LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – One driver died and one was seriously injured and later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following a Friday morning crash near Middletown.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office did not release the name of the crash victim – a 74-year-old man from St. Helena – pending the notification of family.
Bryan K. Taber, 43, of Clearlake Oaks, the other driver involved in the crash, sustained major injuries and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription medication and cannabis, the CHP said.
The CHP said that the crash occurred at 7:20 a.m. Friday on Highway 29 just north of Grange Road.
Taber was driving a blue Kia Optima northbound on Highway 29 at a stated speed of 55 miles per hour when, for reasons still under investigation, he drifted across the solid double yellow lines and collided head-on with a white Chevrolet Prizm driven by the St. Helena man, who was traveling southbound, the CHP said.
After the collision, the CHP said both vehicles came to rest blocking the southbound lane of Highway 29.
The CHP said the driver in the Chevrolet Prizm was pronounced dead in the driver seat by medics on scene.
Taber sustained major injuries and was transported to Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital in Clearlake, the CHP said.
After a DUI investigation, the CHP said Taber was suspected of being under the influence and placed under arrest.
Due to Taber's injuries, the CHP said he was released from custody to the hospital for treatment.
Both parties were wearing their seatbelts at the time of this collision, the CHP said.
The CHP said the crash blocked the highway’s southbound lane for several hours.
Friday’s crash was the second fatal wreck in Lake County this week. A Clearlake woman died Tuesday morning following a head-on crash on Highway 53, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – As the August Complex continues to spread across the Mendocino National Forest, officials on Friday issued an evacuation warning for an area of Mendocino County near the fires.
The US Forest Service said Friday the complex of lightning fires is up to 298,269 acres with containment remaining at 23 percent.
There are 1,015 resources committed to the complex including 22 crews, four camp crew, seven helicopters, 50 engines, 19 dozers, 26 water tenders and three masticators, the Forest Service said.
On Friday, an evacuation warning was issued for all Mendocino County areas within the Mendocino National Forest, north of Hull Mountain.
Officials said this action is necessary to address the fact that numerous private in-holdings – cabins, primary residences and undeveloped private lands – exist within the boundary of the Mendocino National Forest.
Residents are asked to be prepared for possible evacuation. The Forest Service said weather forecasts predict a shift from southwesterly to northeasterly winds from Monday through Tuesday, which may increase fire activity in the complex.
A breakdown of the warning levels can be found here.
Friday’s issuance of a new evacuation warning follows action the Forest Service took on Thursday to lift the evacuation warning for the Pillsbury Ranch area.
The Hull, Doe, Tatham, and Glade fires have merged to form one large fire. The individual breakdown of the fires given by the Forest Service are as follows: Doe fire, 258,192 acres, 23 percent contained; Tatham fire, 15,594 acres, 9 percent contained; and the Hull fire, 13,177 acres, 10 percent contained.
Firefighters have completed burnout operations from Bald Mountain, working east down the M61 road to the M1 road, to address spot fires and contain the fire’s movement toward Monkey Rock.
Additional resources have been brought in to assist with containment on the Hopkins fire located in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness and Shasta Trinity National Forest. Heavy equipment, hotshot crews and aircraft are working on this fire, officials said.
Mendocino National Forest officials issued a new closure for the August Complex on Saturday, Aug. 29. The Forest Order 08-20-11 and map are posted on the forest website.
Lamb exhibitors for the Lake County Junior Livestock Auction at the fairgrounds in Lakeport, California, on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Photo courtesy of Sheli Wright. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – For decades, Labor Day weekend has meant the Lake County Fair and one of its highlights, the Junior Livestock Auction.
However, with COVID-19 this year forcing the fair’s cancellation, Fair CEO Sheli Wright and the fair board worked to find an alternative for the young people who have spent the past year raising livestock for the show and auction.
The result is an online auction for the Junior Livestock Auction and metal fabrication projects.
The auction at www.stockshowauctions.com will begin at 3 p.m. Friday. It will continue until 6 p.m. Sunday.
There are nearly 150 animals and projects for sale during the auction.
Goat exhibitors for the Lake County Junior Livestock Auction at the fairgrounds in Lakeport, California, on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Photo courtesy of Sheli Wright.
Organizers have made sure there was still a show component for the young people and their animals.
On Wednesday, the goat and lamb exhibitors for the Lake County Junior Livestock Auction did a great job showing their animals and following social protocol in the unique structure of a difficult year, Wright reported.
When asked, Wright said exhibitors reported they have been using YouTube, Zoom and other forms of social media to interact and learn how to care and show their animals.
With no one in the stands and one parent allowed the event was small but the kids had a great time, Wright said.
For help with placing bids online, call 1-833-675-7469.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Angelina Vanderweken received a $250 scholarship from the Lake County Fair Foundation on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Presenters are Jeff Warrenburg, foundation president, and Debbie Strickler, secretary. Photo courtesy of Sheli Wright.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – More residents of the area threatened by the LNU Lightning Complex were allowed to go home on Thursday as firefighters made containment gains.
The two-and-a-half-week-old complex has been held at 375,209 acres since the start of this week, with containment up to 86 percent on Thursday night, Cal Fire said.
The 317,909-acre Hennessey fire on the east side of the complex in Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties rose to 85 percent containment on Thursday night.
In Sonoma County, the Walbridge fire west of Healdsburg rose to 92 percent containment while remaining at 54,940 acres. The 2,360-acre Meyers fire north of Jenner was fully contained earlier this week.
As the incident gets closer to full containment, firefighters and equipment are being released. Cal Fire’s Thursday evening report showed there were nearly 400 fewer firefighters assigned.
Total resources assigned on Thursday night included 2,053 personnel, 166 engines, 55 water tenders, 19 helicopters, 42 hand crews and 52 dozers, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire said crews will continue to work to build containment lines and fire suppression repair teams remain active throughout the area.
Dry and hot weather is predicted and southwest winds were expected in the area overnight, which officials said could cause flareups in interior islands deep within the fire’s perimeter.
Cal Fire said 1,350 structures remain threatened, while 1,491 have been destroyed and 232 damaged. Lake County’s tally remains at nine destroyed structures, eight of them homes.
Growing containment and reduced threat to structures led to officials on Thursday lifting the evacuation order for all residents and areas south of Butts Canyon Road, east of Highway 29, and north and west of the Lake-Napa County line. At the same time, the evacuation warning was fully lifted for all residents and areas north of Morgan Valley Road, east of Highway 53, south of Highway 20 and west of the Lake-Colusa County line.
Cal Fire said evacuation warnings remain in effect for areas east of Middletown, areas north and south of Lower Lake, and areas around Middletown proper.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The California Independent System Operator has issued a statewide Flex Alert, a call for voluntary electricity conservation, beginning Saturday and extending through Monday, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Labor Day weekend temperatures are forecast to be 10 to 20 degrees above normal for California, and the power grid operator is predicting an increase in electricity demand, primarily from air conditioning use.
Overnight temperatures statewide are projected to be at least 10 degrees higher than normal, which doesn’t allow infrastructure to cool down.
High heat is also predicted throughout the West for the weekend, which can limit the ISO’s ability to import energy to serve demand.
Consumers can actively help by shifting energy use to morning and nighttime hours. Conservation can lower demand and avoid further actions, including outages, and lessen the duration of possible power interruptions.
For example, consumer conservation efforts during a heatwave on Aug. 17 and 18 were key to preventing expected power outages.
Consumers are urged to conserve electricity when the grid is most stressed in the afternoons and evenings, when temperatures remain high and solar production is falling due to the sun setting.
The ISO recognizes that reducing energy use during the hot time of the day is a hardship, especially for those working from home or for families with children schooling at home.
However, if a large enough number of consumers conserve even in small ways, they can help grid operators avoid more serious system emergencies.
Between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., the ISO is urging consumers to:
– Set air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees, if health permits. – Defer use of major appliances. – Turn off unnecessary lights. – Unplug unused electrical devices. – Close blinds and drapes. – Use fans when possible. – Limit time the refrigerator door is open.
Consumers can also take steps to prepare for the Flex Alert by doing the following before 3 p.m.:
– “Pre-cool” their homes, or lower air conditioning thermostats. – Charge electric vehicles. – Charge mobile devices and laptops. – Run dishwashers, washing machines and other major appliances. – Set pool pumps to run in the early morning or late at night.
For information on Flex Alerts, to get more electricity conservation tips, and to sign up for conservation alerts, visit the ISO’s Flex Alert website.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Labor Day typically marks the end of the summer travel period, but 2020 has been anything but typical.
Although many Californians may forgo the long weekend road trip this year for a staycation, the California Highway Patrol will still implement its Labor Day Maximum Enforcement Period, or MEP.
The CHP advises all drivers to take precautions that keep themselves safe behind the wheel and protect others – such as buckling up, avoiding distractions, adhering to a safe and legal speed, and never driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Last year during the Labor Day holiday weekend, 45 people were killed in crashes throughout California. Nearly three-quarters of all the vehicle occupants killed within CHP jurisdiction were not wearing a seat belt.
In addition, the CHP made more than 1,000 arrests for driving under the influence during the 78-hour enforcement effort in 2019.
“Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle while under the influence is extremely dangerous, not only to the person driving but to everyone on the road with them,” said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley. “If you travel this holiday weekend, make smart decisions and drive to arrive.”
To help keep California’s roadways safe and assist motorists this weekend, all available CHP officers will be on patrol for the MEP, which begins at 6:01 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, and continues through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 7.
This year, in addition to the MEP, the Office of Community Outreach and Media Relations produced a powerful public service announcement on the devastating impact driving under the influence had on a CHP officer and his family. You can watch the documentary called Falling here; it’s also presented above.
Over the past few years, the CHP increased its training efforts to detect impaired drivers. All CHP officers and sergeants have received additional training in the detection of impaired drivers.
California also has the highest number of personnel trained as Drug Recognition Experts, or DREs, in the nation. For the Labor Day MEP, DREs will be on duty throughout the state.
The CHP also reminds Californians to take safety precautions recommended by the California Department of Public Health to protect themselves, their families, and others from COVID-19 including physical distancing, wearing a face-covering if you go out in public, washing your hands for 20 seconds, and remaining at home if you become sick.
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