LUCERNE, Calif. – Firefighters rescued a driver whose car went off of Highway 20 and into Clear Lake late Thursday night.

Northshore Fire personnel, Lake County Sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers were first dispatched to the crash in the area of Highway 20 just west of Foothill Drive shortly before 10:30 p.m., according to radio reports.

At the scene they found a silver four-door sedan on its roof and mostly submerged – except for a rear portion of the car, including its back wheels – in Clear Lake.

CHP Officer Ryan Erickson said the report of the crash first came in as secondhand information from a passerby who had seen lights in the lake.

Late Thursday, Erickson said they didn't yet know much about what had occurred, with the investigation at that point in its early stages.

He said the silver sedan, which had been traveling eastbound on Highway 20, was the only vehicle involved.

Shortly before 11 p.m., firefighters were able to pull the female driver from the vehicle. Erickson said she was given CPR and had a pulse.

A Northshore Fire ambulance transported the woman from the scene a short time later. Erickson said she was taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital.

At that time, Erickson said it was unknown if another person was in the vehicle, and they were waiting for a tow truck to pull the car from the lake.

Due to the rains, the water was murky and rough. The car's lights were still on and could be seen just below the surface of the dark water.

The vehicle was pulled from the water at around midnight, with units clearing the scene about 45 minutes later, according to reports from the scene.

Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos confirmed to Lake County News at 1 a.m. Friday that the driver had been the car's only occupant.

He said at that time he didn't have an update on the woman's condition.

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A new sales tax Lakeport voters approved in the fall will be implemented beginning in April.

On Nov. 8, Lakeport residents voted to enact Measure Z, a one-percent increase to the local sales and use tax.

Measure Z, which will go into the general fund, required a simple majority vote to pass. It received a 61.9-percent yes vote, with 38.1 percent of voters opposing it.

City officials said the new tax is slated to take effect April 1, at which time, the sales tax for taxable items purchased in the city of Lakeport will rise to 8.75 percent.

Currently, the sales tax in the city of Lakeport is 7.75 percent, which reflects a drop in the state sales and use tax rate of one quarter of one percent, effective Jan. 1.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Although Thursday saw less rain for Lake County than the earlier days of the week, the day still brought a dose of winter weather with snow in the higher elevations and a lake that's continuing to rise.

Compared with the rains this week and early this week, Thursday's precipitation was relatively light.

The National Weather Service's network of observation stations reported the following rainfall totals, in inches, for the 24-hour period ending at 12 a.m. Friday:

• Bear Canyon (Middletown): 0.31.
• Boggs Mountain: 0.18.
• Cache Creek (near Lower Lake): 0.49.
• Hidden Valley Lake: 0.52.
• Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.19.
• Jerusalem Grade (Middletown): 0.93.
• Kelseyville: 0.39.
• Soda Creek at Lake Pillsbury): 0.19.
• Upper Lake: 0.30.
• Whispering Pines: 0.36.

A small amount of snow on Thursday morning also was reported by residents in and around Cobb and parts of Kelseyville, including a light dusting on top of Mt. Konocti.

The National Weather Service said the recent storms have many areas of Northern California running 175 to 200 percent of normal for rain at this time of year.

This week's heavy rains also resulted in a new flood warning for the southern two-thirds of Lake County. The National Weather Service issued the warning on Thursday, and said it will continue through Friday afternoon.

The rains have filled up area creeks and streams, and Clear Lake early Friday morning was just over 7 feet Rumsey as of 12 a.m. Friday. A full lake is 7.56 feet Rumsey.

Looking ahead, the National Weather Service said drier weather is expected Friday and into the middle of next week.

Parts of Lake County, particularly around Lakeport and Upper Lake, could see areas of dense fog on Friday night and Saturday morning, with chances of showers Saturday night and early Sunday, according to the forecast.

Conditions are expected to clear through Monday night.

Temperatures are forecast to range from the low 30s at night into the high 50s in the daytime.

While the next several days of drier weather should give the region a short break from rain, the National Weather Service warned that another atmospheric river is possible next week.

The agency said details remain uncertain, but added that the predicted system could bring heavy rainfall, higher snow levels above 7,000 feet, gusty winds and renewed flooding concerns on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Lake County specific forecast calls for that weather system to bring more rain from Tuesday through Thursday.

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.

AccuWeather reports following snow and cold in 49 states during the first 10 days of January, cold air will retreat in parts of the United States but hold on with stormy consequences in others for the rest of the month.

The upcoming pattern for the remainder of the month will have some people in the South shedding winter coats, while others in the northern tier will be changing up their outerwear on a daily basis.

In many parts of the nation, early January lived up to its wintry reputation.

Temperatures plummeted to minus 30 F with AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures as low as minus 40 in parts of Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota. Actual temperatures plunged to nearly minus 50 in parts of Colorado.

Northern California was hit with drought-busting rain and flooding, while yards of snow buried the high country of the Sierra Nevada, Cascades and Rockies.

At one point this past weekend, snow was on the ground and freezing temperatures existed in every state except Florida, thanks to a snowstorm that swept from the Northwest to the Southern states and then to the coastal Northeast.

Arctic air will sound the retreat in much of the southern half of the nation during the middle of the month. Highs most days in Atlanta will be in the 60s. The normal high is in the lower 50s.

"The main branch of the jet stream will retreat to near the border of Canada and the U.S.," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

The jet stream is a high-speed river of air at the level in the atmosphere where jet aircraft cruise. South of the jet stream, the weather is generally warm. North of the jet stream, the weather is generally cold.

"There will still be some dips in the jet stream, which will allow pockets of arctic cold air to periodically sink southward into parts of the nation, including across the Upper Midwest and Northeast," Anderson said.

During the middle 10 days of January, highs in Chicago will generally range from the 20s to the 40s. In New York City, highs most days will be in the 30s and 40s with an exception here and there. For both cities, it will neither be bitterly cold nor warm for very long. Normal highs are near freezing in Chicago and in the upper 30s for New York City.

Sometimes, where the boundary of cold versus mild air sets up, episodes of snow, ice and rain can occur.

One such weather battlefield will set up from the southern Plains to portions of the Midwest and the Northeast from late this week into early next week.

In the Southwest, a storm will manufacture cold air and unleash wintry precipitation for a time during the middle of the month.

The formation of the storm over the interior Southwest will allow the weather to dry out for several days for weather-weary areas of California, Oregon and Nevada.

Around Los Angeles, high temperatures during the balance of the month will generally range from the middle 60s to the lower 70s, or within a few degrees of average. Likewise, in Seattle, highs will trend to near average, which is in the 40s.

The overall pattern first appears to be mild for much of the nation during the latter part of the month, unless the polar vortex comes into play.

"There are some indications that the polar vortex may weaken enough to allow a southward discharge of arctic air prior to the end of the month," according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.

"Even in cases when there is certainty about the weakening of the polar vortex, you never know for sure where the discharge of cold air will be directed, such as western versus eastern U.S.," Pastelok said.

If the polar vortex remains strong, then it will keep the arctic air locked up in the Arctic and more places in the lower 48 states may trend warmer rather than colder late in the month.

"We believe the eastern part of the U.S. will trend colder and stormier again toward the end of the month, but the question is how much," Pastelok said.

Alex Sosnowski is a senior meteorologist for www.AccuWeather.com .

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – With its superintendent announcing he will retire this summer, the Upper Lake Unified School District is beginning a search for a new leader and planning a meeting next month to take input from community members.

Superintendent Patrick Iaccino will retire in June, at the end of this school year, the district reported.

Iaccino was the longtime Upper Lake Union High School District superintendent who was one of the leaders of the successful effort to unify that district with the Upper Lake Union Elementary District.

The two districts officially merged into one as of July 1, with the board selecting Iaccino as the new district's superintendent, as Lake County News has reported.

The district will hold a community forum meeting to discuss the superintendent search at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, in the cafeteria at the Upper Lake High School campus, 675 Clover Valley Road.

The public is invited to the meeting event and encouraged to provide input regarding the search for a new superintendent.

For interested candidates, the job description and brochure links can be found at http://www.ulusd.org/quicklinks/?id=51 .

Requirements include a master's degree, with the appropriate administrative credential to serve a K-12 district also preferred.

The job's salary range is $114,438 to $157,474, plus health and welfare benefits.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. March 1.

In the middle of March, an ad hoc selection committee that includes members of the district's governing board, community members, parents and staff will select candidates to interview, with the date of interviews to be announced.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This month a local organization plans to conduct an updated count of Lake County's homeless population.

On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Lake County Continuum of Care, or CoC, will hold a point-in-time count to count the sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families in Lake County.

The point-in-time, or PIT, count will help the CoC obtain a better understanding of homelessness in our community and needed services and resources.

It also will make Lake County eligible for funding for homeless services.
 
In addition to mobile teams canvassing the county, survey sites will be open on Jan. 24 from 1 to 5 p.m. in locations throughout the county:
 
• Clearlake: Walmart parking lot, 15960 Dam Road.
• Clearlake Oaks: Methodist Church Youth Center, 12487 The Plaza.
• Kelseyville: Lake Family Resource Center, 5350 Main St.
• Lakeport: Natural High School, 800 block of N. Main Street.
• Lucerne: Fifth Avenue office, corner of Fifth Avenue and Highway 20.
• Middletown: Methodist Church Fellowship Hall (corner of Washington and Armstrong streets).
 
The sites will offer flu shots, HIV/Hepatitis C testing, dog food and supplies, sandwiches and water/coffee.

Each person who is homeless and completes the confidential survey will be given a bag of snacks, hygiene supplies and other items.
 
“The point-in-time survey is an essential element in our ability to serve our local homeless individuals with appropriate resources and programs,” said Marilyn Wakefield, PIT Committee chair. “If you know someone who is homeless, please encourage them to visit with a member of our survey team at one of the many locations.”
 
The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, requires all homeless continuums to conduct a point-in-time count of homeless individuals/families during a single night in January.

These counts provide an overview of the state of homelessness in the region and offer the information needed to direct services, funding and resources provided by the CoC.
 
The result of the PIT survey will establish a count of homeless families/individuals that is necessary for Lake County to be eligible for federal funding through HUD and other agencies for housing-related programs and support services.

Results also will provide a foundation for future planning to meet the needs of the homeless in Lake County.
 
Local private and public agencies partner through the CoC to improve services for those in the community who are homeless or are at risk of losing their housing.

HUD describes a CoC as “a community plan to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and maximize self-sufficiency. It includes action steps to end homelessness and prevent a return to homelessness.”

State Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) has introduced a new bill to incorporate media literacy education into school curriculums.

Media literacy is the ability to analyze and evaluate information consumed from various media outlets such as Web sites, social networking sites, television and radio.

Adolescents can spend up to nine hours a day absorbing media from these various sources.
 
“The rise of fake and misleading news is deeply concerning. Even more concerning is the lack of education provided to ensure people can distinguish what is fact and what’s not,” said Dodd. “Through new technology news has never been more readily available. However, the quality of that information varies widely. By giving students the proper tools to analyze the media they consume, we can empower them to make informed decisions.”
 
The prevalence of fake news garnered national attention in the recent election, where in the final months of the presidential campaign, false and misleading stories from hoax Web sites outperformed actual news stories in terms of social media engagement.

This flood of information can make it difficult for the public to differentiate between reputable news sources and false or misleading claims, Dodd's office said.

The practice of advertisements masquerading as news has also seen an increase in recent years. A recent Stanford study found that 82 percent of middle school students struggled to distinguish advertisements from news stories.
 
Under Dodd’s legislation, the California Board of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission will be responsible for developing the framework for incorporating media literacy into school curriculums.

The legislation will also see that media literacy training opportunities are made available for teachers in California.

The bill should receive its first committee hearing within the next couple of months.
 
Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yolo, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties. He previously represented Lake County in the State Assembly.

Visit his Web site at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd .