LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Pacific storm system that was headed toward Northern and Central California Friday night is expected to bring rain to the region Saturday and Sunday.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Lake and other portions of Northern California in anticipation of the storm.

Forecasters predicted that rainfall would be mostly light to moderate, and would occur primarily on Saturday and Saturday night, with reduced chances of rainfall on Sunday morning.

Lake County's rain amount over the weekend is anticipated to be up to just over an inch and a half at the most.

Snow is expected in higher elevations in the Coastal Range as well as the Sierras, the National Weather Service said.

While rain is forecast to taper off later on Sunday and early on Monday, another storm system is expected to bring rain to Lake County through much of next week, the agency reported.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Testimony in the trial of two young men who are alleged to have shot to death a 4-year-old child and wounded five others continued on Wednesday, with the witnesses describing events that led up to the deadly incident.

Paul William Braden, 22, and Orlando Joseph Lopez, 24, stand accused of shooting into a crowd of people at a gathering at the Lakeshore Drive home in Clearlake of Ross Sparks and Desiree Kirby on the night of June 18, 2011.

The shooting killed Kirby’s son, Skyler Rapp, and left her with wounds that resulted in permanent disabilities.

Also wounded in the shooting were Ross Sparks, his brother Andrew Sparks, and friends Ian Griffith and Joseph Armijo.

Braden and Lopez each face the possibility of multiple life sentences if they’re convicted.

Judge Doris Shockley of Yolo County is presiding over the proceedings, which so far have moved slowly, partly resulting from the lengthy jury selection process – which started at the end of January – to impanel two juries, one for Braden and one for Lopez.

Testimony began at the end of last month, but that, too, has moved slowly because of delays related to complex procedural issues, court furlough days, holidays and the illness earlier this month of Lopez’s defense attorney, Stephen Carter. Attorney Doug Rhoades is representing Braden.

By day’s end on Wednesday, the fourth prosecution witness – Anthony Gaston – had just taken the stand.

Those who have testified so far include Janet Leonor, at whose Clearlake home Braden and Lopez were reported to have been in the afternoon and evening hours of June 18, 2011, before the shooting; her great-granddaughter, Ashli Athas, who lived with Leonor along with then-boyfriend Leonardo Lopez, Orlando Lopez’s younger brother; and Dennis Fry, Gaston’s younger brother, who was at Leonor’s the afternoon preceding the shooting.

‘Ave Boyz’ take the stand

Testimony, which resumed  Wednesday afternoon, saw Fry on the stand.

Fry, 18, is a member of the “Avenue Boys” – or “Ave Boyz” – as is Gaston, his brother. While both stated on the stand that the group is just composed of “friends,” the group has actually been suggested to have gang connections, according to testimony in the case’s October preliminary hearing.

Last June 9, at Athas’ adult school graduation at Lower Lake High School, Fry and Josh Gamble – Ross Sparks’ cousin – got into a fight following the ceremony.

District Attorney Don Anderson has alleged that the June 9 fight and the surrounding tensions between Sparks’ friends and family and friends of Lopez and Braden ultimately led to the fatal shooting, the worst in the city’s history.

Earlier in the proceedings, Athas had testified to seeing Braden and Lopez disappear for a short time during the party on June 18, 2011, later reappearing with Braden holding a shotgun wrapped in a sweatshirt.

She said he sawed the butt of the shotgun off in her grandmother’s garage and then played with the gun, allegedly telling others at the party that he was bored and wanted to go and shoot someone.

On Wednesday Fry appeared to corroborate some of Athas’ statements, saying he also had seen Braden carrying something that looked like a wrapped up shotgun.

Braden – who Fry also saw raising his voice and looking angry during a phone call while at the party – was the only person Fry saw with a firearm that night.

After seeing Braden carrying the gun, Fry said he felt uneasy and left the party a short time later.

When Fry was preparing to leave he said he saw Braden in the garage, with the shotgun in a vice, sawing the butt. He said Lopez was standing behind Braden.

Fry went home and had dinner, and found out about the shooting later that night in posts by friends on Facebook. The social media platform exploded with posts about the shooting that night and in the following days.

Describing graduation fight

Of his altercation with Gamble, Fry said the two have known each other since they were about 12 years old, and there has been “bad blood” between them more recently. They had arguments but never physically fought before the graduation incident.

Among the group of friends Fry testified to being with at that graduation were Leonardo and Orlando Lopez.

Fry said Gamble accused him of stepping on his shoe, which he didn’t believe he did.

When he got outside of the ceremony, Fry said Gamble and Armijo were waiting for him, their shirts off, wanting to fight.

Fry said he told them he couldn’t fight due to having a split tendon in his right middle finger, and injury he still has.

During questioning by Carter, Fry denied that the Ave Boyz were involved in criminal conduct, either individually or as a group. He also denied they wear red as their color, and that they didn’t take part in the “Ave Boyz” graffiti that has been seen around Clearlake.

Both Fry and Gaston would tell the court that the name “Ave Boyz” was a name given to them – they didn’t know by who. Gaston said the name began around January 2011, and later the group did adopt it.

“It was just a name that was given to us. We all lived in the avenues,” the 21-year-old Gaston said.

Also on Wednesday, Anderson filed a disclosure with the court regarding the potential criminal history of 17 of the witnesses set to testify in the case, including Fry, who was convicted in 2010 of a battery with serious bodily injury, according to the filing.

Testimony continues Thursday morning at 9 a.m.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Wednesday appointed Juan Felipe Herrera to the position of California Poet Laureate.

Herrera, 63, is the author of 28 books and currently serves as the Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside.

He was a professor and chair of Chicano and Latin American Studies at California State University, Fresno, from 1990 to 2004 and a teaching assistant fellow at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa from 1988 to 1990.

Herrera’s work has received wide critical acclaim including numerous national and international awards.

In a 2008 review of his work, Stephen Burt of the New York Times wrote, “All life, all art, involves boundaries, if only those of birth and death. Some poets keep us conscious of those boundaries; others, like Herrera, discover their powers by defying them. Many poets since the 1960s have dreamed of a new hybrid art, part oral, part written, part English, part something else: an art grounded in ethnic identity, fueled by collective pride, yet irreducibly individual too. Many poets have tried to create such an art: Herrera is one of the first to succeed.”

Upon his receipt of the PEN Beyond Margins Award in 2009, the University of Arizona Press wrote, “For nearly four decades Juan Felipe Herrera has documented his experience as a Chicano in the United States and Latin America through stunning, memorable poetry that is both personal and universal in its impact, themes, and approach. Often political, never fainthearted, his career has been marked by tremendous virtuosity and a unique sensibility for uncovering the unknown and the unexpected.”

The son of migrant workers from Mexico, Herrera earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, a master of arts in social anthropology from Stanford University and a master of fine arts from the University of Iowa.

He was elected to the Board of Chancellors for the Academy of American Poets in 2011, was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry in 2010 and won the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry in 2009.

This position requires Senate confirmation, and the California Arts Council provides an annual stipend. Herrera is a Democrat.

To read Herrera's poem, “Let Me Tell You What A Poem Brings,” visit www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/183577 .

A recent flurry of eruptions on the sun did more than spark pretty auroras around the poles.

NASA-funded researchers say the solar storms of March 8-10 dumped enough energy in Earth’s upper atmosphere to power every residence in New York City for two years.

“This was the biggest dose of heat we’ve received from a solar storm since 2005,” said Martin Mlynczak of NASA Langley Research Center. “It was a big event, and shows how solar activity can directly affect our planet.”

Mlynczak is the associate principal investigator for the SABER instrument onboard NASA’s TIMED satellite.

SABER monitors infrared emissions from Earth’s upper atmosphere, in particular from carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxide (NO), two substances that play a key role in the energy balance of air hundreds of km above our planet’s surface.

“Carbon dioxide and nitric oxide are natural thermostats,” explained James Russell of Hampton University, SABER’s principal investigator. “When the upper atmosphere (or ‘thermosphere’) heats up, these molecules try as hard as they can to shed that heat back into space.”

That’s what happened on March 8 when a coronal mass ejection (CME) propelled in our direction by an X5-class solar flare hit Earth’s magnetic field. (On the “Richter Scale of Solar Flares,” X-class flares are the most powerful kind.)

Energetic particles rained down on the upper atmosphere, depositing their energy where they hit. The action produced spectacular auroras around the poles and significant1 upper atmospheric heating all around the globe.

“The thermosphere lit up like a Christmas tree,” said Russell. “It began to glow intensely at infrared wavelengths as the thermostat effect kicked in.”

For the three day period, March 8-10, the thermosphere absorbed 26 billion kWh of energy. Infrared radiation from CO2 and NO, the two most efficient coolants in the thermosphere, re-radiated 95 percent of that total back into space.

In human terms, this is a lot of energy.

According to the New York City mayor’s office, an average NY household consumes just under 4,700 kWh annually. This means the geomagnetic storm dumped enough energy into the atmosphere to power every home in the Big Apple for two years.

“Unfortunately, there’s no practical way to harness this kind of energy,” said Mlynczak. “It’s so diffuse and out of reach high above Earth’s surface. Plus, the majority of it has been sent back into space by the action of CO2 and NO.”

During the heating impulse, the thermosphere puffed up like a marshmallow held over a campfire, temporarily increasing the drag on low-orbiting satellites.

This is both good and bad. On the one hand, extra drag helps clear space junk out of Earth orbit. On the other hand, it decreases the lifetime of useful satellites by bringing them closer to the day of re-entry.

The storm is over now, but Russell and Mlynczak expect more to come.

“We’re just emerging from a deep solar minimum,” said Russell. “The solar cycle is gaining strength with a maximum expected in 2013.”

More sunspots flinging more CMEs toward Earth adds up to more opportunities for SABER to study the heating effect of solar storms.

“This is a new frontier in the sun-Earth connection,” said Mlynczak, and the data we’re collecting are unprecedented.”

Stay tuned to Science@NASA for updates from the top of the atmosphere.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several local leaders pitched in on Wednesday to emphasize the importance of Meals on Wheels programs around the county.

“Mayors for Meals” is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the vital programs local senior centers provide to seniors in the community.

It provided an opportunity for local elected officials to see how the centers operate and take part in the delivery of Meals on Wheels.

Clearlake Mayor Joey Luiz helped prepare, pack and deliver Meals on Wheels with the Highlands Senior Center in Clearlake.

Lakeport Mayor Stacey Mattina came to the Lakeport Senior Center and went with Meals on Wheels Coordinator Sarah Tansey to deliver meals to some local seniors.  

Supervisor Jim Comstock helped the Middletown staff prepare and deliver food as well.

The staffs of each center were excited to demonstrate what they do, and how important a role they play in hundreds of lives within the county.

The senior centers and their programs are severely underfunded. Only by the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, and a generous community of individuals and businesses offering both financial and in-kind support are the centers able to continue.

Anyone interested in volunteering, or offering financial support should contact their local senior center at the following phone numbers, or by stopping by Middletown, 707-987-3113; Highlands Senior Center in Clearlake, 707-994-3051; Live Oak Senior Center in Clearlake Oaks, 707-998-1950; Lucerne, 707-274-8779; and Lakeport, 707-263-4218.

Jonathan Crooks is executive director of the Lakeport Senior Center in Lakeport, Calif.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Habematolel Pomo’s Running Creek Casino in Upper Lake is moving through the construction phase, and in preparation for the casino’s opening later this year the tribe is looking for new employees.

Running Creek Casino is set to host two job fairs in Lake County later this month in conjunction with Lake One-Stop Inc. Business & Employment Services.

“We’re incredibly pleased with the progress of the construction project,” said Tribal Chairperson Sherry Treppa. “We’re right on track to open around Memorial Day. We’re also excited about starting the hiring process and bringing some new jobs to Lake County and the surrounding area.”

The casino will provide Lake County with more than 145 local jobs, including table games dealers, slot reps, cage personnel, food and beverage, security, surveillance and administrative staff.

The first job fair is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, March 24, in Lakeport at Lake One-Stop, 55 First St.

The second is scheduled for Saturday, March 31, at 10 a.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall, 9480 Main St., Upper Lake.

“As I see the casino structure go up I’m reminded of the significance of this site,” said Treppa.

She said the surrounding foothills were the tribe's former reservation – 564 acres in total – which was lost when the Habematolel Pomo were congressionally terminated in the 1950s with the passage of the California Rancheria Act.

“The tribe's federal recognition was restored in 1983, but we were landless,” Treppa explained. “Our efforts to restore our land base were fraught with obstacles. The tribe persevered nonetheless, and in 2008 we managed to have 11.24 acres received into trust.”

She added, “This casino project is allowing our tribe to take a positive step towards self-reliance while becoming a positive contributor to the economic success of Lake County. That’s something to be proud of for all of our members.”

A listing of available jobs and application forms will also be posted soon on www.runningcreekcasino.com .

SANTA ROSA, Calif. – Two teenagers saved a man’s life while traveling overseas; a doctor traveled to Nepal to perform life-changing cataract surgeries; a man saved a woman from a burning car; several men rushed to save two young men from a house fire.

These are just a few of the 11 powerful stories that will be presented at the ninth annual Real Heroes Breakfast and Fundraiser.

The American Red Cross, serving Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties, is presenting the invitation-only event on Thursday, April 19, at 7:15 a.m., at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park.

More than 50 individuals from the three counties were nominated as heroes this year.

The Real Heroes Breakfast honors the extraordinary compassion and commitment of community members, while also raising funds to support essential local Red Cross services.

Among those who will be honored in the “rescue professional” category are Lake County heroes Gabe Lopez, a firefighter, and California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Dye, Security Operations Manager Steve Atkinson and Security Officer Byron Atkins who saved the lives of Jordan Armstrong and Kevin Hart, who were victims of a house fire in Hidden Valley Lake in December.

While off duty, Lopez spotted the fire and immediately went to help.

Without any fire gear, Lopez went into the home to rescue one of the victims who was still in the house.

Lopez was assisted by the other rescue professionals in treating the victims, getting the rescue helicopter to the site of the fire, calming the community.

Both young men survived, although one had burns over 80 percent of his body.

The honorees at the April 19 event also include the following exceptional men and women.

Good Samaritan, Youth

Caitlyn Hallman and Phil Coren of Ukiah put their CPR and first aid training to use while they were on a study-abroad program.

While visiting the cliffs of Portugal, Hallman and Coren went into rescue mode when heavy winds swept Canadian Mark Jefferies over the cliff.

Hallman's and Coren's actions helped save Jefferies’ life.  

Good Samaritan, Adult

Chris Cox of Petaluma was driving down Stony Point Road when he spotted a car on fire.

Cox cut the seat belt of Ricki Ann Thiele, who was unconscious, and freed her dog, who was trapped in the car as well.

Then, with the help of another bystander, he pulled the woman to safety.

Cox, who lost his 19-year-old-son Danny in a car crash just three months earlier, was inspired by his son’s dreams of being a firefighter and helping others.

Good Samaritan, Senior

Louis Hopfer of Sebastopol is a volunteer at The Tamayo House, a home run by Social Advocates for Youth for 18- to 25-year-olds.

The Tamayo House helps young adults transition from foster care or homelessness to becoming functioning, self-sufficient adults.

Hopfer shares his life experience with those who need it most, guiding grateful youth in the right direction.

Law enforcement

Santa Rosa Sgt. Clay VanArtsdalen is dedicated to public service and his profession as well as to improving the Police Department and his community.

Sgt. VanArtsdalen helped organize the “Shop with a Cop” program.

This event gives residents from children’s homes and shelters gift cards to purchase gifts during the holidays.

Education

Dr. Glenn Langer of Little River in Mendocino County, a retired professor of medicine at UCLA, and his wife Marianne, founded the mentoring program Partnership Scholar in 1996.

This program gives underprivileged youth the opportunity to succeed in school and attend college.

In the last three years, almost 100 percent of the programs participants have been accepted into colleges.

Medical

Ophthalmologist Dr. Gary Barth of Santa Rosa traveled to Nepal to assist renowned Nepal cataract surgeon, Dr. Bidya Pant with advance eye care surgeries for poor residents.

In this farming community, blindness can mean severe hardship, and the surgery team does hundreds of surgeries per day.

Dr. Barth has helped cure blindness in India, Cambodia and elsewhere.

Animal

Dr. Grant Patrick of Santa Rosa is a veterinarian who volunteers his time caring for injured wildlife.

He has treated as many as 100 fawns a year since 1987.

He has also treated countless other animals, both domestic and wild, including foxes, jack rabbits, coyotes, mountain lions, squirrels, cats and dogs.

Military

Lee Gooding of Forestville, executive director of Helping American Veterans Endure (HAVE), works with veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

A Vietnam veteran, Gooding has created programs to help vets alleviate stress and live healthier.

HAVE workshops include such activities as writing, humor, art classes and even pet therapy.

Through HAVE, Gooding has created a place of healing for military veterans.   

Environment

Thomas Furrer, a retired wildlife biology instructor from Santa Rosa, was teaching about the irretrievable loss of fish species, when one student asked: “What can we do?”

That question, and Furrer’s dedication to the environment, led him to spend 30 years reviving our waters and fish.

He founded the United Anglers Conservation Fish Hatchery in 1983.

With the help of his students, Furrer’s hatchery is the only high school-based, fully licensed fish hatchery in the U.S., and is dedicated to protecting of the steelhead salmon from extinction.

Furrer also founded the Adobe Creek Restoration Project, which, again with his hundreds of students over the years, turned a formerly dead stream into a vital, living creek.

At the breakfast, videos projected onto 10-foot screens will show each hero telling his or her story in compelling, brief vignettes.

More than 350 business and community members are expected to be in attendance to honor the heroes.

Those wishing to attend the fundraiser may call the Red Cross at 707-577-7627.

There is no set ticket price, but guests are encouraged to contribute the suggested minimum donation of $131, which represents $1 for every year the American Red Cross has been serving the American people.

For more information visit www.arcsm.org or www.redcross.org .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Five top spellers from local elementary and junior high schools will compete in the state spelling championships later this spring.

Daymion Martinez, a fifth grader at Lucerne Elementary, and Tyler Parrott, a sixth grade student from Cobb Mountain Elementary will compete in the 2012 California State Elementary School Spelling Championship on Saturday, April 21 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton.

Asia Firebaugh, an eighth grader from Middletown Middle School; Jessia Osborne, an eighth grader from Pomo School in Clearlake; and Noelani Urquiza, also an eighth grader, from Terrace School in Lakeport will represent the county at this year’s California State Junior High Spelling Championship in San Rafael on Saturday, May 12.  

The five spelling champions were each awarded a $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble.

The Lake County Junior High Spelling Bee for grades seventh and eighth was held at Upper Lake Middle School on Tuesday, March 13.

“Super Spellers” who participated in the competition include: Angelina Acosta, Burns Valley School; Kristen Celli, Burns Valley School; Asia Firebaugh, Middletown Middle School; Paul Johnson, East Lake School; Elisa Kim, Middletown Middle School; Mackenzie Law, Lower Lake Elementary; Roberto Lozano, Mt Vista Middle School; Wroehnyn Milks, Lucerne Elementary; Kaylee O’Bryant, Upper Lake Middle School; Jessia Osborne, Pomo School; Sam Price, East Lake School; Giovanni Sanchez, Terrace School; Zach Sneathen, Upper Lake Middle School; Noelani Urquiza, Terrace School, Weeden Wetmore, Lower Lake Elementary; and Kaylie Williams, Mt Vista Middle School. Burns Valley School student, Charlie Burke, also qualified but was unable to participate in the competition.

A very special “thank you” goes to Principal Tony Loumena and the staff at Upper Lake Middle School for hosting the Spelling Bee.

Thank you to Principal Jill Falconer and staff at Terrace School in Lakeport for hosting the Lake County Elementary Spelling Bee on Tuesday, March 20.

In a heated competition between Lake County elementary students in grades fourth through sixth, Daymion Martinez and Tyler Parrott came out on top.

Spelling champs who also participated in the competition are: Sarah Alvior, Burns Valley; Rayven Baldwin-Riggs, East Lake; Hannah Barnett, Kelseyville Elementary; Meaghan Boykin, Terrace School; Allison Bryant, Kelseyville Elementary; Michael Comacho, Terrace; Allessandra Diaz, Coyote Valley Elementary; Helena Dougan, Lake County International Charter School; Reanne Egger, Minnie Cannon Elementary; Jason Gentle, Mt Vista Middle School; Blair Hayes, Upper Lake Elementary; Vanessa Hughes, East Lake; Cheyenne Justice, Coyote Valley; Sean MacDonell, Lake Co. International Charter; Rachel Mavy, Pomo School; Aiden McAdon, Mt Vista Middle School; Aleia Milano, Lower Lake Elementary; Leila Perez, Riviera Elementary; Tristin Tapia, Pomo School; Sara Vierra, Minnie Cannon; Lyndsay Wade, Upper Lake Elementary; Kaila Willard, Lucerne Elementary; and Madison Witt, Riviera Elementary.

Students who qualified but were unable to participate in the competition included: Maria Salazar, Lower Lake Elementary; Savannah Vanmeter, Burns Valley School; and Chloe Ziegler, Cobb Elementary.

The annual spelling competitions are coordinated by the Lake County Office of Education.

Master of ceremonies/spell master for both of the spelling bees was Stephanie Wayment, education specialist at Lake County Office of Education.  

The judges for the competition were Robin Totorica, Jan Bailey, Tracy Skeen and Tim Gill, also from LCOE. 

A bill to rescue California’s world-renowned state parks jointly authored by Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) cleared its first hurdle today, garnering unanimous bipartisan support from the Assembly’s Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.

Chesbro and Huffman presented the bill, AB 1589, at a hearing of the committee Tuesday.

“The California State Parks Stewardship Act of 2012 is ground-breaking legislation that will reform how California funds and manages its state parks,” Chesbro said. “There is no more important resource to the North Coast than its state parks. They are essential to the economies of local communities throughout the First Assembly District. AB 1589 will create lasting security for the California State Parks system and it will save the state money in the long-term.”

Key provisions of AB 1589 include:

• Encourages formation of a state compact that guarantees an ongoing level of state funding for operations and maintenance of state parks.
• Creates a State Park Enterprise Fund to be used for construction and installation of modern revenue and fee collection equipment and technologies to increase park visitation and revenues.
• Produces a California State Park environmental license plate that individual vehicle owners could purchase and have the fees go towards support of state parks.
• Provides the option for taxpayers to voluntarily purchase an annual state park access pass when they file their state tax returns.
• Requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to be more transparent on how it evaluates and selects specific parks for closure, and places a cap of 25 state park units on the number of park closures allowed from 2012 to 2016 without legislative approval.

“The enthusiastic bipartisan support AB 1589 received in today’s committee hearing is very encouraging,” Chesbro said. “We can’t allow our state parks to go feral and leave them vulnerable to vandalism, illegal marijuana grows and homeless encampments.”

AB 1589 is also jointly authored by Assemblymembers Roger Dickinson, Mike Gatto and Kevin Jeffries.

The bill now goes to the Assembly’s Committee on Revenue and Taxation.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Launching a new program intended to “build capacity and effectiveness” of vineyard workers, the Lake County Winegrape Commission is sponsoring a series of training sessions for a select group of foremen and crew heads from Lake County vineyards.

The first group of “Master Vigneron Academy” participants is scheduled to meet once a month through August, then break for the harvest months of September and October before concluding the one year of coursework with a meeting in November.

Each session will cover one or more topics important to vineyard management and maintenance, including pruning, canopy management, vineyard layout, planting stock, equipment, health and safety of workers, conflict resolution, harvesting, winegrape quality and wine tasting.

The World English Dictionary defines the French word “vigneron” as “a person who grows grapes for winemaking.”

Wikipedia takes it a step further: “A vigneron is someone who cultivates a vineyard for winemaking. The word connotes or emphasizes the critical role that vineyard placement and maintenance has in the production of high-quality wine.”

The commission’s goal with its new project, the first of its kind in California, is two-fold: production of high quality wine and the development of some of the best vineyard workers to be found, according to Lake County Winegrape Commission President Shannon Gunier.

The commission will reward the individuals who successfully complete the academy with a “Master Vigneron” certificate.

“The end result is expected to be higher quality outputs in the vineyard with more efficient and skilled employees,” says Gunier. “Another key element is that better-trained workers will have greater confidence and develop into more valued employees. It is hoped that employers will recognize this, leading to better pay and enhanced advancement opportunities in the wine industry.”

The concept for the yearlong program was developed by the Commission’s Education Committee chair, Randy Krag of Beckstoffer Vineyards.

The commission has tapped its education director, Paul Zellman, to coordinate the program.

Zellman, who has 30 years of grape growing and winemaking experience, was selected to help the Commission accomplish the Master Vigneron Program goals.

The Ukiah viticulturalist will also assist with the continuing sustainable winegrape growing program, according to Gunier.

“We are excited to welcome Mr. Zellman to our team. His expertise will guide us through this brand new program,” said Gunier. “As it states in the mission statement for the Master Vigneron Academy, the commission directors believe ‘the vineyards are at the heart of producing world class wines and that experienced vineyard workers and foremen are the key to bring out the best of those vineyards.’ In developing this program, the commission directors sought to find the ideal teacher and coordinator. We have found a skilled, passionate and experienced individual in Paul.”

Zellman began his viticulture career as vineyard manager for MacGregor Vineyards, San Luis Obispo, in 1980, the same year he earned his bachelor of science degree in viticulture from the University of California, Davis.

He added a master of science degree in soil science from the University of California, Riverside, in 1995.

He has professional and personal ties to Lake County. “In 1998 I became the grower rep for Kendall-Jackson Winery for Lake, Mendocino and parts of Sonoma counties,” said Zellman. “At that time, Kendall-Jackson purchased about 60 percent of the total Lake County Sauvignon Blanc crop. During this period I met many Lake County growers and families.”

Zellman previously worked with the Lake County Winegrape Commission, from 2001 to 2003, directing a comprehensive wine quality assessment. He also developed maps and reports supporting the High Valley AVA application.

He is well-acquainted with Lake County, too, because of family. “I first become familiar with Lake County when visiting my wife’s family in Lakeport. My father-in-law is retired Superior Court Judge John Golden,” said Zellman. “My wife also has family in Ukiah where I now live and where we raised our two sons.”

Zellman has worked as a vineyard manager at San Pasqual Vineyards in Escondido, Calif., a grower relations representative with Kendall-Jackson in Santa Rosa, a cellar worker with Geyser Peak Winery in Geyserville, and an assistant winemaker with Brutocao Cellars in Hopland.

Speaking about anticipated outcomes of the Master Vigneron Program, Zellman said, “Growers will see crews that are supervised by graduates of the MV Program performing tasks correctly and at lower costs. Ultimately, wineries and wine drinkers will recognize these efforts by the production of better wines.

“Furthermore, as the word spreads of the professional training that we provide for our supervisors, Lake County will attract and retain more key vineyard supervisors. Also, other employees will see an opportunity to advance their own professional development and an enhanced livelihood.”

The first class of the Master Vigneron Program consists of 10 experienced Lake County vineyard workers.

They are Amador Duran of Obsidian Ridge Vineyards, Jaime Rosas of Lyon Vineyard, Gabriel Martinez and Felix Aguilar of Bella Vista Farming Co., Jeronimo Rico of Dorn Vineyards, Antonio Batres and Alonso Raygoza of Beckstoffer Vineyards, Tarciscio “Tacho” Corona of Stokes Vineyards, Federico Gonzalez of L & L Vineyards and Gerardo Mendoza of Red Hills Vineyard.

 
Amador Duran, Obsidian Ridge

Amador Duran is a vineyard foreman with Nissen Vineyard Services. He has worked on the Obsidian Ridge vineyard project since 1998.

His 15 years of vineyard experience, including many years on the Maxwell Ranch in Kelseyville, has given him the knowledge and skills to perform his current job as ranch foreman, he said.

He especially enjoys working with many people. Speaking about the range of tasks in his job, Duran said, “I love it.”

He looks forward to the Master Vigneron Academy courses, noting that he hopes to gain additional information about roots and plant stock.

Duran has lived in Lake County for more than 20 years and currently resides in the Clearlake area with his wife Alejadra.

The couple has four children: a son who is in college, a daughter in high school, a son in elementary school, and a 2-year-old daughter.

Jaime Rosas, Lyon Vineyard

Jaime Rosas is veteran of vineyard work in the Kelseyville area for more than 30 years.

Managing all operations of winegrape production for Walt Lyon’s Vineyard, Rosas came to Lake County in the mid-1970s and spent a few years working “here and there, like everybody else” until Walt Lyon offered him full-time employment.

Rosas had made the trek from Mexico in about 1974. His part-time experience included Lyon’s ranch.

It was around 1978 that Rosas was “fortunate” to be asked by Lyon to work for him. “Walt and I have a trust in each other. We understand each other,” said Rosas.

He joked, “(Walt) trusts me enough to mess things up,” adding that his employer allows him to try out ideas and sometimes they work out.

Rosas looks forward to the Master Vigneron Program, saying he is continuing to learn new things about winegrape production.

He lives near the Lakeport/Kelseyville border with his wife of 30-plus years, Marcia. The couple reared three boys who attended Kelseyville schools from kindergarten through graduation from high school.

Gabriel Martinez, Bella Vista Farming Co.

Gabriel Martinez currently manages all field operations on the five Bartolucci properties of the Bella Vista Farming Co.

He joined Bella Vista’s management team in 2009 following a two-year stint as supervisor at Bartolucci Vineyards.

His work experience includes employment with Syd Stokes over 14 years during which he worked his way up to foreman/supervisor.

Born in La Nopalera de Ecuandureo, Michoacan, Mexico in 1963, Martinez immigrated to the United States in 1981 and settled in the Finley/Kelseyville area.

He has worked in vineyards and pear orchards since. He is familiar with all cultural practices for both crops, having worked in pruning, picking, machinery operation, pesticide and fertilizer application, frost protection, irrigation and labor supervision.

In 1996, Martinez became a U.S. citizen.

He is married and has two sons, two daughters, and a granddaughter.

Felix Aguilar, Bella Vista Farming Co.

Felix Aguilar has worked for Bella Vista Farming Co. and/or Quercus Ranch since 1995.

Originally hired for his mechanical and fabrication skills, he was moved into a supervisory role because of his ability to plan work and manage people.

He oversees most vineyard and orchard activities for a number of Bella Vista’s clients, as well as repair and maintenance activities for much of the farm equipment used in those operations.

Aguilar owns property in Texas and Mexico where he grows Milo. He also enjoys buying, rebuilding and selling used cars and pickups.

Aguilar was born in Progreso del Campecino Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico in 1952, and became a U.S. citizen in 1998.

He is married and has one daughter, four sons, and 14 grandchildren.

Jeronimo Rico, Dorn Vineyards

Jeronimo Rico has worked for Dorn Vineyards since the mid-1970s – “1974 or ’75,” he said – having previously been employed as a pear pruner in the Kelseyville area.

He is a supervisor for the Dorns, overseeing every aspect of the vineyard maintenance and winegrape production.

With his experience in all vineyard skills, Rico says he especially enjoys being a foreman and supervising other workers in the production process.

A resident of Kelseyville for nearly 40 years, Rico lives with his wife Adelina and daughter Esther.

Antonio Batres, Beckstoffer Vineyards

Antonio Batres has worked for Beckstoffer Vineyards for 11 years, mostly as vineyard supervisor but with experience in all vineyard skills.

He came to the company with a variety of experiences in California orchard crops.

Batres studied one year at CIANO (Centro de Investigaciones Agricolas del Noroeste) in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico, research home of the “father of the green revolution” and Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug.

Batres and his wife live in Lakeport with their three children, ages 10 months to 16 years.

Alonso Raygoza, Beckstoffer Vineyards

Alonso Raygoza has worked for Beckstoffer Vineyards for over 12 years, learning vineyard skills from the ground up.

He is an experienced equipment operator extraordinaire. As harvest forklift operator, he loaded and unloaded most of the more than 2,200 valley bins that were dispatched from Beckstoffer’s operation last harvest.

Raygoza lives in Clearlake Riviera with his wife and 10-month-old daughter.

Tarciscio “Tacho” Corona, Stokes Vineyards

Tarciscio “Tacho” Corona is in his sixth year of employment with Stokes Vineyards. He has been picking grapes for Lake County growers for many more years, having been in the area for 14 years.

The 33-year-old is a foreman/supervisor who has shown his skills in working with people. He handles crews very well, according to his employer.

He is also a very good equipment driver and an excellent mechanic. Corona says his favorite vineyard activitiy is pruning.

He lives in Lakeport with his wife Apolonia (“Polly”) and three children ages 3 ½, 8 and 9.

Federico Gonzalez, L & L Vineyards

Federico Gonzalez is a vineyard foreman for L&L Vineyards where he has worked for 13 years. His duties are extensive and involve every aspect of the winegrape growing process.

As foreman, he is responsible for crew training and supervision. He drives tractors for spraying, discing and other maintenance, and actively oversees L&L’s irrigation and harvesting tasks.

Originally from the state of Michoacán, Gonzalez lives in Lakeport with his wife Gloria.

The couple’s children, three daughters and a son, range in age from 6 years to 20 years old.

Gerardo Mendoza, Red Hills Vineyard

Bringing experience from three years of work in Santa Rosa for vineyard owner Bob Mount, Gerardo Mendoza is new to vineyard work.

He began working at Mount’s Lake County vineyard this year. As a rookie to winegrape growing, Mendoza is charged with learning everything there is to know about the process. He says he is dedicating the next years of his life to doing so.

Mendoza moved from Santa Rosa to make a new home in the Red Hills region of Lake County. He and his wife Maria del Rosario have a son and a daughter, ages 5 and 2 years old.
 
Course outline

The first class of Master Vigneron Academy was introduced in November at the Winegrape Commission’s 10th Annual Sustainable Winegrape Growing Seminar at Ceago Vinegarden.

The first “official” class meeting of the group followed in January when the participants attended the 2012 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento.

One of the highlights of this year’s trade show was the Spanish language seminar sessions.

Several coursework hours will take place in the Finley Grange hall and in Lake County vineyards, according to the Academy outline.

“Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about the broader wine industry itself. (They) will engage in wine education with the chance to taste the ‘finished product’ and make connections between their critical work in the vineyard and how that results in what ends up in the bottle,” said Gunier.

The Master Vigneron students are scheduled to visit Guillaume Nursery and University of California at Davis vineyards during one of the in-field course days in March and will take another trip in June to a Sonoma County winegrape grower’s operation in Healdsburg.

In a welcome letter to participants, Zellman told the group the areas to be covered in the course include vineyard cultural practices, vineyard development, nursery stock, winegrape varietals, and labor management.

“This is a hands-on course consisting of vineyard tours, classroom activities and seminar sessions. Practical labor management skills will be honed through specially arranged training assignments with role playing as a key component of the process,” he said.

The Master Vigneron Academy graduates will be able to use the knowledge they gain to enhance their work as “leaders, mentors and mediators” in their vineyard careers, said Zellman. The participants will get a glimpse of the entire California winegrape industry, he added.

Zellman said he looks forward to working with each of the students selected for the program. The course, as it progresses, will provide opportunities for the experienced group to expand their interactions with Lake County and Northern California winegrape producers, he noted.

Established in 1991 by the winegrape growers of Lake County, the Lake County Winegrape Commission is a local marketing order.

Its primary function is to provide marketing, education, and research programs to Lake County winegrape growers.

For more information about upcoming events and workshops, check the commission’s Web site, www.lakecountywinegrape.org , or call the commission office at 707-995-3421.

For information about the seminar or the Master Vigneron Program, email Zellman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

California Attorney General Kamala Harris on Wednesday announced that Walmart has agreed to pay $2.1 million for overcharging consumers in violation of a 2008 judgment against the retail chain.

The judgment is the result of Walmart's failure to comply with a 2008 judgment that required the retail chain to resolve errors in pricing at checkout stands, Harris' office reported.

“Consumers should feel confident that the price on the shelf will be the same price they are charged at the cash register,” said Harris. “Californians who shop at Walmart should know that they have the right to ask for the appropriate discount.”

In December 2005, the Attorney General's Office and the San Diego District Attorney's Office investigated allegations that Walmart stores in California were scanning items at a higher price than the prices advertised on store shelves and signs.

Through random price-checking, county departments of weights and measures across the state found that 164 Walmart stores in 30 counties had made scanning errors.

According to the terms of the 2008 judgment, consumers who were overcharged at the cash register should have immediately received $3 off the lowest advertised price of the item. If the price was less than $3, the item was to be given to the consumer for free.

Starting in November 2010, Departments of Weights and Measures in 11 counties conducted investigations to monitor Walmart's compliance and found continued errors in pricing at Walmart checkout stands.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Harris, San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith filed a stipulated modified judgment with the San Diego Superior Court resolving Walmart's failure to comply with the requirements of the 2008 judgment.

The $3 off program was originally scheduled to end in November 2012, but with Wednesday's action has been extended to November 2013.

Walmart also will be required to put new, large signs describing the policy, in both English and Spanish, at each of the approximately 3,000 checkout stands at its 180 stores and super centers in California.

Walmart has agreed to designate a person at every Walmart store in California to ensure pricing accuracy.

Any price discrepancy must be reported within three hours to Walmart's corporate headquarters, which receives and maintains price audit information, consumer complaints and inspection reports for all California Walmart stores.

In addition, Walmart agreed to pay new penalties and costs totaling $2.1 million. These funds will be divided between county weights and measures officials, the California Department of Measurement Standards, the Attorney General's Office, the San Diego District Attorney's Office and the San Diego City Attorney's Office.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Officials with the city of Clearlake are investigating a suspicious device brought to the police department.

City Administrator Joan Phillipe said in an email that on Tuesday morning a suspicious device was brought “in a non-threatening manner” to the Clearlake Police station, which is located in Clearlake City Hall at 14050 Olympic Drive.

“As a precaution while a determination is being made as to exactly what the device is, a portion of the City Hall parking lot and access to the building has been taped off to public access,” Phillipe wrote.

She said police will offer more information to the community as soon as it's available.