How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
A report from Captain Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office explained that deputies arrested Ben Brooks, 25, of Redwood Valley and Brent Harding, 32, of Ukiah on burglary charges for incidents that occurred between April and June.
Beginning in April, Smallcomb reported that a series of commercial burglaries began taking place in Mendocino County. Businesses hit included the Hopland Subway and the Superette, Lemons Market in Philo, storage sheds in Ukiah and the Buckhorn Bar in Covelo.
In Lake County, the Fast and Easy Market in Upper Lake also was burglarized, Smallcomb reported.
Items taken from the stories included cash, safes, an ATM machine, liquor and cigarettes, according to Smallcomb's report.
Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies, led by Deputy Derek Hendry, investigated all of the burglaries, said Smallcomb.
Those investigations, Smallcomb reported, led to Hendry's arrests of Brooks and Harding on Aug. 31.
Brooks already was in custody on unrelated charges and booked for burglary, said Smallcomb.
Harding, Smallcomb added, was booked into the Mendocino County Jail for the burglaries along with a
probation violation. Because of the probation violation, Harding remains in jail on a no-bail hold.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
Forest spokesperson Punky Moore reported Sunday that after days of battling the many fires in the main Yolla Bolly Complex, firefighters have contained all but one, the Lazy Fire.
The complex is located 20 air miles northeast of Covelo. It has grown to 190 acres and is 50 percent contained, Moore reported.
Over the weekend, the 40-acre Lazy Fire picked up momentum and posed significant problems for firefighters because of rolling burning debris and very steep terrain, according to Moore's report. Air tankers and additional firefighters were ordered to help prevent this fire from getting established in areas that are extremely difficult to manage. Fire activity has been decreasing as evening approaches.
It was determined Saturday that the Lazy Fire is located on the Shasta Trinity National Forest and not the Mendocino National Forest as initially reported, Moore noted. Both forests decided to continue to manage this fire within the Yolla Bolly Complex.
The contained fires (Butte, Hammerhorn, French, Fern, Stockton, Sugarloaf, Rock, Long and Spring) range in size from one acre to 95 acres, according to Moore. Even though these fires are contained, some of the most difficult work remains: reinforcing existing line, suppressing smoldering debris and patrolling burned areas to ensure no fire is lingering that may flare up again.
More than 250 personnel are working to contain the Yolla Bolly Complex, Moore said. In addition, three helicopters are assisting firefighters dropping water on areas of fire that have potential to grow and are difficult to reach, transporting personnel and delivering supplies.
Deer rifle season begins in B-Zone in the Yolla Bolly Wilderness on Sept. 15, Moore reported. Hunters are encouraged to call ahead to one of our offices to check on current conditions in case areas are still affected by fire activity. A temporary flight restriction is in place for a 10-mile radius around the fire area.
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Monte Winters
SPRING VALLEY – The county’s first “Islands of Humanity Emergency Preparedness Day,” held Aug. 25, was a success as Spring Valley residents turned out to be educated and entertained by county, state and national agencies.
The event, the first in the series for isolated communities around the lake, drew almost 100 families who actively participated in the process that focused on this community’s emergency issues.
Moderated by District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing, a panel consisting of 10 agency representatives answered questions posed by the residents throughout a 90-minute meeting.
During and after the meeting, the residents took advantage of a rare opportunity to enjoy up close and personal contact with the equipment and personnel of the agencies present.
Children and adults alike enjoyed new experiences like sitting in a Cal Fire helicopter and taking a short but exciting fire engine ride.
Tours of the county’s Mobile Emergency Operations Center and Northshore Fire Protection District’s ambulance and engines allowed residents a close-up view of the services that exist to protect them.
Sponsored by the Lake County Office of Emergency Services (OES) and Supervisor Rushing, the supporting agencies included Cal Fire, U.S. Forest Service, Northshore Fire Protection, the county Department of Health Services, American Red Cross, Special Districts, the state Department of Fish and Game, Lake County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol and Animal Care and Control.
Yolo County Flood Control also participated due to the close relationship between it and the residents of Spring Valley.
Focused on the local community and the hazards that may affect it, emergency preparedness events provide an opportunity for residents to hear answers provided by experts.
From the agencies' point of view, the events provide them with an opportunity to prepare residents for future emergencies and to make sure that the public has a clear path to preparedness. The agencies also made it clear they welcome the opportunity to attract volunteers to help serve the community.
In planning for November, the next emergency preparedness event will take place in the community of Hidden Valley Lake.
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
The invasive quagga mussels and their cousin, the zebra mussel, also are on the radar of Lake County officials, who have sent lake samples to labs in Oregon and Colorado to test for the mussels' presence. So far, Clear Lake has tested negative for the mussels, but tests are ongoing, as Lake County News reported late last week.
Should quagga and zebra mussels make it into Clear Lake, they could travel through Cache Creek and into the Bay-Delta, which the state Department of Water Resources reports serves as a water source for 25 million Californians.
With recent quagga mussel finds along the Nevada-California border and then in Southern California, the state is particularly concerned about Riverside County’s Lake Skinner and San Diego County’s Lower Otay Reservoir, Lake Dixon, and San Vicente Reservoir, all of which permit recreational access.
"With quagga mussels on the move from the Nevada border to inland San Diego County, we need the public’s help to keep them from going farther," said Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman. "Once the quagga are established in a waterway, they have significant environmental, recreational and economic impacts."
Although they range from microscopic to the size of a fingernail, the mussels are prolific breeders and attach themselves to hard and soft surfaces, such as boats and aquatic plants.
Quagga mussels affect boaters negatively because they:
Ruin your engine by blocking the cooling system – causing overheating.
Increase drag on the bottom of your boat, reducing speed and wasting fuel.
Jam steering equipment on boats.
Require scraping and repainting of boat bottoms.
Colonize all underwater substrates such as boat ramps, docks, lines and other underwater surfaces requiring constant cleaning.
Quagga mussel infestation can potentially lead to the closure of boating in affected waterways. They also wreak havoc with the environment, disrupting the natural food chain and releasing toxins that affect other species. Spread of the quagga could result in millions of dollars in damage to water transport facilities.
Various watercraft are the primary transporters of quagga mussels. All boaters and anyone who accesses freshwater aquatic environments should take the following steps to inhibit the spread of the quagga mussel:
Inspect all exposed surfaces - small mussels feel like sandpaper to the touch.
Wash the hull of each watercraft thoroughly; preferably with high pressure/hot water.
Remove all plants and animal material.
Drain all water and dry all areas.
Drain and dry the lower outboard unit.
Clean and dry all live-wells.
Empty and dry any buckets.
Dispose of all bait in the trash.
Wait five days and keep watercraft dry between launches into different fresh waters.
It is important for boaters to follow these steps and cooperate with vessel inspections that are being conducted at a number of Department of Food and Agriculture border inspection stations and around the state.
These invasive freshwater mollusks were first detected in California in January, in Lake Havasu on the Colorado River.
In subsequent months, they were found in two Southern California water systems using Colorado River water, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and the San Diego County Water Authority.
MWD documented the mussels in March and again in July in its 242-mile Colorado River aqueduct, and also at Lake Mathews near Riverside and at Lake Skinner in Winchester, east of Temecula. On Aug. 21, the mussels were discovered in San Diego County, at San Vicente Reservoir near Lakeside.
Thus far, the mussels have not been found in California's State Water Project (SWP), which draws its water from Northern California watersheds. Environmental scientists are monitoring the system, one of the largest water and power systems in the United States. The main risk of mussel introduction in the SWP is from trailered boats.
A multi-agency taskforce that includes the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Boating and Waterways, the Department of Water Resources and California State Parks has launched an outreach campaign to alert boaters and the public to the quagga mussel threat.
This effort is also being coordinated with MWD and the San Diego County Water Authority.
For information on the Quagga mussel response, visit the DFG Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/quaggamussel/.
A public toll-free number, 1-866-440-9530, has been established for boaters and anyone involved with activities on lakes and rivers seeking information on the invasive and destructive quagga mussels. The toll-free number is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
{mos_sb_discuss:2}