News

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The annual Clear Lake Splash-In will return to Lakeport this fall.

The 33rd annual event is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Sept. 30.

Organized by West Coast Seaplane Pilots Association, it’s the oldest and largest seaplane gathering in the Western United States.

Seaplane pilots from throughout the region and from out-of-state attend the event.

Approximately 50 seaplanes are expected to participate. Water bombing contests and spot landing contests will allow pilots to showcase their planes and flying skills.

Arrivals and registration begin at noon Sept. 28, with most activities scheduled for, and aircraft arrivals expected on, Sept. 29.

Several flying contests will take place on Saturday accompanied by constant arrivals and departures.   

The event is open to the public, with admission on Saturday of $2 per person. Children 10 and under are admitted free.  

Booths offering food and drink, Splash-In merchandise and seaplane facts and figures will also be available.

Headquartered at the Skylark Shores Resort, the event utilizes the nearby Natural High School field for on-shore parking and display of amphibious seaplanes.

Land planes use nearby Lampson Field and local volunteers will provide shuttle services to and from the venues.

The event is supported by the county of Lake, the city of Lakeport, Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Lakeport Main Street Association, Lake County Future Farmers of America, Lake County Public Works Department and the Lakeport Unified School District.

See www.clearlakesplashin.com for complete information.

SACRAMENTO – A new report from the California State Board of Equalization shows that California’s gas consumption showed a continued decline over the first three months of 2012, while diesel consumption showed a slight increase over the same period in 2011.

In the year’s first quarter, gasoline consumption in California fell for the fifth consecutive quarter, declining 0.4 percent, while at the same time gasoline prices went up 10.9 percent.

“Higher gasoline prices, changing driving habits with fewer trips and better mileage with fuel efficient cars – all appear to be influencing declining consumption in California,” said California State Board of Equalization First District Board Member Betty T. Yee, whose district encompasses Lake County.

First quarter average gasoline prices were up 40 cents to $4.06 – a 10.9 percent increase – while the average price in March was up 41 cents to $4.41, the report showed.

Total gasoline consumption for the first quarter declined 15.7 million gallons compared to the first quarter last year, for a total of 3.6 billion gallons used.

Diesel fuel consumption increased 1.7 percent compared to a year ago, as California consumed an additional 10.1 million gallons, for a total of 597 million gallons in the first quarter.

In California, diesel averaged $4.28 a gallon, up 43 cents – an 11.2 percent increase – from last year's first quarter.

Both gasoline and diesel fuel prices in California continued to be higher than the national average price, according to the Board of Equalization’s findings.

Nationally, regular gasoline averaged $3.66 a gallon, up 32 cents from last year's first quarter according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The EIA diesel retail prices reported the national average price of diesel was up 34 cents to $3.97 – an increase of 9.4 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier.

In March, a survey and resulting graphic from AAA identified how drivers are changing their behavior to help offset higher prices at the pump.

AAA concluded: “As a result of current gas price increases, 84 percent of (AAA) respondents have already changed their driving habits or lifestyle in some way. Combining trips and errands was the most commonly reported cost-cutting measure with 60 percent of respondents reporting having already made this adjustment.”

The Board of Equalization monitors gasoline consumption using tax receipts paid by fuel distributors in California. BOE updates the fuel reports at the end of each month. The last reports posted are for March.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Five puppies found last week in a Lakeport dumpster are the focus of a fundraising effort.

The six German Shorthaired Pointer mix pups were discovered by a driver for a waste disposal company while emptying a dumpster on Hill Road West near Lakeport on Thursday, June 28, as Lake County News has reported.

The puppies are about 3 months old, according to Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Five of the puppies tested positive for canine parvovirus, and one of them has died, according to Lake County Animal Services, a local rescue organization which is helping foster the puppy that has not tested positive.

Because the necessary medical care is expensive for the shelter, Lake County Animal Services reported that it has paid more than $500 to cover the puppies’ medication and intravenous fluids.

To make sure the puppies get the care they need and fully recover, the group has started a ChipIn account to raise funds to cover the rest of their medical costs.

The fundraiser, which ends July 28, can be found at http://lakecounty.chipin.com/parvo-pointer-pups .

As of Wednesday morning, the fundraiser had brought in $160.

Anyone with information about the pups and who disposed of them in the dumpster is asked to call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or the Lake County Sheriff’s Office’s nonemergency line at 707-263-2690.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

SACRAMENTO – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on Tuesday announced that the non-conference committee components of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights have passed out of legislative committees.

“The entire Homeowner Bill of Rights legislative package will create a level playing field for California homeowners,” said Attorney General Harris. “In addition, it will allow my office to continue to prosecute those who take advantage of homeowners who are desperate to stay in their houses.”

Assembly Bill 1950, authored by Assemblymember Mike Davis (D-Los Angeles), passed out of the Senate Judiciary today.

The bill extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting mortgage related crimes from one year to three years, giving the Department of Justice ample time to investigate and prosecute mortgage fraud crimes.

Two bills to provide additional protections to tenants who rent homes that are foreclosed upon also passed out of the Senate Judiciary and Assembly Judiciary Committees today.

Assembly Bill 2610 (Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley) and Senate Bill 1473 (Senator Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley), will require purchasers of foreclosed homes to give tenants at least 90 days before starting eviction proceedings.

If the tenant has a fixed-term lease, the new owner must honor the lease unless the owner demonstrates that certain exceptions intended to prevent fraudulent leases apply.

Also passing out of the Judiciary Committees were Assembly Bill 2314 (Assemblymember Wilmer Carter, D-Rialto) and Senate Bill 1472 (Senator Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills), which provide additional tools to local governments and receivers to fight blight caused by multiple vacant homes in neighborhoods.

The final component in the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, AB 1763 (Assemblymember Mike Davis, D-Los Angeles) and Senate Bill 1474 (Senator Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley), gives Attorney General Harris the ability to convene a special grand jury to investigate and indict the perpetrators of financial crimes involving victims in multiple counties. AB 1763 and SB 1474 passed out of the Senate Public Safety and Assembly Public Safety, respectively.

Two key parts of the Homeowner Bill of Rights passed Monday out of both houses of the Legislature and sent to Gov. Jerry Brown.

Those bills, which came out of a two-house conference committee, provide protections for borrowers and struggling homeowners, including a restriction on dual-track foreclosures, where a lender forecloses on a borrower despite being in discussions over a loan modification to save the home.

The bills also guarantee struggling homeowners a single point of contact at their lender with knowledge of their loan and direct access to decision makers.

For more information on the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, go to www.oag.ca.gov .

Summer is a good time to relax, sleep late, enjoy a break from school or work. Waking before sunrise is just not done.

This summer is a little different. To find out why, set your alarm for dawn.

Every morning this July, the two brightest planets in the solar system will put on a show before sunrise.

Look out any east-facing window to see Venus and Jupiter, shining side by side, so close together you can hide them behind your outstretched palm. It’s a great way to start the day.

On July 4, Venus will be passing dead-center through the Hyades cluster, a loose grouping of stars 153 light years from Earth.  

Using binoculars, scan around the bright planet; you’ll see dozens of stars scattered across the velvety-black sky.

The temporary addition of Venus will make it seem that a supernova has gone off in the cluster.

Three mornings later, on July 7, Venus and Jupiter line up with Aldebaran, the bright red eye of Taurus the Bull. Aldebaran is a red giant star of first magnitude. Together with Venus and Jupiter, it forms an almost perfect vertical line in the brightening dawn sky.

The best, however, is yet to come.

On July 9, Venus and Aldebaran converge to form an eye catching planet-star pair. Scarcely more than a degree of arc will separate the two celestial bodies as Jupiter looks down from overhead.

And then, on July 15, a 12-percent crescent Moon joins the show, forming a bright celestial triangle with Venus and Jupiter.

The slender arms of the crescent cradle a ghostly image of the full Moon. That’s caused by Earthshine, sunlight reflected from our own planet onto the otherwise dark lunar landscape.

A crescent Moon with Earthshine is considered to be one of the prettiest sights in the heavens. A crescent Moon with Earthshine plus Venus and Jupiter – that’s worth waking up for even in the middle of summer vacation.

Start the day with more news about the heavens at www.science.nasa.gov .

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The California Department of Fish and Game said the mountain lion that attacked a man in Nevada County over the weekend has not been found after two days of searching.

However, the agency said search crews identified lion tracks near the attack site that were left Monday night.

They have redoubled their effort and will work through the July 4 holiday and beyond. Success of the search effort depends entirely upon locating a fresh scent.

“So far the teams have had an extremely difficult time locating fresh scent,” said DFG Capt. Brian Naslund. “Any unnecessary disturbance, or human presence in the area, jeopardizes the quality of the scent and therefore a successful outcome.”

The victim, a Marin County man, continues to recover from his injuries.

He sustained severe bites and scratches to his scalp and in particular, his left arm and armpit. He also has significant scratches on his back.

DFG wildlife forensics scientists extracted DNA from saliva from the armpit area of his shirt where the lion’s canine teeth went through. The DNA analysis proved the attack was from a female mountain lion.

The victim has maintained his request for anonymity, at least for the coming days.

DFG will continue the search using specially trained dogs and motion sensor cameras.

Mountain lion attacks in California are rare. The weekend attack is just the 15th confirmed mountain lion to attack since 1890.

A summary of previous mountain lion attacks in California can be found at
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion/attacks.html .

For more information about how people and lions can coexist, please see http://www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/lion.html .