How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
The incident, which involved a male victim, was reported at about 8:50 p.m. at the Jack in the Box at Dam Road and Highway 53.
Reports from the scene indicated that the suspect in the stabbing – who reportedly worked at the nearby Carl's Jr. – threw a rock at a vehicle that was described as a green Ford Focus.
In response, a 22-year-old male got out of the car and went after the subject who had thrown the rock, based on radio reports.
The suspect – believed to be a gang member – then reportedly stabbed the man in the leg using a pocket knife, according to radio traffic.
Following the stabbing the suspect was reported to have stolen the vehicle and fled the scene.
A vehicle that had been left on the side of the road nearby initially was thought to be the one that had been stolen, but it was later determined to be the wrong car, according to reports on the radio and an entry in the California Highway Patrol online incident logs.
Lake County Fire Protection District paramedics responded to the scene within minutes, with a district ambulance transporting the male stabbing victim to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake.
Radio traffic indicated police were still looking for the suspect shortly before midnight Wednesday.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Early indications are, it's working, according to CHP Lt. Greg Baarts, commander of the Clear Lake Area office.
“We’re encouraged by the preliminary figures which show a considerable decrease in the number of collisions and people injured or killed as a result of DUI crashes, as well as motorcycle-involved collisions,” Baarts said.
To accomplish the goals set for the “Five Alive” grant, CHP’s Clear Lake Area office conducted enhanced enforcement efforts that were directed at impaired drivers and at assuring the safety of motorcyclists throughout the region.
The enforcement effort was in addition to aggressive public education and awareness programs about the dangers of impaired driving, the CHP reported.
These grant-funded enforcement programs included: 252 individual DUI saturation patrols, four motorcycle safety operations conducted during motorcycle rallies and eight DUI motorcycle enforcement task force operations.
The enforcement operations were conducted in conjunction with other local law enforcement agencies, warrant service operations targeting drivers with multiple DUI offenses and CHP air operations.
Lake County provides a primary thoroughfare linking Interstate 5 and U.S. 101 via state routes 20, 29, and 53. These scenic and winding roadways are favored by thousands of motorcyclists, often while riding in special motorcycle-related events.
The CHP said alcohol is also commonly served at these events, which compounds the problem. Some of the visitors to nearby wineries also drive while impaired through Lake County.
“Remember, when you’re on a ride, please stay alert, ride the speed limit, and ride sober. And don’t forget to wear the proper protective gear,” added “If you’re in a car, watch for motorcycles and share the road.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake woman has been arrested following an investigation into allegations that she defrauded a Canadian man in an Internet transaction.
Vikki Lynn Lowry, 55, was arrested on felony counts of forgery, forging an official seal, petty theft with a previous jail term and a felony probation violation, according to Lake County Jail records.
Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph said that on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 4, a man called the Clearlake Police Department from Toronto, Canada, reporting that he had placed a cellular phone for sale on the Internet site Craigslist in late September.
The man said that Lowry contacted him via email and stated she was interested in purchasing the cellular phone from him. Joseph said the man claimed that Lowry sent emails to him in Canada, which falsely reported she had sent money to his PayPal account.
Believing the emails to be valid at the time, the victim shipped the phone to Lowry at a Clearlake address via the Canadian Postal Service, Joseph said. After sending the package, the victim learned that the emails were fictitious and he had not actually been paid.
Joseph said the alleged victim attempted to stop the shipment but learned that the package was already in the custody of the United States Postal Service and his local law enforcement could not assist him. He subsequently asked the Clearlake Police Department for assistance.
Clearlake Police verified the victim’s story with the Ontario Provincial Police, and working with the US Postal Service Clearlake Police officers managed to intercept the package at the Clearlake Post Office prior to it going out to delivery, according to Joseph.
Additional information was gathered during the investigation which led officers to believe that there were other possible fraud victims from Canada and elsewhere associated with Lowry and the same Clearlake residence, Joseph said.
Joseph said that with information obtained during the investigation, Det. Ryan Peterson was able to secure a search warrant for the suspect’s home located in the 3000 block of 12th Street.
Last Friday, Oct. 7, Clearlake Police officers along with US Postal Service law enforcement officers conducted an undercover operation at Lowry's residence on 12th Street, Joseph said. Once the undercover operation was completed, Clearlake Police officers and Detectives immediately served the search warrant at the residence.
Joseph said Lowry was located at the home and arrested, and evidence was located and seized pursuant to the search warrant service.
He said the stolen cellular phone has been returned to the victim in Canada.
Though this case has been submitted to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for charges, the case is still under investigation and additional fraud victims are still being sought. Joseph said that with evidence obtained at Lowry’s residence, additional charges may be forthcoming.
Lowry remained in the Lake County Jail on Tuesday on the probation hold.
Any person with information on this matter is asked to contact Detective Ryan Peterson at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Thanks to a new law, state parks slated for closure – including Lake County's own Anderson Marsh – could be spared through cooperative agreements with nonprofits.
On Oct. 4, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 42 by Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael).
According to a report from Huffman's office, AB 42 authorizes the California Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into operating agreements with qualified nonprofit organizations to operate a state park unit if the agreement will enable the state to keep open a state park that would otherwise be closed.
In a statement, Huffman said his bill represents “a creative solution” to allow some parks to remain open despite the state's budget challenges.
“Particularly in these tough economic times, creative public/private partnerships are an essential tool in providing ongoing protection of, and continued access to, these treasured public assets,” said Huffman. “As we struggle to address California’s state budget deficit, I will continue to work to protect funding for state parks.”
The bill also has the support of the California State Parks Foundation, which said state parks are more at risk now than ever before.
“By signing AB 42, Gov. Brown has recognized that nonprofit organizations are essential partners to our state parks, particularly as 70 parks are set to close,” said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation.
In 2008, 2009 and again this year, Anderson Marsh State Historic Park was included on a list of parks proposed for closure due to budget cuts.
But with AB 42 now law, the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association may be able to move forward with an agreement with the state to keep the park open.
The 1,000-acre park – which contains Pomo archaeological sites estimated to be at least 10,000 years old as well as a 19th century ranch house and barn complex – was acquired by the state in 1982. Two years later, AMIA formed to support it, according to a history of the group on its Web site, www.andersonmarsh.org/.
The group of volunteers organizes walks and outdoor education events at the park, puts on an annual Christmas event and for the last six years has hosted the Old Time Bluegrass Festival, with the park as its backdrop. AMIA's fundraisers also support conservation and facilities rehabilitation projects at the park.
Volunteers have continued to urge the state to keep the park open despite its appearance on the closure lists, and they're willing to step up and make a bigger commitment to keep it accessible to the public, said Henry Bornstein, AMIA treasurer and board member.
“We are definitely very interested in keeping the park open by funding some sort of agreement with the state,” said Bornstein. “We've been talking with the state and they are very interested in doing that also.”
The exploration of such an agreement already had begun before AB 42 became law, according to Bornstein, but they had to wait for the governor's signature to move forward.
Bornstein said there are two possible scenarios – a full or partial operating agreement between AMIA and the state, or a comanagement agreement in which the state and the group each would have certain responsibilities.
“They all amount to the same thing, which is that AMIA would go to the local community, which has been very supportive, to see if people want to get together with us and keep the park open,” he said.
AMIA is meeting this month with the sector and district park superintendents to begin formal negotiations, Bornstein said.
The park isn't huge, and it doesn't have big bills, said Bornstein.
He estimated that the park annually costs as much as $12,000 a year to operate. “Because of that we think this is really doable. It's within our range to do it.”
It's a realistic goal, especially considering that Bornstein said the bluegrass festival, AMIA's main fundraiser, raised $7,000 last year. “That's significant funding.”
Referring to a statement by State Parks Director Ruth Coleman, Bornstein said the new model for running parks involves thinking outside of the box.
Bornstein said AMIA is looking at partnering with local agencies, service groups and businesses to secure all the needed funding to keep the park operating at its current level.
“There's a lot of interest,” he said.
If AMIA reaches an agreement with the state, Bornstein said a public meeting would take place to kick off the group's effort to help operate the park.
Bornstein said Anderson Marsh went into a seasonal closure on Sept. 12, but AMIA plans to continue offering nature walks in October and November.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The first substantial rainfalls for the season occurred as October began, followed by several days of warm and sunny weather – before rains returned on Monday.
The winegrape harvest has stalled as growers wait on red varietals and the walnut harvest gets under way, but luckily forecasters are predicting skies to clear Tuesday afternoon with a warming trend and abundant sunshine to ramp up throughout the remainder of the week.
Forecasters state that Wednesday and Thursday will both top out in the 80s, with Thursday reaching into the mid- to upper-80s before temperatures dip slowly back to the 70s for at least the next 10 days.
Overnight temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-40s to 50s throughout this period.
Forecasters at AccuWeather.com report that apart from the Southwest United States, people across the western US, including Lake County, can expect large swings in weather conditions throughout the winter, according to their Long-Range Forecasting Team.
December is likely to feature above-normal warmth across much of the entire West, however from late December into January, the team expects a transition where cold fronts will drop farther south along the West Coast, reaching Northern and Central California and bringing temperatures back to near normal in Lake County.
The famed “Pineapple Express” – a phenomenon that occurs when a strong, persistent flow of tropical moisture sets up from the Hawaiian Islands to the West Coast of the U.S. – could develop for a time this winter according to Accuweather.com, which explains that this phenomenon often leads to excessive rain and incredible snow events.
“Last year, California was hit hard when the Pineapple Express set up from Dec. 17-22, producing massive flooding and 13 feet of snow in the Sierra,” senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok with AccuWeather explained.
During that time, Lake County received several inches of rain, as previously reported.
“The Pineapple Express could develop for a period this winter and take aim at northern and central California. That could lead to monster snowfall and heavy valley rain with the risk of flooding and mudslides,” according to Pastelok.
For up-to-the-minute weather information, please visit the Lake County News homepage.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
“The four million adults who drink and drive each year put everyone on the road at risk,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “In fact, nearly 11,000 people are killed every year in crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.”
For the study, CDC analyzed data from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey.
The study also found that:
Men were responsible for 81 percent of drinking and driving in 2010.
Young men, ages 21-34, made up only 11 percent of the U.S. population in 2010, yet were responsible for 32 percent of all episodes of drinking and driving.
Eighty-five percent of drinking and driving episodes were reported by people who also reported binge drinking. Binge drinking means five or more drinks for men or four or more drinks for women during a short period of time.
“Drunk driving is a public health problem with far-reaching effects,” said Linda C. Degutis, Dr.P.H., M.S.N., director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. “Drunk drivers, who have delayed reaction times and reflexes, put even the most responsible drivers and pedestrians in harm’s way. Public support to prevent drunk driving is strong. Thankfully, there are proven ways to protect everyone on the road.”
Proven, effective strategies to prevent alcohol-impaired driving include:
Sobriety checkpoints: At sobriety checkpoints drivers are stopped to assess their level of alcohol impairment. According to the Transportation Research Board, more widespread, frequent use of these checkpoints could save about 1,500 to 3,000 lives on the road each year.
Minimum legal drinking age laws: These laws prohibit selling alcohol to people under age 21 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Keeping 21 as the minimum legal drinking age helps keep young, inexperienced drivers from drinking and driving.
Ignition interlocks: These devices prevent drivers who were convicted of alcohol-impaired driving from operating their vehicles if they have been drinking. Interlocks are effective in reducing re-arrest rates from drinking and driving by about two-thirds while the device is on the vehicle.
For more information about drinking and driving and overall motor vehicle safety, please visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety and www.cdc.gov/injury. In addition, a policy issue brief, Policy Impact: Alcohol-Impaired Driving, features more information on state policies to prevent alcohol-impaired driving. For a copy of the data brief, visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/alcoholbrief.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .