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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. — Caltrans has installed a permanent advance warning system at the intersection of northbound State Highway 99 and Neal Road south of Chico.
Motorists will see an electronic board displaying the message “Caution Slow Traffic Ahead” when vehicle speed slows to 25 miles per hour or less at the traffic signal-controlled intersection.
The message will stay on until vehicles resume traveling above 25 miles per hour.
“Caltrans has worked with the California Highway Patrol and local partners to implement a series of safety measures on northbound Highway 99,” said Amarjeet S. Benipal, Caltrans District 3 director. “The new intersection advance warning system upholds our commitment to help motorists arrive safely to their destinations.”
Other safety countermeasures include the installation of two traffic signal warning signs with flashing beacons and rumble stripes placed across the two northbound traffic lanes.
These transverse rumble stripes are made of thermoplastic material which, when driven over, create noticeable sound and vibrations to warn drivers of an approaching intersection where they may be required to slow down or stop.
Caltrans District 3 maintains more than 4,385 lane miles of state highway in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
NORTH COAST, Calif. — Authorities are investigating what they said is a massive fraud and mail theft case that they believe has more than 100 victims throughout inland Mendocino County.
Mendocino County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jay Vanoven said Sharon Kathleen Smith, 43, of Potter Valley and Charles Maxfield, 46, of Willits have been identified as the suspects in the case.
Shortly after 1 a.m. Sept. 25, Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the area of West Road and Spring Valley Road in Potter Valley, Vanoven said.
He said a resident noticed a vehicle parked near mail boxes in the area and believed the occupants may have been stealing mail. As the resident approached the vehicle, it sped away and was last seen in the area of Spring Valley Road.
The first responding deputy encountered the vehicle, a 2004 Ford Focus, on Spring Valley Road. Vanoven said the deputy noticed the vehicle came to an abrupt stop before he made contact with it.
As the deputy approached the vehicle on foot, he noticed the driver seat was vacant. When the deputy contacted the passenger, Sharon Smith, he heard what sounded like a person running away through the nearby brush, Vanoven said.
Vanoven said evidence later found within the vehicle identified the driver as Charles Maxfield, who was known to be on Post Release Community Supervision, or PRCS, for convictions related to mail theft. Maxfield was also known to have an outstanding arrest warrant for violating the terms of his PRCS.
Additional deputies arrived and searched the area for Maxfield but were unsuccessful, Vanoven said.
A search of the vehicle revealed a massive amount of mail and numerous identification documents, none of which were addressed or issued to Maxfield or Smith. Vanoven said deputies also located in the vehicle numerous blank checks, a laptop computer and a portable color printer.
A photocopy of a California Identification Card depicting Maxfield was located with the printer. The ID card contained the full identification of a person other than Maxfield, Vanoven said.
Based on this initial investigation, deputies determined Maxfield and Smith were in fact actively stealing mail, and using the identifying information gathered from the mail, to commit fraudulent and felonious acts.
Smith was arrested and booked into the Mendocino County Jail on charges of felony defrauding or acquiring personal identifying information and conspiracy to commit a crime, and a misdemeanor probation violation.
A search warrant for Smith's residence, located in Potter Valley, was secured and served. Vanoven said no additional evidence was located.
Based on the nature of the crimes, a request to increase bail and to restrict the source of bail was granted by a Mendocino County Superior Court judge. Vanoven said Smith's bail was set at "no bail" and should bail be set, she will be required to prove that the funds used to post bail were not feloniously obtained before bail will be granted.
Maxfield remains outstanding at this time, Vanoven said.
Vanoven said further investigation of the evidence revealed no less than 100 separated victims' identifying information had been acquired by Smith and Maxfield.
This information likely had been used, or was being possessed with the intent to use, in the commission of multiple felonious offenses, Vanoven said.
Deputies, with the assistance of the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office Investigations Division, are continuing to follow up with victims related to this case, according to Vanoven’s report.
Vanoven said mail was found addressed to persons in Ukiah, Calpella, Potter Valley, Redwood Valley, Reeves Canyon and Willits.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Water Resources have announced a joint effort at the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Butte County to aid in offsetting impacts to spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon resulting from this year’s extreme drought conditions.
Under this joint initiative, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, and the California Department of Water Resources, or DWR, are taking a two-part approach supporting Feather River salmon populations to guard against impacts observed during the state’s last multi-year drought, as well as protect against impacts observed in recent years due to a nutrient deficiency.
“During California’s last extended drought, we observed significant declines in Sacramento Valley fall-run Chinook salmon stock contributions to the state’s sport and commercial fishery,” said Colin Purdy, environmental program manager for fisheries in CDFW’s North Central Region. “We’re trying to get ahead of any drought-related impacts this time by taking these actions and trying to keep these populations as stable and healthy as we can.”
First, the agencies will try to increase the number of spring-run Chinook salmon successfully spawning in-river by returning healthy adults that have returned to Feather River Fish Hatchery that are in excess of those needed to meet hatchery production goals and have been treated with a nutrient supplement.
Second, in anticipation of decreased recruitment to the ocean fishery, fall-run Chinook salmon production at the hatchery will be increased from 6 million to 7.75 million smolts.
“Even though wild salmon and hatcheries are well studied throughout California and the Pacific Northwest, our community of dedicated state, federal and university scientists continues to uncover new information,” said Jason Kindopp, manager of DWR’s Feather River Program. “Managing hatcheries and salmon populations presents new challenges every season and using the best data available helps inform our actions to fit the moment.”
Earlier this spring, adult spring-run Chinook salmon collected at the Feather River Fish Hatchery were provided a thiamine supplement injection to protect against impacts from Thiamine Deficiency Complex, or TDC.
TDC was first observed in Central Valley Chinook populations in 2019, and results in early egg and fry mortality in progeny from affected adults.
This year, once spring-run spawning production goals are met, the hatchery will return any excess, healthy adult broodstock that have been treated for TDC back to the river to spawn naturally and promote in-river production.
“The thiamine deficiency has been showing up in returning adults these past few years due to a change in ocean food resources. This year, providing the thiamine supplement at the hatchery will help production both at the hatchery and in the natural spawning areas,” said Jason Julienne, senior environmental scientist, supervisor for CDFW's North Central Region Hatchery Program. “By returning thiamine supplemented adults to the river we can maximize the benefit of that action to the Feather River spring-run population.”
The spawning of spring-run Chinook salmon by CDFW staff during September was successful with more than 3 million eggs harvested.
The spawning of fall-run Chinook salmon at the Feather River Fish Hatchery will begin in early October with the goal of producing 7.75 million fall-run Chinook salmon smolts to be released in the spring of 2022.
The Feather River Fish Hatchery is a California State Water Project facility owned and maintained by DWR, which funds hatchery operations. CDFW operates the hatchery, including fish spawning, rearing and stocking activities.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
“The state is moving to cut red tape and mobilize all available resources to protect public health and the environment,” said Gov. Newsom. “As California continues to lead the nation in phasing out fossil fuels and combating the climate crisis, this incident serves as a reminder of the enormous cost fossil fuels have on our communities and the environment.”
At the governor’s direction, the state has deployed personnel from the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to the incident command in Long Beach to closely coordinate with the U.S. Coast Guard, local agencies and responsible parties on the response, cleanup and mitigation of the oil spill.
In addition, agencies from across the administration are on the ground actively supporting various elements of the response, including staff from California State Parks, California Volunteers, California State Lands Commission, Cal Fire and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, among others.
Gov. Newsom has led an effort to phase out the use of fossil fuels, fight the climate crisis, protect our environment and support the health of every Californian.
California has not granted new offshore leases for oil production in over 50 years and Gov. Newsom has directed the California Air Resources Board to analyze pathways to phase out oil extraction by 2045.
In January 2019, just after taking office, Gov. Newsom opposed the Trump administration’s proposal to expand oil and gas exploration and production off of California’s coast. He urged the Department of the Interior to withdraw California from further consideration for renewed offshore oil and gas development and asked the Bureau of Land Management to shelve its proposal to open new areas of public land in California for oil and gas lease sales.