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LAKEPORT – As officials prepare to release to the public the latest report by Lake County's civil grand jury, a new group of jurors for the 2008-09 year was seated Wednesday morning.
The new grand jury was impaneled in a short ceremony in Judge Arthur Mann's Department 3 courtroom at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport.
Also on Wednesday, the 2007-08 grand jury report was released to county department heads in anticipation of its public release, scheduled for Friday.
Several county officials were on hand to welcome and congratulate the new jurors. They included Judge David Herrick, Judge Richard Martin, county Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Cox, Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, County Counsel Anita Grant and Auditor-Control/County Clerk Pam Cochrane.
Judge Mann thanked the outgoing jurors and their foreman, Brondell Locke, for their service.
“You perform a very important function for the county of Lake,” Mann said.
With its report filed, the group was released from service. The 2007-08 members were Linda M. Alexander, Bob Cate, Pam Clevenger, Virginia L. Cline, Sandra Damitz, Michael H. Daugherty, Steven A. Esberg, Richard Everts, Kenneth L. Fountain, Kathleen H. Harrell, Pauline Hauser, Brondell Locke, Thomas A. Marquette, Jerry T. McCormick, Ronald G. Nagy, Carol Ripplinger, Lonny J. Rittler and Elizabeth Whittaker-Williams.
Mann lauded them for their report, which he called “the most extensive” he's ever seen.
The 254-page document is nearly 100 pages larger than last year's, with outgoing jurors saying it contained 82 reports on various issues and organizations, and also explored several complaints submitted by citizens.
They could not comment on the substance of the report, which isn't to be made public until Friday.
Mann then seated the new grand jury, which included four members – Linda M. Alexander of Witter Springs, Richard P. Everts of Upper Lake, Virginia L. Cline of Lakeport and Kathleen H. Harrell of Lakeport – who had agreed to continue their service from last year's grand jury
The rest of the new grand jury included Joy K. Allred of Upper Lake, Melissa Bentley of Cobb, Terry Bissonnette of Hidden Valley, John G. Daniels, of Lakeport, Harold Dietrich of Loch Lomond, Jesse O. Firestone Sr. of Clearlake, Dave R. Johnson of Clearlake, Loretta A. Krentz of Lucerne, Carolynn Manley of Lucerne, Phillip E. Myers of Lakeport, Charles O’Neill-Jones of Lower Lake, Lawrence Platz of Lakeport, Steven Tellardin of Kelseyville and Carol M. Vedder of Lakeport.'
That still left the jury one person short. So Mann reappointed Locke to the grand jury, a move which Locke greeted with surprise.
After swearing in the new grand jury, Mann reappointed Locke grand jury foreman, which Locke told Lake County News after the ceremony had proved to be another surprise for him.
Mann told the other jurors that they would find it easy to work with Locke, who has been on the grand jury the past two years. This will be his third year in a row with the group, and his second year as grand jury foreman.
Since the grand jury also had no alternates, Mann told outgoing jurors that they may be called in the event there are openings. Mann added it's a “virtual certainty” vacancies will occur on the grand jury in the year ahead.
The incoming grand jurors then went into a closed-door session with Judge Mann, who gave them their charge so they could begin organizing for the year ahead.
During their year of service – which follows a fiscal year format, from July to July – grand jury members serve as officers of the court but work as an independent body to ensure that government is acting in the best interests of the citizens it's intended to serve.
A statement from the grand jury's office says the body's major function “is to examine county and city government and special districts to ensure that their duties are being lawfully carried out.”
In order to do that, the grand jury reviews and evaluates procedures, methods and systems utilized by government entities to determine whether more efficient and economical programs may be employed.
In recent years, the Lake County grand jury has been noted for its highly detailed investigative reports, focusing attention on, among other things, an embezzlement case at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, Child Protective Services and defense services for indigent defendants in the county's court system.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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LAKE COUNTY – Lake County Sheriff's detectives have released another photograph of potential suspects believed to be responsible for a June 22 assault on a young man in Kelseyville.
Lt. Dave Garzoli of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said deputies were dispatched to Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa at 1:57 a.m. June 22.
There they found a 23-year-old man who had been assaulted on the boat docks located behind the resort's bar, said Garzoli.
The young man had a “pretty substantial injury” to his face, Garzoli said. “At that time he was unaware of what happened, how it happened or who did it.”
Garzoli said detectives later received information that several subjects who had been at the Richmond Park Resort bar before going to Konocti Harbor, and who were connected with a white boat, were responsible for the assault.
“Nobody knows who they are, hence the pictures being put out there,” said Garzoli.
He said the sheriff's office secured the pictures from Richmond Park's surveillance cameras, taken around 12:30 a.m. and shortly thereafter on June 22, according to the photos' timestamps.
Anyone who recognizes any of the men in the photographs, or who witnessed the assault at Konocti Harbor, is asked to contact Lake County Sheriff’s Det. Corey Paulich at 262-4231, e-mail
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Lake County Air Pollution Control Officer Bob Reynolds warned that sensitive individuals – children, the elderly, and those with heart and lung conditions – should take care on Thursday due to degraded air quality.
The thick smoke that returned to Lake County's skies in recent days continues to come mostly from lightning fires in Mendocino and Butte counties, Reynolds said.
Reynolds added that, until all of the fires are out, residual haze can be expected to continue.
Fires have burned for nearly three weeks, since a lightning storm hit on the weekend of June 21, peppering the state with more than 8,000 lightning strikes and causing nearly 1,800 wildland fires.
Mendocino County's lightning complex has been responsible for much of the smoke coming through Lake County. Cal Fire officials reported Wednesday that the fire is 65-percent contained and has burned 51,200 acres, at a cost of $27.3 million, with one firefighter fatality and 36 other injuries.
Thirty-seven fires are actively burning, with another 90 contained in Mendocino County. Cal fire said there are continued threats to communities and infrastructure, with more backfiring – or special burns – planned. A red flag warning is in effect through Friday due to extremely hot temperatures which are causing extreme fire conditions.
In the Mendocino National Forest, the Soda Complex, also caused by lightning fires on June 21, continues to inch toward containment, having burned 6,080 acres on the Upper Lake Ranger District in Lake and Mendocino counties.
Forest Services spokesperson Phebe Brown reported that the Soda Complex is now 78-percent contained, with two out of four original fires remaining active in the complex, which is burning to the north and northwest of Lake Pillsbury.
Elsewhere in the forest, the Yolla Bolly Complex, located in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness in Mendocino, Trinity and Tehama counties, has burned 7,987 acres and is 65-percent contained, Brown reported.
More than $7 million has been spent on fighting those two complexes, Brown reported.
For more information about the forest fires visit Forest Service Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino. For information about other fires around the state, visit www.cdf.ca.gov.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Nikke John Buschman, 33, of Oroville; 29-year-old Joseph Charles Pounds of Tehachapi; and Sean Joel Marks, 35, of Petaluma were taken into custody following the crash, which occurred at 8:35 p.m. Monday on Highway 29, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia.
Garcia said Buschman was driving his 1999 VW Jetta on Highway 29 just south of Spruce Grove Road
North when he lost control of the car while attempting to negotiate a left curve, causing the vehicle to roll over.
Pounds, who was reportedly traveling with Buschman, was following him in a 2001 Kia SUV. After the
collision Pounds pulled over to assist Buschman and was later determined to have been driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Garcia said both men were arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Booking records show the men also were charged with misdemeanor counts of driving on suspended or revoked driver's licenses.
Buschman and Pounds were alleged to have been driving dangerously prior to the incident, Garcia said.
The third arrest came when officers encountered Marks, who was walking near the roadway at the time of the collision. Marks, who also had been drinking alcohol, was arrested for a parole violation, Garcia said.
On Tuesday, all three of the men were released from jail on bail, according to booking records.
Officer Steve Tanguay is investigating the collision, Garcia said.
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Despite increased fire activity caused by warming daytime and nighttime temperatures, crews have continued making good progress in constructing fire lines on the Soda Complex, according to a report from Forest Service spokesman Brian LaMoure.
The complex is located on the Mendocino National Forest's Upper Lake Ranger District, to the north and northwest of Lake Pillsbury. It has burned 6,080 acres and is 76-percent contained. The fires are located in both Lake and Mendocino counties, and began June 21 when lightning storms hit the area.
LaMoure reported that the Soda Complex has two active fires – the Mill, 900 acres and 50-percent contained, which is expected to be contained on Thursday; and the 1,390-acre Monkey Rock Fire, which is 25-percent contained, with full containment expected on July 15.
A red flag warning will be in effect for the fire area from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday due to hot, dry conditions, which are expected to extend throughout the rest of the week, according to LaMoure.
Another complex of lightning-caused fires in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness has burned 7,987 acres in Mendocino, Trinity and Tehama counties, and is 65-percent contained, according to Forest Service spokesperson Mary Christensen. Full containment is anticipated July 30.
Officials reported there are 504 firefighters working on both fire complexes, where there have been a total of four injuries reported – three for the Soda Complex, one for the Yolla Bolly.
Total fire suppression costs to date are $5.68 million for the Soda Complex, while the Yolla Bolly is estimated at $1.45 million, LaMoure reported.
Also on Tuesday, Cal Fire reported that Mendocino County's lightning complex had grown to 51,200 acres burned, with 60-percent containment. Estimated suppression costs are at $25.1 million.
For more information about the forest fires visit Forest Service Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino. For information about other fires around the state, visit www.cdf.ca.gov.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Lake County's Air Quality Management District issued an alert warning of unhealthy conditions for sensitive individuals that are expected on Wednesday.
A report from Air Pollution Control Officer Bob Reynolds said anticipated conditions on Wednesday include wind and levels of particulate and ozone presently in the air.
Individuals who are especially susceptible to smoky conditions are children, the elderly, individuals with heart conditions or chronic lung disease such as asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions, Reynolds reported. The heat can make the stress worse, especially if exercising hard.
Even though local hospitals report no unusual increases in illness likely to be related to poor air quality, Lake County health officials recommend taking simple precautions in order to stay healthy.
Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait advises residents near the fires to be prepared. Individuals with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and other lung or heart diseases should make sure that they have at least a five-day supply of any prescribed medications. Individuals with asthma should carefully follow their asthma management plans.
Anyone, regardless of known health conditions, should seek medical attention if they experience unusual symptoms of chest pain, chest tightness or shortness of breath.
Sensitive individuals should be prepared to stay indoors, avoid vigorous physical activity and check for a "recirculation" function on the air conditioner. If smoke is present, it will be easier to breathe indoors if air is recirculating instead of drawing smoky air from outdoors. Strong consideration should be given to moving planned outdoor events to an indoor location or rescheduling them, especially if they involve sports or similar activities.
Tait noted that many of the same people who have been advised to take precautions related to recent reductions in air quality from wildfire activity also are susceptible to heat-related illness and should take special care. It is important to stay hydrated; drink adequate water to ensure you do.
Dust masks are not protective against the most harmful pollutants caused by wildfire smoke that drifts to nearby areas. They are useful in filtering out the ash and larger particles that are encountered in burn areas and should be considered when recovering property or cleaning areas that have burned.
Air purifying respirators, such as N-95 filtering face pieces, may be effective in reducing harmful particulate matter, but also increase the work of breathing, can lead to physiologic stress, and are not recommended as a general protective measure. Their use should be limited to individual circumstances requiring addition protection (http://bepreparedcalifornia.ca gov/EPO/BeInformed /NaturalDisasters/Wildfires/CleanupFireAsh.htm), preferably in personnel trained and familiar with the proper fitting and use of these devices.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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