How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
LAKE COUNTY – This past April Barbara LaForge's adopted mother, Christine Jones, began remodeling her Jacksonville, Fla., home. {sidebar id=15}
The house had been a haven for the young Barbara LaForge and her brother, Jack, after they found themselves largely forgotten by their own family.
Jones' daughter, Lisa Hatcher, said as her mother began opening closets and pulling out boxes, she made a discovery – after more than 20 years, diaries LaForge had written as a young woman came out into the light once again, filled with her poetry and her observations on life.
Written decades before her death, the diaries carried no hint of what would someday lead to her death. They did, however, reveal a young woman determined to be guarded about her heartaches and troubles, a trait she would carry into the last moments of her life.
That was exemplified in a poem titled “Me,” written when LaForge was between 18 and 20 years old. (See sidebar.)
FINDING A RESTING PLACE
Five years after her death, Barbara LaForge's story still has no official conclusion which, for those close to her, has translated into a lack of an emotional conclusion as well.
But there are other reasons for that.
For one, none of Barbara LaForge's friends or family – with the exception of her husband, Dan Hamblin – know the location of her final resting place.
According to her 1978 will, LaForge had asked to be cremated and buried near her father, Jack LaForge, at Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville, Fla.
After authorities released her body back to Hamblin, he had her cremated. Hatcher said Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary recently confirmed to her that LaForge's remains had been returned to her husband.
Hamblin, however, has not communicated to LaForge's family where – or if – he laid her to rest.
Nor did he follow LaForge's own last wishes to be reunited with her father. A representative of Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville, Fla., located a block from the St. Johns River, said that LaForge's ashes were not at the cemetery with the remains of Jack LaForge, whose suicide his young daughter witnessed.
Hamblin has not responded to requests for an interview from Lake County News about his wife's murder and the case so far.
ADVOCATING FOR THE VICTIM
During her last visit to Florida in 2001, LaForge told her adopted family that Hamblin had left her to return to his first wife, and also mentioned that her 1978 will – calling for her burial arrangements and splitting her estate between adopted parents, Christine and Gerald Jones, and her brother, Jack LaForge – remained in effect.
Although Hamblin later returned to LaForge, she never retracted her will, according to her family.
Jones and her family felt it important to advocate for LaForge while the murder investigation proceeded, so they went to court in March of 2003 to enforce the 1978 will in light of California law, which normally allows a spouse to inherit assets.
Lisa Hatcher said the family's concerns had mounted because of Hamblin's behavior, which they called “erratic.” That troubling behavior, in their view, included moving his girlfriend, Linda Mafrice, into the house with him shortly after the murder.
“We weren't after any of her property,” said Hatcher.
Court documents report that LaForge's belongings were valued at just over $76,000 at the time of her death; of that, just over $1,000 was in personal effects and $75,000 was the half interest in their home at 5232 Piner Court. The family disputed those amounts which were provided by Hamblin.
The family retained Steve Brookes, who also serves as Lakeport's city attorney, to represent them.
Jones' filings in the dispute over the estate yields the only written reference in a public record to a suspect in the LaForge's case.
In statements included in the court record, Jones said that Hamblin was a suspect in the murder and, until such time as the investigation cleared him, it would be inappropriate to allow him to control the estate of his murdered wife.
Hatcher said her mother eventually decided to stop the fight.
Most of the assets, said Brookes, were community property, and although Jones did have some rights under the old will, community property laws resulted in her having nothing to administer.
Brookes explained that the law says a person cannot benefit from the will of a person whose death they intentionally caused. However, with nothing developing in the investigation to preclude Hamblin from inheriting, Jones relinquished the effort.
“We agreed to be removed once there was no progress in the case,” Brookes said.
Jones was removed as executor, which allowed Hamblin to proceed in disbursing his wife's estate. In July of 2005 Hamblin filed papers officially closing the estate's administration.
MORE FAREWELLS
On May 21, 2004, Tom Gilliam, died at age 84, never knowing who killed his beloved stepdaughter. His wife, and Barbara's mother, Donna, had died in January 2002.
Tom Gilliam held two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star for Valor and had been a candidate for the Congressional Medal of Honor, said son, Tommy Gilliam. Yet, it was LaForge's death that caused him to fall apart.
“I think Barbara's death hurt him more deeply than anything else did,” said Gilliam, who said he thought the lack of closure had affected his father the most.
Tommy Gilliam said his father never shared with him who he thought killed LaForge. “I never really did get much from Dad.”
For Tommy Gilliam himself, he's not sure the murder will ever be solved, calling the case “still very wide open.”
After Barbara LaForge died, Tommy Gilliam said his stepsister, Leilani Prueitt, moved into Tom Gilliam's home with him, spending thousands of dollars of his father's money. By the time Tom Gilliam died, his son and the executor of his will said he had altered his will to leave Prueitt $30,000.
LOOSE ENDS AND CURIOUS STORIES
There are many more unanswered questions about the LaForge case. One is the hundreds of thousands of dollars in life insurance policies family said LaForge had on herself, to help pay off her home and benefit her husband in the case of her death.
Retired Police Chief Tom Engstrom said there were “at least a couple hundred thousand dollars” in life insurance policies, which the companies were refusing to pay out until the investigation was concluded.
LaForge's family in Jacksonville said there may have been as much as $400,000 in life insurance policies on LaForge, payable at her death.
In September 2005, two months after the official closure of LaForge's probate, Hamblin refinanced their home at 5232 Piner Court, with Linda Mafrice – who had become involved with Hamblin before LaForge's death – added as a co-borrower. The loan amount was $277,500.
That loan proved too much for the couple. This past April, the home that LaForge had loved was foreclosed on and Mafrice and Hamblin were forced to move. The home now sits empty, with a for sale sign out front.
RETIRED CHIEF OFFERS THEORY
Five years later, Engstrom, now retired from Lakeport Police says his perspective on the murder and who was responsible has not changed.
“I still believe it was not a random act of violence,” he said. “I think she was singled out. I think she was singled out by someone who knew her, by someone who knew what her schedule was, who was waiting for her.”
Engstrom also remains convinced that LaForge's murder was not connected to a series of commercial burglaries in the Lakeport in the previous weeks, and that the timing was merely coincidental.
“There weren't any signs of forced entry into the place and it seemed more to me that somebody was waiting inside for her rather than someone confront her outside and have her unlock the door,” he said. “It just seemed more like they were already in the place when she got there. I never was convinced that there was any kind of a robbery or a burglary that she walked in on. I just think someone was laying in wait for her.”
Engstrom said he felt it was well planned, and that only a small number of people had motive. “To me it seemed like there was small core of people that might have been responsible in concert or independently.”
He said he and his department took the case personally, a sentiment his successor, Lakeport Police Chief Kevin, told Lake County News he also shares.
“They tell you when you're in the police academy that you can't take it personally but in a small town it's hard not to take it personally," said Engstrom.
Engstrom said he and his department felt they owed to LaForge, her family and friends, and the community to bring the case to a close.
“I've asked myself many, many times what else we could have done,” he said, adding that he believes they did everything within their power yet still failed to get all the pieces they needed.
He said Lakeport hasn't had a murder since LaForge's. “That's why it's so devastating. It just doesn't happen everyday.”
As much as Engstrom wanted to stay to solve the murder, he said he has a lot of faith in Burke and his department.
Engstrom particularly praised Lt. Brad Rasmussen, 38, who has been with the department for 18 years.
“He's as honest as they come,” said Engstrom. “I nicknamed him one time 'Bulldog' because he's just so tenacious. He just stays after something; he won't give up. I always thought, if somebody's gonna solve this case, it's going to be Brad because he just won't quit until he gets it solved.”
A FRIEND'S NIGHTMARE
One of the people haunted most by LaForge's death is Gail Salituri, an artist whose gallery shared space with LaForge's frame shop. The two women worked together for nearly five years before LaForge was found in the shop, fatally shot.
“There has not been a day that has passed in the last five years when I have not thought about Barbara LaForge and this very unfortunate and gut-wrenching unsolved murder,” said Salituri.
“There are not enough descriptive words in the English language for me to be able to begin to
convey the all-consuming grief, frustration, anger and disbelief that this murder has brought to my psyche and our community. It has been a nightmare you can't awaken from and a question that holds few answers.”
She continued, “A life was stolen in a moment and a murderer walked free. It is quite disturbing that this occurred in such a small town as Lakeport.
“People often ask me if I know who did this, and to this day, I do not know. One can only speculate.
“Although I have not given up hope that this murder is solved, five years is a long time to remain patient. I continue to pray justice is one day served for Barbara.”
Salituri added, “Certainly I can empathize and relate to all victims of violent crimes at this time. How could I not?
SEEKING THE END OF THE STORY
She had taken a walkabout in Australia's outback, traveled alone to Spain, been abandoned by her mother, saw her biological father commit suicide, been placed in an orphanage when a young teenager, yet found love and acceptance in an adopted family.
Yet Barbara LaForge still had her smile and her optimism, she deeply loved her husband, was thoughtful and genuine to friends, family and strangers.
“She realized you can get over anything,” said Hatcher.
Family members remember her wicked sense of humor – Monty Python's Holy Grail was her favorite movie – her continual writing and drawing.
“She was one of a kind,” said Hatcher.
Hatcher and sister, Janeen Hawkins, both say LaForge was wonderful with children and wanted to be a mother, but her husband had children in his previous marriages and didn't want more.
Barbara LaForge's life was far from ordinary, and it reads like a novel. Right up to its violent end.
And, as it turns out, beyond.
Because Barbara LaForge's death has become the stuff of a mystery novel, an unanswered question amidst the fabric of Lakeport's everyday life. It is a frightening, unsolved crime, leaving many to wonder if her murderer still walks casually among them, wrapped so far in anonymity.
“I definitely do not feel like it's unsolvable,” Hatcher said of her sister's murder.
Her friends and loved ones continue to advocate for her, making sure she's not forgotten.
The frame shop remains open, owned by Salituri but run by her family members as part of the gallery.
“Barbara loved this place,” said Salituri, who keeps a picture of she and LaForge on the counter.
“Everybody wants an answer to this one,” said Engstrom. “Barbara will not be forgotten. That's for sure."
Solving the case, added Christine Jones, LaForge's adopted mother, “will put a dot at the send of the sentence.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
The California Highway Patrol incident logs has reported numerous incidents of deer being hit by cars and killed as they cross roads at night.
Department of Fish and Game Warden Loren Freeman said the deer are migrating right now, looking for sources of water.
By the beginning of fall, said Freeman, a lot of the local creeks and other water sources used by deer had dried up.
Even with the recent rains, the US Geological Survey shows creeks are at extremely low levels.
With few options, the deer are drawn to the county's largest water source, Clear Lake, said Freeman.
“They do have to go once a day in order to get water,” he explained.
That means they must cross busy roads and highways.
Deer usually move at dusk or dawn, preferring to move under concealment of darkness and before bedding down. “That's the most volatile time,” said Freeman.
Freeman urged people to be more cautious when driving, especially at night, in order to avoid hitting the animals.
Another reason it's important to keep an eye out: the Department of Fish and Game says it's deer mating season, which can cause the deer to move more than usual, and be uncommonly aggressive.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
The first bill, Senate Bill 735, would have required Caltrans (and all entities contracting with Caltrans) to track the type, amount and percentage, city, county, Caltrans district and completion date of the project in which of recycled and/or virgin materials were used for sub-base, base and lean concrete base for all highway and street construction and repair projects.
Caltrans would also be required to submit that information in a report to the Legislature every two years beginning on April 1, 2010.
A state auditor’s report in 2006 determined that although Caltrans is encouraging the use of recycled materials in its highway projects, its collection of data is scant with regard to the department’s recycling and solid waste diversions efforts.
Aggregate is used by Caltrans and other builders of roadways to provide a solid foundation for asphalt and other paving materials and to bear the weight of millions of cars and trucks. Recycled aggregate base (RAB) is produced by crushing concrete, and sometimes asphalt, to reclaim the aggregate.
This past June, the California Integrated Waste Management Board released a waste characterization study of construction and demolition material in four major metropolitan areas of California. That study found that the largest recoverable category of disposed material was recyclable aggregates, which made up about 27 percent of disposed construction and demolition material.
“While I appreciate the fact that Gov. Schwarzenegger has been supportive of much of my legislation to date, I am nevertheless disappointed that he chose to veto SB 735,” Wiggins said. “The use of recycled aggregates saves contractors the expense of landfill fees, decreases disposal costs, and extends diminishing natural aggregate resources, and my bill would have helped promote the use of recycled materials while reducing landfill waste.”
The second bill, Senate Bill 861 would have enabled the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) to reallocate $5.5 million in reserves toward other purposes, including environmental cleanup and remediation as well as the establishment of “quiet zones” in the city of Novato and additional locations.
Specifically, SB 861 would have allowed the NCRA to utilize the $5.5 million, previously reserved for repayment of a loan which has since been forgiven, for environmental cleanup ($3.5 million), administrative expenses related to environmental remediation and remediation of hazardous and dangerous conditions along the NCRA right-of-way ($1 million) and to establish “quiet zones” and associated upgraded rail-highway crossings in the City of Novato and other locations ($1 million).
“It is critical to restore freight and passenger rail service on the North Coast, which would serve as a major boost for the regional economy, lessen the burden of traffic on Highway 101, and provide new opportunities for the Port of Humboldt Bay,” Wiggins said. “I am disappointed that the Governor opted to veto SB 861, which would have enabled the NCRA to continue its progress.”
The governor has signed six of Wiggins' bills so far. Six of her bills are still on his desk, and he must make a decision to veto or sign them by midnight, Oct. 14.
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
An area resident contacted Lake County News Friday to say that she had received an e-mail telling her that she was entitled to a tax refund.
The e-mail directed her to respond in order to get the proper forms. She was concerned because she had not previously given the IRS her e-mail address.
She immediately contacted the IRS via its Web site at www.irs.gov.
The IRS responded by e-mail, telling her, “The IRS does not e-mail taxpayers requesting private confidential information. This is a scam. Do not respond to the e-mail. We also recommend that you contact the postmaster general.”
Using the names of government agencies as part of e-mail scams isn't new.
Earlier this year, the Federal Bureau of Investigations' Internet Crime Complaint Center reported on the use of fraudulent e-mails using the FBI's name and its director, Robert Mueller, on false lottery endorsement and inheritance notifications.
Another e-mail scam claimed to be from a U.S. military official requesting funds on behalf of U.S. troops overseas, according to the FBI.
A third spam e-mail scheme claimed to be from the Department of Justice, warning the recipients that they have been the subject of complaints filed with the DOJ. The e-mails even include an attachment that is supposed to be a copy of the complaints against the e-mail recipient.
The FBI reported that these spam e-mail messages are hoaxes and should be immediately deleted.
The agency also warned consumers to be wary of unsolicited e-mails that request them to take any information – even clicking on an attachment – because doing so could launch viruses, Trojan horse programs or other malicious software on their computers.
Anyone who has received such messages is urged to file a complaint online at the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.ic3.gov/. The site also offers tips on computer safety. More information on protecting yourself from Internet scams also can be found at www.fbi.gov/becrimesmart.htm.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
Granzella's Restaurant, located in Williams, caught on fire Thursday afternoon, according to Williams Fire Protection District Chief Jeff Gilbert.
Firefighters were dispatched at 3:21 p.m., said Gilbert.
At the time, there were 200 people – both patrons and employees – in the building, Gilbert said.
Mutual aid to battle the fire came from Glenn, Colusa, Yolo, Sutter and Yuba counties, said Gilbert. All told, there were 19 pieces of apparatus – including engines and command vehicles – and 96 firefighters.
The fire was contained by about 7 p.m. Thursday, Gilbert added.
The fire's precise cause isn't yet known, said Gilbert, but officials are focusing on the kitchen, where they believe the blaze started.
Two-thirds of the structure were completely destroyed, with the rest of the building – mostly its popular sports bar, which is a newer part of the building – damaged by smoke and water. Gilbert said the remainder of the building that was saved will have to be torn down.
Damages also are still being tallied, said Gilbert, with no dollar amount yet known. “It will end up being a total loss,” he said.
Much of the sports memorabilia from the sports bar was saved, said Gilbert.
That included the two stuffed polar bears, one above the bar – which had some minor smoke and water damage – and a second in a glass case, which Gilbert said was undamaged.
Everyone has been asking about the polar bears, Gilbert added.
As far as fires go, Gilbert said, “I've been here four year and I've never seen anything this big.”
Jim and Beverly Granzella opened the restaurant as an Italian deli in 1976, according to the company's Web site, www.granzellas.com.
The business eventually expanded into a restaurant, growing into a popular stop for travelers along Interstate 5 and Highway 20.
Lake County News was unable to reach a company representative for comment. However, Denise McCarty, daughter of Jim and Beverly Granzella and a co-owner in the restaurant, told the Sacramento Bee that the family intends to rebuild and continue the business.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
Thompson joined Reps. Michael Castle (R-DE), Norman D. Dicks (D-WA), Ron J. Kind (D-WI), Jim Saxton (R-NJ) and Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) in being recognized for their efforts to protect – and adequately fund – the refuge system.
The awards were presented at a Capitol Hill reception on Wednesday sponsored by CARE and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and marked the 10th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997.
The landmark legislation laid the framework for a system that today includes 548 refuges representing nearly 100 million acres of the most visually stunning and biologically diverse lands and waters in the U.S. With at least one refuge in every state, the system attracts some 40 million visitors each year.
Thompson was recognized for the hard work he has put into securing funding for refuges both inside and outside his district, and his strong backing of fully functional North Coast ecosystems that include the rivers and streams necessary to help sustain healthy fisheries.
“On behalf of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the California Department of Fish and Game and all our partners in the San Pablo Bay, we want to thank Congressman Thompson for his support of funding year after year,” San Pablo’s Refuge Manager Christy Smith said. “We also are thankful for the $40 million bill included in Water Resources Development Act for San Pablo Bay Watershed restoration. The Congressman’s attention to land and conservation issues doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Thompson also was recognized for his demonstrated commitment to protecting these biologically diverse wild spots by helping to form the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus and serving as one of its vice chairs.
"The National Wildlife Refuge system is a destination point for people to enjoy our nation’s diverse fish and wildlife and brings more than $700 million into local economies," Thompson said. "However, unless we address the System’s nearly $3 billion operations and maintenance backlog, we risk losing the cornerstone of our country’s public lands. I am very grateful for this award and look forward to working with CARE on this very important issue."
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act mandates a “wildlife first” conservation philosophy, and the system’s refuges are home to more than 700 bird species, 220 mammals, and 260 endangered or threatened species. While protecting wildlife is the primary mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the system offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including wildlife photography and observation, hunting and fishing, environmental education and interpretation. The system generates some $1.4 billion in annual revenues.
“The Refuge System faces a budget crisis of extraordinary proportions,” said Evan Hirsche, president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association and chair of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement. “We're grateful to have Congressman Thompson leading the charge for a healthy and vital Refuge System. With his vision, our American wildlife heritage has a fighting chance.”
Working in partnership since 1995, CARE consists of 22 wildlife, sporting, conservation and scientific groups dedicated to educating Congress and the American public about the Refuge System. Recognizing the value of a healthy system for the wildlife and habitat refuges seek to protect, CARE works to represent the five million national constituents of its member organizations by securing strong investments in these remarkable lands and waters.
For more information about CARE visit www.refugenet.org/CARE/CareHome.html.
{mos_sb_discuss:2}