How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
GLENN COUNTY – A Glenn County Road was shut down for several hours Monday evening as officials there dealt with a pipe bomb.
County Road 48, between County Roads P and 47 near Willows, was closed for approximately four hours and the few residents in the area were asked to remain in their homes,as a pipe bomb was discovered on the south side of Road 48, Sheriff Larry Jones reported Tuesday.
Just after 7 p.m. Monday 23-year-old Hamilton City resident Trevor Dietle discovered what he felt to be a pipe bomb atop a metal gate post on the south side of County Road 48 north of Willows, according to Jones, who arrived on scene minute later.
The device, a piece of galvanized pipe, was approximately 6 to 7 inches in length with PVC type end caps, Jones said.
It appeared that a hole had been drilled in the center of the length of pipe and a fuse inserted. Jones said it looked like the fuse had been ignited, however, had it had not burned completely.
Jones ordered the immediate clearing of the area and requested the California Highway Patrol close Road 48 at Roads P and 47. Four fishermen, including two children, were instructed to leave the area.
A command post was established at the intersection of Roads 48 and 47, west of the device. Jones said Glenn County Public Works was asked to respond with road closure signs.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office interagency bomb squad was requested to respond, and Jones said members of the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue were called out to relieve the CHP at the traffic control points.
Just after 9:30 p.m. the four-man Butte County team arrived at the command post and were briefed on the situation. Jones said the team consisted of two Chico Police Department members and two members of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Rob Sheridan of Chico Police was the team leader.
After an assessment of the device it was rendered inert at 10:17 p.m., Jones said.
One of the PVC type end caps, which had been blown from the piece of pipe still contained granules of black powder, which confirmed the explosive element of the pipe bomb was black powder. Jones called it “a very lethal device.”
The scene was processed and Jones said a followup investigation will be conducted. County Road 48 was re-opened at 11:13 p.m. Monday.
Anyone with information regarding the pipe bomb is asked to call the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office at 707-934-6431.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
LUCERNE – A trailer was destroyed during a late-night fire that may have been caused by smoking.
The fire was reported at about 11:40 p.m. Monday in space No. 59 at the Country Club Mobile Home Park, 3630 Country Club Drive.
Initial reports from the scene indicated that numerous 911 calls had been made to report explosions, thought to be from propane tanks.
Thick, throat- and eye-stinging smoke hung in the air throughout the park, extending a few blocks down Country Club Drive.
Four Lake County Sheriff's units oversaw the scene and the entrance to the park in order to keep people out of harm's way and allow firefighters to access the trailer.
The singlewide structure quickly burned into a twisted metal wreck, with some charred, rib-like wooden studs still left standing. Also destroyed was a small storage building situated behind the trailer.
Homes on either side were not damaged, said Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown.
Smoke continued to billow out of a front window as firefighters doused the trailer and continued mop up operations until early in the morning.
At the scene there were reports of a water main break, which was being attended to by Cal Water.
Brown said he believed the fire may have been caused by the trailer's resident smoking.
The man was safely evacuated and transported to an area hospital, Brown said.
As firefighters were working on the trailer, neighbors in the space next door were allowed to go in and remove some clothes and other belongings. A man walked out with two small dogs under each arm.
In all, four Northshore Fire engines, three medic units, and Brown and another battalion chief responded, along with two Cal Fire engines, Brown said.
Because the trailer park backs up to an undeveloped area that leads into wildlands with high fire potential, Brown said he initially asked for more fire resources, which later were canceled.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY – Five nonprofit organizations, five high schools, five senior centers and two health programs have been selected as beneficiaries of this year’s Lake County Wine Auction.
The event is put on by the Wine Alliance, a nonprofit organization of wineries, winegrape growers, vineyard owners, related businesses and community supporters.
The Wine Alliance, founded in 2000, has contributed more than $771,000 to foster the arts, benefit health services, and support the community while promoting Lake County as a premier growing region for fine wine grapes.
An all-volunteer board of directors and an auction committee plan and direct the annual charity event.
The year’s Wine Auction, the 11th annual, will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, at Ceago Vinegarden, between Nice and Lucerne.
Many organizations, agencies and programs submitted their funding requests to the Wine Alliance, demonstrating the number of programs in Lake County seeking financial assistance.
The recipient organizations will use their grants for the following projects.
The Arts: The fine arts programs at each of the five high schools in Lake County (Clear Lake High, Kelseyville High, Lower Lake High, Middletown High, and Upper Lake High) will share the funds in this category.
Health: Funds in this category will be shared equally by the Hilltop Recovery program, the St. Helena Hospital Clearlake Emergency Department and the Lake County Children’s Dental Disease Prevention Program.
Community: The Lake County Channel Cats will receive $1,500 and Operation Tango Mike will receive $3,500. The remaining funds in this category will be shared by the Lake County Community Action Agency for its Safe House, the Friends of the Lake County Library and the five senior centers that provide Meals on Wheels and nutrition programs.
Each of the beneficiary organizations will have a display at the Wine Auction, describing their programs and services, and encouraging additional support and participation by attendees.
Additional funds to be donated to the beneficiaries will be raised through the sale of limited edition fine arts posters reproduced from an original painting by John R. Clarke of Lake County.
Clarke has once again painted a signature work of art, using his unique style of watercolor-on-silk, to depict a view of the host venue.
The original painting, entitled “Beautiful Lake County – Ceago Vinegarden,” is on display at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro in Kelseyville and will be among the special items up for bid during the live auction portion of the gala event.
The posters sell for $20 each and are available for purchase at the tasting rooms of Steele Wines and Wildhurst Vineyards in Kelseyville, and Ceago Vinegarden and Tulip Hill Winery in Nice.
Additional locations to buy the poster include Focused on Wine in Kelseyville, and Inspirations Gallery by Salituri in Lakeport. Clarke will attend several community events during the summer to sell and sign posters.
Ceago Vinegarden, with its early California architecture and landscaping, will showcase fine foods and wines from Lake County restaurateurs, caterers and over 25 wineries at the annual event.
Live and silent auction items will include weekend and extended vacation getaways, wine packages, wine tasting events, local art, and a variety of goods and services, including fine dining opportunities.
The ticket price is $125 per person and includes participation in the auctions and dancing to the music of the LC Diamonds.
A special area to taste reserve wines from selected Lake County wineries will be offered for an additional fee collected at the event. A limited number of tickets is available by calling the Wine Alliance at 866-279-WINE (9463) or purchases may be made online at www.winealliance.org.
Ceago Vinegarden is owned by Jim Fetzer, whose dream is to create a balanced and beautiful biodynamic farm and winery estate on the Northshore of Clear Lake.
At Ceago, Fetzer has taken everything he learned from his family’s success in building Fetzer wines into an internationally recognized and respected winery, along with his own forty years in the wine business, to develop a new level of farming. He concentrates on sound farming practices using biodynamic and organic methods to produce quality grapes and fine wines.
The auctioneer will be Peter Ventura of Hidden Valley Lake, assisted by Stephanie Green of Kelseyville. Ventura has conducted over a dozen charity auctions, each raising between $100,000 and $600,000.
Although retired from the wine business, his biography includes being a member of the famed Mondavi family of the Napa Valley and working for several years as a lab tech and assistant winemaker while in high school and college, prior to law school and becoming a practicing attorney.
Ventura moved to Lake County from St. Helena and has joined the Rotary Club of Clearlake and is a volunteer driver for the Middletown Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels program.
Green is a certified sommelier through the Court of Masters Sommeliers who owns and operates Focused on Wine, a wine bar and tasting room in downtown Kelseyville. She is a wine educator, a private wine consultant, and noted cellar master of wines, on both the domestic and international wine scene.
She recently completed her first year with the Institute of the Masters of Wine and is locally recognized as a wine expert. Green is member of the Rotary Club of Lakeport, the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, and the Kelseyville Business Association.
Budge Brown, owner of Tulip Hill Winery and the Cleavage Creek wine label, is the honorary chair of the Wine Auction. Brown, a graduate of UC Davis, has been farming in California for more than 50 years.
With his daughter, Kristi, he opened Tulip Hill Winery at its location on Clear Lake’s Northshore in 2004, at the site of the historic Bartlett Springs water bottling plant. The facility features a unique tasting room, special event area and seasonal gardens that include 30,000 tulips.
Brown’s newest cause is his label, Cleavage Creek, which, in memory of his late wife, honors breast cancer survivors on every bottle, donating 10 percent of the gross proceeds to fund breast cancer research and offering medical support to those stricken with the disease. Brown also is an entrepreneur who invented the water slide and has traveled the world teaching others how to build them.
Rob Roumiguiere, partner in Roumiguiere Vineyards and Wine Alliance treasurer, is the master of ceremonies. The Lake County Military Funeral Honors Team will open the event with the traditional presentation of colors.
Special guests are Congressman Mike Thompson, co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus, and Jed Steele, owner and winemaker for Steele Wines.
Steele will be honored with a Congressional resolution for his many contributions to the California wine industry and, in particular, for his pioneering work in establishing the fine quality of Lake County wines.
Joy Merrilees, assistant winemaker for Steele Wines, will craft the special cuvee blends from juice donated by Lake County wineries.
Contributing to the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon are Steele Wines, Moore Family Winery, Robledo Family Winery, Wildhurst Vineyards, and Noggle Vineyards and Winery.
Wineries donating to the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc are Steele Wines, Wildhurst Vineyards, Robledo Family Winery, Moore Family Winery, and Shed Horn Cellars. Major donors and special guests at the Wine Auction will receive a 750 milliliter bottle of each blend.
Additionally, the cuvees will be bottled in one 9-liter Salmanazar each, hand-etched and hand-painted with a mirror image of this year’s painting depicting Ceago Vinegarden, and offered in one lot during the live auction.
Major sponsors this year include Mendo Lake Credit Union and St. Helena Hospital Clearlake.
Members of the Wine Alliance board of directors include President Margaret Walker-Stimmel, Vice President Marie Beery and Treasurer Rob Roumiguiere, all of Kelseyville; Secretary Pamela Shine-Duncan and directors Judy Luchsinger and Wilda Shock, all of Lakeport; and directors Janet Thompson of St. Helena and Kaj Ahlmann of Lower Lake.
Additional sponsorship opportunities and group tables for $2,000 and $1,000 are available by contacting Marie Beery, co-chair, at 707-278-0129.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
KELSEYVILLE – Two Ukiah men were arrested last week after deputies discovered them camping among illicit marijuana garden sites.
Jaime Padilla Busio, 31, and his brother, 37-year-old Benjamin Padilla Busio, were arrested on the morning of June 24, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Bauman said two deputies assigned to special enforcement were conducting surveillance on June 24 on two marijuana grow sites identified a week prior during a helicopter over flight in the Kelsey Creek area of Kelseyville.
After locating two additional grow sites in the area, the deputies found a camp among the grows occupied by the brothers. Bauman said both men were arrested without incident.
During their surveillance, deputies counted and later eradicated a total of 9,209 marijuana plants from four different grow sites maintained by the two men, according to Bauman's reported.
The men had diverted water from Kelsey Creek and dammed the water in some places, and Bauman said bags of fertilizer also were located throughout the creek’s watershed area.
A dead black bear also was located near one of the grow sites, Bauman said. Although the animal appeared to have been dead for only about a week, neither of the men claimed knowledge of how it died.
The Busios were booked at the Lake County Jail on felony charges of cultivating marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale. Bauman said they also were charged with misdemeanor Fish and Game violations relating to diverting and polluting natural water resources.
He said both men remain in custody on a bail of $10,000 each and both have immigration holds in place.
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
Early Sunday morning Officer Justin McGrory, 28, was struck by a motorist as he stood by the side of the road while conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County, the CHP reported. McGrory, who had been with the CHP for nearly three years, died later at an area hospital.
Later that same day, 48-year-old CHP Officer Brett Oswald, a 20-year CHP veteran, was waiting next to his patrol vehicle while at a collision scene in San Luis Obispo County when he, too, was struck by a vehicle, dying at a hospital later that night.
“No words can describe the loss felt by our department and the families of these fallen heroes,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “As we mourn their recent loss, our brave and dedicated officers vow to honor the memory of their fallen comrades by continuing to carry out the CHP’s mission of providing the highest level of safety, service and security to the motoring public.”
Also lost since the start of May are Officer Daniel Benavides, Officer Thomas P. Coleman and Officer Philip Ortiz.
Benavides, 39, a three-year CHP veteran, was killed May 7 when the Cessna 206 fix winged aircraft he was piloting while patrolling Imperial County crashed near Brawley.
On June 11, Coleman, 33, was riding his CHP motorcycle in San Bernardino County during a pursuit and crashed into the side of a tractor trailer. Coleman, who had served with the CHP for seven years, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ortiz, 48, was conducting an enforcement stop on the right shoulder of the San Diego Freeway on June 9 when he was struck from behind by a vehicle being driven on the right shoulder of the freeway. As a result of the collision, Officer Ortiz sustained major injuries, and died June 22. He was a 28-year CHP veteran.
The CHP reported that it appreciates the assistance and outpouring of support it’s received from throughout the nation.
For more than 80 years, CHP officers have put their lives on the line to make sure roadways and communities are safe. During that time, 220 uniformed members of the organization have made the ultimate sacrifice in their efforts to make California’s roadways some of the safest in the nation.
“It's times like these that re-emphasize how dangerous this profession is and it strengthens the resolve of the men and women of the CHP,” said California Association of Highway Patrolmen President Rob Nelson. “It is imperative that the loss of these officers serve as a reminder to the public to be cautious when approaching emergency incidents on the highway.”
In 2007, the Move Over, Slow Down law went into effect in California. This law requires a person who is driving a vehicle on a freeway and approaching in a lane immediately adjacent to a stationary authorized emergency vehicle that is displaying emergency lights, or a stopped tow truck that is displaying flashing amber warning lights, to move out of that lane when legal, safe and practicable, or slow to a reasonable and safe speed.
“Many of these tragedies involving our officers and other highway workers and emergency personnel could be avoided,” added Commissioner Farrow. “While the department is committed to the highest level of training for every officer, it is every motorist’s responsibility to drive attentively and exercise caution on the roadway.”
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .