How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that the search is for the suspect in the Aug. 27 shooting of a Fort Bragg councilman is continuing in the forst near the coastal town.
Capt. Kurt Smallcomb said the effort is continuing in an effort to apprehend 35-year-old Aaron James Bassler of Fort Bragg.
Bassler is alleged to have fatally shot 69-year-old Jere Melo last weekend as Melo was on private timber property he managed, sheriff's officials reported.
Smallcomb said the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office is working with Fort Bragg Police, Cal Fire, Willits Police, California Highway Patrol, Fish and Game, Ukiah Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Guard, with support from by the California Department of Justice and the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office.
Law enforcement is conducting ground and aerial searches in an attempt to locate Bassler and obtain evidence in the case, Smallcomb said.
He said the ground search efforts are focused from the northern coast to the east toward Willits. Officials also are responding to possible sightings reported by the public.
Efforts will continue until the suspect is apprehended by law enforcement, Smallcomb said.
Cal Fire this week also closed the Jackson State Demonstration Forest out of concerns for public safety as the search takes place, as Lake County News has reported.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office thanked residents and local companies – including the Skunk Train personnel – who are supporting law enforcement's efforts to safely apprehend Bassler.
Smallcomb said all residents in the Fort Bragg area should remain vigilant and conscious of their surroundings.
Bassler is armed and dangerous, law enforcement officials reported.
He is described as a white male, 6 feet tall and weighing 160 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.
Anyone with information as to Bassler's whereabouts are encouraged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office at 707-463-4086 or 707-961-2479.
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 number of dead and dying abalone is not known but reports have come from Bodega Bay, Russian Gulch, Fort Ross, Timber Cove and Salt Point State Park, beginning on Aug. 27.
State Fish and Game biologists and game wardens have collected abalone, mussels and water samples and are continuing to document reports from the public.
According to Fish and Game biologists, these abalone deaths coincided with a local red tide bloom – or phytoplankton bloom – and calm ocean conditions.
Although the exact reasons for the abalone deaths are not known, invertebrate die-offs have occurred in the past along the Northern California coast when similar weather and bloom conditions existed.
Biologists are not attributing the deaths to withering syndrome, an abalone disease, since the abalone are not withered and other invertebrates have been affected. Withering syndrome has been known to cause abalone mortality in the past in central and Southern California.
The abalone fishery remains open at this time. Abalone divers and pickers are reminded that they must adhere to all licensing requirements and bag limits, which can be found online at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/mapregs3.asp#abalone_open.
There is a daily limit of three abalone and a yearly limit of 24 abalone, along with season restrictions and area closures as well as other regulations for recreational abalone fishing in Northern California.
Abalone fishermen are advised to contact a physician immediately if they feel sick, and to report symptoms to the local county health department (www.sonoma-county.org/health/about/publichealth.asp).
The public is encouraged to report the location, number and date of dead or dying abalone to Ian Taniguchi at 562-342-7182 or by e-mail at
The latest red tide updates from the California Department of Public Health are also posted online at www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/DDWEM.aspx.
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.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The home of the Lake County was filled with activity on Wednesday as the final preparations for the opening of the event were under way.
The Ferris wheel towered over the midway as other carnival rides were assembled. Nearby exhibit halls were filling with arts, crafts, flowers, baked goods, photography and other items created by local residents. Vendors were putting up booths to line the fair's main pathways.
In the livestock buildings, 4-H and FFA members were tending to their livestock in preparation for shows and the weekend Junior Livestock Auction.
“We're looking forward to a great year,” said Lake County Fair Chief Executive Officer Richard Persons, who was busy overseeing the final preparations. “The weather is going to be fantastic.”
The fair, which runs from Thursday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Sept. 4, averages an estimated 40,000 annual visitors, according to Persons.
He said the first Lake County Fair was held in 1880. However, the events weren't held annually until the fair moved to the current fairgrounds at 401 Martin St. in 1948.
The kickoff to the fair takes place on Thursday evening, with the annual Lake County Fair Parade.
Starting at 5:30 p.m., the parade will make its way from Natural High School on N. Main Street, traveling south until it reaches Martin Street, and then traveling to the fair's main gate, where the opening ribbon cutting ceremony will take place. Everyone who enters the parade with a float will receive free entry to the fair.
This year's fair parade grand marshal is Ginny Craven, founder of Operation Tango Mike, a group which over the past several years has sent thousands of care packages to members of the military stationed overseas.
Fair organizers hope to bring this year's theme – “Make Some Magic!” – to another large audience, and so far indications are that it should be a strong year for attendance.
Persons said presale ticket sales – which ended on Wednesday – have been brisk. A steady stream of visitors were making their way into the fair office Wednesday afternoon to pick up tickets ahead of the fair in order to beat what are expected to be long lines.
Also up “by quite a bit” this year are commercial spaces, said Persons, and the number of animals entered in the livestock division also has grown. So far spaces in the exhibit halls for fair contest entries appear to be on par with previous years.
Tatonka Land will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday.
Owners Bunnie Carter and Robert Coker have spent months restoring the golf course to its original glory.
Over the past several years, the course had been vandalized and all the statues either stolen or destroyed. They were able to locate and restore a few of the original statues.
One of the statues they were able to track down was a polar bear that had been seen lying next to the course for years before it suddenly disappeared.
Thanks to the efforts of Russ Jonas of Jonas Oil the bear was rescued and found a new home with Craig Scovel of Highlands Alarm. When the word went out there were new owners Scovel returned the bear, which now wears a name tag that says “Craig.”
Carter and Coker opened Tatonka Trading in January 2009.
“It has always been my dream to restore the golf course,” said Carter. “I have invested my retirement money into the future of Clearlake and I feel this town is going to come back in full force for the community to have a place to be proud of.”
She added, “I remember while growing up here, the resorts were full with people and there were always people walking down the street laughing and having a good time. I felt the community needed a safe place for our kids to hang out and stay out of trouble, so we opened Tatonka Land.”
In addition to the 18-hole miniature golf course, guests will be able to have rides on Zippy Pets, which are battery operated, ride-on animals able to hold up to 300 pounds. Kids can ride them on their own or with their parent.
Tatonka Land is keeping it affordable for all families. Five dollars will get you an 18 hole round of golf or a ride on one of the Zippy Pets. Special prices are available for birthday parties, office parties, family reunions, etc.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The sentencing of a Clearlake man convicted this spring of five felony counts related to the alleged molestation of his stepdaughter has been delayed in the wake of his hiring a new attorney and possibly seeking a new trial.
In May a jury found Christopher Adam Sanders, 30, guilty of committing a lewd act with a child, two counts of lewd act with a child by duress, continuous sexual abuse of a child and statutory rape, as Lake County News has reported.
According to the evidence presented against Sanders, he was alleged to have begun sexually assaulting his stepdaughter in the summer of 2005, when she was 11 years old.
The molestation allegedly continued for three years, ending in December 2008. Sanders was arrested the following month, the District Attorney's Office reported.
Sanders, who the District Attorney's Office said was facing up to 35 years in prison for the convictions, was due to be sentenced on July 1, which then was delayed until Aug. 16. However, that date, too, was canceled.
Prosecutor Ed Borg said the delays resulted from Sanders dismissing his attorney, Chris Andrian of Santa Rosa, and hiring Lakeport attorney Mitch Hauptman to look at seeking a new trial under Penal Code section 1181.
That penal code section allows a new trial request based on several factors, among them several kinds of juror misconduct, including the jury reaching a verdict contrary to law or evidence, unfair deliberations and the jury receiving evidence out of court, as well as the discovery of new evidence and errors by the trial court.
Borg said a motion for a new trial is not common, although he wouldn't necessarily call it unusual, as there exists the statutory right for a defendant to make such a motion. He added that it could take Hauptman some time – several weeks – to weigh such an option.
Hauptman confirmed to Lake County News on Wednesday that he had been hired by Sanders, and that he was considering filing a motion on Sanders' behalf seeking a new trial.
Borg had said the case's next court date is Sept. 13, at which time the court would choose either a date to deal with a new trial motion or set a new sentencing date, but Hauptman said Wednesday that at this point he wasn't sure what might be up for consideration on that date.
Sanders remains in the Lake County Jail.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
Michael J. Trevors, 28, in addition was placed on three years probation by Superior Court Judge Clay Brennan.
Trevors also entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge related to the case during his court appearance on Monday, Aug. 29, according to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office.
Trevors' sentencing followed that of co-defendant, Qiong Wang, who earlier this year entered a no contest plea to the same two charges.
Wang was sentenced on April 18 to the same terms as Trevors, with the exception that Wang was ordered to serve a full 365 days – known as a “bullet” – in the Mendocino County jail, the District Attorney's Office reported.
Prosecutor Tim Stoen said that in February of this year Trevors drove Wang from the Bay Area to Van Damme State Park on the Mendocino Coast.
Trevors then helped unload dive equipment, changed into dive gear, and maneuvered a kayak for Wang to dive from. With Trevors assisting from atop the water, Wang then poached 55 abalone on that day. The legal limit is three per day.
Trevors after his arrest contended that Wang asked him for a ride and that Wang had misled Trevors as to what could happen if they got caught. Trevors also attempted to downplay his involvement by arguing that he himself had not personally taken from the water any of the abalone.
Stoen said while Trevors was indeed less culpable that Wang, he was nevertheless guilty of aiding and abetting the crimes.
The case was initially investigated by the Special Operations Unit of the state Department of Fish and Game, Department investigators were aware of a prior offense by Wang and started surveillance on Wang's Bay Area residence. Wardens tracked the two suspects on the day they drove to Van Damme State Park, and witnessed the illegal poaching.
Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster said fish and game wardens did “a terrific job investigating this case and in bringing both Wang and Trevors to justice. I appreciate the long hours and hard work of all the wardens, as well as the continuing diligence of Deputy DA Stoen to protect our local natural resources.”
Trevors is to surrender to serve his jail time on Oct.11. Wang is currently serving his jail time in the Mendocino County Jail.
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.
Education
Health
Business
Obituaries
Veterans
Recreation
Religion
Arts & Life
Government & Politics