CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Warm weather and balmy breezes greeted visitors on Saturday at the annual Heron Festival, held this year at its new location in Clearlake's Redbud Park.

Over a dozen vendors selling jewelry, decorated gourds, garden features and other handcrafts were set up beside the Redbud Audubon Society, sponsor of the Heron Festival.

The festival was reduced to just one day this year instead of two, resulting in the pontoon boat rides selling out online.  

During this popular feature of the festival, some lucky boaters used their binoculars to spot not just heron nests but also nests of the golden eagle and great horned owl along the water channels off Clear Lake.

Great blue herons and white egrets flew overhead and perched in the trees, creating photo ops during the 90-minute boat ride.

The day’s events schedule began at 8:30 a.m. and ended after 4 p.m.  

Several of the festival’s activities were created just for children, such as the precut, paper owl mask finished with crayons by the youngsters.  

Since the live owls and raptors show was such popular entertainment for the entire family in past years, it had a repeat performance.

Speakers Dr. Harry Lyons, Marilyn Waits and Philip Greene were scheduled in the big tent throughout the day to entertain and educate adults and children about birds and other wildlife that we see around Clear Lake.

Greene, the keynote speaker, presented an especially humorous and entertaining slide show as he explained – and acted out – the various ways the heron and egret males attract a female after building a nest for each new season and the hunting strategy of the reddish heron.  

One of his main reference books is “The Heron’s Handbook,” by authors James Hancock and James Kushlan, published by Harper and Row. Greene has found this on Amazon.com and pointed out that the illustrations are colorful paintings instead of photographs.  

He surprised his audience with the information that herons and egrets have hollow bones, making them weigh only a few pounds, even though the great blue heron can have a wingspan of 6 feet and stand 5 and a half feet tall.

Greene’s audience also learned that most heron adults leave the nest when the juveniles are about 8 weeks old, leaving them to fend for themselves.

The reddish heron differs from other heron in that it instructs its young how to hunt for prey. A common practice of the reddish heron is the use of the “closed wing” method of creating a shadow over its prey with its wings so the fish or rodent cannot see this predator strike until it’s too late.

After boat rides and stimulating lectures, festival goers had a wide range of lunch choices – tacos, barbecued pork, hot dogs, snacks and drinks from food vendors.

The festival was well attended without being overcrowded. Parking was well-organized and directed by volunteers. Plentiful shade trees and clean, well-maintained restrooms helped make this an enjoyable family outing.

Every second, lightning flashes some 50 times on Earth. Together these discharges coalesce and get stronger, creating electromagnetic waves circling around Earth, to create a beating pulse between the ground and the lower ionosphere, about 60 miles up in the atmosphere.

This electromagnetic signature, known as Schumann Resonance, had only been observed from Earth's surface until, in 2011, scientists discovered they could also detect it using NASA's Vector Electric Field Instrument (VEFI) aboard the U.S. Air Force's Communications/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) satellite.

In a paper published on May 1 in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers describe how this new technique could be used to study other planets in the solar system as well, and even shed light on how the solar system formed.

"The frequency of Schumann Resonance depends not only on the size of the planet but on what kinds of atoms and molecules exist in the atmosphere because they change the electrical conductivity," said Fernando Simoes, the first author on this paper and a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "So we could use this technique remotely, say from about 600 miles above a planet's surface, to look at how much water, methane and ammonia is there."

Water, methane and ammonia are collectively referred to as "volatiles" and the fact that there are different amounts on different planets is a tantalizing clue to the way the planets formed.

Determining the composition of a planet's atmosphere can be done with a handful of other techniques – techniques that are quite accurate, but can only measure specific regions.

By looking at the Schumann Resonance, however, one can get information about the global density of, say, water around the entire planet.

Simoes and his colleagues believe that combining this technique with other instruments on a spacecraft's visit to a planet could provide a more accurate inventory of the planet's atmosphere.

"And if we can get a better sense of the abundance of these kinds of atoms in the outer planets," said Simoes, "We would know more about the abundance in the original nebula from which the solar system evolved."

Accurate descriptions of planetary atmospheres might also help shed light on how the evolution of the solar system left the outer planets with a high percentage of volatiles, but not the inner planets.

Detecting Schumann Resonance from above still requires the instruments to be fairly close to the planet, so this technique couldn't be used to investigate from afar the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system. Instead, scientists imagine something much more dramatic.

After a spacecraft is finished observing a planet, it could continue to detect Schumann resonance as it begins its death dive into the atmosphere.

During the process of self-destruction, the spacecraft would still provide valuable scientific data until the very last minute of its existence.
 
Karen C. Fox works for the NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A man who was convicted of first degree murder for a 1987 shooting has been denied parole for the second time.

On Tuesday, May 1, the Board of Parole Hearings denied parole for Edward Keefe Crawford, age 53, according to the Lake County District Attorney's Office.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff attended the lifer hearing at California State Prison-Solano to argue against Crawford’s release.

Crawford was prosecuted in 1988 by then-Lake County District Attorney Stephen Hedstrom, who now is a Lake County Superior Court judge.

A jury found Crawford guilty of first degree murder for the killing of 28-year-old Glenn Shoemaker. Judge Robert L. Crone Jr. sentenced Crawford to 27 years to life.

Crawford's minimum eligible parole date was Sept. 17, 2006. Tuesday's parole hearing was Crawford’s second.

The murder was investigated by retired investigator Carl Stein at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

According to investigative reports Crawford and codefendant Jon Christ took Shoemaker for a boat ride on Sept. 19, 1987, and stopped at a secluded spot on the shoreline.

Christ reportedly told a witness prior to the incident that they were taking Shoemaker for a one-way boat ride, according to the investigation.

When the three got out of the boat, the victim was shot six times, including twice in the back, with .22-caliber handgun. Shoemaker's body was found 11 days later.

Crawford and Christ both reportedly bragged or confessed to others that they had killed Shoemaker, officials said.

The motive reported at the time was that Shoemaker had recently stolen the same handgun that he was shot with from Christ, and Christ got the gun back and was angry about the theft.

During the investigation Crawford admitted shooting Shoemaker but claimed it was an accident. Crawford claimed Christ gave him the gun, told him it was unloaded and told him to scare Shoemaker with it.

Crawford claimed when he pulled the trigger to scare Shoemaker the gun discharged twice into the victim, then Christ shot the victim four more times.

Christ also was convicted of the murder and sentenced to 31 years to life in prison, the District Attorney's Office reported.

During his time in prison, Crawford gave officials differing versions of the motive for the murder.

In 1991 Crawford told prison officials he shot Shoemaker because Shoemaker had allegedly molested Crawford’s child.

In 2007 Crawford said he and Shoemaker went water skiing. When they stopped to use the bathroom, an argument ensued over stolen property, Shoemaker stabbed Crawford in the arm and Crawford shot Shoemaker.

In January 2012 Crawford said he killed Shoemaker because Shoemaker had molested his neighbor's children.

At his parole hearing on May 1, Crawford claimed he killed Shoemaker because Shoemaker was a child molester. Crawford claimed he confronted Shoemaker about the alleged molestation and Shoemaker stabbed him.

Crawford admitted it was never proven Shoemaker was a child molester, and stated he shot Shoemaker because he was really angry at him.

During his time in prison – where he has been since 1988 – Crawford has made no effort to address his alcohol, drug or anger issues, the District Attorney's Office said.

Crawford had taken no drug or alcohol addiction classes and had not participated in any anger management or alternatives to violence classes.

He also was caught making alcohol in prison twice, and admitted he had been placed in administrative segregation in prison for his own protection for not paying a $100 drug debt for heroin he purchased from other prisoners while in prison.

At the parole hearing Tuesday – which lasted more than two and a half hours – Hinchcliff asked the Board of Prison Hearings to deny Crawford parole on the grounds that he still presented an unreasonable risk of danger to the public if released.

Although Crawford claimed to be remorseful at the hearing, the Board of Prison Hearing commissioners agreed that Crawford still posed an unreasonable risk of danger to the public and  denied him parole for at least 10 years, the District Attorney's Office reported.

Crawford’s next parole hearing will be in 2022, officials reported.

 
The mustard family is a big one, and its fold includes scores of common weeds and such vegetables as cabbage, broccoli and turnips.
 
In addition to supplying seeds for cooking, pickling, oil production and condiment-making, these plants sport flavorful leaves that are utilized around the world in cuisines as diverse as Chinese, Indian, African and Eastern European, among others.
 
They’re popular in the cooking of the Southern United States, as well as rating high on the charts as a favorite soul food green, second only to collards.
 
A cool weather crop, these cut-and-come-again plantings provide greens for home gardeners from at least November through April, with last-of-harvest reaping occurring now, as the weather warms.
 
Like many spring garden staples, a touch of frost makes them sweeter.
 
Not surprisingly – considering the pungency of the seeds – mustard greens are full of flavor. They add a touch of peppery interest to dishes made with them, and are sometimes mixed with less piquant greens to balance their spiciness.
 
Mustard originated in the Himalayan region of India and has been cultivated for consumption for more than 5,000 years.
 
As to their history as a soul food, they became an important food staple among African slaves in the southern United States as a substitute for the greens that were utilized in their native land.
 
Today’s southerners still love their greens, including those of the mustard plant, and cooking up a “mess o’ greens” remains an integral part of their cuisine, often with a ham hock, slab of bacon, or other smoked pork product flavoring the pot.
 
Mustard greens may be sautéed with nearly any protein, vegetable, or grain of your choosing, and go especially well with sweet veggies like carrots or sweet potatoes.
 
They cook more quickly than their cousins, collards and kale.
 
In Asia, including in China and Japan, mustard greens are most often stir-fried or pickled. They use a wide variety of mustard cultivars in their cuisine.
 
Southeast Asians make a stew of mustard greens with tamarind, dried chiles, and leftover meat on the bone from a previous meal.
 
Mustard greens are immensely popular in Nepal, India, and Pakistan, where they’re stewed with spices. One variety with a particularly thick stem is used to make pickles.
 
Mustard greens in their young, tender state make a nice addition added raw to salads or as an alternative to lettuce on a sandwich. They may also be tossed with pasta dishes.
 
If these peppery greens are too spicy for your taste, tame them by blanching in salted water for a minute prior to other preparations.
 
The stems of the mustard plant are tough, so I recommend removing them prior to cooking the greens. (An exception to this is if they’ll be stewed for a long period of time, in which case the stems may be kept intact.)
 
An easy way to do this is to fold the greens in half lengthwise and cut along the folded edge to remove the stem.
 
Most mustard greens are a bright emerald color, though some may be a greenish-purple hue.
 
The broad leaves may be flat or crumpled, with smooth, toothed, frilled, or lacy edges, depending on the cultivar type. They have a pungent, mustardy scent.
 
Though their season is ending, many supermarkets carry them year-round. Look for crisp, tender leaves with a rich green color and avoid yellow, flabby or pitted leaves and thick, fibrous stems.
 
Unwashed greens may be stored in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to a week if tightly wrapped.
 
Since the leaves tend to hold sand and dirt, be sure to wash them well before using.
 
Do this in the same way you’d typically wash spinach, by swirling leaves in a large bowl of cool water to allow grit to dislodge and fall to the bottom. Rinse thoroughly afterwards.
 
Like others in the brassica family, of which they’re a member, mustard greens are immensely nutritious.
 
These powerhouse plants contain a veritable storehouse of vitamins and minerals – more than twenty of them – including vitamins K (over 500 percent of our daily requirement in a cup), A (more than 177 percent), C (59 percent) and a number of B vitamins.
 
In addition, scientific studies have shown them to be cholesterol lowering, supportive of cardiovascular health, protective against cancer, anti-inflammatory, full of antioxidants and detoxifying.
 
As to today’s recipe, I found many creative ways to prepare this saucy green, including with chipotle and bacon, blended with bulgur, Indian style with jalapeños and ginger, and even on toast with egg and Hollandaise sauce.
 
The one that intrigues me the most is the one I’ll share: African peanut soup with mustard greens. I cannot resist; the flavor combinations are right up my alley, and the soup can be thrown together in a matter of minutes once ingredients are prepped.
 
I hope you enjoy it, too, whether with chicken or as a vegetarian offering.
 
And before I go, I thought I’d share a southern nickname for the broth left in the pot after cooking greens: potlikker.
 
It’s immensely flavorful (not to mention full of rich nutrients), and is typically sopped up and enjoyed with a piece of warm cornbread.
 
Now that’s a tradition I’d like to sink my teeth into!
 
African peanut soup with mustard greens

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced
½ cup diced carrot
½ cup diced celery
½ to 1 tablespoon chili powder, to taste
1 teaspoon salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (optional)
One 14 ½ ounce can diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
½ cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky, as desired
¼ cup dry instant couscous
4 cups stemmed and chopped mustard greens
Chopped peanuts and chopped scallions for garnish
 
Heat oil in a stock pot. Add onion and sauté until transparent.
 
Add carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Cook about four minutes, stirring often.
 
Add broth, chicken (if using), tomatoes and greens. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes.
 
Stir in the peanut butter and couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and allow to sit for five minutes.
 
Garnish each serving with peanuts and scallions.
 
Recipe adapted from www.food.com .

Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is calling upon bicycle riders and motorists alike to be cautious during May, National Bicycle Safety Month, and every other month during the year.

The total number of bicycle deaths in California have remained flat for the last two reporting years, while injuries have increased 4.6 percent.

Encouragingly, deaths and injuries for bicycle riders under age 15 have continued to fall.

OTS partners with other state departments, bicycle advocates and local agencies in an ongoing, multi-faceted campaign for bicycle safety through the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

“Bike Month is a great occasion for Californians, whether out with friends or family or on their own, to strap on a helmet, hop on a bike, and see just how fun and welcoming our streets and bike paths have become,” said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the Office of Traffic Safety. "Californians now see biking as a real transportation option. The key is to ensure that biking is safe for everyone."

Bicycles are associated with more childhood injuries than any other consumer product except automobiles.

Child bicycling deaths can increase 45 percent above the month average in the summer. More adults are choosing bicycles, both for commuting to work and for exercise.

Learning how to ride a bike is a rite of passage in childhood, and often reintroduced to adults.

Here are some important things for you or your child to consider before jumping on that bike:

Helmets – Every time, every trip

• Make it a rule: every time you and your child ride a bike, wear a bicycle helmet that meets the safety standards developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It’s your main source of protection in a crash or spill.
• If your child is reluctant to wear a helmet, try letting him or her choose their own.
• Make sure the helmet fits and that everyone knows how to put it on correctly. A helmet should sit on top of the head in a level position, and should not rock forward, backward or side to side. The helmet straps must always be buckled but not too tightly.
• EYES check: Position the helmet on your head. Look up and you should see the bottom rim of the helmet. The rim should be one to two finger-widths above the eyebrows.
• EARS check: Make sure the straps of the helmet form a "V" under your ears when buckled. The strap should be snug but comfortable.
• MOUTH check: Open your mouth as wide as you can. Do you feel the helmet hug your head?

The right bike

• Ensure proper bike type, size and fit. Get help from an expert or read up on your own before choosing a bike. Bring your child along when shopping for a bike for them. Buy a bicycle that is the right size for the child, not one he will grow into. When sitting on the seat, the child’s feet should be able to touch the ground.
• Make sure the reflectors are secure, brakes work properly, gears shift smoothly and tires are tightly secured and properly inflated.

Ride safe

• Ride wisely. You are a vehicle. Learn and follow all laws.
• Be predictable. Act like a driver of a motor vehicle.
• Be visible. See and be seen at all times.
• Stay focused. Stay alert.

Drive safe

• Motorists need to safely share the road.
• Don’t crowd bicyclists.
• Keep an eye out for bicyclists, as well as motorcycles and pedestrians.

Married persons, and registered domestic partners, need to consider how much control they want to allow one another – acting alone – over their community property assets.  

This is important when creating their powers of attorney, wills and joint trust.  

The analysis involves three time periods: First, while both are alive and competent; second, when one spouse becomes incompetent while the other is alive; and, third, after the first spouse dies while the surviving spouse remains competent.

First, what authority do they want to give each other independently to control community property assets – both those inside and outside of a joint trust, as relevant – while both are competent? Should either spouse alone be allowed to make gifts without the other’s participation or consent?  

This issue can be thorny in blended families when one spouse wants to help his or her child(ren) and the other spouse may not be quite as enthusiastic.  

Second, if and when one spouse becomes incompetent, what authority should the other spouse then have over community property assets? Should the competent spouse be authorized to change their community property assets into his or her own separate property to qualify the incompetent spouse for Medi-Cal eligibility?  

California law requires each spouse’s consent to name death beneficiaries of the community property non probate assets – retirement accounts, annuities and life insurance.  

Does the couple want the competent spouse to be able to change designated death beneficiaries on such assets to reflect unforeseen changed family circumstances? If so, each spouse’s durable power of attorney should be drafted to enable the other spouse to do so.   

Third, after the first spouse dies, what authority should the surviving spouse have over the couple’s community property assets?

If they want the surviving spouse to have complete control, then the surviving spouse will need to be granted legal authority over the decedent’s one half interest in the community property assets after death.  

In that regard, let us consider assets inside their joint trust and their other non probate assets.

Even if their trust says the surviving spouse may amend and revoke the trust, case law shows that such provision should not be depended upon to allow the surviving spouse to amend or revoke the trust with respect to the deceased spouse’s one-half interest in the joint trust’s community property assets.  

Rather, the joint trust should either provide that any community property assets are included in the surviving spouse’s sole trust, or that the joint trust would grant the surviving spouse a power of appointment over the deceased spouse’s one-half interest in community property assets.      

Next, let us consider the death benefits on any retirement accounts, annuities and life insurance policies titled in the surviving spouse’s name, which are either wholly or partially community property.  

The deceased spouse has a community property interest in such assets. For the surviving spouse to change who receives the death proceeds it is necessary for the deceased spouse, while alive, to have given the surviving spouse written authority over the deceased spouse’s interest. This is typically accomplished through a will.  

Otherwise, failing such authority in the deceased spouse’s will, any changes made by the surviving spouse are only partially effective; that is, only effective over the surviving spouse’s own one-half interest in the community property  and any separate property interest of the account only.

The foregoing limitation, however, does not apply to the surviving spouse’s ERISA qualified retirement plans (i.e., pensions and 401(k) plans).  

Federal law allows the participant spouse exclusive control to name death beneficiaries.

Lastly, the foregoing approach requires the drafting attorney to strike the right balance between flexibility and caution.  

Doing so entails imposing sensible limitations that curtail flexibility in order to prevent undesired results.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – It’s a special week at Lake County Animal Care and Control, where the inaugural big adoption event is taking place.

Through Friday, May 11, the county is waiving the $20 adoption fee for cats and $30 adoption fee for dogs, which is reducing costs in order to help get animals homes.

There’s a full house of dogs, big and little, ready to leave the shelter behind and join a new home.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Female Australian Shepherd

This female Australian Shepherd mix is 1 year old.

She has a short red and tan coat, and bright, beautiful green eyes.

She weighs 65 pounds and has been spayed.

Shelter staff said she is quiet and mellow. She is good with other dogs and would be good with kids.

Find her in kennel No. 19, ID No. 32589.

Labrador Retriever-Great Dane

This male Labrador Retriever-Great Dane mix is 4 months old.

He weighs 41 pounds, has a short black and white coat, and has been neutered.

He is in kennel No. 33, ID No. 32600.

Female Labrador Retriever

This female Labrador Retriever is 1 year old.

She weighs 44 pounds, has a short black coat and has been spayed.

She is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 32639.

Siberian Husky mix

This male Siberian Husky mix is 4 years old.

He has one blue eye and one brown eye, has a long black and white coat, and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 16, ID No. 32531.

Alaskan Malamute mix

This male Alaskan Malamute mix is 4 years old.

He has a long black and white coat and is not yet neutered.

Shelter staff describes him as a great family dog, good with kids and “a big teddy bear.”

Find the big guy in kennel No. 17, ID No. 32532.

‘Beau’

Beau is a 5-month-old male Chihuahua mix.

He weighs 6 pounds, has a short, tri-colored coat and is neutered.

Beau is in kennel No. 23, ID No. 32335.

Male Jack Russell mix

This male Jack Russell terrier mix is 6 years old.

He has tricolor markings and a short coat, weighs 19 pounds and has not yet been neutered.

He is in kennel No. 24, ID No. 32483.

Female Jack Russell mix

This female Jack Russell terrier mix is 3 years old.

She has a short tan and white coat, weighs nearly 26 pounds and has not yet been spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 22, ID No. 32482.

Male Pomeranian mix

This little male Pomeranian mix is 1 year old.

He has a long black and tan coat, weighs 12 pounds and has been neutered. Staff said he is mellow and a nonbarker.

Find him in kennel No. 25, ID No. 32508.

Adoptable dogs also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dogs_and_Puppies.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Dogs listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

COBB, Calif. – A Cobb man is being held on $1 million bail for allegedly killing his girlfriend.

James Michael Carpy, 44, was arrested following the discovery on Friday of his girlfriend's dead body in their Cobb home, according to Capt. Chris Macedo of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

The name of the 33-year-old victim has not been released by the sheriff's office. Macedo said the woman's name is being withheld pending notification of family members.

At 6:52 p.m. Friday Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence on Hogan Hill Lane on Cobb on the report of a suspicious death, Macedo said.

The reporting party advised dispatchers that he had arrived at his daughter’s house and found her deceased, according to Macedo.

When deputies arrived on scene they located an unidentified female lying on the floor inside the residence. Deputies determined that woman was in fact deceased, but Macedo said the deputies were not able to determine the possible cause of her death.

Macedo said the deputies contacted the woman's father, who had found her, and he informed them that he went to his daughter’s residence to check on her as he had not heard from her since Thursday evening.

The woman's father informed sheriff’s deputies that his daughter lived at the residence with her boyfriend, Macedo said.

The man went to the Hogan Hill Lane residence with his girlfriend and his other daughter. He reported that Carpy answered the door, according to Macedo.

Macedo said the victim's father entered the residence and found his daughter deceased in a rear bedroom. The father then told his girlfriend to go to the neighbor’s house and call 911.

After interviewing the victim's father deputies contacted Carpy inside the residence, Macedo said. Carpy was detained without incident and transported to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for questioning.

After questioning, Carpy was arrested and booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility for murder and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, with bail set at $1 million, Macedo said.

Lake County Sheriff’s detectives were summoned to the scene to conduct the investigation, which is ongoing, Macedo said. He said no further information on the case will be released until Monday, May 7.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.

WILLITS, Calif. – On Friday Caltrans issued a statement regarding “misconceptions and misinformation” it said is being circulated about the Willits Bypass project, which is at the heart of a lawsuit filed earlier this week.

Caltrans said the $210 million dollar highway improvement project will relieve congestion, reduce delays and improve safety for traffic currently passing through Willits.

On Tuesday, the Center for Biological Diversity, Willits Environmental Center, Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club and Environmental Protection Information Center filed a lawsuit in federal court against Caltrans, the Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, alleging that the National Environmental Policy Act and Clean Water Act were violated in approving the project, as Lake County News has reported.

The groups alleged that the four-lane freeway would hurt wetlands, salmon-bearing streams and endangered plants.

Caltrans said in a Friday statement that the federal lawsuit has not put the project on hold, and the agency plans to keep the project on schedule.

The bypass project is anticipated to go out to bid on May 14 and a mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held June 13 for all contractors who wish to submit bids or participate as subcontractors, Caltrans reported.

Current traffic counts in Willits show that a four-lane bypass will meet traffic needs, and that a two-lane bypass will not be sufficient, Caltrans reported.

Caltrans said it thoroughly investigated two-lane alternatives prior to selecting the four-lane bypass. The selection process involved rigorous involvement and analysis by traffic engineers and other traffic specialists with extensive experience in planning roadways and projecting traffic needs.

The data showed – and continues to show, even with current fluctuations in traffic counts – that a two-lane bypass would provide insufficient traffic service in terms of congestion and delays, which also affect traffic safety, Caltrans said. A four-lane bypass, in contrast, will relieve congestion and delays for decades to come

The 2006 environmental document has been revalidated and supplemented to keep it compliant with State and Federal environmental protection laws. Caltrans' 2006 Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) substantiates the need to provide a four-lane bypass around the city of Willits.

In order to ensure the viability of its conclusions as time has passed, and as several project and funding changes have occurred, Caltrans conducted several revalidations of its 2006 environmental analyses. On all but one occasion, Caltrans' analysis revealed that the 2006 EIR/EIS remained valid and did not require supplementation.

When a state-listed threatened plant species, North Coast semaphore grass, was discovered in the bypass area during field studies, Caltrans prepared and circulated a supplemental EIR in 2010 to assess potential impacts and protective measures for the plant. Caltrans firmly stands behind our 2006 environmental documents, our revalidations, and Supplemental EIR as fully compliant with state and federal environmental protection laws.

Caltrans works with local transit authorities when developing highway projects. The agency said it examines public transit options when considering alternatives to freeway projects. Although Caltrans facilitates public transportation systems by administering public funds to local transit authorities, the actual building of transit facilities is not within its legal limitations.

The majority of local and regional community members do not support the continued reliance on existing roadways where congestion results in daily delays, according to Caltrans.

The project's mitigation measures will increase the overall quality of fisheries habitat in the area, the agency said. These headwaters of the Eel River will not only be preserved by a detailed plan to minimize impacts during construction; the mitigation being funded due to this project will greatly increase the overall quality of fisheries habitat in this area.

Culverts on Haehl and Upp Creeks are being removed and two culverts on Ryan Creek will be replaced with natural bottom culverts. Removal of the culverts at Haehl and Upp Creeks will open the headwater sections of those creeks to spawning fish, Caltrans said.

Installing natural bottom culverts on Ryan Creek will allow summering juvenile Southern Oregon-Northern California Coasts Coho salmon, a species designated as threatened, to seek summer rearing habitat and greatly increase the species long-term survival outlook, according to Caltrans.

Along all creeks within the mitigation properties, invasive non-native plants will be removed and replaced with native plants. Caltrans said fencing also will be installed along all of the creeks within the mitigation properties keep cattle out of the creeks and riparian zones increasing water quality and fisheries habitat.

Agencies which reviewed and approved the project mitigation measures are California Department of Fish and Game, National Marine Fisheries Service, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. U. S Army Corps of Engineers and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

LUCERNE, Calif. – A group of classic car enthusiasts toured Lake County over the weekend as part of its special spring event.

The Lake County A's 18th annual Spring Opener began Friday, May 4, and runs through Sunday, May 6.

The group's events for the weekend are based at Rancho de la Fuente in Lakeport, but they took a picturesque spin around the county on Saturday.

One of the stops on Saturday morning included a tour at the Lucerne Hotel.

Eric Seely of the Lake County Administrative Office showed the group around the historic 1920s-era building, which was being prepared for the Upper Lake High School prom on Saturday evening.

Upper Lake's is the second prom in two weekends that the hotel is hosting; last weekend, it was the Kelseyville High School prom.

Club members enjoyed taking a look around before they were off to other stops, including Chacewater Olive Mill and the Ely Stage Stop Museum in Kelseyville.

THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON UPGRADED THIS QUAKE’S MAGNITUDE FROM 4.3 TO 4.5. 

COBB, Calif. – A 4.5-magnitude earthquake was reported early Saturday morning near The Geysers geothermal steamfield.

In its preliminary report, which was reviewed by a seismologist, the U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 2:23 a.m.

The quake's epicenter was located three miles east of The Geysers, three miles southwest of Cobb, four miles west northwest of Anderson Springs and 24 miles north of Santa Rosa at a depth of 1.7 miles, according to the report.

It was quickly followed by more than a dozen smaller aftershocks, the largest of which was 2.3 in magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Several residents of the Cobb area reported on Lake County News' Facebook page that they had been awakened by the quake, which some also reported seemed to last longer than usual.

Within a half-hour of the quake taking place the U.S. Geological Survey had received more than 70 shake reports from 23 zip codes.

Responses came from Clearlake, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Lower Lake and Middletown, as well as areas in Napa and Sonoma counties, and the Bay Area, with responses coming from as far away as Sacramento and San Francisco.

The last time a quake of similar magnitude was reported in the Cobb area was on Feb. 12, when a 4.3-magnitude quake – also located three miles east of The Geysers – occurred, 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. .

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – A Mendocino County jury on Tuesday found a Fort Bragg resident guilty of two felony and four misdemeanor counts of reckless driving, stemming from a three-car accident that happened nearly a year ago.

Jurors deliberated slightly more than two hours before rejecting defendant Randall Douglas Jennings’ defense that he was suffering from something akin to sleepwalking in the time leading up to the May 27, 2011, accident on Highway 1 on the Mendocino Coast, according to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors called a dozen witnesses – including five witnesses to Jennings’ driving that day – three victims, three CHP officers, and one medical expert.  

The witnesses testified that they observed Jennings driving north of Cleone on Highway 1 at high speeds, passing several cars across double yellow lines and around blind corners.  

At the intersection of Little Valley Road and Highway 1, Jennings’ vehicle narrowly missed a southbound vehicle, before losing control and colliding head-on with two other southbound vehicles, injuring a total of six victims.  

The defense called three witnesses, including the 43-year-old defendant and Dr. Richard Miller, in support of the defendant’s attempted defense of “sleep driving.” Jennings testified that he remembered driving north on Highway 1, but did not remember reckless driving or the accident.

The two felony convictions entered were for reckless driving causing specific injury to two passengers in the first car hit by Jennings.

The four misdemeanor reckless driving convictions entered were for injuries to passengers in the two additional cars struck by Jennings’ vehicle. All six victims were visiting from out of county on the day of the accident.

“I would like to thank the jurors for their careful consideration of the evidence and for reaching a just verdict,” said prosecutor Jared Kelly.
 
District Attorney David Eyster said the verdict “is evidence of how the California Highway Patrol, concerned citizens and the DA’s Office continue to work together towards the common goals of seeking justice for victims of crimes and safeguarding our roads.”

Judge Clayton Brennan referred the defendant’s matter to the Probation Office for a sentencing report and recommendation.

The sentencing hearing was then calendared for 9 a.m. June 18 at the Fort Bragg courthouse.