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NICE, Calif. – A driver fled the scene Saturday night after driving their vehicle into a power pole in Nice.

The crash occurred at around 11 p.m. Saturday on Floyd Way, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A Dodge Neon went into the power pole and sheared it in half before the driver got out and left the scene, according to initial reports. No injuries were reported by the CHP.

Reports from the scene indicated a sheriff's deputy who first arrived on the scene didn't see the downed power lines and got her patrol car's light bar snagged on them. The deputy was not harmed and the car later was untangled from the lines, which weren't powered.

The CHP said the entire block was out of power because of the crash.

Northshore Fire and the sheriff's office arrived to help stabilize the scene by blocking off Floyd Way to keep the public out of the area, the CHP said.

 

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Registrar of Voters is planning to begin counting absentee ballots this week and also will hold an equipment test that will be open to the public.

Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley said her office will begin processing vote by mail ballots for the Nov. 2 General Election, on Monday, Oct. 18, at 8 a.m.

The processing of the vote by mail voter ballots will continue through Election Day as well as during the official canvass, she said.

The counting of the official ballots will commence on Tuesday, Nov. 2, in the Registrar of Voters Office, Room 209 in the Lake County Courthouse at 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport. However, Fridley said results will not be announced until after the close of the polls at 8 p.m.

The official canvass will commence on Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 9 a.m. and will continue daily – excluding weekends and holidays – until completed, Fridley reported.

Observers are invited to view the processing and counting of the ballots, but Fridley said they shall not interfere with the election process.

The test of the tabulation computer and software equipment to be used in the Nov. 2 general election will take place at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, Fridley said.

Fridley said the logic and accuracy test is required by regulations set forth by the California State Commission on Voting Machines and Vote Tabulating Devices.

Fridley said all interested persons are invited to observe the test.

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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – In a tightly fought battle, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves narrowly defeated the Lower Lake Trojans football team 49-42 in Lower Lake Friday night.

It was a seesaw offensive battle Fort Bragg head coach Jack Moyer called a “tit-for-tat back and forth game.”

After the Timberwolves lost the ball on downs on their opening possession, the Trojans drove 66 yards in 10 plays to score first, capped by a two-yard dash into the Fort Bragg end zone by quarterback Devante Scott.

Fort Bragg’s Cody Ryden ran the ensuing Trojan kickoff 53 yards downfield to Lower Lake’s 37-yard line, and nine plays later caught a Brandon Freitas pass from the three-yard line for their first score of the night. The extra point by Eric Herrejon put the Timberwolves ahead 7-6.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lower Lake answered with a nine-play, 74-yard drive of their own, scoring their second touchdown of the night when runningback Jack O’Hara carried the ball 9 yards into the Timberwolves’ endzone to reclaim the lead for the Trojans 12-7.

But the Wolves need just one play – a 70-yard pass from Freitas to Ryden – to take back the lead 14-12.

“They were able to score at will on us,” Lower Lake Head Coach Stan Weiper said after the game.

When the Trojans fumbled the ball deep in their own territory and Fort Bragg recovered, the Timberwolves took advantage of the turnover, scoring on a nine-yard Freitas pass to Michael Mehtlan for their third touchdown of the night, bringing the score to 21-12.

Lower Lake answered with a touchdown of their own, and when Alphonza Daniels made the two-point conversion, the Trojans trailed by only one, 21-20.

“They came right after us,” Timberwolves head coach Moyer said after the game. “They scared me is what they did.”

But Fort Bragg scored once more in the first half on a 16-yard Freitas pass to wide receiver Alfredo Huerta, and when Eric Herrejon made his fourth extra point of the night, the Wolves went ahead 28-20.

Lower Lake tried to score again, but with just 4 seconds left in the second quarter and down to their last play, quarterback Devante Scott was stopped on a four-yard run just inches from the goal line.

“That was a critical play,” Weiper said. “I had the wrong personnel in the game, and we just didn’t get a good play call.”

When the Trojans fumbled on their opening possession of the second half, the Timberwolves recovered and scored on another Freitas-to-Ryden pass, this one for 20 yards, increasing Fort Bragg’s lead to 35-20.

But running back Roy Percoats had a 51-yard touchdown carry for Lower Lake on their next possession, and that narrowed the score to 35-26.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wolves answered with their own 50-plus yard touchdown run by Caleb Cunha, and Fort Bragg increased their lead 42-26.

“I’ll be rolling in my sleep tonight on a couple of those plays,” Weiper said after the game, noting his team made “a couple of key mistakes.”

When Lower Lake’s Roy Percoats took the ensuing Timberwolve kickoff 70 yards downfield, the Trojans benefited from a facemask penalty against Fort Bragg, and O’Hara scored his second touchdown of the night on a 3-yard run. After O’Hara made the 2-point conversion, the score stood at 42-34.

“We knew they were good, and they had a lot of speed,” Timberwolves coach Moyer said. “They’ve got so many guys that have good team speed, it’s really hard to cover them.”

Lower Lake forced the Timberwolves to punt on their next possession, but fumbled the ball deep in their territory, and Freitas threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night, bringing the score to 49-34.

The Trojans fought back with their longest drive of the night, using 11 plays to charge 62 yards downfield for another touchdown. After a successful 2-point conversion, Lower Lake was in striking distance, down by 49-42.

Fort Bragg threatened to score once more, but Freitas relinquished his only interception of the game when Lower Lake defensive back Alphonza Daniels made a spectacular, acrobatic catch on the Trojans’ one-yard line.

“He’ll catch impossible catches,” Weiper said of his defensive back.

With less than four minutes left in the game, Lower Lake tried to drive downfield again, but Ryden intercepted a Hail Mary pass by the Trojans, and Fort Bragg ran out the clock.

“We played real well on offense, and not so well on defense,” Moyer said after the game. “It’s hard getting these road wins.”

Fort Bragg runningback Caleb Cunha carried the ball 18 times for 142 yards, and quarterback Brandon Freitas completed 13 out of 18 passes for a total of 257 yards.

“The kids played hard,” Weiper noted about the Trojans (now 4-2 overall, 0-1 in league play) adding, “We just ran out of time.”

Lower Lake’s JV team also fought a close match Friday night, but they prevailed over the JV Timberwolves by a score of 8-0.

Lower Lake travels to Kelseyville (5-1 overall, 1-0 in league play) next Friday night to take on the Knights, while the Timberwolves (6-0 overall, 1-0 in league play) host Middletown (5-1 overall, 0-0 in league play) in Fort Bragg.

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GLENHAVEN, Calif. – A man and his dog escaped injury on Saturday when the vehicle in which they were traveling rolled over along Highway 20.

The California reported that the single-vehicle incident occurred just west of Glenhaven shortly before 1:30 p.m.

A man, whose name was not available from officials on Saturday, was traveling westbound on Highway 20 with his dog in his late model Honda Ridgeline SUV when the vehicle rolled over. It was not immediately clear why the vehicle rolled.

The vehicle, which was heading westbound, ended up back on its wheels and the driver and his dog were able to get out, officials reported. Man and canine were said to be uninjured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cal Fire responded with two engines and arrived on scene first, remaining on scene to direct traffic and assisting with removing debris from the roadway.

Two CHP units were on scene along with Northshore Fire, which sent one medic unit each from Lucerne and Clearlake Oaks and one battalion chief. Other units were canceled while en route due to the collision being noninjury.

Gary McAuley contributed to this report.

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On Sept. 24, 2010, a tragic crash took the life of one of Lake County’s most beloved citizens.

Zino Mezoui was a restaurateur, an avid supporter of local agriculture, and one of the warmest people on the planet. He also made a mean eggplant parmigiana.

Mezoui (pronounced mez-WEE) was known as Zino to virtually everyone. He preferred hugs to handshakes, treated new acquaintances like old friends, and dispensed his trademark smile generously, without reservation.

Nearly 500 people attended his recent memorial service on Oct. 9, a testament to the number of hearts he touched throughout his life.

It was hard to encounter Zino without being affected by his warmth and charm.

Congressman Mike Thompson, who’s known Mezoui since the late 1980s, said that Mezoui made him feel as though he’d known him all his life at their first meeting.

“Since that time, whenever I’ve seen him, Zino made me feel like the most special person in the world,” Thompson said. “I’ve enjoyed many meals in his restaurant.”

Alison Mannweiler, also a regular customer at Mezoui’s restaurant, recalls his kindness to her after her husband passed away, assuring her she would find love again. Another fond memory is his patience in speaking French slowly and animatedly with her daughter, a novice speaker.

One evening Mannweiler took her parents to Zino’s Ristorante for a special occasion and was stymied about a wine selection.

She recalled, “He recommended the perfect wine and did it in a way that made me look smart. I will miss him and his hospitality for the rest of my life.”

As will we all.

Born in Algiers of French parents, Mezoui inherited a rich culinary tradition from his father and grandfather, both restaurateurs and chefs.

He learned cooking skills at a very young age in the family restaurant kitchen from both his parents and continued to hone those skills throughout his life, both as a chef and restaurant owner.

 

 

 

 

 

Though his first learned cuisine was French, he taught himself to cook Italian food later in his career.

Prior to moving to Lake County, Mezoui owned Zino’s, a restaurant on the plaza in Sonoma, which he ran for 22 years. As he is here, he was known in Sonoma for his warmth and charm. The city rewarded him in 2002 with a “Zino Mezoui Day” and gave him the designation of Sonoma’s friendliest restaurant owner.

Mezoui and wife, Jan, purchased Zino’s Ristorante and Inn on the shores of Clear Lake in 2007 after having been out of the restaurant business for about six years. They had looked at other Lake County sites, but none seemed right until they found the current locale on Soda Bay Road.

Jan recalls the exact moment. “We entered the room and when we saw the view, we put our arms around each other and said, ‘This is it!’”

What ensued was a complete overhaul of the kitchen and a marathon redecorating project, resulting in a dining room with spectacular views of Clear Lake and old world European charm.

Among other things, Mezoui will be remembered for his support of local agriculture.

He was committed to serving locally grown produce in his restaurant and Leonardis Organics of Kelseyville was his purveyor of choice.

Owner Jim Leonardis recalled Mezoui’s desire to have him bring “whatever you’ve got” and his willingness to fashion his menu around what was in season on the farm.

Leonardis, who described Mezoui as “enormously warm,” developed an almost immediate bond with him and characterized their relationship as a deep friendship, rather than a business arrangement.

“Zino was one of the most wonderful people I’ve had the joy to be with,” said Leonardis.

Mezoui’s widow, Jan, will continue the tradition of utilizing local produce in the kitchen.

I enjoyed a tomato bisque soup made with locally grown basil and heirloom tomatoes while my husband and I dined there on a recent evening. Our table was near a window, a perfect place to enjoy a peaceful view of glassy Clear Lake and the changing light on the hills at the lake’s far edge.

In view was a dock extending into the water for those who arrive at the restaurant by boat.

Jan is a warm and gracious host and will continue the Mezoui family tradition of greeting customers with hugs as she carries on Zino’s dream as a restaurateur.

Zino’s Ristorante is open five evenings a week for dinner, from Thursday through Monday.

Their chef, Daniel, trained by Zino, has been with them since the beginning and will continue to make such specialties as bruschetta with Brie, roasted garlic and heirloom tomatoes; all manner of pasta; fresh fish in season; peppercorn steak with mushrooms and Zinfandel; and, of course, eggplant parmigiana.

Esther Oertel, the "Veggie Girl," is a personal chef and culinary coach and is passionate about local produce. Oertel owns The SageCoach Personal Chef Service and teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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