How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It's once again time to “spring ahead.”
Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 13, at which time it will once again be time to set clocks forward one hour.
While stopping to adjust the clocks, state fire officials urge that it's also a good time to change smoke detector batteries.
Smoke alarms are such a common feature in homes across California that it is easy to take them for granted. Tragically, nearly two-thirds of residential fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms.
To help reduce these losses, Cal Fire and the Office of the State Fire Marshal are reminding all Californians to change the batteries in their smoke alarms when turning ahead the clock this Saturday night in observance of Daylight Saving Time.
When smoke alarms fail to operate, it is usually because batteries are missing, disconnected or dead.
“Working smoke alarms greatly reduce the likelihood of residential fire-related fatalities by providing an early audible warning, alerting occupants and giving them an opportunity to safely escape,” said acting State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover.
That’s critical because 85 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home, and the majority occur at night when most people are sleeping.
“Smoke alarms unquestionably help save lives, but a smoke alarm is nothing without a working battery inside of it” said Chief Ken Pimlott, acting director of Cal Fire. “Just a few minutes twice a year to change that battery can truly mean the difference between life and death.”
Cal Fire offers the following tips on smoke alarms:
Test smoke alarms once a month.
Replace batteries in all smoke alarms twice a year.
Don’t “borrow” or remove batteries from smoke alarms even temporarily.
Regularly vacuum or dust smoke alarms to keep them working properly.
Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
Don’t paint over smoke alarms.
Practice family fire drills so everyone knows what to do if the smoke alarm goes off.
Find more information visit the Cal Fire at www.fire.ca.gov.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A California Highway Patrol program aims to get teenagers off to a safe start as drivers.
Striving to keep teens safe on the road, the CHP continues to educate young drivers throughout the state with the federal grant-funded “Start Smart” program.
The overall goal of this program is to reduce the number of people killed and injured on the state’s roadways through education.
Nationwide, car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers.
California is not immune to this disturbing trend; In 2008 more than 24,000 drivers between 15 to 19 years of age were involved in fatal and injury collisions in this state.
“New drivers lack the experience that is needed on the road,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Through interactive education programs like ‘Start Smart,’ law enforcement is working to influence California’s teen drivers so they will make good choices behind the wheel.”
The CHP’s “Start Smart” program is a free, two-hour interactive driver safety class for teens and their parents or guardians.
During the course, officers and speakers illustrate the critical responsibilities of driving and collision avoidance techniques.
Parents also are reminded of their responsibility to help teach their new driver and model good behavior.
According to the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, within the CHP’s jurisdiction, from 2006 through 2008, there were 34,086 fatal and injury collisions involving at least one driver between the ages of 15 and 19.
These collisions resulted in 895 motorists’ deaths and 53,121 people injured, the CHP reported.
Statewide statistics show that 88,270 fatal and injury collisions occurred involving at least one teen driver, resulting in 1,488 people killed and 137,307 victims injured.
“It’s important to remember, accidents do happen, but collisions are preventable,” said Commissioner Farrow. “Poor choices behind the wheel of a vehicle can affect the lives of numerous people.”
Parents and teenagers can sign up for a “Start Smart” class by contacting their local CHP office. For the number of a nearby office, go to www.chp.ca.gov.
This program is supported by a grant awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety Administration through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
Defense officials are shaking their heads in disbelief as congressional leaders continue to delay passing a wartime defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2011, which began last October.
With the military spending bill now more than five months overdue, lawmakers Wednesday passed a new stopgap “continuing resolution,” this “CR” to last two weeks, so Defense and other federal departments can continue at least to spend at last year’s budget level.
But the CR doesn’t account for inflation on so many things the military buys including medical care, fuel and supplies, as well as thousands of service and manufacturing contracts. This has left the services scrambling to close funding gaps in critical accounts, including for personnel and health care, by moving money from elsewhere in their budgets.
The result is billions of defense contracting dollars wasted and force readiness falling, Defense officials warned this week in testimony before the Senate and House defense appropriation subcommittees.
“We’ve been holding our breath so long that we are starting to turn blue,” Under Secretary of Defense Robert F. Hale, the comptroller and chief financial officer, bluntly told senators.
Hale and Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III described how budget delays have raised defense costs by creating enormous inefficiencies. These threaten to offset the effect of efficiency initiatives Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a task force painstakingly identified over the last year.
“This undercuts that greatly,” Lynn said.
Under a CR, the services can’t get full funding of “must-pay” bills such as for pay raises and health care. Monies then must be moved from other accounts, affecting readiness and modernization goals.
The services so far have suspended 75 construction projects. Army and Marine Corps have imposed temporary civilian hiring freezes.
Navy cut the length of advance notice given sailors and families to prepare for change-of-station moves, from six months to two. It also delayed contracting for a second Virginia-class submarine this year and delayed buying equipment for a DDG-51 destroyer.
Army has deferred the purchase of Chinook helicopters, the refurbishing of war-torn Humvees and has issued a temporary stop-work order on its Stryker Mobile Gun System.
“These are costly actions that we will want to reverse,” Hale said, but that will not be done “at the same price.”
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), defense subcommittee chairman, acknowledged the myriad of problems that a divided Congress has created.
“The readiness of our forces is beginning to be threatened as flying hours and streaming days are reduced, exercises and training events are canceled, equipment is foregoing much needed maintenance,” he said.
Republicans and Democrats continued to play politics with the defense money bill even after the new Congress convened. The House passed its 2011 defense appropriations bill but tied it to controversial deficit-reduction CR. Senate Democrats rejected it, saying that the CR language would decimate many domestic programs on which a recovering economy relies.
Inouye expects that another short CR might have to be passed when the two-week CR expires in mid-March. By April, lawmakers hope to be able to pass a CR that would last through Sept. 30, but with a full 2011 defense appropriations bill attached.
Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chief, led the chorus of defense officials this week in warning of more dire consequences if a CR is allowed to freeze defense spending through all of 2011. In effect, that would cut $23 billion arbitrarily from the defense budget request that President Obama submitted back in February 2010.
But the most urgent unfinished business, Gates told the House subcommittee, is inaction on a $1.2 billion reprogramming request for troops fighting in Afghanistan.
The money would buy fixed-base sensors to enhance intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities, which Army Gen. David Petraeus, allied forces commander in Afghanistan, says are needed immediately “to better protect our forward-operating bases,” Gates said.
“As of last week, all congressional committees except this one approved the request," Gates said. He pointedly warned the panel not to jeopardize troops “to protect specific programs or contractors.”
Mullen complained that leaving the department under a CR for all of fiscal 2011 “would deprive us of the flexibility we need to support our troops and their families.” Some programs “may take years to recover,” he said.
Operating under a CR since October already “has caused regrettable complications,” Lynn told senators. A year-long CR would impact fighting forces even more directly “and their readiness to defend the nation.”
Hale predicted “brutal reprogramming actions” to move up to $2.5 billion into personnel accounts to ensure everyone gets paid. Another $1.3 billion would have to be shifted to close a money gap for military health care.
Expect “horrible management consequences … many too difficult to notice from here in Washington,” Lynn said. Program managers will delay contracts, and then “hastily make up for that by contracting too quickly without appropriate safeguards.”
Others “will resort to short-term contracts that add expense for the taxpayer and instability for the industrial base.”
If the CR remains in effect, Air Force predicts a 10 percent cut in flying hours and lowering the buy of Reaper unmanned aircraft to 24 this year from the 36 planned. Navy would cut flight hours, ship steaming days and training exercises. All services would defer maintenance of equipment.
Army would have to cut depot maintenance by $200 million, lowering readiness rates for Blackhawk and Kiowa helicopters. Navy would cancel maintenance availability periods for as many as 29 surface ships.
“The good news,” Hale said, “is that the troops are paying attention to their jobs and letting us worry about this, which is what they should do.”
To comment, send e-mail to
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The South Lake County Fire Protection District got a piece of good news this week when it was informed that it had won a large federal grant that will enable it to hire more firefighters.
On Thursday Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) announced that the district will receive $724,909 in grant funding to help hire firefighters.
“We just found out about it yesterday so we're all excited,” district Assistant Chief Jim Wright said Thursday, adding, “It was really good news.”
The funds are provided through the Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, Thompson said.
“The economic downturn has created significant burdens for fire departments in Northern California and across the country,” said Thompson. “Many communities have had no choice but to lay off firefighters and other emergency personnel, despite the threat to public safety. The generous funding provided through the SAFER program will not only improve the South Lake County Fire Protection District’s ability to respond to fire hazards, but also improve our community’s overall level of preparedness.”
Wright thanked Thompson for his efforts in helping to secure the grant funds.
Wright credited district battalion chiefs Rich Boehm and Scott Upton for putting together the grant application.
Thompson's office reported that, nationwide, the SAFER program provides approximately $420 million in competitive grants to fire departments and volunteer firefighter support groups.
The objective of the program is to help these departments increase the number of trained, frontline firefighters available in their communities, according to Thompson's office. Grant funds may be used to recruit and retain new firefighters, or to rehire firefighters who were laid-off due to the economy.
Wright said the district will use the grant to hire three additional firefighters.
He said that the grant will cover the wages for the firefighters for the first two years. In the third year the district will be responsible for those salaries.
“That's part of the deal, we have to keep them on for that third year,” he said.
South Lake County Fire Protection District contracts with Cal Fire to provide fire protection, Wright explained.
They currently have a staff of 10 firefighters, said Wright.
The district is the third largest, based on land size, in California, at 286 square miles, according to the South Lake Fire Safe Council.
Two firefighters at a time – one medic and one engineer – staff the district's two stations, Wright said.
With the amount of staff they have, Wright said they're constantly running into overtime issues.
“It will reduce our overtime costs greatly,” he said.
Wright said they will go through a regular hiring process to add the new firefighters.
“There's plenty of people waiting in the wings because Cal Fire's been cut back,” he said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area Office reported Thursday that it has received a grant that it will use to address growing numbers of fatal motorcycle- and alcohol-involved crashes.
The CHP reported that last year fewer people in California were killed as a result of driving under the influence (DUI) or a motorcycle collision than in 2008.
However, while the news is encouraging, the agency said there is still more work to be done both statewide and locally.
Whether collisions or victims, motorcycle or alcohol-involved, Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System figures between 2001 and 2008 reflect a troubling upward trend in fatal and injury (reportable) crashes, according to CHP.
During this seven-year time span, reportable motorcycle-involved collisions in Lake County were up 144 percent, while reportable alcohol-involved crashes increased 13 percent.
“Operating a motorcycle or driving a vehicle while impaired can have deadly consequences,” said CHP Lt. Mark Loveless, commander of the Clear Lake Area office.
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.
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, the CHP said.
To address the issue, CHP’s Clear Lake Area officers will implement a yearlong “Five Alive” grant-funded enforcement program focusing on motorcyclists and impaired drivers.
“Enhanced enforcement efforts directed at motorcyclists and impaired drivers, coupled with an aggressive public education and awareness program, should help reduce the number of fatal and injury collisions,” said Lt. Loveless.
In addition, the “Five Alive” program includes collaboration with other local law enforcement agencies to incorporate ongoing anti-DUI endeavors.
These endeavors include weekend patrols, air support, and warrant service operations targeting drivers with multiple DUI offenses, the CHP reported.
The agency said a public education and awareness campaign will also be conducted over the next 12 months.
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 , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported Thursday that the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force made two arrests, and seized currency and suspected methamphetamine during operations the previous day.
On March 8, task force detectives secured a search warrant for the person and home of 45-year-old Arturo Olloqui Guardado of Lakeport, according to a report from Capt. James Bauman.
On March 9, at approximately 1 p.m., detectives served the warrant at Guardado’s home on Lakeshore Boulevard. Bauman said agents with the Department of Homeland Security assisted with the warrant service as Guardado had several prior deportations due to past felony convictions. Guardado was detained without incident.
Bauman said Gracie, the sheriff’s narcotics detection K-9, was deployed in the home and the dog alerted to several areas. A subsequent search of those areas by detectives produced approximately 9.5 grams of suspected methamphetamine packaged for sales and items of narcotics paraphernalia, including hypodermic needles.
He said detectives also located some live ammunition in the home and seized currency from Guardado for asset forfeiture.
Guardado was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of the hypodermic needles, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and being a felon in possession of live ammunition. Bauman said he was booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility with an immigration hold due to his undocumented status.
While detectives were serving the search warrant on Guardado, they contacted 26-year-old Brandon Lee Mitchell of Lakeport who resides nearby. Bauman said detectives knew Mitchell had an active $5,0000 bench warrant for his arrest. He was also taken into custody and booked at the correctional facility.
Anyone with information that can assist the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force with its efforts to eradicate narcotics and seize suspected profits from narcotics sales for asset forfeiture is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews