Monday, 11 December 2023

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Maria Ferrari and her family have a new home thanks to the efforts of Habitat for Humanity of Lake County, California. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Habitat for Humanity Lake County reported that it has helped another community member create a new home.

On July 21, Habitat for Humanity Lake County welcomed Maria Ferrari and her family into their new home.

After the loss of their rental housing in the Valley fire, Ferrari made it her New Year’s resolution to become a homeowner and after speaking to the Habitat for Humanity staff, she put in her application.

“It was a very long process but I am a homeowner now,” Ferrari said. “My children could not wait to get their own rooms. They were excited by discovering how the appliances work and doing their own laundry.”

She added, “I am grateful to Habitat for working with me. Being a single mother, it has not been easy but you always found a way to make it work. Thank you to each of the Habitat for Humanity collaborators. Without your help, this wish would not have come through.

If you or someone you know is interested in partnering with Habitat to become a homeowner, applications for the Homeownership Program are currently being accepted.

The stability and security of homeownership is one of the greatest gifts a family can have, Habitat reported.

The pride in one’s home and the benefits it offers to the family unit are a boon to our community, helping to make Lake County a better place for all of us.

Habitat for Humanity Lake County is here to help make that happen for qualifying, deserving families in our communities.

Applicants must have lived in Lake County for at least one year, be willing to partner with Habitat in the construction of their home, present a positive attitude toward the process, and be considered low-income.

If you, or someone you know, are interested and might qualify, please contact the Habitat office at 707-994-1100 for more information or to receive a pre-application. For assistance in Spanish dial Extension 108.

Tammy Brigham is the administrator for Habitat for Humanity Lake County.
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Rep. Thompson (D-CA-4) presented a $750,000 check to Lake County officials for the Middle Creek Flood Restoration Project on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The long-running effort to improve Clear Lake’s water quality and reduce flood risk in the Middle Creek area has taken another step forward.

The county of Lake has received $750,000 in federal funding to support the Middle Creek Flood Restoration Project.

Congressman Mike Thompson visited with Lake County officials on Oct. 30, when he formally presented the check.

“Cleaning up the environment and protection from flooding is crucial to the health and safety of our community,” said Thompson. “This restoration is critical to preserving Clear Lake, reducing the cost of treating our drinking water, and preventing severe flooding. Proud to have secured this funding for Lake County.”

Thompson had announced receiving the funds for the Middle Creek project — as well as the city of Clearlake’s Burns Valley Sports Complex and Recreation Center Project and the Lakeport Armory Facility Repurposing Project — in December as part of the final 2023 appropriations government funding bill.

That explains the Dec. 29, 2022 date on the check that Thompson handed over to the county.

“There is no project more critical to sustainable Clear Lake water quality and a strong outdoor-recreation based Lake County economy than the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project,” District 3 Supervisor Eddie Crandell said in a written statement. “Congressman Thompson understood completing final Feasibility Stage steps with the United States Army Corps of Engineers was highly urgent and essential to moving this project forward, and we were grateful he fought hard to ensure this work was funded.”

The Middle Creek project will restore 1,650 acres near Upper Lake in the confluence of Middle and Scotts creeks to wetlands.

It’s meant to improve water quality in Clear Lake by removing up to 40% of phosphorus that comes from Middle and Scotts Creeks, the lake’s two largest tributaries, and reduce by 33% the concentration of chlorophyll.

Another critical outcome of the project will be flood reduction to protect nearby residents from catastrophic losses.

The funding that Thompson secured will help facilitate the removal of three miles of substandard levees, one pumping station and one weir structure.

Removal of the structures will carry tremendous ecological benefits by improving Clear Lake water quality and storage capacity, Thompson’s office said.

“Clear Lake is one of the oldest lakes in North America, and it needs more wetland area to thrive,” said Marina Deligiannis, deputy Lake County Water Resources director. “Current sediment and phosphorus loads are estimated to be twice the pre-European levels, and about 71% of the sediment and phosphorus entering Clear Lake comes from Scotts and Middle Creek watersheds. This project could reduce Clear Lake phosphorus levels by 40%, helping to preserve a national treasure. Thank you to Congressman Thompson for recognizing this as a matter of high federal priority.”

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.
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LUCERNE, Calif. — Authorities have identified a Northshore man who died last week after being electrocuted in an incident involving a powerline.

Steven Michael Green, 36, of Nice died in the incident on Nov. 7, said Lauren Berlinn, spokesperson for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Shortly after 5:15 p.m. Nov. 7, Northshore Fire was dispatched to the area of Sandy Beach mobile home park in Lucerne on the report of a possible fatal electrocution, with CPR in progress, according to radio traffic.

“The initial investigation revealed he was attempting to dislodge a drone from a tree using an aluminum pole while standing on an aluminum ladder when the pole touched a powerline close to the tree,” Berlinn said.

“First responders attempted life-saving measures for close to 30 minutes, which were unfortunately unsuccessful,” Berlinn added.

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.
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On Tuesday, House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chair Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) joined Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) to introduce the ‘Disarming Cartels Act’ to curtail the trafficking of U.S.-made firearms and ammunition southbound over the U.S.-Mexico border.

Guns originating in the United States power human- and drug-trafficking efforts and other illicit activities by cartels and other transnational criminal organizations in Mexico and beyond.

The "Disarming Cartels Act" has also been co-sponsored by Representatives Dina Titus (NV-01), Danny Davis (IL-07), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL).

“Firearms purchased in the United States are being illegally trafficked to Mexico, arming the cartels and fueling the fentanyl epidemic,” said Thompson. “Going after the bad actors that facilitate the exchange of guns for fentanyl will help us crack down on illegal drug trade while preventing firearms from getting into the hands of cartels and other criminal organizations. The Disarming Cartels Act will help us secure our border, reduce the flow of fentanyl in our country, and disrupt the illegal flow of firearms into Mexico. As Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I’m proud to support this important bill with Reps. Goldman, Castro, Titus, Danny Davis, and Eleanor Holmes Norton.”

“Democrats and Republicans alike recognize the devastating threat posed by the fentanyl trade and human smuggling and trafficking, all of which are predominantly controlled by Mexican drug cartels at our southern border,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “But Republicans simply ignore that the source of the cartels’ power is the hundreds of thousands of American-manufactured weapons of war that flow out of the United States and into the hands of the cartels. If we want to address crime across our southern border, then we must address the exportation of American guns across the border. The Disarming Cartels Act will do just that.”

“For years, American guns have fueled violence, instability, and forced migration across the Western Hemisphere,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro. “The United States can — and must — do more to stop the weapons we manufacture from landing in the hands of criminal organizations that smuggle fentanyl and other deadly drugs to the United States. The Disarming Cartels Act will disrupt cross-border trafficking through greater interagency collaboration at home and enhanced coordination with our partners in Mexico — protecting innocent people on both sides of the border.”

Mexico has one gun store in the entire country and restrictive firearm regulations. Yet, on an annual basis, there are nearly 30,000 annual firearm deaths in Mexico.

More than 500,000 American-made guns are trafficked to Mexico every year, and seventy percent of firearms recovered from crime scenes in Mexico can be traced to the United States. Criminal organizations operating in Mexico purchase firearms and ammunition from U.S.-based retailers to target law enforcement and military personnel, harm citizens, and enforce cartel control of territory.

To disrupt the trafficking of U.S.-sourced firearms into Mexico, the ‘Disarming Cartels Act’ directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to:

• Increase interagency collaboration to identify, target, disrupt, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations responsible for exporting firearms and related munitions from the United States to Mexico.
• Instruct Homeland Security Investigations within U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement to establish a mechanism for sharing aggregated information about interdictions of southbound firearms and U.S.-sourced firearms in Mexico with Federal partners.
• Expand the collection and analysis of information concerning firearms recovered at crime scenes in Mexico to identify U.S.-based gun traffickers.
• Enhance coordination with Mexican agencies to increase outbound inspections by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the southwest land border.
• Establish performance measures for efforts to disrupt the smuggling of U.S.-sourced firearms to Mexico.
• Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide annual reports on the Department’s actions to disrupt the smuggling of U.S.-sourced firearms and munition to Mexico.

Transnational criminal organizations are known to exchange drugs like fentanyl to U.S. buyers for firearms. Cartels have orchestrated sophisticated attacks on Mexican security forces, with increasing use of .50 caliber rifles, modified fully automatic rifles, and belt-fed machine guns to counter Mexican security forces.

Mexico has one gun store in the entire country and restrictive firearm regulations. Yet, on an annual basis, there are nearly 30,000 annual firearm deaths in Mexico.

The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force is committed to protecting communities across the country from the dangers of gun violence. In October, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force condemned the Republican failure to respond to the gun violence epidemic and sent a letter urging Speaker Johnson to use his new authority to bring bipartisan, common sense gun safety legislation to the floor for a vote.

Thompson represents California’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport Unified School District said a medical emergency that occurred at the campus on Tuesday afternoon is under investigation by police.

Superintendent Matt Bullard issued a statement that came through the Lakeport Police Department’s Nixle alert account on Tuesday evening.

“This afternoon the LUSD school community experienced a traumatic event on campus,” Bullard wrote. “At the end of the school day a medical emergency that included symptoms associated with a chemical overdose or poisoning occurred on campus. School employees responded to the emergency and Emergency Medical Services were summoned. The swift and efficient response provided the necessary medical intervention needed in a timely manner. This incident has been referred to the Lakeport Police Department and is currently being investigated.”

Bullard said that on Wednesday, “and for as long as needed,” Lakeport Unified will have additional counselors and support providers on campus for students and staff impacted by Tuesday’s event.

“Unfortunately our community, like many communities across the country, is recognizing an increase in chemical health emergencies. In order to promote a safe school environment, LUSD will be partnering with the Lakeport Police Department to randomly search all campus facilities with narcotics detection dogs,” Bullard said.

Bullard concluded, “Please talk with your children and loved ones about the dangers associated with drugs and alcohol.”
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This Thanksgiving will mark a milestone in travel, with a surge projected to create one of the busiest travel periods on record.

Nationwide, 55.4 million people are expected to travel over the upcoming holiday weekend.

That’s 2.3% more than last year and the third-largest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2001, according to a report released this week by AAA.

California, in particular, is set to break a record, with nearly 7.5 million residents planning on holiday getaways. That’s an increase of 3% over 2022.

“Travel demand has truly bounced back to pre-pandemic levels,” said Brian Ng, senior vice president of membership and travel marketing for AAA Northern California. “Our holiday travel projections show the year long trend of Californians’ eagerness to get away and create memories with family and friends.”

AAA expects 88% of travelers — which is more than 49 million Americans — to drive to their destination (+1.7 percent from 2022). The skies are also anticipated to be busy, with 8.5% — or over 4.7 million people — flying to their holiday destinations (+6.6 percent from 2022).

To ensure a smooth and enjoyable trip, AAA Northern California offers four Thanksgiving travel tips:

Road-ready your ride. If you don’t want to be one of the estimated 360,000 Thanksgiving travelers calling AAA for roadside assistance nationwide, get a pre-trip inspection at a AAA Auto Repair Center to ensure your vehicle is ready to hit the road.

Plan ahead. Use the AAA Mobile App to locate the cheapest gas and EV chargers, request roadside assistance more quickly, and save money with discounts.

Budget accordingly. While California gas prices have seen a slight decrease (-36 cents) compared to last year, they remain relatively high. The AAA Mobile app is now available in CarPlay, helping you find the nearest gas and EV stations, compare fuel prices, and drive with confidence.

Outsmart the crowds. If flying, arrive at the airport early. If driving, consider aiming for off-peak periods (before 11 a.m. or after 6 p.m.), especially on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
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Image courtesy of the California Highway Patrol.

It is important that all drivers on California’s roadways be well-equipped with the knowledge and tools to help them safely operate their vehicle.

With the help of the $225,000 Keeping Everyone Safe, or KEYS, grant, the California Highway Patrol will continue to empower the state’s senior community with a free specialized driving course designed with them in mind.

The CHP’s Age Well, Drive Smart course was developed in 2008 to assist and educate drivers, age 65 and older, as well as promote safe travel for all.

Every year, thousands of the state’s seniors attend the course with the goal of improving their driving skills, refreshing their knowledge of the rules of the road and learning how age-related physical changes may affect one’s driving ability.

“Roadway safety and mobility for California’s seniors remains a high priority for the CHP,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “The Age Well, Drive Smart course is not just a class; it's a crucial initiative that equips our senior drivers with the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe and confident behind the wheel.”

The CHP invites all of California’s senior drivers aged 65 and older to attend an Age Well, Drive Smart class to learn the tools to drive safer and drive longer.

The class is approximately two hours in length and is offered at local CHP Area offices as well as many senior centers throughout the state.

The class is a way for seniors to educate themselves, evaluate their driving abilities, and improve their driving skills.

More information about this free class is available from any local CHP office. The Clear Lake Area Office can be reached at 707-279-0103.

The Age Well, Drive Smart course is made possible by a grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.


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We’ve known for more than a century that women outlive men. But new research led by UC San Francisco and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shows that, at least in the United States, the gap has been widening for more than a decade.

The trend is being driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid overdose epidemic, among other factors.

In a research paper, published Nov. 13, 2023, in JAMA Internal Medicine, the authors found the difference between how long American men and women live increased to 5.8 years in 2021, the largest it’s been since 1996.

This is an increase from 4.8 years in 2010, when the gap was at its smallest in recent history.

The pandemic, which took a disproportionate toll on men, was the biggest contributor to the widening gap from 2019-2021, followed by unintentional injuries and poisonings (mostly drug overdoses), accidents and suicide.

“There’s been a lot of research into the decline in life expectancy in recent years, but no one has systematically analyzed why the gap between men and women has been widening since 2010,” said the paper’s first author, Brandon Yan, MD, MPH, a UCSF internal medicine resident physician and research collaborator at Harvard Chan School.

“While rates of death from drug overdose and homicide have climbed for both men and women, it is clear that men constitute an increasingly disproportionate share of these deaths,” Yan said.



Interventions to reverse a deadly trend

Using data from the National Center for Health Statistics, Yan and fellow researchers from around the country identified the causes of death that were lowering life expectancy the most. Then they estimated the effects on men and women to see how much different causes were contributing to the gap.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest contributors were unintentional injuries, diabetes, suicide, homicide and heart disease.

But during the pandemic, men were more likely to die of the virus. That was likely due to a number of reasons, including differences in health behaviors, as well as social factors, such as the risk of exposure at work, reluctance to seek medical care, incarceration and housing instability. Chronic metabolic disorders, mental illness and gun violence also contributed.

Yan said the results raise questions about whether more specialized care for men, such as in mental health, should be developed to address the growing disparity in life expectancy.

“We have brought insights to a worrisome trend,” Yan said. “Future research ought to help focus public health interventions towards helping reverse this decline in life expectancy.”

Yan and co-authors, including senior author Howard Koh, MD, MPH, professor of the practice of public health leadership at Harvard Chan School, also noted that further analysis is needed to see if these trends change after 2021.

“We need to track these trends closely as the pandemic recedes,” Koh said. “And we must make significant investments in prevention and care to ensure that this widening disparity, among many others, do not become entrenched.”

Additional authors are affiliated with the National Center for Health Statistics and the Boston University School of Public Health. The study received no funding, and the authors have no conflicts of interest.
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Anale Burlew. Courtesy photo.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — A former assistant chief in Cal Fire’s Sonoma Lake Napa Unit has been appointed to one of Cal Fire’s key statewide leadership positions.

Anale Burlew, of San Anselmo, has been appointed Cal Fire’s chief deputy director by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Burlew has been assistant deputy director, fire protection operations at Cal Fire since 2022 and has served in several positions there since 2011, including deputy chief, command and control, assistant chief, Sonoma Lake Napa Unit Central Operations; battalion chief, Nevada Yuba Placer Unit; and battalion chief, Northern Region Headquarters.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in fire service management from California State University, Sacramento.

This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $219,360.

Burlew is a Democrat.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. — One Lake County man is dead and a second is missing following a boating accident near Fort Bragg last week.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday it has identified a body that washed ashore on Friday as that of 58-year-old Charles Case.

A second Lake County resident, Kenneth Silva, 61, remains missing, the agency said.

At 3:41 p.m. Friday Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies responded to the report of a deceased adult male washed ashore near the Ten Mile Dunes, north of MacKerricher State Park near Fort Bragg.

Authorities said that man later was identified as Case.

Deputies arrived and determined that Case had been aboard a small pleasure craft that had capsized and also washed ashore, approximately one-half mile north of where Case was located.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies developed information that Silva also was aboard the vessel when it was launched from Noyo Harbor less than two hours prior.

Over the next 24 hours, the ocean area was searched by the US Coast Guard and the shoreline was checked by California State Park Rangers and Mendocino Sheriff's Search and Rescue volunteers, which was unsuccessful in locating Silva.

Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies are continuing daily searches with limited in-county resources when they are available.

Friends of the two men posted memorials to them on Facebook, where Case’s account lists him as a self-employed commercial fisherman.

Both men reportedly grew up in the Richmond area.
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Sharron Zoller. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Lake County agriculture leader has received an award for leadership from a nationwide organization.

American Agri Women, or AAW, a national coalition of farm, ranch and agribusiness women's organizations that educate consumers, advocate for agriculture and offers networking and professional development opportunities, announced that Sharron Zoller, from the Lake County Chapter of California Women for Agriculture, is the 2023 recipient of their highest honor for members the LEAVEN award for exemplary leadership.

The event was held in Sacramento where the two organizations came together for AAW’s national convention hosted by California Women for Agriculture, or CWA.

Nominated by her peers, Zoller exemplifies the meaning of the words that make up “LEAVEN”: Loyalty, Enthusiasm, Anticipatory, Valiant, Effectiveness and Nurturing.

AAW annually recognizes an individual who has made a significant impact within the agriculture community through their leadership skills, dedication and service. and has been instrumental in driving positive change.

Also, a recipient of this year’s LEAVEN award for her exemplary leadership, Kathy Goodyke of Minnesota Agri-Women.

Sharron Zoller and her husband, Broc, are first generation farmers. She has been active in CWA for decades, is currently the state president and has been involved with AAW for many years.

“Leaven” (yeast) is a small element that can interact and influence everything around it. It permeates and raises the elements it’s mixed with. Leaven multiplies its effectiveness for good.

California Women for Agriculture was founded in 1975 and is the most active, all-volunteer agricultural organization in the state, with 20 chapters and more than 1,300 members comprising farmers, ranchers, bankers, lawyers, accountants, marketing professionals, support services, consumers and the vast stakeholders of the agriculture industry.

CWA promotes leadership within local communities, advocacy on key local, state and federal issues, public service and outreach, agriculture literacy in our schools, and promotional initiatives to preserve and educate those living in our increasingly urbanized California landscape. CWA advocates for the economic sustainability of the diverse California agriculture community so future generations can continue to produce a healthy diverse food supply.

The Lake County Chapter of CWA was organized in May 1976 as the fifth chapter in the state.

The chapter gives a face to Lake County agriculture through community involvement and supports local farmers and ranchers by advocating, promoting and educating on behalf of agriculture within the community.

Each year, the Lake County Chapter of CWA presents its annual AgVenture program to educate local community leaders and others about the role of agriculture in Lake County and awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors and full-time college and vocational students whose educational emphasis is related to agriculture.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Recent rains and cooler temperatures across the region have lowered the threat of wildfires, allowing Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit to begin downstaffing from its peak staffing levels.

A total of 10 fire engines will be downstaffed on Monday, Nov. 13.

Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, or LNU, will continue to operate with 21 state engines — one at every fire station in the Unit — and staff 153 seasonal firefighters in addition to the 250-plus permanent suppression staff after that date.

“Living in California, we must understand that it’s not just a fire season, but rather a year-round vulnerability to wildfires,” said Cal Fire Unit Chief Mike Marcucci. “In our year-round fire state, we have different staffing levels that correspond to fire conditions. We are starting to experience shorter days and our fuel moisture levels are coming up, but we remain ready for the threat of wildfire on the appropriate level.”

Boggs Copter 612, the Sikorsky S70i Cal Fire Hawk based at the Boggs Mountain Helitack Base in Lake County, will be leaving the unit for the season on Nov. 13.

Operations at the Sonoma Air Attack Base will continue after that date with the use of one air tanker and one air attack plane.

The hand crew out of the Hood Mountain Fire Center in Sonoma County will also remain staffed at this time.

Cal Fire will continue to monitor weather conditions closely and maintains the ability to increase staffing should weather conditions change or if there is a need to support wildfires or other emergencies in other areas of the state.

There have been 340 wildfires that have burned merely 657 acres in Cal Fire LNU’s jurisdiction this year.

It is the third year in a row with a significant reduction in wildfire activity, Cal Fire reported.

During the six-year fire siege the unit saw between 2015 and 2020, the fire activity averages saw 526 fires burn 172,827 acres per year.

Cal Fire said this positive trend can be attributed to several key factors, including the ongoing efforts in fuels reduction and prescribed burns along with the staffing and resources dedicated to firefighting.

The region has also seen favorable weather conditions that aided in containment efforts.

During the cooler months, Cal Fire said it will continue its aggressive fuel modification work.

Residents and neighborhoods are also encouraged to focus on much of the same to help build resilience to wildfire for their homes and communities.

To learn more about building defensible space and other protective measures you can take, please visit www.readyforwildfire.org.

Upcoming Calendar

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12.12.2023 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
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