local wine enthusiasts in the eighth-annual Lake County Wine Adventure held Saturday, July 28, and Sunday, July 29, in the high-elevation terroir of Lake County.
“Wines with 'altitude' – I get it now!” exclaimed two event-goers from Rancho Cordova as they sampled the wines at Laujor Estate in the Red Hills AVA on the northeastern flank of the Mayacamas.
With expansive views of Mount Konocti, Clear Lake and to the Coastal Range mountains beyond, the visitors, who began their adventure at Laujor Estate, said they were excited to taste – and explore – more of what the Lake County Wine Adventure (LCWA) had to offer.
Only two hours from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento Valley, many wine tourists on the LCWA were stunned by the natural beauty of Lake County – the vast open spaces, mountain peaks surrounding the largest natural lake within California – and very appreciative of the quality wines available to sample at the welcoming tasting rooms and wineries.
“We just left a magnificent estate in the middle of nowhere,” said a group from Glen Ellen who had come from Brassfield Estate Winery and were now sampling at Noggle Vineyards & Winery, “and have arrived at what looks to be a winery in a garage! We love it!” they said with smiles and nods of agreement all-around. “It's like we're in on your secret; but we're telling on you!”
Several event-goers noted appreciatively that most of the wineries had excellent food and wine pairings.
“It really helps me buy a wine – and become a fan of that winery – when I can easily pair foods that I like with wines that I like, but I need some assistance. I'm not a chef or sommelier,” said a visitor from Oakland. “Some of the pairings today were out of this world – and most were paired with food and ingredients that I will actually use. I really enjoy that because I know I can do it too and absolutely 'wow' my friends back home!”
“This is brilliant!” said a visitor from the UK who was staying with family in San Francisco that had come up for the event. “Certainly not like wine tasting at home!”
“I've been to a former stage coach stop, a winery atop a mountain where all I could see were the vineyards and trees, one that grew their own olives and made olive oil and soaps, one on the lake shore that still smelled of lavender that had recently been harvested, and two that had outdoor clay ovens. And at every one – I've enjoyed great wine. We've tasted from almost 20 wineries in two days – they should make this a three-day event so we could get to them all!”
Hosted by the members of the Lake County Winery Association, with major sponsorship from Calpine Corporation and Twin Pine Casino & Hotel. Other sponsors included Robert A. Boccabella – Business Design Services, Dan Camache, The Ice Water Co., David Lucido – First American Title Co., Lake County AODS, Clearlake Police Department and the numerous local businesses that provided outstanding prizes for the 2012 Wine Adventure raffle.
“No, no – I'm going to win that prize,” was overheard time and again as the nearly 2,000 LCWA participants perused the extensive list of prizes available.
One local resident was explaining to visitors the merits of each of the prizes as they were cued up in line to buy their tickets for the event at the Lake County Wine Studio.
In this passport-style event, event-goers left their “passports” at their final destination to be entered into a drawing for numerous prizes that included a variety of Lake County “stay and play” packages valued at $500 or more each featuring overnight accommodations, dining, and a wide range of recreational activities to enjoy.
The grand prize, an “Instant Cellar” showcasing an assortment of wines from the participating Lake County Wine Adventure wineries, was much-talked about and is valued at $1,200.
Drawing for the prizes took place during the week of Aug. 6. Notification of winners was to follow shortly thereafter.
“What a fun event! I'm so happy to be in warm and sunny weather, in a beautiful place, tasting great wines with friendly and nice people. I'll be back,” said a resident of Mill Valley.
The 2012 LCWA event was chaired by Cheryl Lucido of Laujor Estate and co-chaired by Pam Prisco of Steele Wines.
It is hosted by the wineries of the Lake County Winery Association. Special thanks to Susan Feiler, proprietor of the Lake County Wine Studio for her assistance with the LCWA raffle.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Saturday afternoon cleanup was still under way behind Foods, Etc. after an early morning damaged the back of the structure.
The fire was first reported at around 2 a.m. Saturday behind the store, located at 15290 Lakeshore Drive, as Lake County News reported.
The store was open for business on Saturday, with the main part of the building undamaged.
Manager Trisha Lennon said the store’s bottle room, where supplies were kept, was burned.
She said the investigation into the cause is still in the early stages. “We really don’t know much.”
During the fire, Lake County Fire Protection District had asked Cal Fire to send in a handcrew to help pull apart large bales of compacted cardboard behind the store.
On Saturday, a crew was at work behind the store, removing piles of the burned cardboard.
In addition to the charred structure of the bottle room, parts of the main store building’s exterior were black from the fire. Some racks, shopping carts and other equipment also were damaged.
The fire also did serious damage to the corner of a building behind the store.
“Quite a bit of damage was done,” Lennon said.
Fire officials couldn’t be reached Saturday for additional details about the incident.
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SPRING VALLEY, Calif. – A Spring Valley home was damaged by a late night fire on Friday.
The fire was reported at about 10 p.m. at 2632 Spring Valley Road, according to radio reports.
Northshore Fire and Cal Fire personnel arriving at the residence found smoke coming from the home, reports from the scene indicated.
Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said the fire was contained to a single room and its contents.
He estimated the residence had $25,000 in damage as a result of the damage.
Beristianos said the home formerly had been a marijuana grow house. One marijuana plant was found inside at the time of the fire.
The resident was displaced, but he wasn’t there at the time of the fire. “We never did see the tenant,” said Beristianos.
Reports from the scene indicated that both the sheriff’s office and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. responded to the incident. The fire meter later was reportedly pulled and the incident was cleared shortly before midnight.
Beristianos said the fire’s cause remains under investigation.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A fire was reported at a city grocery store early Saturday morning.
The fire was reported at about 2 a.m. behind Foods, Etc., located at 15290 Lakeshore Drive.
Lake County Fire Protection District responded to the incident, according to radio reports.
Officials on scene put out a call for a handcrew and an engine from Cal Fire to help with separating huge bales of compacted cardboard that were up against the structure and were burning.
Pacific Gas and Electric and a Foods, Etc. representative also were asked to respond to the incident, according to reports from the scene.
Shortly before 2:45 a.m. officials reported there was shaky containment on the fire, which was continuing to burn within the cardboard bales.
Additional information on the fire was not immediately available early Saturday.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The prosecution and defense presented their closing arguments on Friday in the trial of a Lakeport man accused of the fatal 2007 stabbing of a neighbor who he wrongly believed was a child molester.
Ivan Garcia Oliver, 34, has been on trial since last month for the Nov. 20, 2007, stabbing death of 67-year-old Michael Dodele.
Oliver is charged with first-degree murder, burglary, elder abuse and several special allegations for use of a weapon, crimes against an elder and using Megan's Law information in the commission of a crime.
Oliver is alleged to have stabbed Dodele more than 65 times at his trailer at Western Hills Mobile Home Park after finding out several days earlier that Dodele was listed on the Megan's Law sex offender registration Web site.
Dodele was not a convicted child molester, as Oliver believed, but was on the Web site for raping an adult female in Sonoma County in 1987.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff and defense attorney Stephen Carter would present very different portrayals of Oliver in their final statements to the jury.
Hinchcliff asserted that Oliver had “butchered” Dodele after spending days trying to wrangle a posse of neighbors to have him removed from the park.
Carter, as he had done throughout the trial, maintained that Oliver had acted in self-defense because he was attacked by Dodele. Oliver had said on the stand Wednesday that he had asked Dodele if he had touched his young son and Dodele attacked him with a knife, which he wrested away from him in a struggle that ended with Dodele's death.
In his two hours of closing arguments on Friday morning, Hinchcliff went over the evidence, explained the charges and legal principles behind them.
He said he had to make sure everything was covered. “A case like this is extremely serious,” he said. “Somebody died a very brutal death.”
He suggested that Oliver's motive was his incorrect belief that Dodele was a child molester, and explained that the homicide would only have been justifiable had Oliver been in imminent danger from an attack by Dodele. Hinchcliff dismissed Oliver’s story that Dodele had tried to stab him as a fabrication.
“When you stab somebody 65 times in vital areas, that's a specific intent to kill,” Hinchcliff said. “That's very clear.”
Hinchcliff also recalled Oliver's statement to detectives during a jail interview days after the stabbing about going to Dodele's with “murder on my mind.”
“That would be extremely strong evidence that there was deliberation and premeditation,” he said.
He called Oliver's version of going to Dodele's home to pick up painting equipment “a pretty far fetched scenario and absolutely unbelievable.”
Hinchcliff pointed out changes in Oliver's story about his concerns over Dodele – including accusations that Dodele had attempted to touch Oliver's then-4-year-old son.
Oliver also had made spontaneous statements to detectives indicating he had killed Dodele. He told detectives that he had “brought it to Dodele's attention” that touching his son was wrong. “Yeah, he brought it to his attention 65 times,” said Hinchcliff.
He said Oliver told detectives that the black knife used to kill Dodele was his. He said Oliver's girlfriend, Cathleen Ferran, also had told detectives that he had a black knife with a clip, although when she was on the stand she couldn't specifically identify the knife as his.
As to Dodele's criminal history, “I am in no way trying to defend what he did,” said Hinchcliff. “My business is prosecuting people like that.”
However, he said he didn't want Carter to use Dodele's history as a red herring to throw the jury off track.
Oliver didn't know Dodele's history, said Hinchcliff. “He knew nothing about that. He just thought he was a child molester.”
Hinchcliff alleged that Oliver stabbed Dodele with such force that it fractured a vertebra and several ribs. Dodele had defensive wounds on his arms.
With a 38-year age difference between them, Hinchcliff said it was extremely unlikely that Dodele would have attacked the younger man. Dodele had a folded pocket knife in his pocket with no blood on it, recovered from his clothing the day of his autopsy.
Oliver never told detectives it was self defense, said Hinchcliff. “Why? Because it never happened.”
Hinchcliff said the theme of the story was Oliver's hatred for sex offenders. “He acted as the judge, jury and executioner, and he literally butchered him. He was like a shark in a feeding frenzy.”
The law doesn't abide vigilantism, because innocent people get killed, said Hinchcliff. He said Oliver had other options that he didn't choose.
A deadly confrontation
Carter, in his closing arguments, disputed that his introduction of Dodele's criminal history was a red herring as Hinchcliff had suggested to the jury earlier in the day.
He said Dodele's four convictions for rape and two convictions for attempted rape in the 1970s and 1980s were important because Dodele had used a knife to intimidate and threaten his victims.
“The importance of Michael Dodele's prior sex offenses is not the suggestion that somehow he deserved to die because he was a multiply convicted rapist,” said Carter. “That's not the point. That would be a vigilantism argument, which is not what you're going to hear from me today.”
Oliver loved his son and was worried after a person in a car had stopped near the park and attempted to beckon his child to the vehicle before speeding off. A week before that, Oliver claimed his son had told him about being touched by an “old man.”
When Oliver took his concerns about the car incident to park manager Lacey Kou, she suggested they use the Megan's Law Web site to look up sex offenders in the area. Dodele came up on the listing, and Kou told Oliver that Dodele was a child molester.
Carter questioned why Dodele's address came up wrong on the Megan's Law Web site, and why he had applied for his rental agreement under the last name of Salta, his last name at birth, telling the park manager that his driver's license had burned up in a fire.
“There is a concealment going on here,” said Carter.
Carter said Oliver was suspicious of law enforcement, and that suspicion was justified due to their attitude toward him from the beginning, noting they didn't believe his story, had made up their minds that he was the suspect and tried to put words in his mouth.
When Oliver went to Dodele's trailer that day, it wasn't to attack him, said Carter, but to retrieve some painting equipment. He said Oliver didn't know he was walking into the home of a convicted rapist who had used a knife to threaten his victims.
It was Dodele who pulled the knife, Carter said. “The proof is not there that that is Ivan Oliver's knife.”
The fight happened “in the blink of an eye,” Carter said, quoting Oliver's description. “He did get the better of Mr. Dodele.”
He said Dodele's wounds were consistent with Oliver's description of having stabbed blindly while grappling with Dodele. “There was just a ton of swinging going on.”
And, afterwards, “Mr. Oliver does not do wise things,” said Carter, because Oliver didn't think anyone would believe him. So he attempted to clean up his blood from Dodele’s home using bleach.
If it was a well-planned attack, where was the exit plan, Carter asked. “The things he did were more panicked afterthoughts,” lacking the necessary deliberation ahead of time, he argued
Carter said Oliver was brave to have testified in the case. While Oliver hadn't trusted law enforcement, “Ivan puts his trust in you,” Carter told the jury.
Questioning credibility
In his rebuttal, Hinchcliff said the jury needed to consider Oliver's credibility.
Hinchcliff asserted that detectives had given him numerous opportunities to tell his story, and questioned if it made any sense that Oliver would have kept an alleged molestation of his young son to himself rather than telling his girlfriend or law enforcement.
The allegations that Dodele touched Oliver's son were “all made up,” said Hinchcliff. He pointed to Oliver's bizarre behavior in the days before Dodele's stabbing – including driving on the freeway at night with the vehicle's lights off and beating up a neighbor.
He challenged Carter's statement that Oliver was brave on the stand. “There's nothing brave about it. He's trying to save himself.”
As to allegations that investigators put words in Oliver's mouth, Hinchcliff urged the jury to go back and look at the interview transcripts, noting that detectives were only repeating things Oliver had said first.
In order to find Oliver guilty of anything less than first-degree murder, “You first have to agree that the story Mr. Oliver told you on the witness stand is true,” Hinchcliff said. “Most of the stuff that came out his mouth wasn't very honest.”
He said Oliver had tried to mislead law enforcement from the beginning, when Deputy Tom Andrews rolled up on the scene and Oliver directed him to the opposite end of the park.
Hinchcliff said it should be very clear that Oliver had formed the intent to kill, and he asked the jury to return a guilty verdict.
“I'm asking you not to compromise your verdict,” Hinchcliff said. “I'm asking you not to give him a break. I'm asking you not to feel sorry for him due to the criminal history of the person he killed.”
Hinchcliff asked the jury to do the right thing and find Oliver guilty of murder.
The jury was excused shortly after 3:30 p.m. Judge Arthur Mann directed the jury to return at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, at which time they will receive jury instructions and then begin deliberations.
Before releasing them, Mann reminded the jurors, “Don't make up your mind about the case.”
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The fields of candidates for fall city council races in Lakeport and Clearlake are starting to form.
The two city councils will each have three seats on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Clearlake City Clerk Melissa Swanson and Lakeport City Clerk Janel Chapman both reported on Friday that, because at least one incumbent in each of the races is not seeking reelection, the Friday deadline for filing was extended to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15.
In Clearlake, Judy Thein and Curt Giambruno have said they will not run. In Lakeport, Roy Parmentier did not take out papers to seek reelection.
As of Friday, Swanson said five people had qualified for the November council race – incumbent Joyce Overton, business owners Denise Loustalot and Melinda Young, Bunnie Carter and Bruno Sabatier.
In Lakeport, Chapman said candidates who had qualified included incumbents Bob Rumfelt and Suzanne Lyons, businessman Kenny Parlet and former planning commissioner Marc Spillman.
City residents still wanting to get a place on the ballot can contact Swanson at 707-995-8201, Extension 106, or Chapman at 707-263-5615, Extension 12, for the appropriate documents and information.
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